Retailers target teens with creative Web sites

More retailers are targeting teens online and, according to The New York Times, doing so in an innovative fashion. Macy's, the traditional department store retailer, has recently struggled with a way to reach the lucrative teen demographic. They found the answer online, with their new teen Web site, ThisIt.com. The site targets teens by interacting with them through features such as trend advice, music downloads and even an online photo layout by the editors of Teen Vogue. Other teen-focused retailers, such as Hollister Co. and Abercrombie & Fitch, are also fully leveraging their online presence by entertaining teens while marketing their products. "Teens are so demanding of 'what's in it for me'... so the more they can read about trends, see makeovers, know what's cool and then buy it, the better," said Jane Buckingham, president of New York-based consulting firm The Intelligence Group. Retailers admit, however, that they use their online presence as more of a marketing tool; they hope the sites will get teens to their brick-and-mortar shops.