By Tocca x Shop Black Caviar

A modern twist on black and white! Dress by: ET OCHS #blackandwhite #dress #eveningwear #motherofthebride #etochs #luxuryfashion #bytocca #oakville #toronto #nyc

How Shoppers Get Luxury’s Most Exclusive Products. Shoppers are finding alternative ways to get their hands on the unattainable #bags, #shoes and #watches, from auction houses to specialised fashion sourcers. There is a growing cohort of shoppers that’s going outside traditional channels to get their hands on #fashion — and are willing to pay a premium to have what they want when they want it. #Luxury runs on exclusivity, and because many #brands produce their most covetable products in small quantities or save them for their most loyal shoppers, inevitably, not everyone can have what they want. But shoppers are increasingly finding alternative ways to purchase luxury’s most coveted items. There are the big box resale shops like FASHIONPHILE, Vestiaire Collective, Rebag and The RealReal, sector-specific stores like the watch-centric Watchfinder and Chrono24 and boutique sellers like Privé Porter and Jane Finds, both of which focus almost exclusively on Hermès. Meanwhile, auction houses are upping their investment in fashion, hosting events to sell rare handbags and watches to elite shoppers. The rise of alternative paths to purchase also could have greater consequences for the industry at large. Luxury brands are facing competition in selling their own wares, as well as exposure in more channels. Brands need to find ways to engage new consumers after years of focusing on their top clients. What’s Driving Demand? Frustration with the luxury shopping experience has propelled the popularity of the fashion middle-man for everyone from aspirational shoppers to the top echelon of buyers. For some shoppers, the reason to seek out alternative purchasing avenues is simple: They’re not getting what they want at retail. That might be because they’re after something that’s popular at the moment, like Miu Miu’s sneaker collaboration with New Balance. But they could also be a collector that is buying so much. #hermes #lvmh #chanel #saintlaurent #miumiu #luxuryfashion #handbags #purses #leathergoods

The perfect party dress just arrived! Dress by: Greta Constantine #dress #eveningwear #wedding #gretaconstantine #oakville #toronto #luxury #luxuryfashion #retail #fashion

How to Grow a $100 Million Brand [Part 1] The prevailing wisdom for scaling brands was once to buy cheap digital ads and partner with trending influencers on sponsored posts to fuel direct sales. Today, the days of social media as a cost-effective way to drive revenue are long gone. Social media algorithms have changed, making it difficult for organic content to thrive and leaving indie brands unable to compete with major conglomerates’ size and spend. Customers aren’t converting via social channels like they used to, meaning brands are spending more than three times the amount to acquire each customer than they did a decade ago. You must find new routes to customer expansion by bucking the trend for traditional advertising. The new advenues of customer engagement: - market yourselves and grow reach organically. - create online communities. - pop ups and community meet ups. These few things have emerged as key avenues for reinforcing ties with existing customer bases and making connections with new ones. #retail #customeraquisition #fashion #sales #luxuryfashion #lvmh #oakville #toronto #bytocca #blackcaviarfashion

Inside Latin America’s $90 Billion E-tailer Mercado Libre From Brazil to Mexico, the Argentina-founded e-commerce giant is investing in influencer marketing and magazine advertorials to gain further credibility in the #fashion category amid fierce competition from Asian rivals like Shein. Last year, 218 million of the region’s 670 million people used Mercado Libre across 18 countries, including consumers in key fashion markets like Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Peru. Buying and selling everything from electronics and cars to real estate and #clothing, users of the sprawling marketplace can also take advantage of the e-tailer’s suite of payment services. The scale of the Mercado Libre business is vast. In February, the firm posted full year net income of $1.2 billion against revenue of around $14.5 billion. Six months later, it became the largest listed company in Latin America when a rally brought its market capitalisation to $90 billion. With its nearest regional e-commerce competitors lagging far behind, the company is now in a league of its own. In the fashion segment, however, Mercado Libre’s credibility has been lacking. Pioneering e-commerce in Latin America: Born in Buenos Aires into a wealthy Argentine family, co-founder Marcos Galperin was surrounded by examples of entrepreneurship as a child. His grandfather, Walter Lebach, founded Sadesa, a major tannery that has supplied leather and other products to brands including Nike and adidas. Though he could have continued the family business or pursued a sports career with Argentina’s national rugby team, he chose to build his own tech empire. Galperin launched Mercado Libre in 1999 from a garage in his hometown, while still studying at Stanford University in the US. His vision for the platform, which means “free market” in Spanish, was supported by fellow graduates Hernan Kazah and Stelleo Tolda. Inspired by eBay in the US, the co-founders initially started in just four countries in Latin America but by 2007 they had gone public, listing the company on the Nasdaq exchange. A decade after unlocking the online retail market by launching Mercado Pago, a payments platform similar to PayPal, he opened the logistics service Mercado Envios. These innovations changed the e-commerce game in Latin America, addressing longtime hurdles such as the lack of secure online payment options, low rates of banking penetration, and unreliable postal services. These are accomplishments that even those who doubt his latest plan — to transform ‘the Amazon of Latin America’ into a leading fashion destination — can only be impressed by. #fashion #ecommerce #retail #onlinefashion #nyc #toronto #oakville #luxuryfashion #nike #adidas #louisvuitton #chanel #bytocca

