Tag: Shopping

  • Amazon launches new shopping app

    Amazon launches new shopping app

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    Amazon launches new shopping app

    SEATTLE — Amazon has launched Inspire, an in-app shopping experience that gives customers a new way to discover ideas, explore products, and seamlessly shop from content created by other customers, influencers, and brands they love.

    The app will roll out to select customers in the U.S. in early December, and will be available to all U.S. customers in the coming months.

    “We invent every day to make shopping easy and fun. Inspire is our new shopping experience that connects Amazon customers with shoppable content created by other customers, the latest influencers, and a wide range of brands. In just a few taps, customers can discover new products or get inspiration on what to buy, all tailored to their interests, and then shop for those items on Amazon,” said Oliver Messenger, director of Amazon Shopping.

    “Customers no longer need to search elsewhere or comment on a post to get more details for products featured online; when they see an item in Inspire they can shop for it in real-time on Amazon. In just a few clicks, customers can tap on a video or photo to see product details including average star rating and reviews, color and style options, and price, and then add it to their cart,” Messenger added.

    As the feature rolls out, Amazon plans to add more shoppable features, in-app functionality, and content, building an even more immersive shopping experience for customers.

  • Best Dubai Package For Shopping Festival Is All You Need

    Best Dubai Package For Shopping Festival Is All You Need

    Preparing your bucket list for 2022 and look for exciting new additions? Well the best Dubai package for shopping festival can help you in striking off one fascinating experience indeed. Much famed to be an one-of-a-kind experience, the magnificent Dubai Shopping Festival 2022 (DSF) is just round the corner and we are totally excited.

    Dubai package for Shopping Festival

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    Suggested Read: Dubai New Year 2022: A Guide For The Celebration

    Whether you’re traveling with friends, family, better half, or all by yourself, these Dubai shopping festival packages facilitate exciting group tours that suit the needs of all travelers. Also, in addition to the amazing shopping experience, your holiday will be a perfect combo of Dubai shopping festival tour packages, and Dubai city tour package.

    Dubai package for Shopping Festival

    Striking a perfect balance with Dubai packages from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore, DSF 2022 is a month-long festival that caters to the need of all the travelers alike. And to make your whole experience more easy, economical, and ecstatic, we’ve listed below the details of one of the best Dubai Shopping Festival 2022 packages which you can customize as per your interests while booking your holiday with TravelTriangle!

    Snippet Of Dubai Package For Shopping Festival

    Trip Type: An exciting and adventurous Dubai excursion
    Duration: 6D/5N
    Departing Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai
    Number of Fixed Departures: Only Two
    Date Of Departure: 26th January 2022
    Budget: INR 43,500 Per Person (Land Package Only)
    Inclusions: Accommodation, breakfast, dinner, local sightseeing, visit to Burj Khalifa, Dhow Cruise, Desert Safari, Visa with OTB, private airport transfers, DXB taxes, and Tourism Dirham tax
    Exclusions: Flights, lunch, travel insurance, surcharges, personal expenses, and anything not included in the itinerary

    What To Expect From Dubai Package For Shopping Festival 2022?

    For all those who consider themselves a diehard shopaholic, it’s a dream come true for them. Striking a perfect balance with energetic and entertaining performance by famous artists, there’s a lot more to this shopping extravaganza than what meets the eye.

    Dubai package for Shopping Festival

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    Suggested Read: A Guide For Spending Winter In Dubai In 2021-22

    From clothing to jewelry, from handicrafts to home decor, and from gold to gastronomical delights, find everything under one roof at the Dubai Shopping Festival 2022. Be it the malls, the souks, or the fascinating bazaars of Dubai, there is no experience that can surpass this one.

    Ibn-e-batuta Mall in Dubai

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    And the best part is, it is being held throughout the city. Starting from 26th December 2017 to 28th January 2018, be a part of this month-long festival at the prime locations listed below:

    • Dubai Mall
    • Gold Souk
    • Mall of the Emirates
    • Deira City Centre
    • Ibn Battuta Mall
    • Mercato Shopping Mall
    • Global Village
    • Lulu Village
    • Promenade at Dubai Festival City
    • Al Rigga Street

    Best Shopping Places In Dubai: Night Souk, Festival Waterfront Centre, Lamcy Plaza, DSF Desert Camp, Al Seef Street, Dragon Mart, and more.

    What Else Does The Dubai Package For Shopping Festival 2022 Offer?

    And for those who’ve been thinking what else to do for when the shopping is over, Dubai package for shopping festival has you covered for that as well.

