RETAIL BRAND IDENTITY COMPANY OVERVIEW Natalie Massenet founded NET-A-PORTER in June 2000 and and has since successfully established itself as the world’s premier luxury online fashion retailer. Its editorial format, express worldwide shipping to 170 countries, luxurious packaging and easy returns, offers a shopping experience like no other online retailer. NET-A-PORTER.COM is the flagship brand from the NET-A-PORTER group. TheOutnet.com is also under the NET-A-PORTER group and it is considered the most fashionable fashion outlet. MRPORTER.COM is the global men’s style destination online. TheOutnet.com is the most fashionable fashion outlet. Since it was launch in April 2009, theOutnet has quickly established itself as the chic, go-to destination for the global, style-conscious shopper looking for the best designer brands at a great discount price. MR PORTER is dedicated to men’s wear s and it is the first global shopping destination of its kind. MR PORTER launched in January 2011 and offers an edited product selection of the best in men’s style, from global designer labels to niche specialist brands alongside original editorial and style advice.
BRAND MISSION NET-A-PORTER is an award-winning website that allows style-savvy online customer’s unrivaled access to the world’s leading designers most recent collections through express delivery. The website features over 300 hundred designers and it is known as the world’s premier online luxury fashion retailer. *Mission Statement: We aim to exceed customer expectations at every stage of the online shopping process through our worldwide express delivery, luxurious packaging, and unparalleled customer service.
CORE VALUES -
Be the best Lead not follow Exceed expectations Smart and stylish Service starts with yourself
SCOPE & SIZE OF THE BUSINESS NET-A-PORTER LLC is a limited liability company registered in the State of New York. It runs three offices in London and New York. There count with two distribution centers, one located in London and another one in New York City. The company employees over 800 people between their three locations. NET-A-PORTER.COM is viewed by over 2.5 million women each month and over 3.6 million women log on to read the online magazine, The Edit. 97% of their customers are females and their top customers are fron the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States. The company offers an affiliate program that provides websites with the opportunity to advertise NET-APORTER and earn commission when their visitors buy off the site. They have to apply and be invited to become an affiliate. Once accepted they can earn up to 6% commission on net sales (excluding shipping, taxes, and returns). The company’s profits at the end of the year ending March 31, 2012 were more than $1.2 billion.
NET-A-PORTER Group new office in London, UK.
TARGET CUSTOMER -
20-50 years old women College or graduate school level education Busy successful businesswomen “Cash rich, time poor� Luxury buyers Social media users High interest in the latest fashion trends Willing to pay high prices for designer labels
*TOP CUSTOMERS: - United Kingdom - Japan - United States
COMPETITORS *GILT GROUPE Gilt is a members only online retailer. The appeal to Gilt is the huge discounts that it offers its members. The NET-A-PORTER customer can afford full priced merchandise but Gilt’s main appeal is its exclusivity. Their products are put on the site and then given a specific time frame for discounts to take place. It entices the shopper to act now or lose out. Its technique makes the shopper feel like they are getting a one of a kind deal on unique and high-end name brand products. Their site also offers a stylefile that gives their customer’s insight on stylish new trends and style advice. They are appealing because most of their sales items are new products from top designers that are at a discount, so customers are not normally getting last seasons designs. They also try to offer deals on new up and coming designers that are on the rise.
*BLUEFLY Bluefly is an online retail site that offers its customers designer fashions. The designers its site includes are Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Balenciaga, Fendi, Calvin Klein, and Yves Saint Laurent. Bluefly’s biggest attraction to its customer’s is its discount section that offers great deals on top designer products. They also cater to smaller boutiques that have up and coming designers being sold. They also have a sister site called Belle & Clive that is much like Gilt. It offers members only huge discounts on select designers. The NET-A-PORTER customer definitely would find appeal in Bluefly because of their wide selection of high-end designers. However, some of their merchandise is at a discount because it may be last season’s looks and that is not something that the NET-A-PORTER customer is looking for. NET-A-PORTER also has an upper hand because of their weekly magazine that offers fashion inspiration, trends, and styling advice.
*MYTHERESA Mytheresa.com is an online retailer that offers its customers top luxury designers collections. They are very similar to NET-A-PORTER because they only sell high-end luxury name brand fashion. Some of the designers they offer on their site are Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Emilio Pucci, Alexander McQueen, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, and Jimmy Choo. They pride themselves on offering luxury designers and superior service, much like Net-A-Porter. Their site does offer styling tips, fashion advice and worldwide express shipping, however they do not have an online magazine as a venue for these things. The NET-A-PORTER customer would definitely be interested in shopping here because of the designers offered and the company’s push towards exceptional service. Mytheresa.com could be considered as one of NET-A-PORTER’s leading competitors.