New… new! Dress by: ET OCHS. In store now. Revised & updated E-Commerce site launching shortly! #etochs #newdress #fashion #brands #nyc #oakville #toronto #eveningwear #bytocca #blackcaviarfashion #motherofthebride #motherofthegroom

We’re #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

Who Is Buying a $500 Moisturiser? As aspirational shoppers pull back from spending, #brands are investing in hyper-premium products in an effort to court high-net-worth individuals who are happy to spend triple digits on a single item. These shoppers are more discerning than most. When it comes to purchasing a beauty product with a triple — or quadruple — digit price tag, luxury consumers tend to have a critical eye. To make up for weak prestige sales, a category with products typically priced under $100, some #beauty companies are now investing in more premium products in a bid to go after wealthy customers whose purchase behaviour has not been hampered by #inflation or other macroeconomic uncertainties. But in order to justify an eyebrow-raising price tag, these beauty brands must demonstrate a strong value proposition and provide exceptional customer service. In other words, shoppers need to feel that their products are worth it. Building a Value Proposition It’s not always about the contents inside a bottle; the most successful luxury beauty brands are able to create an image and overall sense of refinement. Other #luxury consumers want to feel a strong personal connection to the creator of the brand or see rigour in a brand’s scientific research. Carving out space in the right retailers, investing in training, education and sampling and building out customer relationships are long term strategic shifts that require capital and time to pay off, but the upside potential is high. #clienteling #luxury #beautybusiness #beautyproducts #branding #sales #marketing #cosmetics #bytocca #blackcaviarfashion #oakville #toronto #dtoakville

The Monroe. Dress By: REBECCA VALLANCE In store now! #newseason #rebeccavallance #eveningwear #whattowear #motherofthebride #motherofthegroom #gala #bytocca #blackcaviarfashion #oakville #toronto #kitchener #dtoakville

REVOLVE Makes a Case for Free Returns. The e-commerce retailer recorded the first drop in its return rate in more than three years, and unlike many of its peers, has held fast to its policy of free shipping for online returns. Across the industry, retailers from Zara and UNIQLO to REI have imposed some form of online-returns fee in recent years, signalling a quiet revolution in the e-commerce landscape where shoppers can no longer assume shipping is free both ways. Revolve, however, is leveraging an arsenal of tools including sizing technology and personalisation to combat returns and avoid the prospect of pushing shoppers away with extra fees. In the US last year, 17.6% of merchandise bought online was returned to retailers, compared to just 10% of brick-and-mortar purchases, according to the National Retail Federation. Every return can incur #shipping fees, costs of processing the #merchandise and losses on products that can’t be resold, all of which weigh on a company’s #profitability. Importantly, Revolve improved the sizing guidance it gives shoppers. In a survey last year, the company found that two-thirds of returns related to size and fit. To address the issue, it has introduced features such as product fit guides, a size-comparison tool to provide sizing recommendations and virtual try-on. It also introduced product videos for certain brands. #ecommerce #revolve #retailbusiness #retailfashion #luxuryfashion #dress #eveningwear #oakville #toronto #bytocca #blackcaviarfashion #fashionbusiness