2. Table of Contents
Logo [3]
Introduction [4]
Industry Comparison [4]
SWOT Analysis [5]
Pricing Strategy [6]
Positioning of the Business [7]
Assortment Plan [8]
Classification Sub Categories [10]
Financial Plan [10]
Brand Strategy [12]
Visual Presentation [13]
Marketing Plan [15]
Customer Service [17]
In-Store Rewards [18]
Return Policy [19]
Conclusion [19]
Works Cited [20]
Works Cited-Pictures [20]
Appendix [21]
Survey [21]
Competitive Analysis Checklist [24]
Focus Group [24]
Financial Plan Spreadsheet [26]
3.
4. Introduction:
Stylísta is an innovative, contemporary women’s clothing store that pairs fashion-forward
apparel with virtual reality to provide convenience and excitement. Whether a young
businesswoman needs a unique business casual piece for the office, a casual daywear outfit for
the weekend or a spicy little black dress for a first date with “the guy” at work – Stylísta is the
best choice for this one-stop shop. Our open floor plan with wood-flooring and large lights
beckons natural lighting into our store stimulating creativity and warmth from our Stylists who
are prepared to help you look and feel your best. Our customer profile system will allow us to
further understand the customer’s needs and taste, making it a quick process to deliver fabulous
choices every time you come in the store. Simply come in, swipe the Stylísta loyalty card or sign
in to your account, and we will be able to pull up all of our customer’s information, including
previous purchases. Our customer system will help us generate items the customer would like
and the customer can choose an outfit they would enjoying seeing on from the interactive
touchscreen mirror. If we don’t have it in-store, the mirror will show an image of the article of
clothing on the customer’s body through virtual reality glasses. If our customer decides to
purchase, we will send them the item with free 2 day shipping with free refunds and exchanges.
Industry Comparison:
The industry of women’s apparel is going to continue to increase significantly for many
years to come. The market for women’s clothing is “expected to reach $139 billion by 2019, up
14% versus 2014,” (Mintel, 2015). Majority of women, especially the Millennial generation, stay
up to date with the latest fashion trends that consistently change every season. However, some
women are discouraged by fashion when prices are high, they have unknown knowledge of
trends with colors and patterns, or if the clothing they want does not fit all types of body sizes.
5. “Consumers are increasingly looking for comfortable and casual clothing choices, as well as
deals and savings, good merchandise selections, and convenient ways to shop,” (Mintel, 2015).
What women need is a store that has great prices and all various sizes, but most importantly a
way it can help design and pick outfits that are up to date with today’s changing trends.
SWOT Analysis:
Urban Outfitters Madewell Anthropologie
STRENGTHS -Open floor plan,
industrial design
-Wide product
assortment
-Moderate price range
-National and private
labels
-Expert in specific
product category -
denim
-Large quantity of
basic items
-Clean, organized
layout
-Store layout open,
wood, calming,
unique and quality
assortment
-Almost all private
label
-Customer loyalty
WEAKNESSES -Overwhelming
amount of product
assortment
-Limited sizes
-Employee
involvement level is
very “hit or miss”
-On the higher end
price point for
consumer
-Not very many
locations
-Limited advertising
-Limited sizing
OPPORTUNITIES -Millennials want
unique products for
more moderate prices
-”Green”/”organic”
trend
-Targeting affluent
working women and
mothers
-Market expansion by
appealing to younger
millennial wave
6. THREATS -Similar products,
competing stores
have lower price
point
-”Earthiness” just a
trend - their store is
entirely structured
around this
-Few promotional
events in-store - small
sale section
-Large department
stores with wider
variety of products
along with specialty
denim as competitors
-Competition for
millennial consumer
-Possibility of decline
in economy, therefore
potential of losing
affluent uprising
millennial consumer
Pricing Strategy:
The millennial generation, our target market, is nearing its prime spending years, which
are roughly the ages between 25 and 30. This generation is different than any other before it,
which is great news for retailers.
Studies show that millennials love to spend money, especially on apparel. Buxton states
that about “58% of millennials say they ‘love to shop’ compared to 40% of adults overall. They
spend 8% more on apparel than those aged 35-44.” Specifically, Buxton shows that this
generation spends $75 on average for every online visit and $57 on average for every in-store
visit.