    Dubai Shopping Festival

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    Suggested Read: 26 Free Things To Do In Dubai And Experience Over The Top Luxury Without Spending A Penny In 2022

    Right from witnessing the breathtaking skyline of Dubai from the 124th floor of the magnificent Burj Khalifa to the thrilling experiences of dune bashing in Dubai, you just cannot have enough of this city and there can never be a dull moment with the customized Dubai package for shopping festival which includes:

    • Dhow Cruise With Dinner
    • Half-day City Tour
    • Visit To The Burj Khalifa
    • Musical Fountain Show
    • Desert Safari
    • A Belly Dancing Night & BBQ Dinner
    • Abu Dhabi City Tour
    • Underwater Zoo & Aquarium
    • Miracle Garden
    • Global Village

    With such amazing places to see and thrilling experiences to enjoy, seats are filling in at jet speed. So if you’re excited already and wish to be a part of this amazing group adventure, post your contact details in the comment section below, and let us take care of the rest.

    So don’t wait up, hurry and book your Dubai package for shopping festival now!

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  • Introducing Meta Advantage + Shopping Campaign [5 Best Practices From Tinuiti’s Marketing Experts]

    Introducing Meta Advantage + Shopping Campaign [5 Best Practices From Tinuiti’s Marketing Experts]

    Meta’s latest advertising solution suite is making big waves in the marketing industry, drumming up interest among brands as well as advertisers. Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns, also known as ASC is a new performance advertising solution from Meta geared toward unlocking efficiencies for performance marketers across ecommerce and retail verticals. 

    In the following article, we’ll dive into Meta’s latest features, capabilities, our own best practices, and a peek into early results using ASC.
     

    What is Meta Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC)?

     
    The Meta Advantage Suite is inclusive of Meta’s automated shopping products. ASC is the newest addition to the suite, which is in the process of being rolled out to all advertisers.

    Credit: Meta Advantage Suite

     

    According to Meta, ASC works to achieve the highest performance from a retailer’s catalog sales or conversion campaigns by automating multiple campaign levers such as:

    • Creative
    • Placement
    • Audience targeting
    • Ad budget 

     

    How Is Tinuiti Using Meta ASC To Improve Brand Performance?

     
    Social commerce has shifted significantly with iOS 14.5 and signal loss. Apple’s App Tracking transparency has limited data sharing, which has impacted ad relevance on Meta and other social platforms, leading to a decrease in attributable conversions.  As a result,  platforms have had to re-evaluate shopping products, to make great strides in automation and efficiency, which has been challenged by the changing ad ecosystem.

    Leaning into Meta Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns is crucial for advertisers to stay competitive in the auction and take advantage of lower CPMs, CPAs, and more efficient ROAS compared to traditional conversion and catalog sales campaigns.

     
    Overall, the platform is prioritizing more efficient delivery to this campaign type, which is key leading into the most competitive season.
     

    How Does Meta ASC Work [And Why Is It A Big Deal]?

     
    This type of campaign has minimal targeting options compared to a typical set up, where we have more control to break out granular audiences within different ad sets. ASC is one combined ad set, enabling broader audience reach optimizing between new and existing customers through machine learning and AI. This does support geo targeting within regions or countries and allows upload of existing buyer and pixel based retargeting audiences. Think of this as testing out the true broad audience within a personalized ad system.

    Pro-tip: ASC has the ability to automate the delivery of up to 150 creative combinations in a single campaign, while the previous best practice was to run 4-6 ads per audience.
     

    Tinuiti shares early results:

     
    “Using ASC has allowed us to scale our budgets since within the first week of launch, it positively impacted overall performance for our retailer, increasing ROAS by 89%. In the first month, we increased our initial daily investment by 1400%, and we continue to see a steady and strong ROAS.” – Jess Vidal, Senior Specialist, Paid Social at Tinuiti

    “Since leveraging ASC six weeks ago, we’ve seen a 72% increase in ROAS and overall positive performance impact for our conversion efforts. We continue to increase our investment in ASC in this pivotal time of year for retailers and holiday shoppers.” – Corinne Skala, Strategist, Paid Social at Tinuiti
     

    Considerations for Brands Using Meta ASC

     
    In order to make the most of your ASC strategy, consider the following:

    • Asset Mix: Ensure you’re leveraging a mix of conversion (static image or video assets) and catalog sales (dynamic ads) assets
    • Ad Count: Leverage anywhere from 8-15 ads in ASC, focusing on your top performing direct response creatives
    • Targeting: Ensure you’re adding in current customer and retargeting lists so that you can monitor the breakdown in delivery against prospecting
    • Existing Customer Budget Cap: Keep budget to existing customers/retargeting between 10-30%, depending on brand goals
    • Attribution: Align attribution window with desired source of truth (1DC, 7DC, etc)

     

    Credit: Meta Advantage Suite

     

    When to use it:

     
    Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns are recommended for retail and ecommerce verticals, where brands are looking to maximize ROAS within their paid social program. This is a great incremental tactic to launch alongside your existing conversion and catalog sales campaigns. Starting with a lower budget and scaling up over time is an effective way to drive efficiencies without disturbing existing campaign strategy.

    Want to learn more about how Meta ASC can impact your business? Drop us a line!

