Shopping is not simply a chore; it is also an experience. Shopping for clothing is a particularly personal decision, and various motivating factors can cause one shopper to choose a particular store over another store. Some consumers go to the store to confirm that they belong to a certain social stratum, others because they enjoy the thrill of a bargain. According to Daniel Miller in ‘Making Love in Super Markets’, the behavior of consumers in supermarkets tends to fall into two categories: ‘treat’ shoppers and ‘thrift’ shoppers. ‘Treat’ shoppers view shopping as a chore for which they deserve a reward. In the supermarket, this ‘treat’ is often the form of a piece of candy or snack that is bought on impulse when the individual waits in line. Even clothing stores such as the warehouse-size discount clothing store Century 21 make use of ‘treat’ incentives. For example, Century 21 displays accessories such as necklaces and handbags next to the register, to encourage impulse buys before check-out. Particularly attractive sales that are bargains too good to resist are also placed near the register. Even if shoppers do not regard clothes shopping as a chore in the same way they regard food shopping, they may discover finding the right size to be frustrating, and being able to buy items without regard to size in a manner that is purely fun and for pleasure can be an incentive. The more upscale retailer Scoop showcases accessories on models, to encourage consumers to buy them as part of the complete ensemble outfit they are assembling at the store. However, the real ‘treat’ aspect of Scoop is shopping at the store itself. Some stores, such as the grocery store Marks & Spencer in England and high-end stores such as Scoop are almo... ... middle of paper ... ...e environment that Century 21 store shoppers are seeking. On its website, Century 21 advertises that it is ‘fashion worth fighting for,’ acknowledging the intense search for bargains that cause people to come to the store and elbow one another to the side to obtain, ripping the clothes from the racks. The store’s sprawling nature and the thrilling experience of searching for bargains is called ‘epic’ and the typical Century 21 consumer is in search of that “score you'll brag about forever. The fabulous find... or three... or five... that you just happened to spot first. The moment when you look at your receipt and realize you've saved hundreds–or thousands–of dollars. That's what we're all about: the ultimate high-end designer shopping adventure, like nothing else in the world.” Scoop is a shrine to fashion; Century 21 proudly advertises itself as an adventure.
According to Kantar Retail, most of Target’s shoppers are younger on average than its rivals, and more educated. That means it has to consistently offer something different and appealing; it emphasizes more on the latest-trend apparel, eye-catching home décor and exclusive designer merchandise than its competitors. This results in a willingness to pay a bit more for items by customers who are willing to pay a bit more. Moreover, this successful
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
Fashion is important to women; whether it falls under the context of clothing, or how they decorate their home, fashion allows women to express their individuality. With today’s rise in fashion, businesses have to accommodate the demands of consumers by creating shopping strategies that keep the shoppers interested enough to keep coming back. T.J Maxx is one of the many businesses that serve their purpose in helping women achieve their fashion goals. By taking an open floor layout and incorporating it with a mixture between the newest fashion trends and home furniture, T.J Maxx builds an atmosphere that allows women to conveniently purchase quality merchandise for a fraction of the amount they would spend at other shopping stores.
Respondent Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc., operates several lines of clothing stores, each with its own “style.” Consistent with the image Abercrombie seeks to project for each store, the company imposes
The goal for my ethnographic study is subjected to the study of the people of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a place that varies from city to city, but still attracts many of the same people. Everyone knows the weird people that wear ridiculous things to do their normal routine of shopping. That is why I have chosen to do my mini ethnography one day while shopping as an insider at the local Wal-Mart in Auburn, Alabama. Wal-Mart is a large center for shopping that attracts many different types of people, while creating an environment within itself.
Also, the retailers can send ads, coupons to their customer base on the information they have to get their customers to come back. It is really easy for the retail to bond the relationship with their customers by knowing what their customers’ need and desire. Importantly, it is all about making people feel comfortable into liking the place, and they will likely to come back. According to the book “Why We Buy the Science of Shopping”, written by Paco Underhill, people doesn’t like to be brushed or touched from behind. They’ll even move from the merchandise they’re interested in avoiding it. The sales from a tie rack were lower than expected; it was because of the butt-brush factor. After they moved the rack; the sale went up quickly and substantially (fbdfjbsjfbsj). That implies the retailers are always looking to chance in order to match customers’ interest. Not only that, they could also use the data from to send out the deal to the customer base on their interest. As a result, the customer will most likely to come back to the store they already familiar with. In extend, the retailers can also send out gift cards, reward cards to customers rewarding them for being loyalty to the store. Some people think it is manipulating people into buying goods, but it is not true. The customer always has to choice whether to buy or not. No one is forcing them to buy anything. Often, people came
Up until the age of thirteen, shopping always been torture. Shopping was so bad that I would never buy anything for myself. When I would wear anything other than athletic shorts and a t-shirt, I would have to raid my older sisters’ wardrobe- who just happened to be my size. After losing about twenty pounds in eighth grade, I started to love shopping- much to my parents’ dismay. While trying to find my own personal style, I began to shop at stores similar to Banana Republic and Gap. It soon occurred to me that, although they bear some minor similarities, the difference between Banana Republic and Gap are pronounced.
