• by Larissa Faw , July 31, 2015

Fashion brand Asos sells more than 750 brands at retail and online, including its exclusive in-house Asos label -- and while the brand has attracted more than 524 million visits to its platforms over the past six months, executives realize that browsing thousands of products should be a more enjoyable experience.

Now Asos is teaming with Google Play and Google's digital agency Essence to develop curated playlists to entertain shoppers while they are shopping on its platforms. The music will be integrated into editorial features and the clothes that customers are browsing will be paired with appropriate music. For instance, if a visitor is shopping for shoes to wear for an upcoming music festival, then she can browse while playing songs from performers scheduled to appear at this concert.

Through the Soundtrack Your Summer campaign, users visit the Asos-hosted hub to launch a Google Play Music radio station that plays while they are shopping. They are also able to view unisex Asos looks via girl/boy tabs placed on top of the screen while music is playing. And Asos will develop fashion styles available for purchase that are inspired by Google Play Music stations. 

“The right outfit, just like the right music, can turn a good summer moment into an unforgettable one. Now that Google Play Music has free, ad-supported radio, we saw Asos as the perfect brand for reaching more and new music and fashion lovers with this service,” said Jessica Igoe, Head of Media and Marketing Partnerships, Google Play Music.

One key challenge is capturing attention. "Music and fashion are cluttered spaces with lots of brands activating in these passion points," says Kate Whitelock, Head of Commercial Marketing at Asos. "We knew we had to create a unique and inspiring proposition that is, most importantly, useful to our customers.  We have achieved this by creating shop-able looks that are inspired by music."

Asos is supporting this rollout with paid media, as well as through its various social media channels.  Asos' social media followers have increased some seven million since  2013 to over 12 million now. In addition, several influencers selected for their "significant social followings and fashion credibility" will be leveraging their own fan base to support both the custom edits that appear on us.asos.com as well the Google Play Music radio station. 

The new campaign coincides with the recently introduced personalized recommendation functionality across Asos' mobile apps and Web site. With product ideas based on a saved history, purchase history, favorite brands, price points and a number of other variables, Asos is able to look at 18 months’ worth of purchases upon which to base recommendations.