As we start the New Year, let’s take a look back at the best and worst in retail from 2015. From the dropping Aussie dollar to the big budget film that spawned more merchandise than anyone needed, to the wholesaler inspiring us with its kindness—we delve into the year that was.
Feel the force
A definite best for Jedi everywhere, the latest in the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, was officially released in Australia on 17 December and with it came the related paraphernalia. Looking for a Star Wars inspired mug or money box? What about figurines, cufflinks and USB drives? Or a $4,000 kid’s bed inspired by Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon? You could find all these and more in store in 2015. It was a retail event you couldn’t miss.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
Sydney-based Koskela represented Australian retailers on an international stage at the gia awards in Chicago and was named one of five global honourees. This was quite a feat for a store that only opened in 2012, and followed Melbourne retailer TheSuperCool’s win in 2014. Our fingers are crossed for another Aussie to take out the top prize this year!
Money talks
The Aussie dollar hit a six year low in 2015, making products and services cheaper for overseas buyers but making importing goods a lot more expensive. In fact, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the price of all imported goods increased 3.5 per cent from the start of 2015 to September. The drop in the dollar wasn’t all bad though, with experts predicting more Australians will chose to shop local as buying products from online stores overseas becomes more costly.
After tragic bush fires ravaged South Australia in January, leading Queensland based wholesaler Annabel Trends put its best paws forward and made over 100 brightly coloured mittens to help protect sore and healing koala paws. While there’s no doubt the fires were awful, this act of industry charity warmed our hearts. And no, we won’t apologise for that pun.
Designer market
No doubt a best for couture-coveting shoppers across the country, 2015 saw the first Australian designer-supermarket collaboration with Collette Dinnigan’s children’s range for Aldi. The Young Hearts collection sold out almost instantly and marked a new step in the evolution of high fashion designers collaborating with mass market retailers, which we’ve been seeing for years now. Other collaborations of note were Balmain x H&M, which saw shoppers camped out overnight in Sydney’s Pitt St Mall, and Megan Gale’s homewares range for Target.
High tech
Uniqlo made choosing a t-shirt from its huge collection simple with the launch of UMood. This interesting piece of kit, which works by attaching a wearable headset to your forehead, monitors your state of mind while showing you a range of images from kittens to mountains. It then determines your current mood and which of Uniqlo’s 600 to-shirts best matches your vibe.
International influx
2015 was the year that foreign brands really made their presence felt with Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, COS, Bath & Body Works and Zara Home either expanding or arriving on our shores. Depending on how you look at it, this could be good or bad, but more international brands definitely keep the local market on its toes.
Women’s health
Showing the power of retail, Priceline invested more than $1 million in women’s health, including introducing free women’s health checks nationally. Not just a good PR stunt, this move reflected a company that is serious about improving its customers’ lives. Hopefully 2016 will see more of the same.
Pizza express
We’re not sure if this is a best or worst, but 2015 was the year we could officially order pizza from a watch. If you’re not fancy enough to own a smart watch, don’t worry, Domino’s also launched SMS ordering—simply send a pizza emoji or text the word ‘pizza’ to the Domino’s number and your favourite flavour will be on its way. We’re looking forward to seeing the use of technology in retail expand even more this year—our favourite scented candle shipped to our door after texting the flame emoji, perhaps?
By Ruth Cooper