We chose to do a “good, better, best” pricing strategy among our main components of
business for women’s apparel: tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, shoes, and accessories. Prices
will generally remain steady throughout the season with sales and promotions offered throughout
the year. Big sale dates will include end-of-season and special retailing holidays, such as Black
Friday. However, prices will not be cut often in order to maintain an exclusive and high quality
image to consumers.
Bottoms will range between $50 and $110 with an average price of $70. Tops will be
between $45 and $90 with an average price being around $65. Dresses will start at $50 and go up
7. to about $120 with an average price of $85. Outerwear will compose mostly of jackets and will
range from $90 to $150 with an average price of about $120. Shoes will have a larger range due
to different styles and material and will range from $30 to $140 with an average price of $85.
Accessories will also have a larger range due to the many different types of accessories, with
prices between $25 and $150 and an average price of $90.
Positioning of the Business:
Our target consumer is both unique and modern, and it is reflected in her name, Skye.
She is 26 years old, and has a job in event planning and makes $43,000 a year. She enjoys the
latest technology and is a first adopter when a new piece of technology is released. She is a busy
body and enjoys going to the movies, going out at night with her friend’s, and occasionally likes
to take a long weekend and travel to different cities such as Denver for leisure. She lives in a
suburban apartment but aspires to one day live in the city. While on her way home from work
she listens to hip-hop or rap music and looks forward to watching reality TV shows or talk
shows, particularly Jimmy Fallon. She does almost everything online including banking and
shopping and when she makes her purchase she posts about it on Instagram, Facebook, and even
Snapchat but only to her closest friends. According to Segel and Thomas’s customer type in,
Retailing in the 21st Century, Skye would be a Convenient, Expert, and Entertainment Customer.
She does not want to spend a long time in the store and would like an expert’s opinion about
what the latest trends are and how to wear them. Right now her primary goal in life is to pay off
her student loans from college and, therefore, does not have a large discretionary income,
however, she is willing to splurge a little for products that are fashionable and of good quality.
8. Assortment Plan:
Stylísta’s assortment plan is divided into four separate classifications: tops and outerwear,
shoes and accessories, dresses and bottoms. Tops are a timeless and essential daily product that
our customers will expect us to carry a wide variety of. Tops and Outerwear will make up 40%
of our assortment. The average price of our tops will be $65 and $120 for outerwear,
respectively. Although outerwear are a larger ticket item, we still expect this segment to turnover
quickly seeing as customers generally purchase a large quantity of tops to interchange with only
a few pairs of bottoms. We have allocated 25% of our
assortment to Bottoms. This is another section of product
offerings that is a staple piece our customers will expect to see.
We plan to offer bottoms appropriate for the month of February
but then quickly transition into a variety of denims and other
casual bottoms including jumpsuits, shorts and crops from
March onward. The average price of our bottoms will be $70.
Warmer months bring an onslaught of customers purchasing a
greater number of shoes including sandals, flats, wedges, heels
and boots to pair with a variety of accessories versus one staple
pair of boots for the colder months. Due to this trend we will allocate a larger portion of Shoes
and Accessories in our assortment plan to 20% and the average price will be $85 for shoes and
$90 for accessories. Lastly, Dresses will consist of 15% of our assortment plan. This section of
our assortment will include a large selection of dresses ranging from “occasion and cocktail” for
events such as Graduation and Easter plus “casual day dresses” for our customer’s weekend
activities and many styles in between. The average price of dresses will be $85.
9. Within our assortment plan, our four main classifications will be broken up into core,
key, promotional and test items. Core items will consist of 30% of our assortment plan. The
concept of our store is to offer high-quality product with exceptional customer service. We will
offer a large amount of core basics including designer denim and basic tops our customers expect
to purchase any time they come into our store due to the overwhelming statistics we found in our
survey and focus group that many customers leave without purchasing if they are unable to pull
together an outfit for a unique clothing item they find. These core items would be constantly
replenished and only changed with different styles and seasons.
