Dickies Features ‘Back To School’ Uniforms Display
Since school uniforms are seasonal and don’t have a permanent place on the retail floor, Dickies has created a corrugated retail display that holds 320 to 400 garments. Shaped like an old-fashioned school house, the display contains a customized pallet and is easy for the retailer to set up.
"It screams school wear," said David Hein, Dickies’ General Manager of Kidswear. "It really grabs the consumer."
The display is designed to last on the selling floor for a 90 day period. School uniforms are smaller-sized versions of Dickies’ sturdy adult workwear, which blue collar men and women have worn for generations. "Moms know it is durable and comfortable," said Hein.
American Express Reports Back To School Budgets Are At A Five Year High
The latest American Express Retail Index on back-to-school shopping reveals that parents and teenagers will spend $455 on back-to-school clothing and supplies, a 12% increase over 1998. This figure is the highest cited since the survey was introduced five years ago. Parents plan to spend an average of $342, with 86% of teens contributing an additional $113 to the back-to-school shopping budget. "Clearly e-commerce is becoming more popular among both teens and parents," said Valerie Soranno, V.P., Retail Industries, American Express.
However, when it comes to apparel, we know that consumers have not yet embraced the Internet. Therefore, it makes sense that the majority of back-to-school shopping, which consists heavily of clothing, is being done in more traditional retail outlets.
Malls continue to be the most popular place to shop among parents (75%) and teens (92%). Teens also favor factory outlet villages (31%), stand-alone stores (27%) and downtown shopping districts (26%) while parents prefer stand-alone stores (37%), and factory outlet villages (21%).Teens prefer specialty stores (36%), such as Gap and The Limited, over department stores (19%) and mass merchandisers (18%). Parents prefer mass merchandisers (38%) such as Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target.
In the general apparel category, Old Navy joined the list of the five most popular brands, ranking third behind Tommy Hilfiger and Gap, and followed by Levi’s and Polo/Ralph Lauren.
By the end of July, 29% of parents have started shopping for back-to-school, with an additional 58% starting in August, and only 5% waiting until the first week of September to begin back-to-school shopping.
Retailers can expect 81% of parents to continue clothes shopping for their children
throughout the school year. Parents will spend an average of $329 on these items. For many families, these shopping sprees will be concentrated around four periods; Thanksgiving, Christmas, post-holiday, and spring break; although 42% of teens and parents said they shop throughout the school year.
This year, 65% of parents plan to shop with their kids, up slightly from last year. When asked who has more influence over purchase decisions, 47% of parents cited themselves while 44% acknowledged their teen’s. Last year, as in all previous years, the power balance was tipped towards teens.
Art-Phyl Creations, offering a line of stock displays, was called upon to create "the largest foot care display in the world" for Dr. Scholl’s. This display was created with the DisplayWall 2000 stock plastic peg panels, and the finished "store within a store" display was installed in just a few hours. It featured modular components and consisted of over 120 sq. ft. of display area, with an additional 24 sq. ft. of header graphics. Two of APC’s new Super Tri-Panel revolving display racks were used at each end as well as three of their new Kwik-Stak tray displays. For more information, contact Art-Phyl Creations, P.O. Box 5457, 16250 NW 48 Avenue, Miami, FL 33014.
Ettinger Displays Inc. offers a line of high quality displays for merchandising eyewear, called the Sun System. These displays provide a contemporary look and a clean, crisp appearance which may be easily shopped by customers. The units are easily assembled and the line also includes a counter unit. The displays may be customized for specific requirements and are offered for immediate delivery. For more information, contact Ettinger Displays Inc., 63 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, NY 11788.
The Greg Norman/Reebok International collateral was designed to enhance the brand’s in-store presence. The "Shark" was printed using a five-color heat transfer on a superior black poly fabric. The collateral complements Greg Norman’s sporty products and reinforces the brand’s identification. For more information on banners and tablecloths, or to receive a pictorial book, contact The Royal Promotion Group, 119 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.
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