This retail outlet’s new innovations, including alternative uses and the hiring of a fashion director, receive high-engagement.
When your retail approach is “no longer entirely about shopping,” you need a good plan. And a very good marketing partner. After more than 20 years of working with Tanger Outlets, infinitee is honored and eager to adapt with Tanger and help their team achieve this goal.
“If you want to keep that shopper and create a sense of loyalty, there has got to be something other than just the experience of shopping that holds them and gets them back more frequently,” Stephen J. Yalof, Tanger’s president and CEO, told WWD.
Micro-breweries, gourmet groceries, golf simulators, electric car recharging stations, selfie concepts and even robotic dinosaurs are being introduced at Tanger’s 36 locations across North America. There’s no slowdown in a retailer that recently turned 40 as it continues to reimagine shopper engagement, striving to attract new and younger consumers as a “customer experience destination.”
A trend-sensitive industry that’s weathered both the manmade disruption of e-commerce and a global pandemic knows about the need to adapt. And leaders go beyond that. Yalof told WWD that 15 to 20 percent of Tanger real estate being transformed into alternative uses would be ideal. With years of experience through the business partnership and marketing background, infinitee is confident in their abilities to assist Tanger with its new business moves.
“When you have an amazing client partnership like we do with Tanger, a major pivot like this is not just a complex marketing challenge, it’s also a huge opportunity to elevate both company profile and performance,” said Barbara McGraw, Co-Founder and CMO of infinitee. “We are proud to have been a partner in taking the Tanger brand to the next level.”
Tanger’s innovative new chapter didn’t end there: it became the first outlet developer to bring a fashion director onboard. The Brazilian-born Ray Oliveira will work to make the retailer both a style and savings leader. Serving as an extension of Tanger’s internal team, infinitee collaborates with Oliveira and the marketing and creative groups on seasonal trend definition, creative campaign development and content execution. That’s even more of a challenge with an outlet engaging a diverse range of lifestyles across more than 500 brands.
“Some people may have an outdated perception of what outlets offer,” Oliveira told WWD. “Many of fashion’s hottest brands have outlet locations, so the game has definitely changed. The beauty of outlet shopping is that guests can still score great basics at incredible value, but they can also discover on-trend looks and styles... Tanger’s retail mix of iconic labels and up-and-coming brands ensures there’s always something for everyone.”
Leaders are often viewed in enduring, even monolithic ways, but there’s quite a bit of change and adaptation that go with being the effective head of a team or company. Like fashions, they must change with the times to be able to react and plan effectively, especially true in the often-volatile retail sector. Change is constant, challenge is opportunity and, due to infinitee’s strong yet evolving partnership with Tanger, the future is more fun and fashionable.
