SEXY UNDERWEAR GOES MASS
After a few flat years, intimates have gotten a nice sales boost thanks to some variety. Whether this comes in the form of color, fabrication or--most of all--silhouette, some fashion and a little sex appeal are driving sales, even at mass.
As a whole, intimate apparel sales rose 7.5% from 2003 to 2004, from $8.5 billion to $9.1 billion, according to The NPD Group. This was the healthiest overall category increase in years, and it was not simply due to improvements in bra and panty revenues.
"Women are looking for sexy intimates for everyday and special occasions; Victoria's Secret-esque looks at mass, that's where we're seeing a lot of growth," said Hilton Graham, marketing manager for Hanes HerWay Underwear. "She wants lots of options to suit every occasion or mood," he added. Hanes HerWay has expanded its assortment in keeping with this demand for variety with a number of clearly differentiated fines, including fashion-forward Body Creations and laid-back Pure Bliss.
Though mass retailers have always assorted sexed-up lingerie around the holiday season and Valentine's Day, most of the "fashion" items in the department in the past were impulse novelty items. Now, the styles are fashion, not fad-driven.
"We are really pushing the envelope in intimate apparel at mass," said
Sharon Dickinson, director of merchandising at Vassarette. The company is launching a new push-up bra this spring with an overlay of encapsulated lace.
Dickinson feels confident that consumers will discover Victoria's "secret"--that high-quality product can be found at all levels of the market, even at Vassarette's $10.88 price point for its bras at Wal-Mart.
"We do offer department-store quality for the mass channel. We don't advertise that ... but we do want customers at Wal-Mart to know they can get really great quality fashion product," she added.
Nota Formiga Bargante: texto relacionado com "roupa interior da mulher portuguesa", discussão a decorrer no BelogueTexto publicado na revista DSN Retailing Today, de 14.03.200
1 comentário:
A Victoria's Secret não é o melhor exemplo, porque as colecções deles são tão aguardadas como o catálogo da Sport's Illustrated (que vende mais que a Playboy, diga-se). A verdade é que muitas vezes o aumento das vendas não quer dizer um aumento do "uso". É como ir à Fnac e trazer um saco cheio de livros. Isso não quer dizer que quem os comprou vá de facto lê-los, não é? As mulheres (pelo menos aquelas que observo e que conheço) compram mais roupa interior e de mais bonita, mas não andam com ela no dia-a-dia. Para isso preferem a roupa interior mais prática que não tem nada de sensual como a da Victoria's Secret. Essa, e sei pelo que vejo e ouço, é guardada para ocasiões "especiais". Porque roupa interior interior com carácter lúdico, é para ser jogada a dois!
Enviar um comentário