There have been several positive signs for apparel marketers in 2010, but list universes are still lagging.
ParadyszMatera’s Research & Analysis group has started releasing the year-end 2009 MarketTrends reports for consumer marketers. The full reports are available to clients only via MarketRelevance, but I will be providing some key findings to our blog readers over the next few weeks. Below is a look at the consumer apparel sector.
We already know from talking to apparel marketers that there is a good deal of optimism (albeit reserved) for 2010, and there were several positive indicators from the second half of 2009 to back that up. For marketers with a print catalog, mailing activity (i.e. unique apparel campaigns tracked through MarketRelevance) revived in the second half of 2009 after slumping earlier in the year. Also heartening were the launch of several new titles, even if many were imports (NextDirect, Smart Turnout). And finally, there was notable housefile growth from several key marketers like Athleta, Urban Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret.
So this confirms that individual marketers were still able to find some degree of success even in tough times. Collectively, however, buyer file universes for the apparel category show that the sector continues to struggle (see chart below).