Seeing as our clothing is conservatively fashion forward we will
have 45% of our assortment allocated to Key items to offer
products that are up to speed with historically seasonal trends. In
order to generate increased foot traffic we plan to allocate 15%
of our assortment to Promotional items without having this too
large of a section to maintain our store image as an exclusive and
quality retail store. Lastly, we will allocate 10% to Test items in
order to show our customers that we are out ahead of other
retailers with emerging trends while realizing our customers might not be as apt to begin
purchasing this product immediately.
10. Classification of Sub Categories:
● Tops and Outerwear
○ Blouses
○ Everyday Basic
Tees
○ Tunics &
Peasant Tops
○ Tanks
○ Embroidered
and Detailed
○ Sweaters &
Cardigans
○ Jackets, Blazers
& Coats
● Bottoms
○ Jeans
○ Pants
○ Crops
○ Shorts
○ Jumpsuits &
Rompers
● Shoes & Accessories
○ Boots
○ Flats
○ Heels &
Wedges
○ Sandals
○ Bags, Clutches
& Travel
○ Hats, Scarves &
Sunglasses
○ Jewelry
● Dresses
○ Casual
Everyday
○ Occasion &
Cocktail
○ Maxi & Midi
○ Modern Boho
○ Little Black
Dress
○ Detailed &
Embroidered
Financial Plan:
Stylísta will operate on a six-month financial plan from February to July with a goal of
$2,000,000 in sales. We estimate that February will account for 10% of total sales due to the fact
that consumers will be just learning about our store and it is still relatively cold outside therefore
they won’t have a need to purchase spring clothes. Promotional flash sales to generate customer
awareness and boost sales will be offered in February. Sales will increase substantially in March
due to warmer weather, Easter and a 5 week selling period. For this reason, we estimate March
11. will be 22.5% of sales. Sales will steady off in April to 15% as the last of our initial product will
be sold. Sales will begin to pick up again in May to 20% due to the onslaught of Graduation
events and the introduction of Wedding season, this will also be the first full month with our
fresh product. June will be another productive month with 22.5% of sales as it has a 5 week
selling period and customers will begin purchasing any back-to-school or work apparel. The
remaining 10% of sales will be accounted for in July as customers are vacationing. This month
will be coupled with promotional events surrounding the Fourth of July and the preparation for
school the next month.
With an inventory turnover rate of 4, Stylísta weeks of supply is planned to be 6.5. Our
store will receive fresh items often due to the changing of trends and new seasons. This will
encourage our customers to purchase fashion-forward apparel for all of their upcoming events.
With a high turnover rate, new product will encourage customers to frequently return to the store
to see what is new on the floor.
Stylísta will have a 58% markup plan on our national brand products. With this markup
we will be able to sell the majority of our private label product at a higher price to create an even
higher gross margin. To increase demand for slow moving items, we will offer a 15% markdown
rate.
Our projected sales plan of $2 million and gross margin percentage of 48%, we estimate
our gross margin dollars to be $960,000 for the six-month financial plan. Our store plans to offer
exceptional customer service and high quality product at the right price to accomplish this
financial goal. See Appendix for a look at our Financial Plan Spreadsheet.
12. Brand Strategy:
At Stylísta, our brand strategy includes employing both national
and private brands. Only our accessories and shoes will consist of
national brands. For jewelry and purses, we will carry brands
such as Steve Madden, Kenneth Cole, and Rebecca Minkoff
here as well. For shoes, we will carry brands such as Splendid,
Sam Edelman, Yellow Box, Converse, Timberlands, Adidas,
Nike, and Steve Madden. We believe it is in our best interest to
utilize the reputation of national brands to attract customers to Stylísta.
In the future, we plan on obtaining contracts for exclusive items from
our national brand partners to create a truly unique store. However our
tops, bottoms, coats, and dresses will consist of private labels. We
believe this will allow Stylísta to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and create loyal
fans to our products and store. Advantages of private labels include a higher gross margin,
increasing store traffic, and the building store image. Our private label will be created by us with
the help of a corporate buying office such as The Doneger Group.
Our label will be called De Moda which is Spanish for trendy and will allow our women
to wear unique pieces that cannot be found anywhere else. Below is an example of a collection
we are working on for Fall 2017.
