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May 2, 2024
How Might Marshalls’ New Influencer Strategy Impact Its Competitors?
Marshalls, owned by TJX Companies, has introduced its first-ever team of style influencers, the “Marshalls Good Stuff Style Collective.” This move comes alongside the launch of an online spring capsule, handpicked by celebrity stylists Molly Dickson, Zerina Akers, and Enrique Melendez. They’ve collaborated with Marshalls to curate the new collection showcased in “The Edit by Marshalls,” a trend report for spring/summer 2024.
They also leveraged their expertise and Marshall’s buyer insights to curate “The Edit Shop,” which is an e-commerce storefront on Marshalls’ website dedicated to seasonal beauty and fashion trends that simplifies the shopping experience for consumers. Alongside this, Marshalls offers other storefronts, such as “The Designer Shop” and “Made in Italy” for designer goods and items imported from Italy, respectively. According to Marshalls, “The Edit Shop is a simplified shopping tool to help shoppers score what’s trending seasonally across fashion and beauty.”
By introducing these style influencers, Marshalls aims to offer shoppers access to top-notch fashion insights and trends without breaking the bank. The Style Collective emphasizes quality fashion at various price points, showcasing Marshalls’ commitment to delivering affordable luxury.
Sonya Cosentini, VP of brand marketing at Marshalls, expressed excitement about partnering with renowned stylists to enrich the shopping experience for Marshalls’ customers.
“We are always looking to give our consumers access to what they want when they need it most — whether it be great quality fashion for any budget, style inspiration, or the inside scoop on shopping our stores like a pro, plus so much more. Enrique, Molly and Zerina are some of the most in-demand and talented fashion stylists in Hollywood, and we are so excited to partner with them to bring their invaluable styling advice to Marshalls customers.”
Sonya Cosentini, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Marshalls
Marshalls has also released background information about each influencer in hopes of drawing stronger connections with their intended audiences. Each of their Instagram accounts has between 100,000 and 350,000 followers.
Molly Dickson, a celebrity stylist recognized for her contemporary mix of high fashion and streetwear, sees the partnership as an opportunity to share her top shopping tips with her followers. “When I moved to New York as a fashion assistant, I would shop at Marshalls, and now, I still find myself shopping at Marshalls,” she said. “Where else can I get a luxury handbag and a good pair of jeans that are up to my standards in quality with amazing prices?”
Zerina Akers, an Emmy Award-winning costume designer and celebrity stylist, is known for her bold and cutting-edge styling, inspiring experimentation with fashion. “It’s really fun to be able to partner with Marshalls. Fashion has been gatekept for so long, and it’s shifting into a way where it’s really in the hands of the consumer now,” she explained. “I think the Marshalls shopper is hardworking. They appreciate good quality, they appreciate affordability, and they don’t want to sacrifice that quality for affordability.”
Enrique Melendez, a Los Angeles-based celebrity stylist, is credited with sparking the “goth revival” in 2022 and is celebrated for his storytelling styling technique. “My mother worked multiple jobs just to keep us afloat and make sure that I had everything, but also that I wasn’t counted out because of what I did and didn’t have access to,” he shared. “And by shopping at Marshalls, I was able to have access to brands or premium products that I would see on either television, music videos, or fashion magazines.”
Discussion Questions
How does Marshalls’ collaboration with a trio of renowned stylists reflect evolving trends in influencer marketing and its impact on consumer behavior within the retail industry?
With Marshalls’ introduction of the “Marshalls Good Stuff Style Collective” and curated online storefronts like “The Edit Shop,” what implications does this have for traditional retail models and the future of omnichannel shopping experiences?
How might Marshall’s initiative challenge traditional perceptions of off-price retailers and reshape the landscape of affordable luxury fashion?
Poll
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Richard Hernandez
Merchant Director
Nicola Kinsella
SVP Global Marketing, Fluent Commerce
Joan Treistman
President, The Treistman Group LLC
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It’s good to see Marshalls showcasing its fashion credentials. A lot of families use the chain for everyday-wear items, but it also has some hidden fashion gems – which is one of the appealing facets of an off-price assortment. Highlighting this might attract more customers and increase visit frequency as people look to seek out the latest styles. I also think the timing is good as we’re still seeing a lot of people migrate to off-price channels to save money and it’s sensible to show that off-price isn’t just about basics. I’m not sure this is a big enough move to impact competitors, but it will be marginally helpful to Marshalls.
