Vera Wang Chinese Try-on Policy Gets American Retailers Excited

Posted on March 26, 2013 Written by 5 Comments

By Paul Pannone

Vera Wang is making headlines again but this time not with a new dress design but for the honor to try a dress on. According to reports brides-to-be (in China) are being charged almost $500 dollars for an hour and a half appointment to try on Vera Wang merchandise. The fee gets deducted from the price of the dress– if they buy– otherwise the money is forfeited.

We wonder if stars like Angelina Jolie get charged to simply try on a dress before the actual sale. Or do they get paid for mock-up publicity?

 

Reports say the company is trying to keep from getting knocked off, protecting its brand and designs, much like American manufacturers who’re in a fight for survival against dress piracy in China. It’s unknown whether the Vera Wang company is serious about supporting the fight that was recently backed up by a New Jersey judge or if times are just tight for everyone, including the Vera Wang company.

So far the practice has not hit the United States but sources say Vera Wang is watching the PR and backlash. Last year Dolce & Gabbana drew criticism on Social Networks for disallowing picture-taking by Hong Kong natives but not tourists. The unclear guideline raised some issues that no company can afford these days with the rise and instant reprisal brought on by bad publicity over the internet.

In the United States, eWedNewz bridal sources say they’re thrilled at Vera Wang’s attempt to charge consumers to try on merchandise. Facebook responses included store owners who feel they’re losing sales to online dress companies who undercut their prices.

“Bridal Salon professionals spend a lot of time giving “professional advice” what is in style, how to accessories, negotiate, all these girls, not all, but the majority all they want to do is “showroom” your salon, take pictures, and won’t commit to buy, and they have already tried on 50+ gowns. You mean to tell me a gal can’t walk into a beautiful Bridal salon with boutique quality gowns( not you know who)and can’t find anything in their budget?? This is nonsense, because every store has gowns that should be falling off the racks in sales every day!!! Price…it is what it is…you can’t expect to buy St. Pucchi for $1000 including the veil,” said one retailer.

Similar thoughts given by all responding store retailers shows the deep frustration they feel towards the internet and how it’s affected their operation and ability to charge the needed mark-up to stay in business.

The discussion spilled over into the Wedding Water Cooler where we omitted statements from retailers in the group but focused on those given by sources not in the retail end of the business.

“A few bridal retailers in the US have instituted try-on fees in the past.  However, I’m not aware of any fee that’s as high as the fee that Vera is charging.  The retailer applies the try-on fee toward any merchandise purchased in the store.  It’s a practical and logical policy for name brand retailers.  I could be wrong about this but I believe that Kleinfeld’s has a try-on fee.   It prevents show rooming for internet sites.  In the long run, it may be the only thing that will prevent consumers from going to a retailer to try on a gown that they plan to purchase online.  I doubt that this policy will fly in small markets but I can see the benefit it provides:  it separates the lookers from the buyers; it allows the retailer to concentrate efforts on consumers who definitely will purchase at the store,” according to one WWC member.

Kleinfeld told eWedNewz they do not charge to try on their gowns but do take credit-card and other personal information to book the appointment. But, according to Kleinfeld in New York City, no money is charged to try on their merchandise and there is no obligation to buy from them. It clearly states on their website, picture taking is not allowed during the shopping appointment.

May I take pictures of the gowns while I try them on?

“We do not allow cameras in the fitting rooms while you are shopping. Once you have purchased a dress, you may take as many pictures as you’d like.”

 

eWedNewz will continue to follow this story. We ask for your thoughts and opinion.

 

 

 eWedNewz

All Rights Reserved

2013

Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Dresses, Business, Direct sales online, eWedNewz, General News, Ongoing Story Investigation, Social Media, Wedding Dresses, wedding industry, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , , ,

Bridal Guide Boss Claims paying “A Lot More” for “Similar” Space a few blocks away

Posted on February 24, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

 

By Paul Pannone

A developing eWedNewz story stemming from a simple story release could cause some seismic changes at Bridal Guide as eWedNewz uncovers new information that could force other advertisers to re-think their association with the magazine. eWedNewz fans out our investigation into the matter.

 

In a Twitter exchange Bridal Guide travel expert, Jeff Hendlin alluded to the fictitiousness of eWedNewz reporting. Yet Hendlin posted this picture of the office he is leaving behind for the “much better” space a few blocks away. Hendlin captioned the image with, “gonna miss my office”.

