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Ralph Lauren has hit on a new marketing concept: the virtual shopping story book.  The RL Gang: A Fantastically Amazing School Adventure is available on the Ralph Lauren website as an interactive shopping tool (i.e., they let you click on the children in the video story to view their wardrobes and shop for them.)

The story, narrated by Harry Connick Jr., is not particularly well-written (the mention of “an amazingly amazing book” and “moist” apples made me cringe a bit), but I reminded myself that this is about retail marketing, not children’s literature.  And, as a marketing piece, it’s great.  Interactive, story-driven shopping – it’s like a narrated fashion show that you can stop and start  while you check the details of the design…and your kids can get involved in the process ( if you want them to).

The online version of the book also offers look-books for each of the story’s 8 characters.  Simply click on a child, and see their scrollable closet.  You can then click on an item to see the product details and pricing.

I’m not sure if the story will help Ralph Lauren Childrenswear sell more children’s clothes, but the idea of an online shopping story is unique enough that it is attracting attention.  More than a few shoppers will stop by just to see what the fuss is about.

If you get through this story and are willing to spend $18.95, the book is also available in print.

P.S. – Ralph Lauren Childrenswear is available on the SizeTracker website – be sure to check out the sizing with our size chart calculator.