     

  • Retail shopping through a new lens

    Retail shopping through a new lens

    Co-authored by: Kaleigh Bisconti

     

    If you visit our corporate headquarters in San Jose, California, be sure to check out the Cisco Store Tech Lab in Building 11. Remodeled and opened May of 2018, the 2500-square-foot store not only offers merchandise ranging from apparel to backpacks, but also showcases our latest Cisco and partner retail solutions. The Cisco Store Tech Lab is a space for both Cisco and partners to test their latest products and refine them based on real world data. 

    The stores’ technology stack consists of dynamic signage, Meraki Access Points, Smart Sensors, Cloud Managed Smart Cameras, and more. Say “Hi” to Robin our inventory robot that helps track inventory and enables the Keonn RFID smart fitting room. Electronic Shelf labels and Vrail full color displays powered by SES Imagotag, allow the store to make swift changes as needed. If you’re looking to explore the technology on your own, download the Cisco Store Xplorer, an augmented reality app that allows you to uncover and engage with every piece of technology in store. 

    Cameras ready to go in a few hours 

    Over 20 Meraki MV cameras provide a complete view of the space. Four MV32 fisheye cameras lined up across the middle of the ceiling and over the register, covering the entire store. Eight others focus on individual zones–for example, check-out, backpacks, entrances etc. 

    Setting up video cameras in retail stores ordinarily takes weeks while technicians install network connections, configure cameras, and install network video recorders (NVRs) and analytics servers. Once the infrastructure was set up, our Meraki cameras were ready to use within a few hours. We just mounted the cameras and plugged them in. They immediately appeared in the Meraki dashboard. We don’t need NVRs because each camera has its own onboard storage, and we don’t need an analytics server because the cameras perform their own analytics. That means less infrastructure to purchase and manage. We can add new cameras whenever we need them. 

    Get a closer look in the store

    Store managers open a web-based dashboard to view real-time footage stored on the camera. They can zoom in and change the viewing angle–for example, to see which items customers pick up off the shelf–as if we had pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras. But unlike PTZ cameras, our Meraki cameras are always recording the entire scene and don’t have moving parts that break. Later, we might archive video in the Meraki cloud. 

    Insights to keep improving the customer experience 

    The cameras can also analyze video to look for specific types of events. We’re starting with people detection and people counting in individual zones and for the entire store. Long checkout lines on Friday afternoons? We adjust staffing. More visitors and longer dwell time in the backpack area than the accessories island? We might experiment with dynamic signage or merchandise location to see if dwell time increases–and if longer dwell times translate to sales. 

    For more insights, we’re planning to use the Meraki camera APIs to share people-detection data with other systems, like Everyangle’s computer vision solutions. For example, to deter fraudulent returns we integrate cameras with our POS system to take snapshots of purchasers who buy or return items over a certain dollar amount. (To respect privacy, all data is anonymized, and no individuals are identified as specific people.) Leveraging Everyangle, the store is also able to look at conversion rates for its’ physical locations, something that was previously only accessible through our online store. 

    Protecting security and privacy 

    Our company has a strong commitment to privacy, so the security safeguards built into Meraki cameras are important to us. If we start archiving data in the cloud, for instance, people can’t intercept the video because the cloud checks the camera’s digital certificate. All management data is always encrypted. 

    What’s next 

    The Cisco Store has presence beyond our San Jose location! A lot of the same solutions have been deployed in our Research Triangle Park location and can be explored through the Cisco Store Xplorer there. With Cisco Live and Cisco IMPACT behind us, our sights are now set on Cisco Live Amsterdam as we’ll bring our store along with its’ full technology stack to the Netherlands. If you’re planning on attending, be sure to look out for Cisco Store Technology Tours in the sessions catalog. 

    For more information read Beyond Video Surveillance: Cameras as Sensors 

    Download our augmented reality application, the Cisco Store Xplorer, to uncover and engage with the technology at the Cisco Store. 

    To read more Cisco IT case studies on a variety of business solutions, visit Cisco on Cisco: Inside Cisco IT 

    Looking forward to our theater session at our NRF Booth in January

     

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  • Strategies to win in a video-first world: Selling, shopping and engaging live

    Strategies to win in a video-first world: Selling, shopping and engaging live

    Imagine it. A sleek car blows through a picturesque desert landscape. The well-cued orchestra reaches a crescendo right as the driver roars around a corner, sliding at an angle stop right at the edge of a cliff. The camera zooms out as the text of the brand name fades in, and the announcer narrates some script about grace, beauty, power.  Everything is picture perfect. And most consumers feel nothing.

    Meanwhile, we’re in love with cats who interrupt their owners as they’re being interviewed on the news. We reshare and rewatch real moments, or hot takes of real moments, or hot takes of fake moments from the latest Real Housewives episode. We talk about digital waiting lines for Taylor Swift presale tickets, or the latest World Cup drama. We obsess over politics in real time. It gives us what we crave: unpredictability, newness and a sense of connection that informs our own identity.

