Sites Combine Fashion and Editorial to Attract Men

Fifty-seven percent of respondents to a July 2010 RetailWire poll said Gilt Groupe’s new full-price men’s clothing site that combined fashion and editorial had an excellent to good chance of success.

Now, a number of websites, including Gilt’s Park & Bond, are providing men with information, quality merchandise and the convenience of online shopping to fully engage their inner Beau Brummel. But will men turn to these sites instead of shopping in stores, and will they do so in enough numbers to make them viable for the long haul?

Sites including Clad—a joint venture between J.C. Penney and Esquire magazine—and MR PORTER—the male-oriented counterpart of Net-a-Porter—have joined Park & Bond in targeting this market.

"It’s an exciting time in men’s fashion," David Granger, editor-in-chief at Esquire, told CNN. "There’s been this real return to expressing individuality through clothes and it doesn’t have to be through suits and ties."

Clad, which targets men 25 to 54, was created to "provide a full assortment of well-curated designer brands in a savvy digital environment," according to a statement from Penney.

20110921 mrporter

MR PORTER, according to CNN, gets nine million page views a month and registers average orders of $700. It uses editorial style tips to help make men more comfortable with the shopping experience.

"There’s so much product at the retail level, so for the average guy who may not like to shop, a curated site that offers a well-edited selection of goods, that’s a really welcome solution," Tim Yap, editor of the Tobe Report, told CNN. "It also taps into the old-school notion of what real customer service is, that you know who the customer is and you service them in a more private atmosphere."

BrainTrust

Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions: Will the new generation of men’s websites combining curated fashions along with editorial change the way American males shop for clothing? What lessons can merchants operating stores take from these sites?

Poll

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Bob Phibbs
Bob Phibbs
12 years ago

For the self-assured male, shopping online may be valuable. But most men outside of metro centers don’t crave shopping like women do.

Doron Levy
Doron Levy
12 years ago

It definitely pays to specialize. We male customers have different shopping habits and styles then our female counterparts. A concise informative website appeals to our gender because the majority us probably hate to shop. A distraction-free website that provides products, info and pricing is all we are looking for.

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
12 years ago

I can only look at this from my point of view. The internet has opened easy shopping opportunities for me. If I want shoes, I find shoes. If I want jeans, I find jeans. If I want shirts, I find shirts. Please don’t make it difficult by adding editorial!!!

Jesse Rooney
Jesse Rooney
12 years ago

I can see men who are familiar with the cut and fit of certain lines of products returning online to purchase from the same line, but I don’t see a lot of men trying new brands online.

This is particularly true of business and formal attire. The calculus between purchasing a suit online and going to a tailor to have it altered versus going to a store, acquiring a suit I know will fit me, and having it altered at the store certainly favors traditional brick and mortar shops.

Bill Emerson
Bill Emerson
12 years ago

These are great sites that will appeal to a certain, albeit small, segment of the men’s market. They are also a great example of an internet play being superior to a 4-wall approach.

Is it likely they will change the way men shop for apparel on a broad basis? Not a chance. The reality is that the big majority of men’s apparel is bought by and or greatly influenced by wives and girlfriends.

Phil Rubin
Phil Rubin
12 years ago

Men shop differently than women and also have very different levels of confidence, largely due to lack of knowledge. Part of this is interest and part of this is lack of information, partly due to too many stores with low service (sales) levels. For interested and time-starved men who care about how they present themselves, these new sites will generate sales and loyalty. In turn, they will raise the bar for menswear manufacturers and merchants.

Ralph Jacobson
Ralph Jacobson
12 years ago

This is definitely for a target market. Men in Great Falls, Montana may not have quite as much interest in these ads as those in Manhattan.