US-style proms have become increasingly popular at British schools. Sarah Butler finds out how retailers are making the most of the trend.

US films such as Grease have powered the popularity of proms in the UK

In the past few years a new retail opportunity has emerged, and the sector has seized it.

The growing phenomenon of school proms - glamorous parties that celebrate the end of GCSEs and A-levels - has become a red-letter day for retailers as well as the youngsters who attend. In the economic downturn, shoppers need to be given a reason to buy and so retailers are lining up to give young people their dream ‘red carpet moment’ as they leave the school gates.

A decade ago, the end of school was marked by a cheap and cheerful disco or an unofficial egg and flour fight with the school next door.

Now, according to an estimate from MySchoolProms.co.uk, up to 95% of schools organise sophisticated events to mark the end of the final term for year 11 (aged 15 to 16) and year 13 (aged 17 to 18).

And ‘prom dresses’ was among the top 15 retail search items in the UK, according to Google data compiled for the British Retail Consortium for the first three months of this year.

Big in America

Asos womenswear buying director Emma Fox says: “The influence of social media and American TV shows has given exposure to a US institution that has now gained popularity in the UK. We have given increased prominence to prom-related content across all Asos platforms.”

Although some events might still be held in the gym or assembly hall, others involve expensive trips to hotels and the guests arrive in stretch limos or even fire engines.

Undoubtedly, the trend was kicked off in the UK by the popularity of US films, from Grease and Mean Girls to High School Musical, but it is now being driven by UK celebrity culture and young people are keen to follow their idols onto the red carpet.

“Traditionally, young women would have worn a girly dress to a prom. Now she wants her Oscar moment. It is her first chance to get really glammed up,” says Margaret McDonald, managing director of occasionwear specialist Coast.

Defying the downturn

The market blurs into the well-established seasons for graduation balls and weddings, but was estimated to be worth about £31m in 2011 with the average person spending £244, according to a survey carried out for hotel group Holiday Inn. It found that 10% of prom-goers were prepared to spend more than £500 on the experience.

Since then, the market has more than doubled in size, according to Monique Wyatt, founder ofMySchoolProms.co.uk, a website that provides a database of services for prom-goers.

Fashion retailers estimate that the market has defied the economic downturn and is growing by 10% to 15% a year as young people opt for more glamorous outfits and more schools join the party.

What’s more, young people are able to boost their budget at prom time when many parents are prepared to pay out to help sons and daughters look their best at an important social event. It’s a golden opportunity for young fashion retailers that are suffering from a squeeze on incomes among the under-25s amid high youth unemployment.

Honor Westnedge, senior retail analyst at Verdict, says: “In the last two or three years, the importance of the prom season has been increasing. They are becoming more Americanised and commercial. In the past, dress sales were focused around the wedding season, Ascot and the races. Now prom is seen as another priority.”

While shoppers’ purses remain resolutely closed unless a good reason is presented for opening them, retailers are making the most of this new event on the calendar. Westnedge says that advertising and promotional activity has stepped up in 2013. She observes: “It’s in store, in advertising and online. When people are on a budget, stores have to advertise to encourage expenditure.”

It’s not all about dresses either. Moss Bros marketing manager Dave Shaw says the menswear retailer aims for
a 20% increase in prom-related sales this year.

He adds that more young men are choosing to buy a suit rather than hire one and Moss Bros is playing to that by offering a £129 prom deal including a slim-fit suit with a free shirt and tie thrown in.

“The overall market is quite flat but the proms market is strong and there is a lot of interest in our younger product,” says Shaw.

He says prom is not quite as big for Moss as the traditional graduation ball season but it is growing at such a pace it might be on a par in a few years’ time.

Build up to buying

In terms of the actual parties, the season is short - it lasts just a couple of weeks in June.

However, Wyatt says some young people start planning more than a year ahead, particularly as the all-important limousines get booked up quickly.

She organises prom fairs all over the country where retailers and service-providers can connect with potential customers.

McDonald says Coast has found young women begin their research in earnest in January, looking online well ahead of the main buying season in March and April.

Young people watch what actors and celebrities are wearing during the awards season, and take their cue
from the trends at the Oscars, Golden Globes, the Baftas or TV awards in January and February.

“The market trends are coming from celebrities, from things like Britain’s Got Talent and Pop Idol, even Dancing on Ice for formalwear,” says Shaw. “We are seeing people coming in to hire a dinner suit but wearing it with hi-top trainers. They might not want exactly what they are seeing on TV but they are definitely influenced.”

