#AsSeenOnMe: Customer Styling as a Shopping Resource

Read the campaign story

ASOS’s 2017 annual report dates the launch of #AsSeenOnMe to 2014. It describes customers sharing photographs and videos through social platforms and a gallery on the retailer’s website. A contemporary June 2014 RetailTrends report describes customer images linked to the relevant products. Together, these sources establish a programme connecting community expression with shopping, not merely a hashtag displayed at the end of an advertisement.

The company report positions customer styling as inspiration for other customers and thanks contributors whose photographs appeared in the report. It also describes a broader business model with many operational and commercial changes. Those company-wide results cannot be attributed to this one programme. No claim is made here that the feature alone caused ASOS’s growth, or that its historical submission and display arrangements remain unchanged today.

Editorial interpretation: the useful contribution is context. A product shown in an everyday outfit can answer a different question from a studio image: how might someone combine it, where might they wear it, and what details become noticeable in use? The contributor is providing creative interpretation, not simply free media inventory. A brand should preserve that distinction when selecting, editing and presenting the work.

The commercial link also raises the standard for accuracy. An image may contain an old item, a modified garment or products from several retailers. A convenient shopping path can become misleading if it quietly substitutes a different item. Good curation therefore needs product verification and clear labelling alongside consent. The gallery should help people make a more informed choice rather than manufacture the impression that every customer shares the same taste or experience.

Separate permission to collect from permission to reuse

A public hashtag is not a complete rights agreement for advertising, ecommerce, print and later campaigns. Explain the intended uses, duration and attribution before republishing a contribution. Keep a record that staff can find when an image is reused. Offer a practical way to request correction or removal where applicable. Do not make participation depend on granting broader rights than the programme actually needs.

Curate for useful variety rather than a single ideal

Define what questions the gallery should help shoppers answer, then select contributions that offer different styling contexts and perspectives. Avoid suggesting that a curated gallery is a representative customer sample. Moderation should protect contributors from harassment and remove unsuitable material without disguising commercial selection as a neutral popularity contest. A clear editorial policy helps the team explain why an image is included or declined.

Maintain the connection between inspiration and the actual offer

Verify the item, colour and relevant product details before adding a shopping link. Mark unavailable or substituted products clearly instead of sending people to a visually similar item without explanation. Track whether visitors can find what interested them and understand any differences. A gallery that generates clicks but increases disappointment or returns is not necessarily improving the shopping experience.

A small test for another brief

A small clothing retailer invites consenting adult customers to contribute a limited set of styling photographs for one clearly described website gallery.

Measure product understanding, successful navigation, permission completeness and contributor satisfaction. Compare returns and disappointment as well as clicks.

Pause if rights are unclear, contributors face harassment or the product links misrepresent what appears in the image.

• Explain the exact reuse, credit and removal process in plain language.
• Verify the featured product and label any unavailable or altered item.
• Test whether shoppers can identify what is shown and reach accurate product information.