With Amazon expected to surpass Macy's to become the biggest apparel seller in the US next year, many people are wondering what this means for the world of fashion?

In recent years, the consumer's increasing desire to shop online has certainly forced brands to invest in their digital ecosystems. However, brick and mortar has managed to co-exist, if not tentatively, with online platforms. But is this indicative of a future without shopping malls? 

Indeed, the shift would represent a huge shake-up for the apparel industry, which has long been dominated by department stores like Macy's, JCPenney, and Walmart. 

There are also signs that Amazon want to enter the world of high fashion. The company has started to shift its fashion strategy toward offering more high-end designer names such as Zac Posen and Stuart Weitzman. To help with this new strategy, they have even hired executives from luxury fashion companies such as the Vogue editor Caroline Palmer.

Given the close ties and similarities between the UK and US, there is some speculation over whether we could see this happen in the UK. But I don't think it is all doom and gloom for the highstreet - well, in the UK at least!

Brands in the UK simply need to play to their strengths, instead of trying to compete in the digital space where Amazon is a founding father.

This is not to say they should abandon their digital stores - a good online UX experience can be just as effective as a good marketing campaign  - but they should focus on offering what online retail can not - the human touch.

Simple enough idea - but there are not enough brands doing it.

Validation of one’s fashion choses is still important. More than 65% of 16-34s “don’t make a fashion decision until they have discussed it with people they trust,” and 70% are “more excited about a decision they’ve made when their friends agree with them.” (Forbes, 2015)

Their desire for affirmation is so great that we have even seen the rise of "chelifies."  Shoppers are now asking friends from the changing room for their opinions on new outfits via social media. A survey of 2,000 young people found they can wait up to 2 hours to acquire 'likes' before buying an outfit. (Daily Mail, 2015)

But there’s a tension - they’d prefer it if their mates were really there. Females aged between 16-34 want shopping to be a group activity and shop twice as often with their spouses, friends or family members compared with non-millennial women. Indeed, 59% of 16-34s say they prefer shopping in-store for clothing, fashion, and accessories. (YouGov Reports, 2016, Innovations in Retailing)

"Whilst online shopping is becoming ever-more convenient with the advent of within the hour and same day deliveries, it is clear that the desire to touch, feel, try on, compare, and above all see and judge, clothes/accessories when worn remains strong.”
(YouGov Reports, 2016, Innovations in Retailing).

These young women also want a better "experience". When shopping, they prefer an ‘experiential’ retail environment, where shopping is more than a transaction and the pleasure of being in the store isn’t limited to the goods that customers take home.” (Forbes, 2015)

Based on these insights, brands on the high street need to recognise their customers desire for great in-store retail experiences. They need to transform retail spaces into social spaces. The ultimate goal is to give their consumers such a brilliant in-store experience, that they will feel they are not getting the full product if they just shop online.

This new advert from Beats by Dre is fun. Imbued with a healthy dosage of nostalgia in the form of a classic disney song, and filled with all our favourite celebs dancing and miming the lyrics perfectly, it certainly leaves you with a big smile on your face. But I can't help but feel there is missing something.

Now, not every advert needs a call to action or wants to "sell" you something. Living in an age when an ad-blocker comes as standard on every iPhone, and consumers are becoming increasingly immune to traditional forms of advertising, an old school "let me sell you something" ad just doesn't work. Content is king and the impetus is now on brands to provide us with interesting, innovative, shareable pieces of content or contribute meaningfully in the passion areas of lives.

However, ultimately brands need to sell their products or get us to do something and all the above is basically a new way to do just that . Therefore, every advert or piece of content needs to contribute to the customer journey. 

So what does this advert do? Well, it introduces the consumer to the audio brand's new range of wireless headphones and induces positive feelings towards the brand i.e. brand love. That I suppose is enough, but I think there is room for more.

This is big shift for the brand. They are no longer selling the headphones with wires. They should be celebrating this, right? In my opinion they need to communicate the product benefits e.g. "Why should I buy beats wireless headphones over sony ones? or as an aspiring lifestyle brand tell the consumers what purchasing these headphones say about them. Heck, even just explaining why wireless headphones are better than wired ones would be nice. Indeed, the products are implicitly conveyed via the lyrics "I got no strings". These words imply that you are not impeded or constrained by the wireless from traditional headphones, something that is amplified with the celebs dancing freely throughout the spot. But I still think there is room for improvement.

The clever use of celebrities and brilliant art direction overshadows the significance of this product's innovation. Hopefully the next iteration will let us know a little bit more about the product itself. 

I am not ashamed to say it, I am probably one of TWBA Media Arts biggest fans when it comes to their Apple adverts. They just have a knack of making all Apple products feel such a natural and essential part of our lives. The way they convey technology and product updates makes you feel that if you don't have that gadget that you are not truly living - okay, maybe thats just me but you have to admit they are emotive.

But I think I may have my have misplaced my rose tinted glasses when I caught my first glimpse of the Apple Watch Series 2 advert. If case you are unaware the main improvements between the first apple watch and this latest iteration are the GPS and that it is fully waterproof. Nothing to write home about. And surprisingly this is so clearly evident in the advert - nothing has really changed.

As to be expected the art direction is brilliant and the various of sports is interesting but i don't feel compelled to run down to my nearest apple. I don't know, maybe as an"experience hunter" - well, that's what they call us millennials anyway - I have lost my desire to have the latest "thing" valuing experiences over products. But I still like my gadgets so maybe it is just this one advert didn't strike a cord with me.