Chief executive of Boohoo Carol Kane was in discussion with Hilary Alexander OBE at our GFW Live! talk space today, speaking about the world of e-commerce shopping and the age of the internet retail experience. Without having a bricks-and-mortar store, their focus is generally on different areas, as Carol says “without the physical ability to touch garments, the image is very important to us”.
Kane has cleverly observed consumers habits and pinpointed what the market really needed. Often, dedicating time to some much-needed retail therapy is something customers find difficult due to their busy lifestyles, but with online shopping offering Boohoo’s some 2600 product range we can buy practically anywhere at any time.
The power of e-commerce means not waiting for selling numbers. Screens are live and updated every 15 minutes, meaning that if something is low in stock the brand can quickly get on a phone and discuss turnaround on producing more in as little as five days.
Today brands take influence from celebrities and online bloggers that have millions of followers, but being online means that as soon as Kim Kardashian is pictured in a showstopping outfit, Boohoo can in minutes create a similar one and market it all over social media and their website. “It’s fast paced, see today wear tomorrow”.
Words by Isabel Woodrow-Young