 A reply to the story from Bridal Guide that protested too much said:

“Bridal Guide celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. While some major bridal titles have been shuttered and others have been forced to make drastic staff reductions and changes, Bridal Guide has never dramatically reduced staffing and has no plans to reduce staff in the future. Most of our top management, editorial, and sales staff have been highly successful in their roles for decades and have been promoted from within the company. We’re proud to boast of the most knowledgeable and expert staff of any national bridal publication.

Contrary to your assertion, Bridal Guide isn’t shrinking. In fact, our focus is expanding and our bank of expert consultants in all wedding-related categories grows each year. Visitors to our new office will observe that it is an upgrade from the space that we’ve occupied on 7th Avenue for nearly eight years. The office configuration is less than traditional — with significant open space to facilitate greater communication between staff. The new office is intended to reflect Bridal Guide’s evolution to much more than a print product. As many of our advertisers already know, Bridal Guide embraces changes that include amazing advancements in our web site  traffic, our social media following, and digital publishing. In a very real sense, we’ve expanded our capabilities to establish Bridal Guide as much more than a magazine. We’ve evolved to become a communication resource that offers an efficient combination of media to produce positive results for our advertisers and an inviting environment for our audience.

Print always will be a core component in Bridal Guide’s marketing platform. We continue to stand head and shoulders above our primary competitor in this arena. As documented by the most recent ABC statements, Bridal Guide’s newsstand sales remain healthy while newsstand sales at Brides have plummeted to an all-time low of 38,000 copies per issue — lower than that every other nationally distributed bridal publication. As documented by the most recent MRI Syndicated  Research report, Bridal Guide reaches significantly more engaged readers than Brides, as well. I’m happy to provide ABC Fast Facts and MRI data to verify the veracity of these claims to you or to anyone who would like to review them. Our role in the print category continues to expand.

Tremendous changes are happening in the bridal industry — changes that are impacting the way in which we all do business. In spite of  these changes — or perhaps as a result of them — Bridal Guide offers tremendous opportunities to bridal market vendors. We attribute this to the fact that our staff includes some of the most seasoned professionals in the world. Again, neither our staff size nor our aspirations are shrinking. You were misinformed. We’re doing a lot  better than “holding our own.” Given our history, we expect another 25 years of growth and success, according to Bridal Guide.

In January Bridal Guide called out its competitors with similar information claiming to be sustaining it’s newsstand sale success. But in a developing story, eWedNewz finds dramatic information into the leadership of the company that could quickly shift support away from the magazine.

Over the weekend an exchange with Barry Rosenbloom, owner of the magazine, purports paying “a lot more” for “similar” space when faced with the eWedNewz question of whether the new offices are bigger than the ones departed on 7th avenue. Given the nature of Rosenbloom’s track record, it’s amazing– even laughable– that he would spend a nickel more for anything.

 

eWedNewz plans to dig in deeper and take Rosie up on his offer to come and view the new space, once they’re settled in.

 

 

eWedNewz

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2013

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, bridal, Bridal Guide Magazine, Bridal Magazines, BRIDES Magazine, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Poll, Publications, The Internet, Uncategorized, wedding industry, Wedding Water Cooler, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , ,

Old-thinkers Holding on Like Passengers on the Titanic

Posted on February 20, 2013 Written by 3 Comments

By Paul Pannone

The sweeping changes brought about by technology is a topic of discussion in Social Media areas but are really discussed by  those willing to embrace the changes. In contrast the changes and falsified– and denied– by those who’ve managed to make a living purporting to know more than the average business owner.

eWedNewz continues our investigation into Marketing Gurus and those who classify themselves as experts in areas they have no business being in. Along the way our coverage into why the old wedding industry accepted standards are slipping into darkness has gained support from respected institutions of learning, bridal publications and other sources who can no longer deny the world of weddings has changed forever.

eWedNewz continues our investigation of wedding marketing gurus and self-proclaimed experts who purport having the lifeboat answers in an extraordinarily fast-paced world of technology.

 

Our investigation deals with some of the older members of the wedding community who are huddling together trying to downplay eWedNewz reporting, hoping their names won’t appear and blow their cover. A recent story involving an  ABC 20/20 segment exposing some of the practices in the wedding business drew concerns of many hard-working members who’ve had to defend and separate themselves from some of the unscrupulous. 66% of an ongoing poll  says there are good and bad in the industry; no more or less than in other places. But further investigation suggests some of the well-known names (of the past) are taking advantage of the situation, leveraging free publicity from the 20/20 segment to promote old selling tactics and ideas from which the misinformation and perception comes from in the first place. Our investigation on that part of the story continues and will be released later this year.