TRENDS *C O L L A B O R A T I O N Luxury lines have earned their prestige from utilizing the highest quality materials, the finest fabrics, the care to detail, and pushing boundaries so nowadays it is becoming a major trend to collaborate with those high end designers and other artists in order to create innovative products that will become highly desirable and will have a hype factor for them as a result of customer’s accesibility to the products.
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Missoni for Converse Mary Katrantzou for Current Elliot Bernard Wilhelm for Mykita Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton
*C R A F T Crafting has become a trend not only in fashion but also culturally. This trend highlights the demonstration of the value of traditional and artisan skills. Crafted products offer an authentic and personal touch that gives a sense of uniqueness to the products, making them not only more exclussive but also desirable. These products also have a lasting value and a story to tell so the customer can become sort of attached to the history and overall experience of acquiring such products.
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Alexander McQueen clutch Christian Louboutin beaded detail Mary Katrantzou pencils skirt Christian Louboutin beaded pumps
*I N D I V I D U A L I Z A T I O N Individualization is the shift from more collectivist societal norms to more individualist ones. This trend moves beyond customization of products. By this individualist tendency, customers are looking for unique and exclussive products that only them or a very small group of people have access to. This trend also relies on the personalization of services. Customer experience is very important so enhancing it in any way possible is always a plus and almost a must.
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1. Smithsonian notebook form NET-A-PORTER to blogger Leandra Medine (The Man Repeller) 2. Leica for Hermes camera (one of 100 for $50,000) 3. Nike City Pack Sky High sneakers sold first in each city’s Nike’s store
POP-UP SHOP RATIONALE The key objective behind our NET-A-PORTER pop up shop is to create a bigger need for NET-A-PORTER in the retail world, show consumers how unique Net-A-Porter is, broaden the Net-A-Porter brand, and to bring in new customers. Through a pop-up shop it will help us show our customers in person how essential it is to shop NET-A-PORTER and prove that it is the leading fashion style guru site that will help you dress and style in only the best. We know that our site is top of the line in the retail world, but we want our customers to have a one-of-a-kind physical experience with the NET-A-PORTER fashion stylists and products. We hope that through doing this it will make more people aware of NET-A-PORTER, it will bring more business form our already loyal customers, it will spread the word of our expertise in the retail world, and it will build our site into an even larger base for online shopping. The pop-up shop will last 3 days during all four fashion weeks. It will be an exclusive boutique for invitation only customers that will display one-of-a-kind collections from our selected designers and will allow you to have the ultimate NET-A-PORTER experience. You will be able to purchase accessories like handbags, sunglasses, jewelry, and shoes right there in the shop, while clothing will be available to view and try on and then can be purchased through ipads online. It will be the best of both worlds, combining take home retail and online retail. The pop up shop will be advertised through the online website, through invitations and flyers sent in the mail, and through online promotional e-mails. We want the pop up shop to be invitation only so that we can limit the amount of people coming in and out of the shop and so that we can make sure that our top customers are sure to have the ultimate experience. We also will select specific designers that are being sold in the pop up shop to be invited as well as other top names in the industry that will be attending fashion week. Some new customers to our site that seem promising sell wise will be exclusively invited in order to show them exactly what NET-A-PORTER is all about. We feel that this pop up shop will push the NET-A-PORTER brand further and prove how professional and knowledgeable our team is of the fashion world. We also feel that this event could bring in new customers that will be attending fashion and have not had the opportunity to explore and buy from the site. We will be providing ipads that will allow visitors to access the site and experience our unique shopping experience. And since we are an online only store, this will be a great opportunity to allow customers to meet the leaders at NET-A-PORTER that help them online daily. DESIGNERS Alexander McQueen Acne Alaia Aurelie Bidermann Balmain Brian Atwood Burberry Prorsum Carven Charlotte Olympia ChloĂŠ
Christian Louboutin Christopher Kane Comee des Garcons Dolce & Gabbana Diane Von Furstenberg Emilio Pucci Eugenia Kim Giuseppe Zanotti Givenchy Gucci
Herve Leger Illesteva Isabel Marant Jimmy Choo Karl Kenzo Lanvin Maison Martin Margiela Marni Mary Katrantzou
Missoni Miu Miu Moschino Nicholas Kirkwood Piere Hardy Prada Proenza Schouler Rick Owens Saint Laurent Stella McCartney
The Row Tom Binns Valentino Versace
POP-UP SHOP LOCATION The best place for our pop-up shop will be in an art gallery during fashion week. To make it as exclusive as possible we will only be opening the event for a couple of hours during three days of fashion week in each city (New York, London, Milan, Paris). This will help ensure our guests that this is a must attend event. The art gallery setting will set the tone that these fashion pieces are iconic pieces of art work that stand out from the rest. The pieces that we will be show casing are pieces that will go down in history as signature pieces from the designer, and must have pieces for fashion collectors everywhere, exclusive to NET-A-PORTER.