13. Visual Presentation:
Our store will be between 1200 and 2000 square feet in the shape of a simple, single floor
cube. The storefront will have multiple mannequins sporting the latest seasonal and trendy items.
However, the mannequins will not be the skinny, tall, and unrealistic shape. They will be much
closer to the sizes and shapes of average females. We believe this will allow our customers to
realistically see themselves in these outfits before they even try them on, and not be disappointed
once they do. The entrance will have most of our test and promotional items with key and core
basic items mixed in. Clothing will be neatly folded in various arrangements on wooden tables as
well as hung on wooden racks throughout the store. There will be some separate areas for items
that go together, such as jeans or basic tops. Other items
will be placed together, either on tables, on racks, or both,
that are part of outfits our stylists create. For example, a
table might have leggings folded up with various t-shirts
side by side as well as a rack with denim jackets on the left
side, a rack with leather jackets on the right side, a rack on
top of the table with hats, necklaces, and watches, and shelving underneath the table with heeled
14. and flat boots. There will also be one or two mannequins standing next to the table wearing the
items featured on or around the tables and racks. That way a customer can pick out one of each
of these items without having to look all over the store for clothing and accessories that go
together. The floor will be a simple dark wood flooring and the ceiling will be painted a soft
ivory color. Three of the four walls will also be painted the soft ivory color with the back wall
painted a soft blue as an accent color. We want the entire store to be filled with natural flood
lights to allow the consumer to see what the clothing would look like for day to day wear, as well
as a few decorative chandeliers. The back wall will be where the register is as well as our neatly
organized sale items. The side wall will have an opening that leads to the dressing rooms, which
will have natural lighting and white marble flooring, each with a mirrored door that stays open
unless the customer shuts and locks it on her own. Inside
the dressing room, there will be one large mirror on the
wall with an interactive touchscreen where you can scan
your items, load them into the system, and have the ability
to scroll through
them on the mirror, choosing outfits pre-created by our
professional designers with the items you chose as a
garment within the outfit. The dressing room will have a
soft backlight around the perimeter of the mirror as well
as natural lighting on the ceiling. In addition, there will
be a small table and a chair to set your personal items,
four to five silver knobs to hang your clothes, and a pair
of virtual reality goggles on a stand ready for use.
15. We want our store to feel modern yet warm to our customer. We believe this gives our
store the high quality, stylish feel they come in looking for.
Our website will also have the same warm modern feel to it as our storefront. The
website will include a homepage to feature the looks of the month created by our top stylists. The
customer can shop through each category, including sale items, and navigate to customer service
in the event of questions or concerns. Consumers will be able to create a profile and log in, either
in store or online, and access previous purchases. They can also upload a full body photo (that
can either be taken in store from a previous visit or uploaded from home) to virtually try on
clothes online before they purchase them. Items the customer picks out online will also be
matched with outfits the consumer can look at with the option to purchase all the items included
in the outfit, just as if they were shopping in store. In addition, there will be the names and
pictures of our four stylists for the consumer to see.
Here is the web address to a sample of the website: http://kierstenconner.wix.com/Stylísta
Marketing Plan:
For the store of the future, Stylísta, social media and public events will play a huge role
in the increase of store awareness as well as creating the trendy and fun atmosphere the store
plans to offer. With a budget of $10,000, Stylísta will partner with The Content Factory, a digital
16. social and content marketing company that helps start-up companies and small businesses, to
promote and advertise the business to the target market. The main focus of the social media will
take place within the first month, to raise awareness and capture the attention of the consumers.
Stylísta will use the “Package A- Social Media,” marketing package from The Content Factory,
with a cost of $4000, in order to use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
Pinterest, and LinkedIn. With these platforms, ads, blogs, and other forms of communication
with the public will be used to illustrate Stylísta’s admiration and dedication to the target market.
On the topic of social media, a newer platform known as Instagram, will also be used by
Stylísta but differently than the other platforms. Through its
own Instagram account, Stylísta will post photos of items
related to the store, whether it is new shipments, a hot item,
or look of the month. The target market are loyal fans to the
platform, and by consistently posting they will continue to
stay up to date with the store and today’s fashion trends.
