Featuring a carefully edited selection of stylish high-end women’s apparel, shoes, handbags, jewelry, watches, and sunglasses, Cashmere and Cupcakes has recently taken over the large, white heritage home at historic 5 Corners in Murrayville. The boutique opened in November 2011, offering savvy style seekers an opportunity to score current and on-trend designer fashions for less. Cashmere & Cupcakes began to build brand-awareness by joining facebook on September 19, 2011. A twitter and tumblr account soon followed.
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Owners Tracy & Courtney Hunter offer Fraser Valley fashionista's an opportunity to stock the boutique (by becoming a consignee) and/or shop new and gently-loved items from labels such as Prada, Chanel, Burberry, Yves Saint Laurenet, Bally, Phillip Lim, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Mackage and Marc Jacobs. Casual names such as J.Crew, DKNY, Banana Republic, Zara and Michael Kors can also be found filling Cashmere & Cupcakes at attractive re-sale prices.
Cashmere & Cupcakes uses popular mobile photo-sharing app, Intragram, to capture and post photo's of new inventory items to their facebook page, twitter, and tumblr accounts on a daily basis. By posting pictures of items from highly-coveted designers, Cashmere & Cupcakes are slowly, but successfully, growing an eager fan base of social media subscribers (over 330 twitter followers, 80 facebook page likes and 13 Instagram followers), hungry to score the latest designer deals.
Located inside a beautiful heritage home in the heart of Langley's Murrayville community, shoppers can expect a warm & inviting experience. Cashmere & Cupcakes theme of casual luxury is conveyed through photo's of the boutique's white-washed walls, plush furnishings, baroque mirrors and glistening chandeliers posted on their various social media pages, such as Instragram (which they recently joined on February 20, 2012).
With 30 Instagram photos posted to-date, this app allows Cashmere & Cupcakes to take a mobile photo, apply a digital filter to create distinctive features and a square shape (see above), in homage to both the Kodak Instamatic and Poloroid cameras. The finished product is just another way to share the Cashmere & Cupcakes essence of casual luxury with their fans and followers. As Instagram grows in popularity, I believe more of the Fraser Valley's most fashionable women will follow Cashmere & Cupcakes en mass.
For having been operational for less than 6 months, the owners of Cashmere & Cupcakes have demonstrated the ability to use social media to attract quality followers. These followers pose questions, reply to tweets, comment and share the boutiques posts and photo's.
I would recommend that Cashmere & Cupcakes covert in-store customers to social media fans / followers by advocating the benefits of becoming a social media follower / fan such as:
- Exposure to new and/or seasonal arrivals
- Highly-anticipated incoming inventory
- In-store promotions and/or special events
The use of the in-store iPad (at the cashiers desk) would be an excellent way to show customers that the boutique is worth following. Incentives such as gift certificates, would be a great way to encourage existing fans and followers to share Cashmere & Cupcakes brand message with their own followers / fans.
As the business grows, I would recommend the addition of a facebook landing page, which is essentially a mini website within Facebook. A landing page designed to capture the spirit and essence of the boutique (in script, imagery, colour) could be used to promote deals, call attention to new products, or simply welcome visitors. Page viewers would see this instead of the page’s wall or feed.
Melissa
Hey Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI love the way that the company has utilized their Facebook page. They are constantly informing their fans about the new stuff coming into the store. This really gives them a reason to keep visiting their Fan Page! The pictures are great too; I love the whole rustic look of the pictures, really matches the brand image. This is a place I am going to visit soon! Looks like a real cool place! I am sure that you have heard of the Front and Company, on Main Street is one of my favorite consignment stores, but this could potentially become my new FAV! Thanks for sharing this place!