Internet
The World Wide Web has changed our lives over the last 10 years, from how we socialise to how we shop - not to mention how we track trends, with WGSN at the forefront of the internet revolution. These are our top stories from the last decade.
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eBay
This simple idea – a public auction website for anything and everything – made billions, as everyone offloads their unwanted jeans or snaps up someone else's discarded shoes. "Anyone" also includes counterfeiters, who have tarnished eBay's reputation more recently. Going forward, the site will include more regular retail listings alongside the auction format.
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Yoox
Yoox is an Italian firm that is not only premium, professional and international, but also has the power to create incredible exclusives - for instance, the Hussein Chalayan menswear range. The company also runs websites for some of the world's best fashion companies, including Diesel, Marni and Emporio Armani.
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Asos
This dominant UK website began life as "As Seen on Screen", a niche site selling stuff worn by stars in film and on TV. But it blossomed into an online retailer for casual clothes - winning British hearts and credit card spend. A magazine element is a fantastic example of editorial selling.
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Figleaves
An early adopter, Figleaves took a focused approach to the web. By concentrating entirely on underwear, it has become the go-to destination for lingerie lovers online. Launched in London in 1998, it expanded into the US in 2004. The massive number of available brands ranges from Dolce & Gabbana to Wonderbra.
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Net-A-Porter
Cute name, classy site. Many fashion designers are technology-averse and Net-A-Porter has done as much as anyone to lure fashionistas online since launching in June 2000. Limited edition outfits, such as this year's exclusive deal with red-hot relaunch Halston, are the proof of this savvy, while its customer care and the packaging presentation seal its luxury reputation.
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Victoria's Secret
Who doesn't enjoy seeing the world's most beautiful models in their underwear? But Victoria's Secret works hard for its unrivalled buzz and the website is the place to catch its fashion shows, get special deals and find out about various events.
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Boo.com
The idea, back in 1998, was to create a fashion and sports version of Amazon.com - Boo launched in 1999 and folded six months later, having blown millions. It was a classic case of first-but-worst. And with low sales, Boo's international ambitions were beyond its means. Some of its concepts, like the style adviser and 3D renditions of products, flourish on other sites.
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Fashionwalker
Online magazines mixed with e-commerce is the winning combination at Japanese site Fashionwalker. The magazines, aimed at young women, are wonderfully high quality, seducing their readership into clicking on the featured products. Also online are fashion shows and a well-organised boutique.
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Lands' End
When he founded his sailing business in the 1960s, Gary Comer could not have known that his firm would become an internet innovator. Lands' End built itself on successful mail order sales to become a pioneer in online measuring - My Virtual Model technology lets customers "try it on" before buying.
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Etsy.com
This site offers a point of difference from the big guns, promoting independent designers and hard-to-find products, including homewares, fashion, art, vintage, handmade goods and "geekery". There are also "search by colour" and a "sellers' top picks" sections to make the buying process easier.
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Brand profile: online retailer Asos.comOnline fashion retail
The year 2000 saw the launch of three pioneering online fashion retailers. As Seen on Screen (now Asos), Yoox.com and Net-A-Porter have transformed the way fashion is bought, sold and presented online. Up-to-the minute product offerings (Halston on Net-A-Porter within 24 hours of the show!), fun editorial content, spot-on marketing and reliable delivery also boosted the sector.
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WGSN News November 13 2000November 13 2000 - London internet conference cancelled due to "lack of interest"
Yes, eight years ago the organisers of an internet conference found themselves with three times as many speakers as delegates! It's hard to believe now, but not so many years ago the dotcom bust made the internet a no-go for investors, resulting in the cancellation of the first-ever World Internet Forum.
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WGSN News November 29 2000November 29 2000 - E-tail is no threat to shopping malls says shopping centre spokesman
Hindsight is 20/20, but back in late 2000, quite a few people might have agreed with Dr John Konarski of the US-based International Council of Shopping Centers. Konarski said that the internet was no longer the big threat to traditional shopping malls that many feared. "Many of the dotcoms are no longer in business, and those that are left have severe capital problems," he said.