Typically, there are two months between a young person starting to look for their outfit and the moment of purchase, and understanding the path to that payment should underpin marketing activity.

Taking part in discussions about inspirational outfits and helping provide information about the trends and highlights of the awards season is key.

Rachelle Headland, managing director of marketing agency Saatchi & Saatchi X, says: “The traditional idea of walking into a store, looking at a dress and purchasing it is not going to cut it with this age group.”

Social media is all-important for the under-20s - they want to share pictures and information with friends and
discuss their options before making a purchase for one of the biggest social events in their calendar. Getting positive feedback on their outfits from friends after the big night can be important for retailers hoping to encourage shoppers to return.

“Retailers need to show empathy with the emotional driver and make it easy to buy,” Headland says.

There are various ways to do this. Online facilities that allow shoppers to make a wish list or collect a scrapbook of influences can help build a rapport with potential customers.

Asos, for example, has created a dedicated prom section on its website where users can create, share and
comment on mood boards featuring favoured outfits, or take a look at bloggers’ eveningwear ideas.

An email marketing campaign links to the prom section with clothes, footwear and accessories as well as
an inspirational gallery of pictures mixing up models, celebrities, bloggers and film-stills with tips on hair and make-up.

Retailers such as Topshop and Asos are catering for the prom market

Retailers such as Topshop and Asos are catering for the prom market

Topshop has tried to attract trendy prom girls with a dedicated space on its website offering dresses, footwear and accessories. It organised a live blog Q&A on prom style and a competition to win a custom-made prom dress by putting together a mood board on Pinterest. The retailer also shared a film created by director Sean Frank to inspire those getting ready.

It’s been a bold move into the occasionwear space for a retailer not usually associated with dresses for big events such as weddings or balls.

In March, Topshop also held prom events in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Leeds as well as at its US stores, offering free hair and nail treatments and complementary make­overs for those buying frocks.

Topshop is the retailer that has probably come closest to reflecting the mood in the US, where department stores really get behind prom season and retailers such as Bloomingdale’s hold events and lay on extra fitting rooms for potential prom queens.

Red carpet experience

Headland says Topshop has caught exactly the right mood with its combination of events and online interaction.

“Technology to this audience is as normal as breathing. So where retailers or brands need to be is in a combination of the digital and physical worlds, seeing the store as part of the experience as well as a possible purchase point,” she says.

“In a way, they need to behave like a content provider or publisher, as opposed to a retail channel.”

One potential issue with trying to market around prom is that some young women will feel they are being talked down to. They might be 16, but want to create a sophisticated look that puts them on a par with the celebrities they watch closely.

“They don’t want to be treated as a prom girl, they want a red carpet experience and most girls will shop up into that,” says McDonald.

Just like the Oscars, girls are determined not to turn up in an outfit worn by one of their friends, or enemies.

Wyatt suggests that fear leads many young women to avoid the high street and turn to bride outfitters and specialist local or online boutiques, such as PromFrocks.co.uk, in search of something different or bespoke, if they can afford it.

To ensure outfit exclusivity some choose a specialist such as PromFrocks

To ensure outfit exclusivity some choose a specialist such as PromFrocks

That trend towards personalisation can be tricky for a high street retailer to play to. Oasis has attempted to offer something different with an online-only range of prom outfits, all geared to this year’s trend towards longer, more sophisticated gowns. The site is linked to a Pinterest board pairing the dresses with accessories, and celebrity pictures chosen to spark ideas for hair styles or make-up looks.

Oasis is tapping into the market with an online-only range that follows this year’s trend for longer dresses

Oasis is tapping into the market with an online-only range that follows this year’s trend for longer dresses

Oasis managing director Liz Evans says girls are looking for colour and glamour. “They want the shoes, the bag, the whole look and they want something different that will stand out from their friends’ outfits,” she says.

The other prom trend is younger students getting involved. Primary school children are now beginning to expect something more from their leaving parties and limousine companies report a rise in bookings for 11 year olds.

Chas Latter from hire company All Star American Limousines said he had seen a 20% rise in bookings for primary school children this year, a trend that started two or three years ago.

It’s possible some of those younger children will be buying their outfits from young fashion retailers, but it’s also a trend childrenswear retailers should be aware of. Given fears about such young children dressing up in adult-style ballgowns, it’s quite a delicate market to approach.

But Wyatt says it is children and young people who are demanding more from their school events.

“Students are demanding where they want to go, it’s not up to the parents or teachers,” she says. “They want something to remember.” Retailers should be ready to join the party.