With Instagram, Stylísta will host contests for its loyal followers to have the chance to win a full
outfit by commenting, tagging, or sharing the photo. This contest will happen every month, with
outfits styled from head to toe, at a $250 value, for a total cost of $1,500.
With the remaining $4,500 of the $10,000
budget, the money will go towards hosting fun
monthly events at Stylísta for the consumers. The
events will bring in the curious customers to view the
store as well as interact with the personal stylists to
get a feel of what the store is about. Some of the money will go towards food and refreshments
17. of the events, as well as prizes such as certain items from the store for contest and promotional
purposes. By being strong in social media with consumers and providing a fun and great
experience at public events, Stylísta will succeed in becoming a well-known store in the future.
Customer Service:
Our customer service will be a very important part of our store. We want a group of
employees that are helpful, nice, and approachable, but also know when to leave the customer
alone and allow the customer to shop. There will be seven employees working at a time, three
walking around the floor, helping customers and keeping the store clean and organized, two at
the register, one in the dressing room, and one professional stylist. Each employee will greet
customers as they make eye contact or enter the store and ask if they need help finding anything.
If the customer says no, the employee will give them their name and invite them to ask any
questions when needed. In addition, either the consumer can request, or an employee can
suggest, help from the professional stylist. The stylist working in-store will be on a rotation
schedule of the four main stylists that create the pre-made outfits available to our consumers. The
employee uniforms will consist of any item offered in-store or online at that point in time.
Each employee will be equipped with an iPhone on hand to pull up consumer profiles
away from the register counter. They will also be able to ring up customers they were helping
anywhere in the store as long as the customer is paying with a credit or debit card. The register
counter will have three iPads with all the same capabilities to pull up consumer profiles or make
a cash, credit, debit, or gift card purchase. A customer will also have the option to bring in their
own clothing items and obtain help from an employee or personal stylist to create outfits for that
item of clothing.
18. The employee in the dressing room will make sure each customer knows how to use the
technology available to them. That employee will be responsible for making sure any of the
customer’s needs are attended to while in the dressing room. The other employees on the floor
will be at their disposal to grab different styles, sizes, or pieces that the customer didn’t grab that
were suggested to them through the interactive mirror.
We want our customers to trust our employees to provide them with the best options for
any kind of occasion, season, or type of lifestyle. Our employees will be thoroughly trained to
give the most knowledgeable and expert advice to create a satisfying, helpful, and convenient
shopping experience.
In-Store Rewards:
At Stylísta, we want our customers to be excited and motivated to shop at our store. In
order to do so we will create an in-store rewards program to inspire loyalty. Our program will
include exclusive access to freebies and other perks. We will measure customer loyalty through a
points system where each dollar spent equals one point. When our customer receives a certain
number of points, they will, in turn, receive a gift for their loyalty such as a gift card, a free item
from the store (up to a certain dollar amount), or a coupon for a certain percent discount. The
points will only be accumulated for a period of 1 year, beginning when a customer makes a
profile. For example, if Skye (our target customer) makes a profile on April 30th of 2016 then
she has until April 30th of 2017 to earn as many points as she wishes.
When a customer who has a profile with Stylísta makes a purchase the amount they
spend will automatically be recorded on their profile. This includes all in-store purchases as well
as online purchases. When a customer hits a certain level of cumulative points then Stylísta will
19. give them the choice to receive their reward in-store, pick it up at the store or have it shipped to
them.
Below is an example of our rewards program:
Cumulative Points Reward
100 20% off a full-price item
300 $25 towards an accessory
600 $40 towards a full-price item
1000 + Free pair of designer shoes OR purse up to
$120
*Any monetary rewards given to customers by Stylísta will not be added to their cumulative
points.
Return Policy:
At Stylísta, our customers come first, and we wish to provide them with service that goes
above and beyond their expectations. One of the main reasons women stop shopping at stores is
due to retailers poor return policies. Having an excellent return policy is one of the main
objectives at Stylísta. We will allow customers to return items for up to 90 days from purchase if
the item is in the same condition as it left the store and a receipt is present. We will accept items
that are damaged in any way and provide a full refund in either cash or in-store credit. If an item
is bought online and we do not carry it in our store then we will still accept the item.