Commenting on the changes due to advances in technology, Melanie Hetfield, said the following:

“Both Websites and Social Media have plummeted the sale of magazines.  Times change very quickly, what will happen in the next 10 years remains to be seen. 100 years ago the horse and cart was still the main transportation, but has passed very quickly.

Magazines need to be taking advantage of the Social Media and promoting those who advertise in their magazines. They should also have limited material shown on their websites and small charges for members to read the full magazine online. Apps also should be growing for magazines, but are not. When you think now that computers that can be attached to you as a watch are being created, it really is a time for traditional companies to rethink where they stand.

 

What do you think? Has the wedding business fallen behind, looking to old ideas from marketers who can no longer give the most current information?

 

eWedNewz

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2013

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, eWedNewz, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Social Media, The Internet, wedding industry, Wedding Marketing Scams, Wedding planners, Wedding Vendors, wedding websites Tagged: , ,

The Week of February 11th in Review

Posted on February 18, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

 

 

 

By Paul Pannone

The wedding business continues to undergo the necessary changes to again appeal to consumers who’ve taken flight away from the same misinformation that’s been around for several generations. A move away from traditional methods of planning a wedding and towards recommendations from friend, family and trusted sources leaves many wedding marketers and those who (prey) make a living on the emotions of couples high and dry.

An ongoing poll shows 46% of respondents  feel wedding websites are outdated, no longer a factor and to the extreme extinct, now that the use of Social Media grows exponentially.

As a result newsstand sales of major bridal publications, specifically BRIDES magazine, continue to slide. eWedNewz readers say they’re amazed to learn subscription rates seem to rise as quickly as newsstand sales decline.

The distribution of printed material is hurt by both digital mediums; websites and Social Media.

eWedNewz continues to investigate the source of negativity in the wedding business, fueled by old-time marketers who have a firm grasp on the past and are unwilling to let go.

 

eWedNewz

All Rights Reserved

2013

 

 

Filed Under: Anti Fairy Dust, Bridal Magazines, Bridal Shows, BRIDES Magazine, eWedNewz, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Social Media, The Week in Review, wedding industry, Wedding Marketing Scams, wedding websites Tagged: , , ,

Social Media Adding to Website Slide; both hurting print

Posted on February 13, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

By Paul Pannone

In the latest eWedNewz coverage involving the decline of traditional media, conventional websites are taking a beating.,  As far back as mid 2011 eWedNewz questioned the sustainability of static websites. Today webmasters who say they’ve made millions over the past decade admit they’re suddenly forced to reinvent themselves because of the Social Media explosion.

The growing use of Social Media displaces the need for websites; that displaced the need for printed products since the late 1990′s. Both Websites and Social Media have plummeted the sale of magazines.

 

In the beginning there was the Information Superhighway, A.K.A, the Worldwide Web. Blank stares soon became familiar with the term that gave way to the Internet and later just the Net. E-mail was some futuristic way to communicate and the letters AOL was the facilitator, connecting us with friends and thoughts.

Marketers jumped on banner ads charging exorbitant fees to tap into traffic with inflated numbers that were indisputable. Today banner ads are a joke, along with excessive hosting fees, domain name procurement and all the mystical SEO propositions put forth by Hucksters trying to make a buck. But can websites really totally fade away?

Not according to Wedding Water Cooler members who say they have a place, along with printed product experts.

Newest member of the Cooler, Dorinda Duclos told eWedNewz:

“Build it and they will come?  Yes…and no. Not without a lot of hard work and the right web master.  But that’s not to say that a well-built site won’t bring clients.  The social media takeover does not replace a traditional website.  It enhances it.  For example, you have a new product you want to promote, so you add it to your website.  Who sees it?  If you’re lucky enough to place highly in the search engines then maybe a few more people will.  Now take that same product back to Facebook, upload a picture, write a description & link it back to your website.  You now have a captive audience, through your fan base, (although with FB’s many changes, you may need to promote the product) who in turn will view your product, click the link and land back on your website.  This gives them the opportunity to view more products.  A traditional eCommerce website also allows the client to immediately purchase directly from there.

Pretty doesn’t mean better.  A flash site is a big no-no today because it won’t convert to mobile.  Unless you have code within your site that alerts when the user is accessing your site from a mobile device, they will not see your pages as you do when looking from your computer.  The code makes the necessary switch to a site that you’ve built specifically for mobile access.  Most websites today have this.  There are a few companies that offer the service and will actually build the mobile site for you.  You just have to add the html coding into your site.

