Instagram is no longer just a place for celebrity selfies and FOMO-inducing travel snaps.
Now with 500m monthly active users, it offers an unbeatable marketing opportunity for brands of all kinds.
Whether a deliberate attempt to create hype or just a case of incredibly poor judgement – fashion brands have always had a history of selling controversy.
From the suggestive to the downright distasteful, here are just a few of the worst examples of ‘edgy’ fashion to appear online and on the high street.
A month ago, I wrote a post questioniong whether Primark was mad to ignore ecommerce, after it had said it had no plans to sell online.
Strangely, for a post and discussion on an internet marketing blog, the general consensus was that Primark’s offline only strategy was a good idea for such a low margin retailer.
Yesterday however, Primark started selling a limited range of clothes via ASOS. So is this a good idea?
Obviously, we’re big believers in ecommerce at Econsultancy, and we would advise any retailer to start selling online, if they aren’t already doing so, but one big name still doesn’t see the virtues of online retail: Primark.
I’ve written in the past about retailers that have shied away from online retail, and most of these retailers have since taken the plunge.
Not Primark though, and it seems the retailer has no immediate plans to sell online. Indeed, its most recent trading statement (pdf) makes no mention of the internet at all.
So, is Primark missing out as other fashion retailers grow their online sales, or is its business model somehow less suited to the internet?
The UK’s fashion brands are missing out online by not making the most of their websites and offering a full range of products to web shoppers.
In the YouGov survey conducted for GSI Commerce, brands such as H&M, TK Maxx, Primark and Matalan were highlighted for failing to make the most of their web presence, despite the obvious benefits of selling online.