They allow consumers to “pet” gloves and bats on a baseball mound to help increase the chances of purchasing the item. They also have fitness machines available for testing in order to influence ones decision making. Lastly, they have several tables set up with folded clothing to help appeal to the idea of a dinner table. Sports Authority successfully conveys Underhill’s marketing strategy, petting, throughout their entire retail Duhigg evokes that “Target began building a vast data warehouse that assigned every shopper an identification code-known internally as the ‘Guest ID number’-that kept tabs of how each person shopped” (187). Every time one goes shopping, they share intimate details about their consumption patterns with retailers.
The principles of marketing (The Times 100, n.d) are a range of processes concerned with finding out what consumers want, and providing it for them. This involves the ‘4ps’ of marketing; price, place, product and promotion. The product decision in any company involves dealing with goods that should be offered to a group of customers (Jobber & Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). Burberry maintains a product line with great width and scope in which their products fall into two main categories; fashion or continuity. Their fashion products are designed to be responsive to fashion trends and are introduced on a collection to collection basis (Burberry, n.d). Continuity products however have life cycles that are expected to last for a certain time period. Burberry also has 3 primary collections; womenswear, menswear and accessories, with the variety of products they can utilize their product mix greatly. Burberry also has...
Six years after deciding to be an independent public company in late 2000, Coach Inc.’s net sales had grown at a compounded annual rate of 26 percent and the stock price had increased by 1,400 percent due to a strategy keyed to a concept called accessible luxury. Coach crafted the accessible luxury category in women’s handbags and leather accessories by differentiating themselves on price, but matching competitors on styling, quality, and customer service. The accessible luxury strategy mirrors a focus (or market niche) strategy based on low costs. Coach concentrates on a narrow buyer segment and outcompetes rivals by having lower costs than rivals and thus being able to serve niche members at a lower price. Management believed that new products should be based on market research rather than on designers’ instincts. Coach utilized extensive consumer surveys and focus groups to gain insight in the market, and ultimately a competitive advantage over competition. Coach’s $200-$500 handbags appealed to both middle class consumers who now were able to afford a taste of luxury, as well as affluent consumers with the means to spend $2,000 on a handbag on a regular basis.
Fashion is an outlet people use to express themselves. People anxiously wait to see what the next trends are as seasons pass by. We buy anything that doesn’t break a bank, people buy a $10 shirt just because it’s cheap and they might not even wear it, but it’s all right, since it wasn’t expensive. As harmless and normal as that scenario sounds, the fashion industry has created the harmful concept that is “fast fashion”, in which stores sell an abundance of extremely cheap trendy clothing and “where deliveries are small and often, with stock delivered twice a week, for instant-access fashion.” (Cochrane)
Discount Customers: They shop in the stores habitually, however, their choices depend on the range of the discounts.
The act of consumption has been the primary means through which individuals in society participate and transform culture. Culture is not something already made which we consume; culture is what society creates through practices of everyday life and consumption involves the making of culture. When attempting to understand certain acts of consumption it is necessary to observe the relations involved in production and consumption. Through technological innovation, the fashion industry has been expanded to play a prominent role in consumers’ purchasing decisions and styles are becoming less difficult to obtain. With the expansion of department stores and shopping being viewed as a leisurely activity, this has continued to transform the act of fashion consumerism. The functional interests feature a rational attachment to clothing items. Symbolic benefits involve status and prestige to fulfill the achievement for positive self-esteem. Further benefits include a provided experience for the individual consumer and the created use of imagery and desire used to enrich one’s life.
Shopping is something that has to be done whether you enjoy it or not to get essentials needed. We all go places where merchandize is being sold for a specific reason. Whether you go to the mall, shopping centers, or your local grocery store, you 'll always encounter many types of shoppers. Shopping isn’t always as fun as it sounds to everyone, but it is something we often do. This is the only way we get products we need, by personally buying them. You have three main shoppers including impulse buyers, list makers, and bargain hunters.
Everyone likes shopping, but everyone has their own way of spending when they go shopping. I love shopping, but I hate being at the mall, if I don’t need to be there then I won’t be there. I’ve noticed that when I have money, I do not buy anything, and when I do not have money I want everything I see. From my experience I’ve observed that there are people who shop smart, people who are just plain addicted to shopping, people who join another person while shopping, basically called window watchers.