The most important thing you can do is refresh your website’s main landing page as often as possible.  This helps keep content fresh and let’s the search engines know there’s something new to index. (Proper coding for Google, yahoo, etc is also needed for this)

Are websites dead? No.  Are they fading? Perhaps.  It really all depends on how much effort you, as the business owner, put into it.  You can’t expect a flower to grow without watering it.  Same thing holds true here.  Don’t think because you have a website that you have business.  You’ll wilt and eventually die…” says Duclos.

Duclos agrees with other business owners who realize launching a website is not the end of anything but only the beginning of the non-ending plight to promote the site. Experts tell eWedNewz the time and cost of standard websites has come crashing down, especially over the past six months. Webmasters who say they’ve made millions since the late 1990′s quietly admit the impact of Social Media has been destructive to their business. Add to the mix out-of-the-box products by Word Press and the “free” effect of available products (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc) allowing business owners to post their own content and update their pages, it’s no wonder the thriving website business is suddenly in serious trouble.

On ongoing poll shows 57% of respondents look to the Internet for their  marketing needs (33% Social Media – 25% e-mail blasts). 16% say they use print. What do you say?

 

 

 

 eWedNewz

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2013

 

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, Breaking Newz, Bridal Magazines, Data, facts and figures, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, Publications, Social Media, The Internet, Uncategorized, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Wedding Website Update: Same Old Story, Just like the Wedding Business

Posted on February 7, 2013 Written by 4 Comments

By Paul Pannone

It’s the time of year when wedding websites run their Best of part of their program to hype themselves and try to convince wedding vendors how important it will be to renew their advertising for another year. Members of the Wedding Water Cooler are active this week punching holes in some of the most culpable websites saying they’re weary of listening to the same old song and dance. Many of the Coolies say they’re amazed at how many wedding vendors still support some of the tired old sites, despite repackaged pitches and revamped pages.

 

According to Wedding Water Cooler experts the lies are all the same but they’ve gotten better at lying.

 

 Wedding website whistle-blower, David Fuhrer updated his 2011 statement denouncing the practices of some websites which, in his view, remain relatively unchanged for the past five-years.

“What is remarkable is the lack of innovation upon websites such as The Knot, My Wedding, Wedding Wire. It is remarkable in the sense that a complete lack of value-incentive-propositions have been derived that increase the value of what they offer vendors. From a vendor foundation perspective all of the aforementioned haven’t evolved an iota, they remain circa 5 years ago. This is the fundamental rationale for why my perspective was, and has remained unchanged, that these sites possess a finite shelf-life. In essence their “roads” do not lead to “forks”, they lead to “brick walls”. The concentration has been wholly upon the user-experience & augmenting that experience. The means by which they have augmented is via pilfering off of each other.

The Knot was not a “review” website, it was an exposure website, they now offer user reviews. Wedding Wire was a review website, yet they now offer personalized websites. My Wedding was a personalized website offering that now has reviews. Instead of innovating, they are all supposedly enhancing, via broadening their offerings to the demographic with what can be found on the other websites. They then, pass along, these value-add’s, to prospective vendors in the form of “yes” we do that & even better & more intuitively than other competing sites,” he told the Water Cooler.

The website discussion stemmed from an ongoing story involving a 20/20 segment that got the wedding business to stand up and announce they’re not a bunch of crooks, opposing the way they were depicted in the segment. In an ongoing eWedNewz investigation about wedding marketers in the business, wedding websites and the fairy dust purported are part of the same story, giving vendors misinformation on how to treat consumers.

Chris Evans was interviewed for the 20/20 segment and mentioned his Boot Camp approach to selling. Evan’s business view of marriage is discussed in the Wedding water Cooler and singled out due to the attention it gathered in the 20/20 segment. Members of the group along with other wedding sources being interviewed for an upcoming eWedNewz story say the hard selling and lack of bedside, emotional approach is what’s giving the wedding business a bad name.

According to the Wedding water Cooler discussions wedding marketing and websites need to undergo a major overhaul to appeal to new wedding consumers who no longer turn to websites and older methods– replaced by Social media and referrals from their friends.

 

What do you think?

eWedNewz

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2013

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, The Internet, The Knot, Uncategorized, wedding industry, Wedding Marketing Scams, Wedding Vendors, Wedding Water Cooler, wedding websites, Wedding Wire Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Federal Judge Backs ABPIA Efforts

Posted on January 7, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

 

By Paul Pannone

eWedNewz has learned the ABPIA won the support of  Hon. Freda L. Wolfson, a Federal judge in New Jersey. Wolfson upheld a ruling and temporary restraining order granted back in November, 2012, that will help to stop more internet thievery against American wedding occasion dress makers.

