Macy’s enlists influencers for its ‘Style Crew’

Dive Brief:

Macy's is opening its Style Crew ambassador program up to beauty and fashion enthusiasts. The initiative, which the retailer launched in 2018, was previously only available to Macy's employees, according to a company statement emailed to Retail Dive.
Macy's Style Crew members can use the retailer's Video Storefronts platform to make shoppable videos and photos and share them on their social media pages. Consumers can buy directly through the post.
The Storefront app, co-created with the firm TVPage, enables users to upload their content, match items and share on their social media profiles, per the emailed statement.

Dive Insight:

Macy's move to enlist the help of beauty and fashion influencers taps into the budding potential of microinfluencers. A survey from Morning Consult found that 86% of Gen Z and millennials are open to sharing sponsored content online for money, and 61% of respondents said they would promote brands they enjoy without getting paid to do so. Plus, a Linqia survey found that 78% of marketers want to work with microinfluencers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly hard for nonessential retailers like Macy's. The iconic department store reported in July that its first-quarter net sales dipped to $3 billion from $5.5 billion the year prior. In late June, the retailer announced that it had to cut around 3,900 corporate and management positions as well as other staff layoffs amid a substantial out-of-court restructuring.

Macy's joins a long list of companies including Poshmark, Verishop, NBCUniversal, Google, Instagram and Snapchat, among others, in testing out shoppable content. Now that customers either can't shop or are avoiding shopping at physical stores, brands and retailers have been forced to reach consumers virtually.

"Expanding our marquee e-commerce program will enable passionate content creators to grow their personal brands while providing Macy's shoppers with a highly engaging online experience," Marc Mastronardi, chief stores officer at Macy's, said in a statement.