Selling clothing and accessories to 20-somethings is considered the hot market, especially as the holidays grow nearer. But there are those who have decided to pursue a different selling strategy.
After getting her MBA from Harvard, Halsey Schroeder interned with retailing legend Marvin Traub who gave Bloomingdale's a dramatic facelift, transforming the stodgy merchandiser of clothing and housewares into a trendsetter of style and fashion.
On the advice of her 70-year-old mother and her friends, Schroeder launched Halsbrook.com. an e-commerce site that appealed to mature women. She defines her sales demographic as women who are at least 35 years old, or those who seek a more classic and conservative look. Her prime clientele includes attorneys, business executives and politicians.
Launched Sept. 13, 2012, Halsbrook.com seeks to carve out a niche somewhere between the high-end Net-a-Porter and the contemporary Shopbop, Halsbrook eschews trends, concentrating on stylish brands like Max Mara and Piazza Sempione.
The challenge faced by Halsbrook is one of reach. Women in this demographic are not big online clothes shoppers. They don’t frequent the hot social sites like Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest (a hugely popular site among younger women). "They're used to shopping online, but they're just moving into shopping for apparel," says Schroeder. "It's an uphill battle, customer by customer."
Her site is uncomplicated and easy to navigate. She even offers her first-time e-commerce customers help in checking out. While Halsbrook offers sizes from 2-16, the focus is on the 8, 10, and 12 mid-range sizes. Schroeder notes that women in their 50s prefer to see clothes modeled by older women who appear to have some life experience.
Rosemary Audia, who heads up Halsbrook’s merchandising efforts, notes that the big sellers this season are dresses with sleeves, and hemlines that fall to the knee. Michelle Obama’s sleeveless couture not withstanding, 60 percent of customer suggestions insist that dresses have sleeves. The emphasis is on bold colors and some basic black. The site’s boutique ambiance is tempered by conservative style, by a classically urban sophisticated look that avoids the one-shop-stop feel.
As recently reported in Retail Week, online retailer Shop Direct experienced booming sales for its older woman range Savoir, which have jumped 62% in the year to date. The sales boom is underscored by the growing desire among older women to retain their youthfulness and sense of style while wearing clothes that complement their body shape. Reinforcing this trend, hip label American Apparel earlier this year launched an ad campaign featuring a grey-haired model of 60, Jacky O'Shaughnessy.
There’s a huge untapped sales demand for mature women in everything from clothes to accessories. Are you ready for these shoppers as we approach the holiday rush?
Photo courtesy of MorgueFile.com
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