Conclusion:
According to our research, the number one reason a woman does not buy an item is
because she does not know how to wear it or does not know how to style it with an outfit.
Stylísta means, “style ready” and we will do all of the styling for our customers so that they do
20. not have to miss another purchase. With the help of our style profile and augmented reality
goggles and interactive mirrors women can pick out items, see how to wear those items, and
make a confident purchase. Additionally, our shoppers can skip the dressing room saving them
time which is valuable to our customers. Therefore, Stylísta will make the shopping experience
for our ladies as quick and efficient as possible while effectively selling them products they love.
Works Cited
"Menu." The Content Factory. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
http://www.contentfac.com/how-much-does-social-media-marketing-cost/
"TCF Generic Proposal 2016." Google Docs. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wn8ewYjLsBAUga1Eo8WcmLPh47NbRFrS69kUVeAY
crA/edit
“Women's Clothing - May - 2015.” Mintel. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
http://academic.mintel.com.lib-ezproxy.tamu.edu:2048/display/738027/
Works Cited-Pictures
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/clothes-tops/4110089545454.jsp#/ (Top)
http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/category/cropped++ankle/clothing-trousers-cropped.jsp#/
(Outfit)
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/rebecca-minkoff-ear-jackets/3821635 (Gold Earrings)
http://www.polyvore.com/sam_edelman_trina_gold_heel/thing?id=49298796 (Gold Sandal)
http://www.polyvore.com/steve_madden_studded_tote/thing?id=62322782 (Gold Tote)
https://www.pinterest.com/nattymartin/cool-fashion-sketches/ (Fashion Sketches)
https://www.pinterest.com/bianca073/luxury-closet-i-love/ (Luxury Walk-In Closet)
21. http://www.outform.com/the_outformer/Interactive-Mirrors_The-Future-of-Retail (Interactive
Mirror)
http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/antique-round-wooden-side-table.html (Wooden Tables)
http://www.polyvore.com/light_blue_chair/shop?query=light+blue+chair (Blue Chair)
http://romeorichards.com/store-design-blueprint-design-retail-store-functionality/ (Retail Store
Design 1)
http://www.viplighting.co.nz/store-image.html (Retail Store Design 2)
http://accessoryjane.com/how-to-liketoknow-it/ (Instagram)
http://www.ohhcouture.com/category/fashion/events/ (Other Social Media Example)
Appendix:
Survey:
Howdy! Thank you for taking our survey for our MKTG 425 class! We look forward to seeing your
response.
Survey: https://mays.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efwz6SDJwqBjRU9
1. What is your gender?
a. Male
b. Female
2. How old are you?
a. 18-22
b. 23-27
c. 28-35
d. 36-45
e. 46+
3. How often do you go shopping: including grocery, clothes, gift, etc.?
a. Never
b. Once a month or less
c. Once a week
d. 2-3 times per week
e. 4+ times per week
4. How often do you shop for apparel?
a. Never
b. Once a month or less
c. Once a week
d. 2-3 times per week
22. e. 4+ times per week
5. Do you enjoy shopping for apparel (for yourself or others)? Rank from 1 to 5: (1 being “do not
enjoy at all” to 5 being “I love shopping”)
6. How much time do you normally spend shopping in one retail store?
a. 0 to 30 minutes
b. 31 minutes to 1 hour
c. 1 to 2 hours
d. More than 2 hours
7. How much time do you normally spend shopping online?
a. 0 to 30 minutes
b. 31 minutes to 1 hour
c. 1 to 2 hours
d. More than 2 hours
8. How would you describe your personal style (what do you wear most often?)
9. Please rank how important each of these are when shopping:
23. 10. What attracts you to a particular store? (Please check all that apply.)
a. Recommendation
b. Advertisement
c. Store window display
d. Convenience
e. Brand names offered
f. Sales or coupons
g. Other
11. What deters you from a retail store? Check all that apply.
a. Poor recommendation
b. Lack of convenience
c. Poor store window display
d. Brand names not offered
e. Price
f. Bad customer service
g. Too much product assortment
h. Other
12. Do you ever put an item back that you liked because you didn’t know what you would wear it with?
a. Yes
b. No
c. I don’t recall
13. What bothers you about dressing rooms? (Check all that apply.)
a. Lighting
b. Space
c. Lack of customer service
d. Cleanliness
e. Other
14. How important is in-store technology to you?
a. Extremely important
b. Very important
c. Somewhat important
d. Not at all important
24. 15. Do you follow any retails companies on social media? If yes, please write-in the name of the company
or companies.