    The reality is that over the last 36 months digital customer experience in most of the western world has fundamentally transformed in two ways: first, to pivot toward video-first interactions, and second, to emphasize real-time engagement. Yet we find that very few brands have internalized this change and evolved their strategies for customer engagement. How can brands respond moving into 2023?

    1. Reset your digital experience strategy to account for a video-first world

    The number of consumers who now regularly consume live video content in the United States has grown by almost 30 million people from 2019 (129 million) to 2021 (154 million). With the increase of availability of 5G and high-quality internet, technical improvements in distributing video and voice at scale and the emergence of platforms that have begun to move the internet’s user experience towards both real-time (Discord, Twitch) and video-first (from TikTok to YouTube to traditional media outlets like ESPN emphasizing streaming), the patterns for how we engage digitally has changed. In our research across the Americas and Europe, almost 75% of consumers – across all age cohorts – say they watch live content at least once every month.

    Compare video-first and real-time modalities to the most common brand-owned touchpoint: an eCommerce website or mobile app. Many retailers and brand .coms are still working on improving the basics: an emphasis on better imagery, more informative product descriptions, richer reviews or possibly curated user generated content and improving the page load speeds. With expectations being set by experience leaders who emphasize more dynamic engagement, brands have to dramatically rethink their digital experience, channel strategy and corresponding approach to content.

    It is not enough to bolt on video widgets, or have irregular and haphazard ‘livestream’ events or product drops. Brands need to completely refactor their end-to-end experience strategy, inclusive of their roadmaps and investment in capabilities, to determine in their own context how to seamlessly integrate video and flex between static always-on experiences and fluid near real-time experiences.

    Examples of video-first experiences. Top left, clockwise: YouTube unboxing videos; Walmart and TikTok’s joint Spring Shop-Along beauty event; Amazon Prime Day livestreaming; Google’s experimental video-first shopping app Shoploop; live streams in China

     

    2. Develop a human-centered content strategy

    Social platforms have created a space for consumers and brands to engage bi-directionally, which has only increased expectations for brands to deliver on authenticity and trust. A category like beauty, which is highly dynamic, represents this shift better than most: a move from high-gloss campaign-led to creator-led content, which has led to a multiplicative increase in narratives, content and voices to reach select micro-communities and address a plethora of consumer needs.

    Brands like Olaplex are increasing their amplification of user-driven content through elements like how-to videos and reviews, and leveraged the unique voices of their creators. As a result, these brands have seen an uptick in sales, share of voice and consumer interest. And now, web3 is expected to reward creators in a more proportional and fair way than before. With this in mind, it’s predicted that creators will find ways to quickly enter web3 platforms and bring their loyal followers with them. Brands will need to evolve existing content and social engagement strategies to keep up with new conversation spaces.

     

    Instead of only trying to pull audiences into niche branded communities, the focus needs to be on enabling the brand to authentically show up and support existing community spaces orbiting the consumer. This doesn’t just mean working with well-known content creators: it also means unlocking the power of their own store and field associates as brand ambassadors, giving them the tools they need to communicate and engage with consumers digitally. And for the sake of brand content strategy, it means a wholesale transition of approach from a targeted monologue to a living dialogue.

    3. Embrace losing control in a distributed world

    Embracing a human-first content strategy can be challenging: it requires offsetting the traditional desire for control of a brand’s narrative with the imperative to amplify organic conversations happening across various touchpoints. But brands who engage with a broader constellation of sources – from empowering their own associates, to amplifying existing consumer voices, to partnering with creators and even other out of category brands who are mission-aligned – are able to achieve far greater reach.

    In 2022, eCommerce seemed to be happening everywhere: social platforms – like TikTok and Instagram – are investing heavily in eCommerce marketplace models, and even media platforms like Buzzfeed are experimenting with shoppable marketplaces. From Hulu piloting shoppable advertising, to Pinterest buying AI-powered shopping platform The Yes, to South Korean search engine Naver buying the eCommerce resale platform Poshmark, “eCommerce platform” may no longer be a future category of business, and instead a characteristic of almost every major digital platform’s business model.

    From shoppable entertainment to commerce connected cars to live-streamed shopping events, the traditional path to purchase is dead. Top left, clockwise: Smiledirect and Hulu’s Gateway Go; GM’s in car ordering dashboard; Katy Perry debuting a new product line on Amazon livestream; Alo Yoga’s world in Roblox

     

    In our most recent research, 70% of NA consumers said they had purchased directly from social – the first time we’ve reached that threshold in our data. This increasing fragmentation in share of wallet points to what we call the commerce convergence: a world where, in two to three years, we predict almost every single platform and app on your phone will have a buy button.

