Cold Weather Accessories: 2008 Key Retail Trends

• With the growing importance of fashion, cold weather accessories’ functional role became almost secondary. That trend proved reassuring to retailers, who could count on increasing their cold weather sales regardless of the weatherman’s predictions.

• One large department store planned to add more variety in fashion within this classification (noting a lack of trapper hats in particular). Consumer purchase decisions based more on fashion than warmth continued throughout the year.

• Similar to leggings in the casual legwear classification, accessories outerwear (a.k.a. “sweater coats” or “sweater wraps”) became a key item. Less expensive than apparel (averaging at $100 retail, depending upon materials), the category sold well on mainfloors at moderate and mid-tier department stores. From the standpoint of fashion, shorter silhouettes proved the most popular.

• Coordinating sets (particularly “affordable luxury” cashmere) continued to hold their own as popular fourth-quarter gift items. Fashion-focused customers preferred to “mix and match” cold weather accessories with unexpected combinations of patterns and colors.

• Mirroring the rising popularity of BlackBerries, text-messaging and other electronic devices, fingerless gloves and “pop-top” mittens became part of an ever-growing niche subcategory, allowing customers to type on tiny keyboards while outdoors.

• Other popular items within the cold weather category included fur collars, hooded knit mufflers, wool-knit cowls that doubled as mufflers and knit hats with ear flaps.

• In general, luxury materials such as cashmere and fur (often used as trim) notched sales successes as gift items and self-purchases throughout the entire classification. Sharing the “affordable luxury” advantage, items such as fur earmuffs also remained popular.

• Cross-merchandising strategies continued to boost sales for the classification. Department stores frequently positioned cold weather accessories amid outerwear offerings, while e-tailers presented cold weather fashion as promotional “popups” with outerwear purchases.

• In addition, e-tailers also offered consumers a convenient “buy-now” option for cold weather merchandise. That usually proves effective from January through at least March—when cold weather prevails over much of the U.S., but department stores are already showing spring merchandise.

Rainwear: 2008 Key Retail Trends

• Encompassing rain jackets, hats and boots, along with umbrellas, rainwear is no longer merely a commodity-driven item. Fashion influences, in an array of prints and colors, also help boost sales.

• As with cold weather accessories, fashion consumers favor an item-driven merchandising approach, rather than fully coordinated looks. Rainboots with novelty patterns, in fact, are now almost standard fare.

• Even rainwear tapped into celebrity power last year. Following her hit song “Umbrella,” pop singer Rihanna launched a collection for Totes Isotoner.

• Folding umbrellas, capitalizing on smaller size and lightweight convenience, continued to outsell stick silhouettes.

• And as a business-boosting merchandising masterstroke, many retailers presented fashion rain hats, jackets and boots right alongside umbrellas on their mainfloors.