Retailers are rethinking prom with social-first marketing and faster trend turnarounds

The campaign’s projected reach is around 15 million, with videos already generating 3.2 million views. So far, the company is seeing 20% year-over-year sales growth, stemming from both e-commerce and in-store gains.

“We could easily have models do their thing. But this to me is so much more real, so much more organic,” said Ike Zekaria, president at Windsor. “The conversation really begins on social media and seamlessly carries through to our website and then into our stores.” 

Formalwear brands are leaning into social-first, trend-driven marketing this year to capture prom spending in a competitive landscape. Legacy retailers like David’s Bridal, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s offer prom collections, and online direct-to-consumer sites like Azazie, Lulu’s and Birdy Grey are also tapping the space. With teens seeking red-carpet looks at fast-fashion prices, even some luxury brands are looking to get into the foray. Designer gown brand Jovani, for example, created a 2026 prom line for under $500.

Windsor, an 89-year-old company with about 350 stores nationwide, doubled its marketing investment to stay competitive this year. Zakaria said he’s less concerned about ROAS than overall relevance to today’s teen shoppers.

“Gen Z were essentially born with a phone in their hands, right? So they’ve had marketing come to them since day one. They can quickly suss out what’s authentic and what’s not really, and so we’ve taken an [authentic] approach, and it has felt right to us,” he said.

Behind the scenes, brands like Windsor are also working to keep their product assortments as fresh as possible, from a customer standpoint — without jeopardizing their inventory with excess merchandise they have to discount when the season is over. For Windsor, prom is just a segment of its overall inventory, which also includes event-driven apparel for festivals, homecoming, New Year’s Eve and graduation. In turn, the design team doesn’t over-index on prom and keeps the inventory in its 350 stores targeted toward what it knows is likely to sell in which region — whether that means putting more Western-themed wear in Texas stores or loading up on brighter colors and prints in Miami.

The company’s evoke the red-carpet looks that have dominated this year’s award shows, including corsets, jewel tones and fairy-tale aesthetics. Dresses are cost-competitive, ranging from around $60-$200.

Zakaria said about 90% of this year’s assortment at Windsor was created by the company’s in-house design studio that began its work last year, versus letting co-manufacturers take the lead or buying from wholesalers. This team travels the world to source exclusive fabrics, Zakaria said, allowing Windsor to come up with more unique dresses.

“We have said, ‘OK, we are committed to prom on a year-round basis,’ essentially,” he said. “That’s really the only way to get reads during the off season, and be able to live with slower-turning inventory and high markdown risk.”

David’s Bridal, for its part, took its merchandising wider than ever this year to be able to put more individualized looks in its stores. Rather than buying deep out of a narrow selection, it’s going broader and doing smaller stock levels of more SKUs in stores. Online, it’s adding more third-party brands to its e-commerce assortment like Bebe.

Elina Vilk, president and chief business officer at David’s Bridal, said that change is driven by social media trends. Every red carpet awards show tends to lead to new in-demand designs, whether that’s high slits or statement details like floral appliques.

“It used to be that we would buy about 20 styles and roll them out very deeply across 20 stores,” Vilk said. “This time around, we have our core that we know is going to work every time. But trends shift so much, so we’re also getting more assortment faster and hopping on trends.”

David’s Bridal has also leaned into social media to promote prom sales this year. It kicked off the prom season by doing organic seeding with influencers. In January, it launched an affiliate program called the Style Squad brand ambassador program, with the opportunity for the best-performing content to get picked up for paid ads that are shared with David’s audiences.

The company’s top-performing short-form videos show young women assembling outfits and looks, as well as lots of close-up details. Vilk said that in-store, outfit-focused content tends to resonate because it’s what girls themselves are doing, versus more traditional editorial shoots. 

“For girls at this age, in particular, this is their first formal moment, and it’s one of the first times they can showcase who they are individually and drive some self-expression,” Vilk said. “So it becomes a very big moment.”