    For many brands, it’s impossible to scale internally to optimize their presence across so many commerce touchpoints. In some cases, the best tactic for engaging in such a complex landscape is by setting partners, employees and ambassadors up for success and letting go.

  • My Beauty Pie Summer Shopping List: What I’ve Tried & Tested

    My Beauty Pie Summer Shopping List: What I’ve Tried & Tested

    Plus, an *AWESOME* gift with purchase just for you…

    This post contains ad affiliate links (denoted by a ‘*’) & gifted items (denoted by ‘ad – gifted). You can read my full disclaimer here.

    *This post contains a collaboration with Beauty Pie & gifted products

    If I was to do an FAQ of my Instagram DM section, then ‘What are your top Beauty Pie* picks?‘ would probably be at the top of that list. I get it, their offering is vast – so what should you add to your basket first? Well, look no further because I’ve put together my top Summer Edit* for you, featuring all my favourites; from the refreshing mists, to glowy SPF-loaded bases, and bronzing drops to the new foot scrub on the block that is saving me from my own fake tan mishaps – guilty.

    You know the deal by now, right? Beauty Pie are a direct to consumer brand that cuts out the retailer mark-up, giving members access to luxury beauty at affordable prices. The products are genuinely outstanding, and most of my favourites come in at around a tenner, it’s amazing. So to celebrate the good summer vibes, Beauty Pie are offering readers of The Anna Edit an exclusive gift with purchase – picked out by me – for new and existing members! I feel like everyone needs to have the James Molloy Deluxe Eyeshadow Quad in Gold* in their lives, so you can get it for FREE when you use the code ‘ANNAGIFT‘. Remember it’s redeemable for everyone; for new members when you sign up to the PLUS membership and existing members when you spend over £85. Not sure where to start? I have some ideas for you…

    MAKEUP

    *Super Healthy Skin Sheer Tinted Oil-Free SPF20 – One of my OG Beauty Pie finds and still one of my favourites. It just leaves my skin feeling fresh, you know? I’m wearing it in the photos in this post and I’m always amazed at how it manages to even everything out, but still look like I’ve got nothing on my skin. I use a brush when I want a little more coverage and my fingers when I want to sheer it out.

    *Flawless Foundation Blending Sponges Set – Ok, these sponges are fab and I feel like I never hear anyone talk about them?! They are an under-the-radar favourite of mine. The pack comes with sponges in two sizes, but personally I prefer the larger of the two. You just run them under the tap and they expand into the perfect base blending sponge. So good for sheering things out a little for summer and making sure every bit of concealer is undetectable.

    *Keep This Compact & Awesome Bronze Powder Bronzer in Goldielux – A new launch, which sees four bronzer shades housed in a refillable compact – GENIUS. This shade is just right for me for the summer months, with just enough warmth to bronze with a hint of cool to help out with sculpting too. I’ve also been rather fond of a sweep of it over the eyelids as well.

    *James Molloy Deluxe Eyeshadow Quad in Gold – This is what you can get for free, and it’s brilliant. I’ve been using this quad since it first launched on Beauty Pie, and the top lefthand shade is just THE ONE for me – can you tell? It’s so quick and easy to blend and has become my daily go-to for when I want something on my eyes, but don’t really want to think about it. The shimmery opal also works great as a highlight, the metallic bronze is nice as a liner or for adding a bit of smoke under the lashes, and the deeper brown is perfect for amping it up in the evening. Just a great all-rounder.

    *The Perfect Waterproof Mascara – I know the name of this mascara proposes a bold claim, but I have to say that it lives up to the hype. It fans the lashes, never weighs down a curl and DOES NOT BUDGE. Like for real. You are definitely going to need a specific waterproof makeup remover for this stuff. I’ve worn this in the shower before and have come out without a hint of panda eyes, it’s amazing. If you find mascara never holds a curl for you, or smudging is always the downfall, then this is definitely one to try.

    BODY & HAIR

    *Dr Glycolic Soft Feet 7 Day Acid Peel Socks – These do exactly what they say on the tin. Glycolic Acid booties that you slide onto your feet for 90 minutes, look like nothing has happened, but then over the next week your feet satisfying shed every ounce of dead skin (I find mine take up to 10 days to fully shed). Ultimately it’s extremely grim, and definitely something to do way in advance to any big events or holidays you have coming up, but it’s extremely satisfying and the feet you’re left with are baby soft.

    *Super Tonic Peppermint Leg & Foot Scrub – This is Beauty Pie’s latest launch and I absolutely love it. I genuinely can’t pick a favourite from this list, but this would chart highly in it for sure. Seeing as I don’t get much time for long and lengthy baths these days, this is much easier option to use in the shower than a traditional foot file and it’s so handy for when you’ve had a bit of a fake tan mishap in the ankle area (and yes I’m speaking from experience there).

