From secret pinterest boards to polyvore plans and specialist apps – tech savvy brides-to-be are eagerly planning their average £20,500 big days, as retailers capitalise on the tulle clad industry.
In keeping with the rest of the world the wedding sector is making the most of online platforms. Maxine Briggs, Editor at You & Your Wedding, said: “Couples are taking their wedding day very seriously and want to throw the party of a lifetime”. 59% of brides solely responsible for planning their own big day.
Gift List
In 2013 Hitched, an online wedding planner, recorded that 78.9% of couples set up a wedding gift list – a massive number for retailers pushing gifts. It‘s little surprise that the launch of the Apple Watch brought these same retailers along with it. Couples registered on app Zola are now able to register their gift lists from their own wrists. Zola Co-Founder and CEO Shan-Lyn Ma, commented, “Engaged couples registered on Zola are tech savvy, lead busy lifes and the large majority of them use Zola via the iPhone app”.
Suppliers
Retailers are also turning technical supplying goods and services to brides-to-be. The Holy Bridal App connects consumers to venues, photographers, caterers and even dress makers. Jonathan Ward, from The Holy Bridal, a wedding planning tool, said:
“It‘s well-documented that High Streets have suffered badly from competition from the major online retailers – but the bridal industry hasn‘t been affected to anywhere near the same extent”.
He adds, “Instead of trawling through search engines or old fashioned online directories, this refreshing new concept allows you to find all of the suppliers who are local to you through one simple, easy to use portal”.
Dress
Recent BRC results highlighted that women‘s clothing dominates apparel category searches, with the list including bridesmaid dresses and general dresses. This can be linked to bridal companies pushing their designs on social media. The late Oscar De la Renta showcased Amal Alamuddin‘s (George Clooney‘s wife) dress online – WWD confirmed that the dress had been searched for a massive 313,000 times on Google as of Monday 13 April.
The dress figures also come from wedding guests. Research from American Express found that in the US, the average spend per wedding is up to $773, compared to $592 last year.
Ceremony
Even Ikea is delving into the industry. The Swedish brand is providing wedding services that allow couples to invite guests over webcam. Virtual themes can also be set up and show the retailer‘s nuptial appropriate furnishings – taking tech weddings (and advertising) to a whole new level.