 

 The Honorable Freda L. Wolfson gave full backing to the efforts of the ABPIA, headed by Steve Lang. Judge Wolfson is a dedicated upholder of the law, putting the interests of her country first and foremost, before all other civil and global issues that plague businesses in America.

 

In an exclusive eWedNewz interview, Steve Lang, head of the ABPIA, said he was thrilled with the decision.

“We got more than we ever expected from Judge Wolfson. She understands the importance of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Lang told eWedNewz.

Lang has been continually lambasted by critics who feel he has ulterior motives behind the fight but have failed to produce any sort of evidence to substantiate their claims. For the most part critics have fallen silent and tell eWedNewz they’re watching the action from the sidelines. Some commended the efforts but so far have not financially supported them.

In our interview with Lang he told eWedNewz he’s not holding his breath waiting.

“I’ve spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money to get to where we are. The win this week will allow us to really move forward at an even greater speed,” he told eWedNewz.

In a prepared statement to the organization board and wedding industry sources, Lang said the following:

Dear Board of the ABPIA and Industry Friends and Associates,

There will be a board meeting of the ABPIA tomorrow at three o’clock Eastern standard time. More details will be covered at that time among board members, but I would like to share some news that has just occurred.

Our counsel, Craig Hilliard , and I just returned from a court hearing with Judge Wolfson at The Federal Court, Trenton, NJ.

 We have been given a landslide of support by the court.

Today was the return date based on a lawsuit filed against the first 40+ defendants. Of course, none of these defendants from China appeared before the judge.

The judge is extremely sympathetic to our cause and made it very clear in her decision that she will support every effort. She actually commented to Mr. Hilliard that she understands how serious this is and she feels extremely bad for every hard-working, legitimate company and person working in this industry.

She has allowed us carte blanche latitude in terms of allowing Mr. Hilliard to write the order converting the TRO into an injunction. Beyond that, we do not have to jump through hoops to add any additional websites to the ruling. We can add websites at will and avoid any lengthy motions to edit defendants.

 I heard her tell Mr. Hilliard that she is going to give him the widest berth possible in terms of those we can go after, including the websites, the operators of the sites, the service providers as well as anyone in the food chain from shippers financial institutions that supply support to aid and abet these counterfeiters. She instructed Mr. Hilliard to write the document she will sign it immediately.

I cannot begin to explain to you how powerful today’s ruling is. This judge went above and beyond to communicate sympathy to both Mr. Hilliard and myself during this interchange. We brought with us examples of counterfeit dresses as well as the originals. We had Mon Cheri and Maggie Sotterro dresses with us and she was exasperated when she saw the difference between the originals  and the counterfeits. We explained to her how the customers are being cheated, how customs is being cheated and how all of our companies and businesses are dramatically affected by this scourge to the industry.

I am sharing this e-mail with everyone on this list, including those of you that are not on the board of the ABPIA. We have worked very hard as a board to achieve the status we reached   today. The fight is not over and will continue for quite some time–many people said we would not get this far and we proved the opposite . Let’s move on to finish this fight.

I need help from everyone at this point. We need more than 350 members in ABPIA. I need the media, the marts, the manufacturers, the sales reps and the retailers that have yet to join the organization to step up to the plate and become members. The industry must be represented by the broadest number of participants possible. We will need it in terms of our lobbying power with the government in Washington as well as to continue to generate dues to allow the legal firm to continue its work. We have raised approximately $250,000 and to date have spent about 75,000 and legal work. As you know, the law firm absorbed the first $60,000 in expense by not charging us anything up until the suit was filed. The $75,000 has been incurred since the filing of the suit up until this point over the past six months. I want to be able to continue to make sure that our efforts are never hampered due to cash flow. We have made the dues very reasonable for everyone in this fight and it needs to be supported by everyone.

I will ask every entity copied on this e-mail to do their part. If you have not become a member of ABPIA please consider doing so now. If you are capable of e-mail blasting or speaking to your constituencies, I hope that you will refer them to ABPIA and ask them to join as well.

