The NYT has introduced us to "the dress," a $50 polka-dot Zara number with an Instagram fan account that’s gained over 11,000 followers. The dress has been spotted all over London this summer, and it’s the latest entry in the retail-meets-internet-culture phenomenon.
Instagram accounts that track sightings of popular clothing items in the wild are on the rise. And the pieces they profile have one thing in common: They’re widely sold without paid endorsements or special features in stores. They include...
- "The Amazon Coat," a down parka by Orolay with over 6,950 positive Amazon reviews
- "The skirt," a leopard print slip first seen at Réalisation Par in 2018 (and widely imitated by other retailers in 2019)
- The first edition of "the dress," a denim mini released by Zara in 2016
None of the brands I just mentioned have released sales figures for these items, but they often sell out (and then get restocked) several times over.
Bottom line: In the social media age, product fandoms stem from everyday consumers and repetition, repetition, repetition.
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