Zappos has headed from the net to the mall to drive home the importance of comfort in a collaboration with Cotton Incorporated.
Last weekend, the pair launched a temporary pop-up at the Americana at Brand in Glendale, California, dubbed “Reframe Comfort.” The aim was to feature the latest cotton trends in athleisure and give shoppers the chance to touch and try on the pieces from collection, engage with fashion and lifestyle influencers, and even opt to order more online.
“Consumers and retailers alike are aware of changes to the way we shop, what we wear to work and to workout,” said Kim Kitchings, senior vice president of consumer marketing at Cotton Incorporated. “This curated cotton collection with Zappos.com and pop-up event illustrates the versatility of cotton apparel and the consumer experience.”
More than 2,000 shoppers visited the three-day pop-up, proving, according to Cotton Inc., that consumers are still keen to see things in stores, and more are gravitating to the comfort of cotton activewear.
Citing its Lifestyle Monitor survey, Cotton Inc. said, “In response to what to what fiber consumers prefer activewear to made from, cotton and cotton-blends were the No. 1 choice at 57 percent; spandex at 9 percent was a distant second. Polyester was preferred among 7 percent; nylon, 6 percent; Dri-Fit, 4 percent; and other, 17 percent.”
What’s more, as the survey noted, though the bulk of consumers prefer to research clothing online (66 percent), 75 percent still prefer to make their purchases online—and 56 percent noted that as their preference because the want to try the clothes on, while 29 percent want to feel the fabric.
“We collaborated with Cotton for this unique physical experience which gives us the opportunity to interact face-to-face with our customers, one of our favorite things to do,” said Kristin Richmer, senior brand marketing manager at Zappos. “We also want to give our customers the famous Zappos level of customer service as well as the opportunity to touch and feel this curated collection.”
Though the pop-up has passed, the Reframe Comfort collection will be available through March 9 at Zappos.com/ShopCotton.
Pieces from the collection include Adidas Originals tees and tanks for men and women, Puma leggings and dresses from yoga brand PrAna, to name just a few of the nearly 400 pieces listed in the #ShopCotton section of the Zappos site.