Progress has been great even before today. PayPal has frozen over $60,000 in funds that were scheduled to be sent offshore just from the original 40 defendants. Now we will add over 2000 more and you will see a great change in the ability of these websites to continue to steal from us. We will be relentless in our effort and today’s victory just reinforces to everyone that the fight is a worthy one. If I had a video of how sympathetic this judge was I think you would all be very impressed. I indicated to the judge at somewhere between 500 and 600,000 units representing as much as $300 million in sales were sucked out of the industry last year she was aghast. She realized the magnitude of the problem and so forcefully indicated that she will work with us. She even took Mr. Hilliard to a sidebar conversation indicating that she would work very hard to help him in this battle should he run up any obstacles with defendants. She indicated to Mr. Hilliard that from our testimony today she can glean that irreparable harm is being done to all companies. She asked Mr. Hilliard to work on angles for what those damages and demands for those damages could amount to. Again, a watershed of support will be coming from this federal judge.

No one likes to sit in the courtroom, but I have to tell you, today was totally enjoyable. Hearing these results and the actions the judge is willing to take is nothing short of wonderful gift to the industry.

ABPIA board members, you will receive a dial-in number for our call tomorrow at 3 PM shortly. For everyone else on this list is not a board member, I want to thank you for your support in the past and in the future.

I want to extend a special thank you to two people that have worked tirelessly to bring about the results achieved today. First, I want to thank Roanna from TJ Formal’s for her effort to identify the list of offending sites. I cannot begin to tell you the legwork in detail with which she conducted her research ferreting out those that are true counterfeiters incapable of being stopped versus fringe sites. Secondly, I want to thank Mr. Hilliard for his support and his friendship in this fight. He is a true friend to the industry.

Steve Lang

Lang would not elaborate on how he feels critics will take the newZ but did say he does not count on any of them to offer help. Instead he plans on continuing the efforts calling the win a single battle in a long and costly war.

Currently 72% of responses to an eWedNewz poll says the wedding industry has a fair-to excellent chance of winning the war against online piracy. 25% feels there is a poor to impossible chance of winning.

 

What do you say?

 

 

 

eWedNewz

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2013

Filed Under: Breaking Newz, bridal, Bridal Dresses, Bridal Shops, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, General News, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Poll, The Internet, wedding industry, wedding websites Tagged: , , ,

More Wedding Business Professionals are hurting than ever; Really?

Posted on January 2, 2013 Written by 2 Comments

By Paul Pannone

Yes, really; they are. The statement is in response to a story at Think Like a Bride that begins:

“I read an article recently saying that the wedding industry is in worse shape than anyone is willing to admit. Really? Then I have a slew of people lying to me. Or maybe my followers are just a little smarter than the rest.”

eWedNewz reader and wedding service provider, Mary Bower, gives her view on what is happening in the business. Coincidentally her views match countless others.

In an ongoing eWedNewz story and further discussions on Social Networks and  in every format including the Wedding Water Cooler most wedding professionals  we’ve spoken with reluctantly agree things are not good. For the few who want to dispute the findings, citing how well they’re doing– they are the exception– not the rule.

To some hopefuls who dismiss all other information, facts and opinions; subscribe to their own methods of collecting, slicing and dicing information, everything is fine or bound to get better. For some the presentation and argument they make boarders on insanity.

We’ve often quoted Christine Boulton, owner of Think Like A Bride, agreeing with many aspects of the wedding business. But many is not all. Boulton cannot dispute she works with talented, successful local vendors who can afford her services. But for the average wedding service provider–  we speak to many as an informational newZ source– the story is quite different. Many were forced to change the way they conduct their business, adapting to the shift in expectations by consumers who want what they want when they want it and refuse to pay full price. In the thousands of discussions over the past five years not one vendor says they’re doing well running their business the same way they did in the past.

Mary Bower relied to the story and had this to say:

Hi Paul,  I read your article and of course, I have to comment :)  I have a niche here in Lansing, MI where I sell wedding invitations, it’s a side business, thank goodness. I give great service, have great lines. But I believe you are seeing a faltering of the wedding industry because of the economy. Young people are being especially budget conscience these days  They are having difficulty landing good paying jobs, leave college with lots of debt (most of them) and they struggle. unlike we did in the 80′s when jobs were plentiful for us in the yuppie crowd.

I am hanging on to my business, moved it back home from a brick and mortar and am hoping for the best this 2013 wedding season.  I could not survive on invitations alone now and am branching out to do other things, such as candy buffets that may reach a bigger consumer pool other than weddings. Each year now, I often wonder what stationery company will call it quits and leave me holding the bag, like Encore did!

