palace is e-commerce’s unexpected hero
I didn’t realize how stale E-commerce as a whole was until I read Palace’s product copy
“IF YOU REALLY WANT TO PARTY MIT ME PUT ALL DAS WINE WHERE MY EYES CAN SEE”
“ALL THIS BREXIT SHIT IS STRESSING OUT MY PASSPORT”
“PALACE IS RUN BY DAS BOYS NOT A BUNCH OF 50 YEAR OLD DJ’S IN VARSITY JACKETS”
“ALITALIA PLANES ARE FUCKING SKETCHY GOING ON LIKE THEY ARE MADE OF BREADSTICKS”
These quotes were not overheard at a bar or on the street. No, these aren’t banal tweets published by a 14-year-old making a micro-contribution to the digital void. Nor are they pulled from ironic Instagram captions of recent college graduates currently trying on nihilism and apathy as the cornerstones of their personality.
These are direct quotes from Palace’s product copy for its Winter 2019 drop—streetwear terminology referring to the launch of a new collection—written by, for all intents and purposes, an E-commerce professional.
E-commerce has become an integral part of modern consumerism. The launch of Shopify in 2006 set the groundwork for companies to not only adapt to, but also emerge from, the internet. While luxury fashion brands initially rejected this commercial medium in the early 2010s, they’re now trying to catch up to digitally native brands who’ve built companies that quickly respond to changing demands and leverage the direct lines of communication they’ve established with their customers. From mega-companies like Amazon to small brands and the “Shop” feature on Instagram, buying something new is now only a few finger taps or mouse scrolls away.
And with it has come profound changes in not only what we buy, but how we buy.
A few months ago I gave up online shopping because of my frustration with the wasteful use of plastic materials and cardboard, as well as an overwhelming disenchantment with aimless consumption. Although I also committed myself to shopping less in real life too I found myself going to real-life stores more often just to browse. Doing this made me aware that while I hadn’t been “wasting” time in stores anymore, I was probably spending even more time thinking about or looking at clothes because it was hazardously accessible across my devices.
Walking through stores reminded me that corporeal shopping at its best isn’t about checking off items on a never-ending wish list. Rather, some of it comes from seeing a piece that we weren’t looking for to begin with; of finding a color that helps us feel our best in the process of self-actualization; or even just the delight of actually touching delicate fabrics. Engaging with garments facilitates the process of sartorial self-discovery in a way that E-commerce does not, and cannot, provide.
It wasn’t until I was scrolling through Palace’s “range,” as they call their look book, that I realized that my grievances with digital consumption weren’t entirely due to its tactile limitations, but largely because of how uniform and banal the experience is.
Truthfully, I didn’t realize how stale E-commerce as a whole was until I read Palace’s product copy.
From the cheeky attitude to the inappropriate language and complete irrelevance to the product itself, every word and sentiment reflects the rebellious, anti-establishment spirit that makes skate culture appealing to so many. That reference to Alitalia was particularly brazen and made me wonder if they could or would get sued for slander? But then I remembered that it was Palace, and they wouldn’t care even if they did. In fact, a legal battle with Alitalia would make for a great marketing campaign. But I digress.
What’s interesting about E-Commerce in general is that it is the direct intersection between an insatiable, ever-expanding appetite for fashionable objects with the tools technology has afforded us to make and consume these objects. Standing in a store, breathing bizarrely filtered and excessively chilled air, tends to make us conscious of the financial and material consequences that come with shopping. E-Commerce, on the other hand, thrives on digital immediacy and impulsivity.
These conditions make it difficult to override the thrill of buying something new and calling it your own, especially considering that our brains experience a powerful psychological response to novelty. Nowadays, a desire can be satisfied in a matter of minutes. And even if the thrill of the object itself wears off, the satisfaction that comes with satisfying a desire never gets dull. This yearning has become so entrenched into our daily lives that absentmindedly perusing a digital boutique is now a form of procrastination, usurping age-old methods like doodling or daydreaming. I’ve even witnessed a few friends enter a harmless degree of debt because the disconnect from the physical act of shopping makes spending past one’s means that much easier.
Digital market places and boutiques are solving an unprecedented dilemma entirely of our own making. The question E-Commerce specialists navigate across companies is terrifyingly simply: how do you encourage people to buy things (they very likely don’t need) when they can’t directly engage with the item until after they buy it?
Although companies materialize different aspirations through advertisements IRL, the E-commerce answer is fairly universal and rely heavily on logistical approaches. They include but are not limited to: free shipping and returns, a video of the garment on a model that encourages the shopper to futilely exercise his or her mind’s eye, and shopping guides that are more prescriptive than inspiring. Coupled with visual content from relatable-but-not influencers—an experiment that has gotten out of hand—and pesky cookie-based ads, gratuitous online shopping is all but inevitable if you have even the slightest interest in clothing.
What conventional online shopping platforms have in common is that they thrive on universal and uncontroversial content. Realistically speaking, the dullness of E-commerce skews more towards avoiding the alienation of a viable customer than an effort to create “We Are the World” inclusivity in fashion. The general blandness that is pervasive in E- Commerce strategies across companies speaks the ways in which fashion is increasingly prioritizing commercialism above purpose and even creativity.
The E-Commerce symphony is rather straightforward:
It begins with the cliché copy.
Then there are the videos that tend to literally and metaphorically strip the clothing of any humanity by cropping the model’s face so it’s even easier to imagine ourselves in the garment.
It builds with the incessant deployment of emails advertising sales most people don’t really need to participate in.
The crescendo is when brands exploit the harmless thought experiments we engage in while browsing for our ideal winter wardrobe during our lunch breaks, until we come to our senses at checkout and abandon the cart. But even two weeks later our inboxes are full of reminders to finish purchasing a bunch of wool skirts and black boots that we had no real intention of ever buying.
If they send you a promotional code then it’s practically game over and now your closet holds one or two more skirts you certainly didn’t need.
It cannot be denied that Palace is in a unique position to write flippant copy and not be negatively impacted by it for two main reasons. Firstly, while Palace does have a strong attention to detail when it comes to presenting its merchandise at the store and online, the brand power the company carries sometimes seems to transcend the pieces themselves—a testament to the power of branding in fashion. Secondly, there would be an undeniable disconnect between what they claim to be and what they are in practice if they did publish conventional copy.
Ultimately, what is still revealed in the case of Palace is that having a vision, and being uncompromisingly committed to executing that vision at every point, is what helps turn compelling product into a successful company with a loyal following. The product copy reflects the ethos of Palace’s British roots, the rambunctious energy of skate culture as well as the irreverent adolescent attitude they create by and for.
Interestingly, Palace product copy is well-known to industry insiders and followers because it truly feels like a breath of fresh air in the congested landscape of digital retail. Many companies are chasing various forms of success to the point that they seem to lose sight of what it means to deliver a focused and authentic point of view to clients searching for tools to feel better about themselves.
Maybe if the copy writer of Palace makes the shortlist for the Pulitzer other companies will really take note. Until then, I’m at least guaranteed a good chuckle as I peruse Palace’s website while I procrastinate a deadline.