You get what you pay for – if you’re lucky…you might pay for something worth nothing, if you’re not – so while this certainly won’t hurt, I don’t see it helping much either. Of course I’m neither rosy-cheeked nor a fashion expert, but…..(you get what you pay for with commentary too!)
It just makes smart sense. We saw what happened when a company shun associates who use social media to advertise what they sell. It just becomes a lost opportunity to gain sales and customers. I know a lot of people who have no idea what Marshall’s sells, so this is really a great way to show product, style, etc. Kudos to them.
Marshals has a hit and miss assortment of merchandise so I think the role of influencers might be limited to just general endorsements of the shopping experience more so than anything specific. Db
Two contradictory thoughts come to mind. The first is that influencers have become modern-era celebrities. Their name and especially thier face have great value. Companies already realize that, and we will see more influencers associated with company promotion.
My second thought is that the value of influencers is their perceived credibility in what they recommend. Once they become associated with a retailer or a brand, do they lose their neutrality? I would think so, but hey, I don’t follow influencers.
Hey Gene. Influencers certainly need credibility and to be seen as having integrity. But they do not lose that credibility by associating with a particular brand or retailer. Their followers have a relationship with them much like radio listeners have with their fav broadcasters. They feel close, like they know each other, that they are a friend.
That said there is a broad taxonimy of influencer types and we can’t pan them with a broad brush.
I am not panning them. I think they are effective. My point is that the more they associate with a unique brand, the less credibility they have. After all, they are getting paid.
I have always said that every company needs a VP of Pop Culture, someone who keeps up with trends and entertainment that might important to consumers. Fluff, yes, but important nonetheless. In my company that person is me.
I haven’t heard much about the celebrity stylists Marshall’s has enlisted for its new campaign. At least not in the way stylists like Rachel Zoe became part of the fashion zeitgeist.
Do I think Marshall’s needs stylists? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s a nice touch some customers will appreciate. Personally, I think Bethenny Frankel and her posts on Instagram and TikTok about Marshall’s and TJ Maxx has introduced both stores to new shoppers. The rest of us will continue to stumble in hoping to find cute products at great prices.
This is a big brand shift for Marshalls. I think the biggest challenge will be that people may want to replicate the styles recommended by influencers, yet not be able to find the inventory in-store. Marshalls is a treasure hunt experience. It will be interesting to see if influencers are only focused on merchandise available in ‘The Edit Shop’ and driving digital purchases. Another approach might be to use their influencers to ‘show’ people how to make the treasure hunt work for them. This is a new space and it will be interesting to watch how it plays out. But I have concerns that their may be a disconnect between the digital and in-store experience.
I like the idea of Marshall’s trying to elevate their brand promise in the eyes of the customer. But Marshall’s also needs to be careful that they don’t over promise on the fashion front. The randomness of what might be available in any given store at any given moment could make for a frustrating shopping experience if the customer walks in with high expectations and walks out empty handed. It’s one thing to have “in-demand fashion stylists” advocating for you. It’s another to have the inventory on hand to fulfill the expectations that will be created.
Part of Marshalls’ allure is finding (aha!) the product and quality and price. My personal experience here in Virginia is finding the Marshalls’ store that has all that. The influencers may have the promise of an impact, but if their influence is not represented in all the stores, the promise is broken. .
Seeing the headline my first thought was that the comments would revolve around the “treasure hunt” magic of Marshall’s and the friction of that model with ‘influencers.’ But I think the evaluation should be based on this key line:
“We are always looking to give our consumers access to what they want when they need it most — whether it be great quality fashion for any budget, style inspiration, or the inside scoop on shopping our stores like a pro, plus so much more.”
The program is not mean to drive particular product sales. Rather I think it is to:
*Draw younger customers to Marshalls
*To offer inspiration for looks and to inform people about what is on-trend
*Leverage the “shopping our stores like a pro” content for increased foot traffic
*To raise their Shave of Voice in search
I see all upside and little to no downside here