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Online
After the initial scepticism, internet shopping exploded. US online sales are expected to top $200bn in 2008, with apparel winning the biggest slice of pie. Online comparison shopping is the new window shopping, with consumers using comparison sites for nine out of 10 retail purchases made online in the US and EU.
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WGSN News May 18 20002000 - Dotcom bust sees apparel start-ups crashing
Reality hit home when optimistic investments in e-tailers proved premature. With high delivery shares, slow internet speeds and sparse choice, the e-tail boom proved to be slower than expected. For example, the imprudent £100m investment in boo.com staggered under the weight of technical issues, lack of brand names and poor management.
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WGSN News December 29 20062006 - US online sales top $100bn
Online retail moved from niche status to the must-use channel for most consumers. Wider choice, free delivery, internet security and broadband created a jump of 24% during the first 42 days of the Holiday season in the US and fashion was among the favourite categories.
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Think Tank: future internetSocial networking
Who would have thought a decade ago that conducting your social life online would have moved from being the domain of computer geeks to a mass cultural explosion? The benefits are clear, as keeping up to date with friends has never been easier.
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Wireless technology
Bluetooth technology and Wi-Fi connectivity have changed the way we live today, from hands-free mobile phone headsets to wireless speakers in home entertainment systems and wireless broadband.
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WGSN News July 18 2008Online retail
The e-tail boom was a key factor in making the internet attractive to resistant consumers, especially older people and women. The trend has changed shopping habits and even the nature of retail itself. In Britain alone, currently 17% of all spending now happens online.
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Online travel
With worldwide travel options booked by the click of a mouse, the traditional travel industry has been turned upside down. In an age of long queues and security precautions, the e-ticket revolution has been a welcome relief.
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The internet: a sales platform
The ability to shop for kidswear from the privacy of one's own home has been revolutionary for the sector, its popularity cemented by the fact it lets parents spend more time with their children. Launched two years ago, The Little Fashion Gallery is a great example.
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Topshop
The Balenciaga of the high street, Topshop is a destination for designers and buyers all over the world. The Oxford Circus flagship has probably kick-started more trends per square foot than any other fast-fashion company. With branches opening in Tokyo and New York and an e-commerce website giving access to anyone with broadband and a credit card, world domination beckons.
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The internet
As dial-up dies and digital becomes the way to get connected, the sheer speed of the international superhighway has made researching that elusive make-or-break design detail possible in the comfort of your studio, rather than consigning you to trawl the dusty archives of the British Museum. Less hassle, more Google.
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Shopping addiction
From high to low, every magazine, newspaper, celebrity TV show, e-tailer, fashion blog and cable TV special offers a trend fix at our fingertips. Our lust for newness increases as fast as our attention span diminishes. With fierce market competition driving disposable pricing and 24-hour internet availability, our shopping addiction shows no sign of abating. But as the global economy cools will fashion slow down too?
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Graphics reports: Threadless.comOnline community design
Threadless.com, the most successful of the DIY graphic community sites, has been running since 2000 and was co-founded by Jake Nickell and Jacob DeHart from Chicago. The concept is simple - designers and illustrators upload their designs, a public vote takes place and the best designs are produced and sold through the site. The result is fantastic for graphic designers around the globe, allowing unknowns to get their designs into production.
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CES: computing/gamingWiMAX
Forget Wi-Fi hot spots and dongle modems. Similar to a cellphone network, WiMAX keeps you connected with high-speed wireless broadband that allows unparalleled access to the web while you go about your daily life.
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CES: digital convergenceInternet media delivery
Your internet media use in 2008 will be increased many times over by 2018. The web will become the medium of choice for TV, music, news and movie delivery, as television, computer and DVD hardware converges.
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Retail innovation: social shopping and the "me-tail" revolutionListening to friends - the referral economy and social shopping sites
Social shopping sites are taking social networking to a "purposeful" next level, as consumers look for someone to edit their choice - people are starting to trust friends or those they consider to be their peers. Social shopping, by tapping into the social web, will become bigger than advertising online and through search engines.
