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Move Over Mama: Social Media Displaces Family & Friends as Top Source of Fashion Advice

Move Over Mama: Social Media Displaces Family & Friends as Top Source of Fashion Advice

Who do shoppers turn to for style tips, fashion advice, and product recommendations? Social media influencers have recently captured the number one spot on the list of reliable fashion idea sources, displacing family and friends, who’d long held the primary position. 500 female shoppers between the ages of 18-34 were interviewed, with 41% reporting, they rely primarily on online influencers.

Influence Graph

What does this mean for your business? Like any change in consumer behavior, the switch to prioritizing influencer opinions overviews held by family and friends is a mixed blessing. On the positive side of the equation, retailers and brands have many opportunities to connect with customers via social media. There are influencers on every platform, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube; and their powerful recommendations can be purchased. Influencers have proven to be very effective at connecting with younger shoppers, particularly Gen Z and younger Millennials. It is much easier to have an influencer to advocate for your brand than it is to convince an individual’s sphere of personal connections that you’re the place to shop.

On the downside, there are a number of negatives you’ll want to be aware of. The price may be high – Digiday reports influencers with fewer than 50,000 followers can charge $250 per post whereas big name stars like Kim Kardashian charges a quarter million per post – and there’s no guarantee that your influencer won’t engage in bad behavior and get your brand caught up in the backlash. Retailers and brands need to do an exceptional level of due diligence and be sure of the type of content the influencer in question creates before obligating themselves to an ongoing relationship.

Finally, there’s still value to be found in the recommendations of family and friends on specific types of fashion purchases. This is especially true for what would be considered major purchases: wedding apparel, fine jewelry, and high-end men’s wear represent areas where in-person recommendations carry a disproportionate amount of weight. Savvy retailers will bring those in-person recommendations into digital spaces to provide an appealing blend.

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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, HTML/CSS, Wordpress

Analyst/Strategist

Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office