15/06/2014 By Waka Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Cold beer suddenly tastes a hundred times better this time of the year. And everyone on the street suddenly looks prettier nowadays.

Is my mediation class finally paying off? No, it’s summer playing a trick on my mind.

Summer is also the time for sales. So fashion brands and e-commerce should expect more traffic, right? Sometimes consumers prefer to spend the weekend on the beach or in parks instead of going on fashion e-commerce sites.

But no matter where people are, they still check their emails and social media. Many would go on Instagram to share the photos of their yummy barbequed bacons, just to make others feel jealous. So fashion brands should be active on social media.

There are many unexplored ways to bring consumers back to your fashion e-commerce using social media. Just like how Paul Smith teamed up with UJ and came up with ‘A Bigger Splash’ photo contest where fans were asked to share their favourite places to swim on Instagram.

So, how other fashion e-commerce sell summer on social media?

Summer is adventure.

Hari Mori is turning flip flops into fashion on Instagram and Tumblr. For me, a flip flop was antonym of luxury. Rather, cheap and disposable products, only used when you pop into the corner shop quickly.

But Hari Mori pursued everything – comfort, new technology, style and a character – in flip flops.

‘‘$80 for a flop? You gotta be kidding me.’’

That crossed my mind too. But think how many times you have to throw broken flip flops and buy new ones every summer? And think you can be finally free from blisters. (Besides, $3 will go to paediatric cancer foundation.)

It is trying to change the common perception of flip flops using creative images and campaigns. They are not just for beach or poolside. It gives you an adventurous feel everywhere.So how do they engage with fans? The use of photo contests and caption contest where you can win a free pair.

Speaking of adventure, kate spade New York’s blogger is blogging about her island hopping adventure around Europe. Not to mention the topic, its post-card style blog makes it much more fun to read.

You can’t call it summer without these.

Warby Parker, a relatively young and affordable eyeglasses brand, has a Tumblr account showcasing an eclectic collection of short blogs, To-Do lists in Manhattan and behind-the-scene looks of the team.

It doesn’t do much online campaigns but it did team up with Karlie Kloss for a new sunglass collection this summer.

Nevertheless, brands need online engagement with their fans to keep the relationship happy and stable. Anthrolopogie has paired up with local businesses to offer various activities like Bouquet and botanical workshops. Its Instagram account is not only about product photos but also the lifestyles of Anthropologie.  

The last resort?

Perhaps ASOS has the most direct ‘‘come-back-to-me’’ approach.

It not only gives you four options why you left your shopping cart alone. Use of cheesy phrases like ‘‘Was it something we said?’’ is more likely to get customer attention. But the real punch line comes after that – ‘‘exclusive 20% off your next order’’. That would make many shoppers ditch picnics, and go to ASOS’s e-commerce website instead.

Summer, in general, makes retailers’ lives happier. But you can’t just leave your e-commerce running by itself, waiting for customers to approach you. That won’t be enough.

You need a little bit of push on social media to bring back the consumers.

What do you think?

Appnova is a digital agency specializing in web design, UX, e-commerce, branding, digital marketing and social media.

Keep following us on Twitter @appnova and “like” us on Facebook for useful news and tasteful digressions about geeky stuff.

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