a. Yes
b. No
16. Have you ever signed up for a membership or rewards program for a particular retailer? (Ex:
American Eagle Loyalty Card)
a. Yes
b. No
17. Do you receive consistent emails from any retailing companies?
a. Yes
b. No
18. What do you do with these emails?
a. Read them thoroughly
b. Skim the content
c. Only read the title
d. Don’t read it at all and/or delete immediately
19. What makes you open and read an email from a retailing company? (Check all that apply.)
a. Title peaks your interest
b. Personalization
c. Coupons
d. You are loyal to the company
e. New styles
Thank you for completing the survey and Gig ‘Em!
Competitive Analysis Checklist
● Customer service
● Product assortment
● Store layout
● Product pricing
● Promotional sales
● Branding strategy
Focus Group:
We conducted a focus group to get a better understanding of the wants and needs for our target
market. The members of the focus group were all women between the age of 20-23. Each
question is summarized by all of the responses by the respondents. For this focus group, we
stated that we were collecting data for our MKTG 425 class and that the survey is not officially
sanctioned by TAMU.
1. When do you go shopping or how often do you go?
The responses varied as some respondents shopped every day and everyday online, or multiple
times a month depending on the seasons and if it was after big holidays like Christmas.
2. How would you rate shopping? Whether online or in-store?
25. Respondents said they rank online shopping a 5, since in store takes too much time and don’t like
sorting through so many things to find what they are looking for.
3. How much time do you have for shopping?
Majority of the respondents stated they do not have time for shopping at all.
4. How much time do you spend shopping?
The focus group likes to get in and get out of stores, however if they have more time, they do
like to take the time to browse
5. When you go shopping do you know what you want to see in person?
They stated usually what they see online, and just generally clothes they want to try on.
6. Do you like when stores have a good return policy?
All agreed yes and that they were fans of Nordstrom’s return policy
7. How important is customer service?
Respondents agreed very important; they will always need help looking for items. They like
when the retail associates are kind and helpful, not just hovering and ignoring them.
8. What is something that you want in a bigger store?
All agreed that they want more help if a store is going to be big.
9. What is your preferred store set up?
Many respondents stated that they wanted a store that was clean and had their items easy to find
10. How do you feel about people in dressing rooms?
The respondents do like retail associates helping in the dressing rooms, but not too much as
workers from Victoria’s Secret are.
11. What are the things that attract you to a store?
Visual design, aesthetics, organization, and sales are what attracts our focus group to a store.
12. How do you feel about updated technology?
All agreed that they like updated technology, however bigger stores should be the only ones that
use high-end technology, since it is quicker and stays up to date with the store.
13. What is it that you look for in a good dressing room?
The respondents answered this question in detail. In order to have a good dressing room, there
must be good lighting, a lot of hangers, good room to roam around as well as a comfortable place
to sit. They also specified that having 3 mirrors would be excellent so that they could see all
angles of the clothes they try on.
14. How important is membership to a store to you?
An issue that was stated with certain retailers was having to open a new credit card specifically
for the store. The respondents stated that they did not like having to do so, and that drives them
away from purchasing more from that store. However, stores that give rewards and points is well
liked. They appreciated what the store REI does; saving points for life that will potentially give
you a trip to a specific destination.
15. Would you like the idea of having a personal stylist, either in person or online?
All respondents said yes; having a personal stylist will improve their shopping experience,
whether it is in store or online.
26. After this question, we began discussing our store of the future, Stylísta. The respondents gave
positive feedback stating that the store is innovative and that they would shop there. They do
enjoy the fact that the store is incorporating technology in order to give a greater experience to
the customer. The respondents stated that they would be willing to spend more for our products
if they were of the best quality and trustworthy, participate in the membership program with
great rewards, and consistently communicate with the personal stylists online and in store to
learn more about the constant change in today’s fashion and enjoy it.
Financial Plan: