Dreaming of Warmer Climates: Resortwear
First off, what is Resortwear? Its textbook definition is apparel geared towards warmer temps; think lightweight blazers, dresses, swimwear, shorts and the like. In its origins it was about catering to (ahem) ‘wealthy customers or more seasoned jet-setters escaping to warmer climates.' But it was also about offering additional product outside the Fall-Winter and Spring-Summer collections. However, in the context of today’s ‘see-now, buy-now’ consumer trend, it was also the first step towards offering more frequent and fresh updates to store’s inventories, as well as addressing the needs of global consumers living in all types of different climates.
Let's take a look at some of key movements within the Resort category.
Product Introduction
Resort typically arrives in stores in November through mid-January, and sure enough, we saw spikes in new product drops in the last week of November and early December. Resortwear Product Introduction Cadence Discounting Levels
Current inventory discount levels on Resortwear are at their lowest since introduction, peaking at Black Friday at 50% and currently residing at 25%. Clearly retailers know that consumers have warm weather escapes on their minds and are trying to preserve their margins by minimizing discount levels. Percentage of Resortwear On Discount What's Selling Out
One of the categories most likely to be selling out at full price right now (and very friendly to the winter bod) is the caftan. Sell-out styles came in an array of pastel shades in lightweight viscose, rayon, chambray, and cotton materials. For men's, shorts in vibrant shades and checked prints were most likely to have sold out at full price in the past 2 weeks.
