The name Marilyn Monroe doesn’t call to mind visions of Keds sneakers but the two brands are uniting next spring as Macy’s Inc. rolls out 13 new brands online and in stores targeting the millennials demographic—shoppers age 13 to 30 and also known as “generation Y.”
The Marilyn Monroe brand features apparel and shoes and the iconic Keds shoe brand will introduce apparel and accessories as Macy’s fulfills a marketing strategy announced last spring. “We have identified millennials as a priority customer for Macy’s, and we know that growing our relevance for this customer will start with product,” says Jeffrey Gennette, chief merchandising officer at Macy’s, No. 14 in the 2012 Internet Retailer Top 500.
Another aspect of the millennials initiative is expanding 11 existing brands. The Macy’s millennial strategy is to position itself to attract and retain customers in the millennial generation, which it identifies as America’s largest and most diverse age demographic with spending estimated at $65 billion each year for the types of merchandise sold at Macy’s.
From now through next spring, the rollout or expansion of 24 brands is grouped under the Macy’s mystylelab (serving shoppers age 13 to 22) and Impulse (serving shoppers age 19 to 30) departments in stores and on its e-commerce site.
The 13 brand launches slated for Macys.com and many of its stores include the following:
- Marilyn Monroe, featuring sportswear, screen tees and shoes for young women from LF USA and Authentic Brands Group, launching in March 2013.
- Keds, through LF USA, will add women’s apparel including dresses, skirts and pants in the spring.
- Blossom & Clover, from Sanctuary Clothing, the women’s apparel line includes dresses, jackets and denim, and launches in February.
- Argyleculture, from HMX Group, features urban menswear including pants, denim and sweaters, available now.
The 11 brand expansion available or by spring in stores and at Macys.com include:
- Rachel Roy, from Jones Group, has expanded its handbags and shoes to more than 40 new stores.
- Else, by Joe’s Jeans, has expanded by about 170 stores and now the women’s denims are available in more than 300 stores.
- Kipling, from VF Corp., will expand its backpacks, handbags and accessories to more than 30 stores for a total of about 485 in spring.
Macy’s is using internal research into the preferences of millennial-generation customers to plan its assortments for men and women in this age group. These preferences are rooted in lifestyles that influence how they express themselves, in terms fashion and culture, the company says.
Favorite