FASHION WEEK
New York, NY
London, UK
Milan, IT
Paris, FR
DESIGNERS BY CITY FEATURED DESIGNERS -Charlotte Olympia -Eugenia Kim -Illesteva -Rick Owens -The Row New York, NY FEATURED DESIGNERS -Christopher Kane -Illesteva -Mary Katrantzou -Stella McCartney -Tom Binns London, UK FEATURED DESIGNERS -Carven -Illesteva -Emilio Pucci -Missoni -Versace Milan, IT
FEATURED DESIGNERS -Illesteva -Karl (Karl Lagerfeld line sold exclussively at NET-A-PORTER) -Kenzo -Piere Hardy -Saint Laurent Paris, FR
LAYOUT The layout of the gallery will be as an opening to an art show, very clean and modern. There will be plenty of room for the guests to mingle and interact with the “art� or pieces from the collection. The event will no dubitably be after the runways of the day, so it will be important for this setting to be very social. The layout will have to be comfortably spacious and interactive. The use of projections and iPads will set the stage for NET-A-PORTER, by making the scene very virtual and interactive as well as elegant and modern.
AMBIANCE Ambiance will be key for the success of the pop up shop. The guest that will be attending will expect the space to have as much ambiance as the runway shows they will be experiencing at fashion week, but it will need to be closely tied into the NET-A-PORTER experience as well, the best way to present this will be to take the inspiration from the office building in London. The space will need to feel very luxurious, modern, high class, exclusive and fashion forward. The art gallery setting will add to the ambience but the lighting fixtures, seating, display cases, and dish wears will have to highlight this as well. Everything will be in black and white as in the London office, as well as leather chairs and couches. Food and beverages being served will have to reflect the feeling of luxury, with champagne, and fine hor d’oeuvres, such as caviar, pâté, and others. There will be a full bar, as well as full service from a catering company. Although there will not be a dress code for our guests the pop up shop will be decorated and served in the style of a black tie event. There will be music provided by a DJ, playing hip, modern, and chic music, not over powering as in a nightclub, but just to create a feeling of an exclusive event.
EXPERIENCE NET-A-PORTER makes their customers feel special with things like expert styling advice and gift-wrapped packaging, it will be important to extend that feeling in the pop up shop. The event will be invite only and will be like a fashion show after party. The guests will receive expert service, free food and drinks, a look at the exclusive collection with a chance to buy right there on the iPads, the ability to touch and feel the pieces, and gift bag that include things like NET-A-PORTER’s new print magazine and small free gift, such as sunglasses or other small accessories. The press will be kept out from inside the event, but encouraged outside on the way in so that our guests get the recognition they deserve, as if it was a red carpet event. The pop up shop will reflect best on NET-A-PORTER if the event is as fun as it is classy, so although it will feel luxurious, the interactions will also be casual.
PRODUCTS The idea behind the pop up shop is that this collection that is exclusive to NET-A-PORTER, but also that they are all iconic or future iconic pieces. For the shop to be successful it will be most important for the pop up shop to display this visually. That is why the art gallery setting is the best setting for this, but also displaying the pieces as if they were works of fine art will also secure them as feeling as important as they are. Displaying them hanging either in gilded frames, or sleek cases with direct lighting on them will make them stand out in the dimly lit room. The products will be available to touch and feel so that the customers can fully understand the quality of the merchandise. ALAIA
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
AURELIE BIDERMANN
ACNE
BURBERRY PRORSUM
CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
EMILIO PUCCI
EUGENIA KIM
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
GIVENCHY
MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA
MISSONI
MARY KAREANTZOU
RICK OWENS
PROENZA SCHOULER
THE ROW
VALENTINO
VERSACE
MARKETING STRATEGY ATENTTION & AWARENESS: Attraction will be the most important part of the marketing strategy for the pop up shop. The guest that we invite must feel like this event is a must-attend event, above all the other opportunities that they will have during fashion week. Making the guest list exclusive and having designers and celebrities there will help make it a worth while event alone, but also the exclusivity and luxurious setting and products will make it a priority for most. The press will also be involved in gaining attention, although they will not be allowed inside the event, having press outside will make it almost a red carpet event. Advertising it on the website will also gain attention from the NET-A-PORTER customers, and having the event during fashion week will have all the luxury customers attention. The shop will also be run in the magazine for several months. When contacting the designers to make their signature pieces for the collection, it will also be understood that they will need to make an appearance at the event of the city that they are showing in. having the designers there will show how closely NET-A-PORTER works with them, and gives the guests the ability to interact with them. Celebrities on the guest list will make our other guest invites more likely to feel the need that they must attend, so that they can get some of the same publicity and again interact with them as well as the designers.