Come Dine with Me (literally)

Tired of being skint and paying through the nose for dinner, our dear friends stateside have turned to underground ‘supper clubs’. The concept involves inviting people into your home where the host cooks and guests pay for the experience. You get to eat with people you’d probably never had met, nose about in someone’s private abode and the whole experience feels rather.. well.. ‘social’. Increasingly supper clubs are popping up across London and at Jam we’re keen to get involved.

Here are some we’ve found… if you know any more please send us a link -
facebook.comGreen-Onions

facebook.com/SavoyTruffle.Supperclub

nunomendes.co.uk

Is it me or are style bloggers getting younger?

This week Love magazine has dedicated it’s all important second issue to anyone under 21 with commentary from Style Rookie blogger Tavi.

Tavi isn’t alone, WishWishWish blogger Carrie is 18, Selina of Flying Saucer is in her teens and KB of “I want you to know it” is 22 years old.

E-retail group IMRG reported that 15% of fashion sales are now online and that the internet plays an important role in more than 40% of sales. It’s clear that high-street brands that haven’t already need to get to grips with bloggers.

Some brands have started to get involved – TopShop recently invited legendary style blogger Susie Lau to launch their latest collection (she’s 25 if you were wondering) and Next bought key style bloggers to their Next Directory Model Competition final to review their AW09 lines.

For brands yet to get involved, remember that style bloggers probably don’t fit the same demographic as your average customer, but they certainly pack a punch when it comes to your brand’s reputation online.

Ocado i-phone app shows a brand that understands its customers

Jam favourite Ocado is the first supermarket delivery service to launch an i-phone app. For those of us too busy or disinclined to negotiate the supermarket isles, the Ocado application signs directly into a users delivery account so that you can add groceries to your shopping basket wherever you are and whenever you remember. Allowing access to the full Ocado range, the application doesn’t cut corners and pulls in huge quantities of user data from favourite purchases (red peppers and basil if you must know) or re-ordering a previous weeks lists. Always on top of innovation, the i-phone app perfectly epitomises Ocado’s brand values in delivering excellent customer service with a considered and pioneering execution.

Ready… steady… sale!

It’s my first post for Spreading JAM and as the only girl I felt was right to bring some style to the proceedings. Recently we’ve noticed retailers jumping on the viral bandwagon by running flash sales – that’s items being reduced for short periods with notifications sent to a list of select subscribers who “theoretically” will tell all of their friends (personally I tell no-one – why would I share the bargains?).

ASOS started the trend with their lunch-hour sprees and more recently net-a-porter sales outlet ‘the outnet’ (outlet – outnet, get it?) have run Friday auctions where they sell off luxury designer items to the bidder who can hold her nerve longest. If you’ve got a desirable brand then it’s a great way to generate buzz without actually giving anything away for free.

Right now Fashion156 are offering a sale preview with 40% off all my-wardrobe goods that are not “new season, wardrobe classics or summer essentials”. Enter code fashionconfss40 at the check-out.. Be quick…