BDS Marketing, Inc. (bds mktg), a retail marketing agency, today announced the results of a recent survey conducted by their apparel-division field team during the MAGIC International Trade Show. The survey questioned manufacturers, retailers and other industry affiliates about the show, opinions on industry issues and strategies at retail. The results revealed, for example, that 88% of respondents identified the first and second days of MAGIC to be the most productive. In addition, "fashion over function" was a key theme - 51% of respondents saw style as the #1 decision maker among consumers when purchasing clothing. Similarly, 62% said brand reputation is more important to consumers today versus 2-3 years ago.

-- MAGIC Show: What days are most important, how many years attended MAGIC, what are primary reasons for attendance and keys to success at the show?

-- Consumer Purchase Behavior: What drives purchase decisions and brand reputation importance today?

-- Private Label Growth: What is the impact of private label business on traditional branded business?

-- Retail Marketing Strategies: Retailers were asked what support they most value from their vendor partners. Manufacturers were asked about their top concerns after product hits the shelf and which retail marketing strategies were most successful.

-- When looking at what makes MAGIC a success for attendees, 34.6% said new relationships and 31.5% said product ideas.

-- Manufacturers were most concerned with driving sell-through (29%) and protection of pricing/no early markdowns (16%).

-- Constant communication was considered most important in successful retail marketing and held the bulk of responses at 36%. After that, 34% of manufacturers cited retail support activities as their most successful retail marketing strategies with product seminars ranking highest at 13%.

-- Retailers were much more concerned with the nuts and bolts. Product exclusivity (21%), constant communication (19%) and basic replenishment (15%) were the top three responses. Surprisingly, discounts/coupons ranked among the least sought support with only 7% of responses.

"These findings graphically illustrate the fact that MAGIC continues to be a key show for the apparel industry," said Mary Goudie, General Manger of Apparel for bds mktg. "Additionally these results also point to the fact that constant communication within retail marketing programs is a proxy for success. bds mktg's experienced and retail-savvy people know the apparel industry inside and out and through consistent communication with consumers and retailers alike at the store level, have a clear understanding of what is important to drive an enhanced customer experience and sell-through at retail."

For questions or additional information on bds' findings please contact Kristen des Chatelets, Chief Marketing Officer at (949) 472-6700 ext. 2113.

BDS Marketing, Inc. is more than a retail marketing services agency. Our national network of high performance teams provides clients with expert, in-market representation to activate brands and generate product sell-through at retail. Additionally, bds builds engaging retail and consumer programs to augment our client's brand at retail. We become the voice of the brand by building mindshare with sales representatives, tapping into consumer emotions to deliver a relevant brand experience. bds 'well-served clients include apparel, automotive, consumer electronics, home improvement and telecommunications companies. bds programs and campaigns are deployed to drive sales and increase market share with measurable results for clients including Canon, Motorola, Time Warner Cable, Sony, Sharp, Puma N.A., Parigi Group, Kellwood Corp. and Jaguar Land Rover.

This is cache, read story here