I am also working on a new business that is totally not wedding related to fill the gap.  These are crazy times, and the outcome will be fewer wedding professionals getting out of the business.  Some clean up will be good, as many who got into the business after 2008 thought it would sustain them. My God, have you noticed how many people suddenly became “wedding photographers”  or “cupcake bakers?”   It used to be that there was plenty of room for everyone, but now that is shrinking.

As always, I hope for a prosperous 2013, but this year, (I’m) not taking on new lines, sticking with what I have and hoping for the best!

Mary C. Bower

Occasions

Mary is one of the majority of wedding business owners that are telling it like it is on a national scale. Further exchanges with Mary say many wedding-related businesses in her area are closing and getting out, no longer able to keep holding on.

In an ongoing poll 31% of responses so-far say the wedding business is deteriorating. 20% say the wedding business is stuck in neutral.  11% feels the wedding business has not yet hit bottom for a 62% total negative connotation. On the positive side 13% says the wedding business has hit bottom and is climbing nicely. 20% of response so-far say the wedding business is recovering but very slowly.

What do you think?

eWedNewz

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2013

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Shops, Data, Economic news, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, facts and figures, General News, Invitations, Photography, Poll, Research, retail, Uncategorized, wedding industry, Wedding planners, Wedding Water Cooler, wedding websites Tagged: ,

The Wedding Business in Worse Shape than First Thought

Posted on December 26, 2012 Written by 9 Comments

By Paul Pannone

An ongoing eWedNewz investigation shows the wedding business is in worse shape than anyone is willing to admit. Information and interviews across all channels of the business, including the part reported to be the most important; the dress business, shows severe damage caused by the collapse of the economy in 2008 and a slow recovery through 2011 and most of 2012.

Like brides, dresses come in all colors, not just white. Tuxedos have been replaced by black suits, navy and tan colors and everything you can imagine.

eWedNewz watches trends that includes the longer wait of men and women deciding to get married. The average age for first-time marriages continues to rise.

“The median age for a man’s first marriage was 28.2 years in 2010, up from 26.1 in 1990. The median age for a woman’s first marriage was 26.1 years in 2010, up from 23.9 in 1990,” according to www.infoplease.com  sourcing  U.S. Bureau of the Census information.

According to Census information the combined average age of men and women since 1960 has increased nearly 21% and has continues to rise world-wide. World trends show an even greater increase to resisting marriage. In the UK the average age for men and women hit 30 years this year citing Pew research while exploring probable causes.

Shedding tradition and traditional values continues to affect the number of marriages but also the formality of those weddings that do take place. Stylish, non-traditional weddings express the thoughts of couples who no longer want to be told what to wear, how to feel or plan their day.

Trends and shifts from normal wedding business finds those who plan to stay in the business are forced to change their operations to adapt to the shrinking numbers. Khalilah Olokunola of A Boxed Event and member of the Wedding Water Cooler shared her thoughts in the controversial forum:

“Many vendors I know have tripled up-not fine tuning their business to meet the demands of the changed times but instead (add) a whole new business . IT seems acceptable in some circles to be the baker, designer, director,planner and videographer- and no I’m not making that up there is a business that offers that.

Gone seems the days where you have to have skill and experience before you could add a title to your name. If you truly want to be successful you have to work hard, hustle hard and accept constructive criticism from more seasoned veterans. Geez I do all the time , I’m a coolie.

With brides and other “socialistas” decreasing their average budgets we all find ourselves redeveloping our business plans and offerings but still maintaining our integrity by offering the better bang for your buck,” says Khalilah.

Khalilah and others say the wedding business is flooded with services and products, challenging the pricing ability for vendors who seem to increase faster in numbers than the market shrinks. Plainly put there is no more need or room for another DJ, gown manufacturer, limousine company or any of the products to create traditional weddings. There are even too many catering facilities who’ve been forced to service a broader spectrum of events to keep rooms, kitchens and workers busy.

While investigating the story about the wedding dress business we’ve uncovered a growing number of outside sources infiltrating the business forcing manufacturers to take action. Recent advancements in the fight against pirates who’ve crippled the wedding dress business received no credit from skeptics who say the damage is too deep, too wide-spread and can never return to normal levels.

Across all channels eWedNewz watches and reports the changes taking place at places like David’s Bridal down to the smallest bridal stores who say they’re ready to throw in the towel. Decisions to sell majority equity stakes to investors like the one involving Jim’s Formal Wear become more and more common-place. Store closures servicing the wedding business are expected to increase, as manufacturers and suppliers tell eWedNewz they can no longer manage growing debt because accounts can’t meet their obligations.