    *Silk Hair Scrunchies in Jet Black – I’ve got so many people in my life onto these – my Mum is a big fan! These super stretchy silk scrunchies are great for not pulling or tugging on your hair at all, but give enough grip for sleek styling options too. I like to use them overnight just to plop my hair on top of my head and get it out the way, and it gives me a piece of mind that I’m not making my postpartum fluffy regrowth worse in the process.

    SKINCARE

    *Jeju Daily Rehydration Mist+ – I’ve tried a lot of the mists from Beauty Pie now, and this is my favourite one. It leaves an almost serum-y feel on the skin and feels like it’s ‘doing something‘ and pumping up my moisture levels as well as being the ultimate skin refresher when you *just* need to cool down. On super hot days there is nothing like a spray of this when it is fresh out the fridge.

    *Awesome Bronze Sun-Kissed Gradual Tan Drops – I didn’t realise until I met the Founder of Beauty Pie, Marcia, in the flesh (YES I KNOW! V.COOL!), that I was using these all wrong. I’d been mixing them in with my serums or moisturisers which does work if you like the most gradual of glows, but she said for the ultimate bronzing effect they are best applied neat before moisturiser and you know what? She’s right. I use one dropper full most mornings sandwiched between my serums and moisturiser and I’ve almost used up a whole bottle now.


    So shop my Beauty Pie Summer Edit* and get a free James Molloy Deluxe Eyeshadow Quad in Gold* when you use the code ‘ANNAGIFT‘. Remember it’s redeemable for everyone; for new members when you sign up to the PLUS membership and existing members when you spend over £85 (available to redeem until 28/8/2022). Fill ya’ boots (or summer sandals)…


    Photos by Mark Newton

  • Designer bags as status symbols — Shopping for Happiness

    Designer bags as status symbols — Shopping for Happiness

    I confess, I bought a really expensive, really beautiful purse, the kind of handbag I never thought I’d own, the essence of a Shopping for Happiness purchase, and I didn’t write about it.

    At first I didn’t write because I was more excited about the other thing I’d bought the same day – my pinstriped jumpsuit of delight. And I also didn’t write because I’d actually jumped the gun on the following month’s spending allotment – which is to say, I spent two months Shopping for Happiness money in ONE NIGHT. (Who or what have I become?!)  

    I was pretty freaked out about this and I coped by deciding I wouldn’t use the purse until the following month, when I could legitimately have bought it under my program. (I didn’t wait to buy it in the first place because it was 50% off and the only one of its kind. Again, there’s a lot to unpack in that get-in-now sale mentality but this is not that story.) 

    When I spent my budget early, I worried that I would re-spend the money the following month —  but I didn’t. Discipline + guilt go a long way. So, here it is: my Giorgio Armani bag.

    It’s small, open at the top, and hard-sided – the opposite of the frankly sloppy oversized shoulder bags my mom typically carried. Those bags were stuffed with everything – receipts, earrings, loose bills, lipstick, reading glasses, medication, mail, pens, lots and lots of tissues.

    I miss my mom’s bags! I really wanted to keep the last one when I was cleaning out her house but I was keeping so much and it had icky medical papers, etc. in it… so I didn’t. (Pause for brief weeping session. And…we’re back.)  

    This purse will need years of use before it has as much personality as my mother’s shoulder bags. I can’t imagine my own kids reading much into it at this point as I’m still awfully “precious” about what I put in it. It’s gorgeous and exactly to my taste, but right now, I still feel a little self-conscious and conspicuously aspirational when I carry it. It’s almost as if…

    …I bought a designer handbag as a status symbol.  

    Me? Never! (Ha! Make that another high horse I’ve fallen off this year.) Can anyone relate?

    And doesn’t it take you back in time to remember your mother’s handbags? 

    For a moving article on the evocative nature of a mother’s purse, check out this New York Times article by Mara Wilson, “My Mother’s Last Receipt.”  Thanks for reading!

  • WHICH ONLINE SHOPPING SITE IS BEST

    WHICH ONLINE SHOPPING SITE IS BEST

    which online shopping site is best
    which online
    shopping site is best

    In today’s era, we are more dependent on the virtual
    world. We want everything should be on our hand. Somewhere we have succeeded.
    Today, we can do anything just by a single click. 

    Suppose you are hungry, you need not go into the
    kitchen and cook food simple order your food online that too from your favourite
    restaurant. Just imagine you want to go out for urgent work, and your car is
    in the garage. What you will do? Do not worry just book your cab online and
    enjoy your ride. Let me give you another example, suppose you want to go
    shopping, and obviously due to hectic schedule you cancel your plan, so be
    ready for online shopping. Open a website and start shopping for your favourite
    brand. It has become easy to sell anything, suppose you want to sell your old furniture,
    easily you can sell furniture online.

    Today, everything has come under one roof. The world
    is in your hand in a single click. This happens because of an e-commerce website. E-commerce
    the website used for selling and buying of products and services through the
    internet. Millions of websites are there, helps you to buy or selling of
    goods and services.

