Journal of Fashion Business Vol. 14, No. 6, pp.134~145(2010) A Study on the mobile application of Fashion Brands Kim Sunghee Associate Professor, Dept. of Fashion Design, Woosuk University Abstract The purpose of this study is 1) to investigate the contents of fashion brand applications and what differences and 2) to scrutinize the reviews of the applications uploaded on the app store in order to suggest strategies on how to apply them to fashion. For the study, twenty-nine free applications from different categories of the fashion brands and three hundred sixty-two reviews of these applications were investigated. The analysis of the study was conducted from June 20th to November 10th of 2010. The results showed that there are four important components for fashion brand applications: conventional information (product information and store information), the purchasing function, the fun element (social networking, blogging, music etc), and the augmented reality technique. These components are formulated based on the brand's marketing strategies. In order to know whether or not these components were successfully composed, user reviews were studied, which revealed that many users were satisfied, but the applications were insufficient to meet all of their needs. Key Words : iPhone applications, fashion brands, content, reviews I. Introduction programs for the App Store which is a cyber market for iPhone applications. The introduction of the smartphone brought With the iPhone phenomenon heading into its enormous change to Korean society. The second year, there is speculation that the entire number of smartphone users in Korea reached structure of the global mobile communications four million since the gadget’s debut about a industry might change 3) . Apple, the pathfinder of year ago - the fastest in the world 1) . And the the smartphone era, focused not just on gadget smartphone caused wireless internet usage to sales but positioned itself as a content and explode, growing more than tenfold 2) . It has also service provider. And experts predict that the made it possible for small, unknown software focus of the IT market will shift from hardware developers to make a fortune overnight by selling to software and content. It is proving to be true Corresponding author; Kim Sunghee, Tel.+82-63-290-1541, Fax.+82-63-290-1541 E-mail: [email protected] 134 Kim Sunghee / A Study on the mobile application of Fashion Brands as smartphone application usage is ingrained in craze is prevalent throughout the country. everyday life. According to Seri, one out of five people in the In terms of fashion application, without logging world is projected to have a smartphone by on to the computer, individuals are able to 2011, even though they were introduced five watch fashion shows, to see what's new, to years ago. To put it into perspective, to reach save their favorite looks and to share their that level fixed line phones took thirty-one interests with others, to browse or to shop, and years, the Internet eight, and cellular phones to find the nearest store all at the touch of a six 7) . Experts predict the number of smartphone button. Korean fashion companies have recognized users will exceed six million by the end of this the value and popularity of the new mobile year 8) . platform and its application so have rushed to The fascination of smartphones ushered in the put out new applications 4)5)6) . However, some application era. KT has reported a significant applications successfully offered various convenient rise in downloads of mobile applications. and intriguing features but other applications are According to the company, downloads of mobile insufficient and do not meet consumers' data surged 122 times in December and January expectations or needs. compared to January through November of 2009 Fashion applications will continue to be before the iPhone arrived 9) . launched as long as the demand for smartphones The smartphone opens up a world of and their applications is sustained. In order to knowledge that can be accessed on the go by launch new fashion applications, it is crucial for shoppers, traveler, readers, and listeners. People companies to analyze the features of other start the day with the applications. They use fashion applications how users’ responded to them to check when the next bus will arrive them. However, a dearth of studies on fashion while they listen to an audiobook or radio on applications brought about this study, which their commute. They also read books and focuses on investigating the contents of fashion download them on their smartphone. Furthermore, brand applications and how individual who they can get a large selection of free audiobooks downloaded the application reviewed it on the or books. Users read the newspaper and share App store. This allows us to understand the information quickly with friends via e-mail, SMS, features of the applications and the individual’s or twitter. response of them and to develop app marketing Travelers with applications have a mobile strategy that can promote brands and build information center at their fingertips. Drivers can brand loyalty. access up-to-the-minute traffic information via mapping services and find directions to their destination. They can also check reviews of II. Theoretical Background local restaurants and nightlife hotspots and 1. Smartphone and applications Wi-Fi hotspots and so much more. By employing pattern recognition technologies With mobile phone manufacturers like Samsung or utilizing quick response (QR) 2D barcodes, Electronics and Apple racing to introduce their users can find information related to the world high-performance smartphones, the smartphone around them. The application allows people to 135 Journal of Fashion Business Vol.14, No.6 take a picture of a barcode and the barcode is Thus the strategy focused to draw a customer’s read to connect with information, Web sites, or attention, to arouse their interest, and then to purchasing options. provoke their desire to buy. After that, they Users of social network such as Facebook or memorize the product and start action. But in Twitter upload and share photos, videos, and the digital age, instead of memorizing a product, messages to their connected friends, family or people search and store information colleagues. And social network members’ current simultaneously. In terms of application, if they locations are shared with friends and often find an interesting application while searching, plotted on a map. People can be linked to their they download it immediately. And then they friends through the social network application all post comments and share their experience with day long. others by reviews or through SNS (social Namely, with the simple but powerful device of network system). This process is called AISAS: applications, individuals can easily gather A (attention), I (interest), S (search & store), A information, be entertained, and do their work (action), and S (share) 11) . Therefore, a company differently than before. must be concerned not only with the application, but also its reviews. 2. Fashion Applications As previously mentioned, the application affects people’s lives in various ways but the In 2008, luxury brands like Chanel, D&G and study of the application or smartphone have not Hugo Boss, where forced away from their been carried out in great volume in Korea since traditional way of advertising and had to look at the smartphone is still in the stage of other possibilities. Chanel was the first to jump dissemination. Most of the studies about into this adventure by launching their application smartphones focused on the structure of the in June 2008. Soon other fashion brands 12)13) 1 smartphone market , mobile web interface followed Chanel’s example. 4)15) 16) , the security aspects of the smartphone , Fashion companies have released mobile 17)18)19) or application development technology . applications, representing the companies' move Yet, the study that focused on fashion into the mobile arena. The impetus for the applications or applications has not been mobile application was to build the brand image conducted. For this reason, this study in the digital era rather than specifically to concentrates on fashion application and analyzes increase sales in the near future. In the short not only the contents of the applications but term, the goal of the companies was also user reviews, corresponding to the sharing engagement but soon the application details of AISAS, in order to develop the strategies that needed to be improved including more can differentiate the application among other personalization and brand marketing efforts to copious applications and build an app-marketing draw individual's attention and to satisfy them. plan for the fashion companies. In order to achieve that goal, the new strategy for the new media is necessary. In the analog era, the marketing strategy for new products followed AIDMA principle: A (attention), I (interest), D (desire), M (memory), A (action) 10) . 136 Kim Sunghee / A Study on the mobile application of Fashion Brands III. Methodology twenty-nine free iPhone applications from different fashion brand categories were chosen : The purpose of this study is 1) to investigate they were the applications of eight prestigious the contents of fashion brand applications and brands (Chanel, D&G, Dior, DKNY, Fendi, Gucci, what differences and 2) to scrutinize the reviews Hugo Boss, and Ralph Lauren), four SPA of the applications uploaded on