Macy’s Rebrands With ‘Own Your Style’ Platform
Macy’s has stepped up personalization efforts, revamped its website, formed a style crew for fashion tips and is creating in-store areas filled with apparel and accessories designated as “must haves.”
Macy’s also changed its dress code for its colleagues, so they can better express their personal style and encourage customers to do the same.
More from WWD
Executives Tackle What's in Store at Global Retailing Conference
Sean Combs Shows His Sophisticated Side with the Sean John Fragrance
It’s all part of what Macy’s said is the launch of a new brand platform with the tag line “Own Your Style.”
Efforts to help customers find and buy fashion that best suits their personal style will be integrated into macys.com, the Macy’s app, social media and Macy’s stores.
“We will help our customers express their personal style through personalized data-driven recommendations and expert advice that will differentiate us in a cluttered marketplace,” Rich Lennox, chief brand officer of Macy’s, said in a statement Tuesday. “This brand transformation will enhance our customer’s shopping experience with more personal touchpoints and offer them true value and style that they can own.”
Lennox added that the new brand platform involves digital and social-first experiences, branded content, sequenced storytelling, in-person expert advice and personalized data-driven recommendations.
Macy’s also said Own Your Style is a key step within the company’s Polaris strategy, which is the roadmap guiding the retailer’s future and growth initiatives.
It’s also apparently an effort by the retailer to project greater fashion authority and boost sales.
Recently, Macy’s business has been strongest in such categories as fine jewelry, fine watches, sleepwear, men’s contemporary fashion and men’s footwear. However, for much of the women’s ready-to-wear, there’s been a sales drought.
Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Gennette has acknowledged an over-dependence on dress up, wear-to-work, social occasion and tailored clothing and said the company is working to pump up casual offerings, as well as developing categories new to Macy’s, such as wine, exercise equipment, pet supplies, health and fitness, and gourmet food.
Polaris involves efforts to improve the quality of its fashion offerings and sharpen the focus of private brands, accelerate digital sales, and strengthen customer loyalty and personalization.
Polaris also calls for closing 125 stores from 2020 to 2022 and upgrade the top 250 stores, grow off-price operations, and modernize the supply chain.
So far, about half of the 125 stores have been closed, and other closings have been delayed in order to maintain a physical presence in certain markets where Macy’s has recently begun opening off-mall format stores, namely Market by Macy’s, Bloomie’s and Bloomingdale’s The Outlet. The traditional department stores double as fulfillment hubs supporting digital operations through buy online, pick up in store, curbside pickup and same-day delivery services.
At the stores, Macy’s this month is setting up monthly Own Your Style and Now Trending pavilions with what officials describe as “must-have” products and key items. There will be digital screens providing style guidance to customers and displays of shoes and bags cross merchandised with outfits to give further suggestion.
The marketing around Own Your Style brand platform will be inclusive and diverse, featuring cast members of various ethnicities, genders and body types.
Also, Macy’s has a new dress code that “celebrates” self-expression and is intended to underscore the message behind the Own Your Style brand platform.
“We’re reimagining our dress code through a new store colleague look book,” with head-to-toe looks, some casual, some more elevated. “Our colleague’s personal style and self-expression will engage and inspire our customers to express their own personal style,” a Macy’s spokeswoman said.
“A colleague in our general selling area may dress with a more casual look of their favorite pair of denim paired with fashion sneakers while colleagues in special selling areas — fine jewelry, beauty — will dress in a more elevate look. This may mean a dress, skirt, suit or blazer paired with flashy accessories. We are empowering colleagues to let their personal style shine through.”
Macy’s current dress code varies by role but can overall be described as business casual, the spokeswoman added.
The company said it is reintroducing the Macy’s Style Crew, in-house style experts providing tips, live demos, product tutorials and fashion recommendations to customers and their followers on social media. The Style Crew members will be posting shoppable video and photo content to their own social and digital channels for customers to discover new products. Customers can click through the Style Crew members posts and land on macys.com to complete their shopping journey. Style Crew Members can earn commission for their participation.
Macy’s also indicated that it is enhancing its website with simplified global navigation, a refreshed, modern search bar and a personalized customer dashboard. “The online experience will be centered around the new Own Your Style hub, described as a curated destination for style inspiration.
The website will also have product carousels highlighting different categories plus new product photos grids that showcase items with product videos.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