    Let
    us understand which e-commerce website is the best for you.

    Let us understand which e-commerce website is the best for you


    AMAZON
    UK

    Amazon is the largest e-commerce website in the
    worldwide. Here you can shop for your favourite brands. Amazon offers great
    discount and deals on your favourite brands. You can buy clothes, electronics,
    furniture, and home decor items as well. Everything you will find on a single
    platform. Today Amazon connects millions of customers worldwide. As you know,
    today’s web services are very popular. Amazon offers you some entertaining web
    series with a minimum subscription. We can say that Amazon has everything you
    need.

    EBAY

    eBay is the largest platform where you can buy and
    sell anything. People are buying and selling through eBay around the globe.
    Here you shop from your favourite brands or if you want to sell anything, you
    can sell. eBay helps you to provide a good deal on an item, which you want to sell. eBay
    provides a place for online auction, where you can sell anything. If you wish
    to sell, anything just logs in eBay.

    WALMART

    Like Amazon, Walmart is the biggest e-commerce
    website. Walmart offers you a wide range of products under the category of
    office, books, movies, electronics, clothes, home decor, toys, pharmaceutical,
    and more. It is easy to shop from Walmart just Find the item(s) you wish to
    order and add to cart then proceed to payment options. Once payment mode is
    selected and fill the required details your order will have proceeded.

    ASOS

    Asos is an e-commerce website, which sells a wide
    range of products like clothing and cosmetics. Here you can buy the latest trending
    clothes for any occasion. Asos is always ready for you to make a fashion Diva.
    Asos offers exceptionable high-quality products that it can easily affordable
    to you almost anywhere in the world.

    UBER


    Uber is another e-commerce website that is popular
    nowadays. If you are in a hurry and want to reach somewhere urgent, book a cab
    from your Uber. Your cab would be right in front of you within a few minutes and
    easily you can enjoy your rides. Uber charges a minimum fare of $8 for simply getting
    into the car. Uber is widely used as transportation nowadays.

  • Holiday and Party Outfits – Shopping for the Real You

    Holiday and Party Outfits – Shopping for the Real You

    Photo: Kraken Images on Unsplash

    Photo: Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash

    What we feel most comfortable and appropriate wearing for the holidays varies greatly depending on the level of formality of the event, the company, and the venue.

    So when Suzanne Blons (“The Beauty Shaman”) asked me to do a seasonal update with some ideas about what to wear for a variety of holiday events, I had some fun! Here is the link to our video.

    For that interview I sent her a few ideas for holiday outfits for casual, slightly more formal, and very formal settings. But I wanted to share some of the images here as well because they didn’t appear very long on the recordings.

    I also had a few more that weren’t included in our chat. None of the items were linked to sales pages, so I added a few toward the end that are. But regardless, these images should give you a basic idea of how to put together something that is fairly simple, sophisticated, and versatile.

    You’ll see a lot of black here and in the looks Suzanne shared in the interview. These work best for Striking Contrast (winter) coloring (Suzanne is an SC color type, mostly.) So just look at the silhouettes and pieces themselves, how they are put together to create an entire outfit, and consider what colors you might wear for different pieces.

    Family and Casual Gatherings

    This first one would work for a lot of family holiday dinners and includes a lot of trendy ideas: slouchy pants, loafers, blazers, wool and cashmere sweaters and satin blouses. The jewelry this year is really toned down, even for more formal events, I’ve noticed.

    This next one adds a few more trendy elements, like the very high or over-the-knee boots, oversized sweaters, and midi pleated satin skirts. Again, the accessorizing is downplayed and classic.

    And this one adds some edge with the full-length leather (likely faux leather, as it’s extremely popular this year) trench coat. But it’s fairly monotonal So the larger hoop earrings give it some oomph. A colorful blouse or sweater would really jazz it up and make it more cheerful.

    Formal Gathering

    Dinner out at a fancy restaurant or New Year’s soiree gives you the opportunity to add a little bling. That means sequined tops and brighter jewelry. I’ve been encouraging a lot of women to have some Classic basics in their wardrobe and this is why.  All you have to do is add color and shine to them to create something elegant.

    Also, you can jazz it up with embellished flats. Birdies (above) has some gorgeous ones this year. Or add a long rope of pearls, satin blouses or tanks (they’re showing them in many colors right now.) A velvet blazer in blue, red or green would also bring more life to the look.

    Another option is a classic LBD. This is a pretty typical combination of elements that would work for a lot of cocktail party-type events. It’s classic, not trendy, but still chic. (Confession: I own zero LBDs. Black anywhere near my face simply deadens me. But a similar dress in dark charcoal gray could look just as elegant, if you’re an Earthy Rich who has the same problem!)

    To take it a bit more fashion-forward and add some femininity, one of the wonderful and colorful faux fur jackets and coats they are showing lately would be a lot of fun.

