Retail TimelineMy Retail Journey

2008 - Economic DownturnRetailers brace for the economic storm that has hit the nation. As many jobs are lost and retailers face their lowest sales, 2008 has a negative effect on business as a whole. Companies like Walmart and TJ Maxx use their low cost strategies to boost sales and attract new customers. During 2008, retailers try new pricing strategies to keep their businesses afloat. Examples include Neiman Marcus reducing inventory assortments and Target using slogans like “Hello Goodbuy” to emphasize value. Consumers also develop new buying habits like couponing and researching before buying.

2009 - Fast Fashion TakeoverWith new buying habits, consumers are introduced to a new wave of fashion mostly marketed towards young adults. ZARA and H&M both emerge in the U.S with a strong international following ready to sell fashion forward pieces inspired from the runways. This allows many young adults to have the “latest and greatest” all at wallet friendly prices. The effect fast fashion has on the retail industry causes fashion retailers to speed up their design to finish process. Consumers want new, fresh merchandise all the time.Higher end fashion designers also take a different approach and collaborate with lower priced retailers in order to serve the masses and provide a taste of luxury. Companies like Target have collaborat- ed with Rodarte, Missioni, and Izzac Mizarahi while Neiman Marcus paired with Target and twenty four designers to create capsule collections

2010 - Ecommerce InnovationShopping online has started to become a norm to most people. The con- venience and accessibility to an endless amount of product has given e-commerce businesses a yearly boost in sales. New companies like Birch- box, Zullilly, and Houzz are able to find needs in their respected industries and provide a new form of convenience to beauty products, discounted fashion, and architecture services to many.

2011 - Consumers in ControlE-Commerce has provided consumers with the ability to control pric- ing. They can enter a store and “showroom” their way through only to later end up on Amazon.com finding the same item at a less expen- sive price. In 2011, consumers were given more power in expressing either their satisfaction or disappointment with a service or product by voicing their opinions on social media. By this time, most retailers had a social media presence whether it was on Facebook or Twitter, making it easy for consumers to communicate openly.

2009Hired at

2010Hired at

Specialistat Bloomingdales

2011Promoted to

2008Enrolled at

2012 - Omni ChannelRetailers are faced with the challenge of using their online business as a separate entity and trying to find a balance between online and in-store, so one business doesn’t cannibalize the other. The challenge for many retailers was having their dot com business and brick and mortar stores have a fluid brand image to customers. One example of Omni Channel victory is Burberry’s success under Angela Ahrendts. Ms. Ahrendts took an iconic brand and revamp Burberry’s multiple websites into one compelling site for multiple languages. She understood what millennials wanted and where they were shopping. Burberry stores are now digitalized for the modern day and feature social media sites like theartofthetrench.com to tie the brand together.

2013 - New TechnologiesBig Data, iPads as POS Devices, Mobile Rewards Programs, Next Day Shipping, and Robots in Fulfillment Centers are all examples of the newest technologies taking place in 2013. Big Data and analytics allow companies like Zappos to get to know their customer’s buying habits on a detailed level. They can tailor a customer’s homepage to display items they might be interested in based on past transactions and personal data. Companies like Nordstrom have introduced iPods as mobile checkouts to help shorten customer waiting times and Star-bucks accounts for about %15 of sales to come from purchases through a mobile device.

2012Promoted to Men’s

Merchandiser at Bloomingdales

2014 - Reinventing the “Experience”Companies like the giant Westfield Group have taken to revamping many malls across the country to make them suitable to survive in today’s com- petitive market. The Westfield Group uses interactive screens throughout malls and have pressured many retailers into updating their store fronts for a look that is modern and much more visually appealing. Reinventing the experience also reflects upon retailers like Bloomingdale’s who recently opened their new Palo Alto store featuring tablets inside of fitting rooms which can request help from sales associates and display alternative style options.

2014Interned for

Karla MaldonadoFIDM/ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

NRF Next Generation Scholarship

Specialist at Bloomingdales

2012Promoted to

2015 FIDM Business Management

Graduate!

2015 - “The Future”The constant stream of innovation and new opportunities in retail over the past eight years has caused excitement all throughout the industry. From changes in leadership to new brands emerging every day, the future of retail sure looks bright!