Now's the time to double down on social media campaigns to dispel David's false narrative and position your store as an independent doing everything right that David's did wrong..
As of this writing, David’s Bridal self- imposed June deadline to find a buyer in order to stave off liquidation of the nearly 300 bridal store chain is mere weeks away, with no indication of a potential buyer stepping up to acquire the debt- ridden firm.
Liquidation, if it happens, will impact boutiques across the US regardless of their price point and “the David’s bride is not our bride” mentality.
Why… because brides will be absorbing the false narrative shouted through multiple headlines across the media spectrum that David’s Bridals bankruptcy was due to a shift in brides’ buying preferences toward less formal wedding attire… potentially adding another “objection” for stylists to deal with and dispel.
This narrative is not interpreted from story angle or quotes, but are actual statements in David’s Bridal bankruptcy filing that “the demand for formal wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and related accessories has decreased substantially in the current environment”“ as an “increasing number of brides are opting for less traditional wedding attire, including thrift wedding dresses.”
Seriously??
Couldn’t be that it lost touch with its core customer demographic. Or that upper management has had zero face-to-face interaction with its brides or has any specific bridal retail experience. Or that its in-store customer service policies and approaches were outdated for too long. Or that it undertook costly IP development to better compete on line with Azazie. Or that its online presence was not consistent (or compatible) with its in-store experience. Or that it didn’t appear to aggressively monitor the performance of all its stores resulting in bloated inventory and towering overhead. Or that inflation impacted its mountain of debt.
Had to be those second hand retailers.
Are brides moving away from more traditional, formal expressions in their wedding attire? Yes…but doing so in the same historically low numbers and percentages.
The difference now is the spotlight on a national chain that supposedly accounts for 25% of the bridal industry blaming its woes on a shift in brides’ preferences, instead of admitting that brides didn’t leave David’s…David’s lost them.
So…
Independent bridal stores need to grasp this moment.
Double down on advertising and social media marketing to position your store against the David’s narrative.
Focus on the very real difference… that you are a local, independent boutique providing unique, contemporary and compassionate fashion and fit expertise in a highly personalized pampering environment to create an experience as memorable as her wedding.