    I hope these give you some inspiration and joy. Suzanne and I also recorded a video about shapewear, which I will share with you in a few days!

    And stay tuned for an announcement about the big event coming up next week!

  • The shopping trends shaping retail this festive season – Retail Times

    The shopping trends shaping retail this festive season – Retail Times

    Dan Edelman, Vice President & British isles Common Manager, Service provider Expert services at American Express

    Edelman: prospect for stores that tune into distinct requirements of Xmas shoppers

    Christmas is rapidly approaching and both equally individuals and businesses around the Uk are already thinking about what is desired to make the festive period a achievement. But despite the recent difficult landscape, what is crystal clear is that Christmas stays an critical event for the vast majority of shoppers – they are just checking out various approaches in the run up to the huge working day.  

    Our most current analysis of 2,000 Uk shoppers1 discovered that purchasers are taking methods to deal with their festive spending, with six in 10 (61%) declaring they will be budgeting in some way. Still, this isn’t stopping folks seeking Xmas to be as standard as probable, as nearly fifty percent (48%) approach to commit the exact this year as they have carried out formerly. A individual study we undertook observed that, as of the close of September, a staggering 16.2 million British consumers experienced presently started off their Christmas procuring – anything which might come as a surprise to merchants. 

    With Christmas just a subject of weeks away, our analysis determined evolving shopping behaviours that give merchants essential pointers to enable seize client expend. 

    Yr-round procuring

    To minimise the economic brunt of Xmas buying in a single go, shoppers are getting savvy with their finances, with much more than a single tactic being taken. We discovered that about four in 10 (42%) people admitted to preserving up throughout the year to ensure they have plenty of economic firepower for the festive year, with a comparable proportion (38%) declaring they stagger reward browsing throughout the 12 months to try out and minimise the financial strike in December.

    A switching Christmas want list 

    In addition to spreading out their Xmas shelling out, the styles of gifts buyers order may glimpse a bit various this 12 months. Due to the recent financial local climate, gifting priorities have understandably improved for some folks. For example, roughly 1 in 5 (21%) buyers say they’ll be gifting ‘essential items’ this year, with a quarter (24%) declaring they’ll gift dollars.  

    Sustainable gifting continues to be vital for some consumers, as they take into consideration the environmental impression of their acquiring conclusions and steer towards acquiring ‘greener gifts’. Even so, our investigate discovered just just one in seven shoppers (15%) are scheduling on acquiring sustainable items for their nearest and dearest. Present cards are a different well known preference this calendar year, with a fifth (21%) of people indicating they’ll be opting for these. 

    A buyer-very first Xmas

    It’s heading to be a really competitive environment this 12 months, but there’s prospect for retailers that tune into the certain demands of Christmas consumers to create an gain over the opposition. Our research observed four in 10 (42%) shoppers are much more most likely to store with a retailer that gives a personalised assistance, and three quarters agree that terrific customer assistance is critical to them when shopping. 

    Checkout is an additional section of the client journey that can help make or crack the browsing encounter. With three-fifths of people citing benefit as a amount one precedence when purchasing, the payments practical experience is a superior put to commence if merchants want to meet these needs. A majority (60%) of purchasers claimed they would abandon a payment if they couldn’t fork out with their favored payment process, although a fifth (22%) think they should not have to enter payment particulars when building a buy online. It is very clear that now much more than at any time, buyers will be on the lookout for merchants presenting effortless and fulfilling browsing encounters – no matter whether in-retail outlet or online – to make their Christmas searching as problem-totally free as achievable. 

    By accepting a extensive assortment of payment kinds at checkout, these types of as American Express, merchants can engage and attract in new shoppers by supplying them some thing more this Xmas. Our Cardmembers make Membership Benefits factors on every pound they invest, and we lover with retailers massive and small with a array of Amex Gives that assistance to push additional commit from this faithful purchaser base – serving to make Christmas a accomplishment for consumers and corporations alike. 

    It’s distinct that there stays a solid motivation amongst consumers for their Christmas to be productive, and retailers have an essential job to enjoy in making that materialize. Responding to changing shopper behaviours and tastes is integral to profitable share of wallets this festive period, and people incorporating increased price will be the types to drive loyalty in excess of the extended-phrase. 

    This calendar year marks 10 yrs considering that the American Categorical Shop Tiny campaign launched in the United kingdom. Returning this winter, Store Tiny allows unbiased firms attract customers via their doorways, incentivising Cardmembers to expend at taking part Merchants. across the Uk. The marketing campaign is just one of the strategies American Specific champions compact organizations all 12 months spherical the organization is founder and Principal Supporter of Modest Company Saturday, which celebrates its 10th year in the Uk on 3 December 2022.

    1 All figures are primarily based on fieldwork executed by Opinium on behalf of American Categorical. Fieldwork was carried out between 14 – 20 July 2022, amongst 2,000 customers in the British isles.