Newsstand sale of bridal magazines continues to plummet giving some ammunition to pundits who say digital is killing print. But a closer look by eWedNewz shows grandfather wedding websites like TheKnot.com are also taking a pounding. eWedNewz exposé  stories about scandal, sexual debauchery and reported mismanagement of resources culminated in the death of morph digital/print companies like Get Married. So-far the rebirth of the company failed to come close in recapturing the glory the original launch created before the crash in 2008, now that the wedding business is older and wiser about the fairy-dust that surrounds them.

Planners of all sizes, including celebrity, say they’re looking to exit the business or expand into a broader range of services, no longer able to cut costs or charge enough fees to make it worth their while. Even “Wedding Market Gurus”, A.K.A, snake oil salespeople, are finding it difficult, if not impossible to charge speaking fees they did just a few short years ago. Most avoid our questions and keep pounding their drum of bullshit, acting as though everything is fine, while others see the changes and become alarmist, claiming to have the answer in some seminar or class.

Even hopefuls who thought the addition of Same-sex marriages to the wedding market, backed by the leader of the free world, say the events has so-far been just a small blip on the screen.

Olokunola again gave her view on how some of the troubles could be fixed:

“When the people who govern wedding magazine, trade shows and associations get real maybe– just maybe– it’ll get better. It’ll make it harder for scammers to scam and players to play and when we stick together as a whole. I believe a shift will take place towards an up direction and its there that the industry can begin again,” she said in the WWC forum.

Christine Boulton of Think Like A Bride told the Cooler how some companies are successful in the very tough business climate.

“There has been some serious restructuring in our business over the last four years. Business owners have changed their thinking; they are going after new markets and they have stepped away from an attitude of arrogance. In short, they stopped thinking of themselves as “artist” and begun to see themselves as businesses.”

Endless discussions clearly show the end of the wedding business as it once was. Is it time to stop discussing and look at what the information clearly tells us?

 

In an ongoing poll 32% of respondents so-far say the wedding business is rebounding but slowly.

What do you say?

 

eWedNewz

All Rights Reserved

2012

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Bridal Dresses, Bridal Guide Magazine, Bridal Magazines, Bridal Shops, Bridal Shows, BRIDES Magazine, catering, Celebrity, Data, DIY, DJ Disc Jockeys, Economic news, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, Florists, General News, GLBT, Invitations, Jewelry, Limousines, Martha Stewart, Men's formal wear, Ongoing Story Coverage, Ongoing Story Investigation, Paul Pannone, Photography, Poll, Promotions, Publications, Research, retail, Social Media, The Groom, The Internet, The Knot, Trade shows, tuxedos, Uncategorized, Wedding Dresses, wedding industry, Wedding Industry Events, Wedding planners, Wedding Water Cooler, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

The Week of December 17th in Review

Posted on December 23, 2012 Written by Leave a Comment

 

By Paul Pannone

The world didn’t end on 21-21-2012 but the event may have helped push for the end of how some businesses operate in the future. An ongoing eWedNewz investigation looking at the bailout of big businesses shows how Social Media displaces traditional forms of operation, especially advertising. Established companies and those who head them are realizing it’s time to pack it in and enjoy the fruits of their labor, allowing a younger generation of CEO’s and management style that understands Social Media and connecting with today’s consumers to assume a leadership role.

The top newZ story for this week was the breaking story surrounding the sale of a majority stake in Jim’s formal wear to Armory. eWedNewz broke the story on December 20th, preceding a Press Release detailing the information. A private exchange with Gary Davis, CEO of Jim’s, told eWedNewz how the “family business” will now continue in the same way except now it’s two families running the company, not just one.

A follow up story explaining the changes taking place in the tuxedo rental business was prompted by feedback received from confused people of the tux regarding the move of Joseph Abboud, the person, now head of the creative department at Men’s Wearhouse. In an ongoing eWedNewz investigation malicious information spread by competing tuxedo manufacturers who create and make fictitious brand products spreading false rumors are found to be at the heart of the misinformation.

The world watched as the last victims of the shooting in Connecticut were laid to rest. eWedNewz continues to poll the community to see if posting in the usual way during such horrific events is proper.

 

Coming up this week we look back on what made top newZ in 2012.

 

eWedNewz

All Rights Reserved

2012

 

 

 

Filed Under: Advertising and Marketing, Anti Fairy Dust, bridal, Economic news, eWedNewz, eWedNewz Exclusive, General News, Holidays, Men's formal wear, Social Media, The Groom, The Internet, The Week in Review, tuxedos, Uncategorized, wedding industry, wedding websites Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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