The Quest Report

The Quest: helping shoppers find what they need.

By Chloe Soanes

The!Quest:!How!can!we!help!shoppers!find!the!item!they!are!searching!for?! ! !

Introduction!! !!!!!! !!!!!Over!the!past!10!years,!the!range!of!products!available!to!customers!has!grown! massively.!Especially!with!the!expansion!of!other!channels!such!as!eNcommerce,! consumers!have!more!to!choose!from,!which!may!cause!difficulty!when!finding! exactly!what!they!want.!From!a!business!point!of!view,!this!is!an!important!matter,! as!retailers!are!aiming!to!sell!to!customers!in!order!to!make!a!profit.!Companies! need!to!redirect!their!attention!in!order!to!help!customers!locate!the!products!that! they!want,!for!a!price!that!suits!them.!Since!this!generation!wants!the!world!at!their! fingertips,!there!has!been!much!more!of!a!demand!for!Personal!Shoppers!and!online!

Personal!Stylists.!This!is!a!step!toward!helping!customers!to!find!the!items!that!they! need.!The!fashion!world!moves!at!such!a!fast!pace,!consumers!need!to!be!constantly! aware!of!new!items!in!order!to!keep!up!with!the!latest!trends.!This!may!be!why!the! demand!for!assisting!shoppers!to!find!what!they!are!searching!for!is!so!high.!

Department!stores!are!one!of!the!main!destinations!for!shoppers!as!everything!is! housed!under!one!roof!in!one!place.!This!report!will!investigate!how!by!paying! particular!attention!to!department!store!House!of!Fraser,!and!other!competing! department!stores,!more!can!be!done!to!discover!how!companies!can!aid!consumers! into!finding!the!perfect!product!and!multiplying!sales.! ! !

Methodology!! ! !!!!!In!order!to!discover!what!House!of!Fraser!could!do!better!to!help!shoppers!on! ‘The!Quest’,!primary!research!will!be!conducted!to!gain!information!on!the!target! market.!Two!interviews!will!be!carried!out,!one!with!a!female!in!the!16N24!age! bracket,!and!another!female!within!the!45N55!age!bracket.!Questionnaires!will!also! be!conducted,!using!the!general!public!with!an!opportunity!sample.!With!the!aim!of!

30!responses,!this!will!gather!a!general!consensus!of!how!people!rate!the!experience! of!shopping!within!department!stores,!and!how!easy!they!find!it!to!locate!things! they!require!and!desire.!Observations!carried!out!by!the!author!who!is!employed!by!

House!of!Fraser!will!also!be!used!in!order!to!decipher!whether!people!find!it!easy!to! navigate!throughout!the!store!and!how!many!times!customers!ask!for!directions!or! require!pointing!toward!where!they!want!to!be.!Information!that!has!been!gathered! whilst!working!within!House!of!Fraser!will!be!an!essential!form!of!research!for!this! report,!as!it!will!highlight!how!House!of!Fraser!already!assists!customers!on!The! Quest.!Mintel!will!also!be!used!to!gather!secondary!data!about!how!well!House!of!

Fraser!caters!to!its!target!market!and!what!different!demographics!find!important!in! how!a!department!store!operates.!Graphs!and!charts!sourced!from!Mintel!will!also! help!illustrate!the!areas!that!House!of!Fraser!could!improve!on!and!how!it!differs! from!its!opponents.!Other!research!from!external!sources!such!as!the!web!and! journals!will!also!be!used.!House!of!Fraser’s!webpage!will!also!be!a!useful!source!of! secondary!data.!! !

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Questionnaire!Analysis!! ! !!!!!When!questionnaires!were!distributed!(See!Appendix!1),!it!was!found!that!81.82%! of!the!33!who!answered!preferred!to!shop!in!single!shops!rather!than!department! stores.!Reasons!for!this!could!be!vast,!as!all!customers!are!looking!for!something! different!within!their!retail!experience.!Primary!research!conducted!through! questionnaires!also!found!that!57.58%!of!the!33!who!answered!would!like!for! department!stores!to!have!maps!or!location!guides!to!help!them!find!their!way! around!the!store.!(See!Appendix!2)!Within!most!House!of!Fraser!stores,!there!is!a! floor!guide!next!to!the!escalator,!which!gives!a!vague!idea!as!to!what!is!on!each! floor.!i.e.!Menswear!&!Home!!N!Level!1.!However!it!does!not!have!a!clear!detailed! map!of!where!each!concession!sits!within!the!layout.!This!may!be!helpful!for!both! staff!and!customers!as!it!helps!them!locate!the!concession!they!are!looking!for!and! limits!the!time!they!are!spending!struggling!to!find!what!they!want.! !!!!!! !

Interview!Analysis!(45N55)! ! !!!!!When!conducting!an!interview!in!order!to!gain!opinions!from!the!45N55!age! bracket,!it!was!also!agreed!that!single!shops!were!better!than!department!stores! because!“you!receive!a!more!personal!service.!!You!can!never!find!a!member!of!staff! in!a!large!department!store.”(See!Appendix!3)!This!is!something!that!House!of!Fraser! also!works!on,!by!aiming!to!deliver!‘sensational!service’!to!its!customers!by!providing! training!sessions!for!staff!members.!Customers!find!it!easier!to!shop!if!an!assistant!is! willing!to!help!rather!than!having!a!“can’t!be!bothered!attitude”.!If!staff!are!willing!to! help!struggling!customers!or!check!stock!levels,!customers!feel!like!time!is!being! invested!in!them!and!therefore!more!likely!to!buy!and!return.!What!the!interview! also!uncovered!was!that!customers!may!also!“shop!when!I!need!a!specific!item! only.!!I!will!check!online!first!to!see!whether!the!store!stocks!what!I!actually!need.”!If! all!retailers!were!to!create!an!online!stock!checker!for!customers!this!may!benefit! them!massively!as!customers!will!be!happier!with!the!service!if!they!know!that!the! product!can!be!purchased!within!the!store.!If!it!cannot,!customers!can!then!order! from!the!website!in!the!comfort!of!their!own!home.!! !!!!!! !

Interview!Analysis!(16N24)!! !

In!order!to!gain!an!additional!opinion,!an!interview!was!also!carried!out!with!a! female!within!the!16N24!age!bracket.!When!questioning!whether!department!stores! were!easy!negotiate!around,!the!opinion!again!opposed!the!questionnaires,!as!the! interviewee!stated,!“It!depends!which!department!store,!for!example!House!of!

Fraser!and!Debenhams,!yes.”!(See!Appendix!4)!Both!interviewees!shared!the!same! opinion,!as!they!both!preferred!single!shops!to!department!stores!as!“I!feel! department!stores!are!aimed!at!a!slightly!more!mature!and!up!market!consumer.”!–!

This!viewpoint!also!contrasts!Mintel,!as!House!of!Fraser’s!market!is!supposed!to!be! aimed!toward!under!35’s.!This!may!mean!that!their!marketing!strategies!are!not!

connecting!with!their!target!market,!which!could!be!why!observation!found!that!it!is! the!older!demographic!which!tend!to!shop!within!House!of!Fraser.!! !

Observation!Analysis!! ! !!!!!An!observation!was!carried!out!within!a!6Nhour!period!to!assess!how!often! customers!asked!for!directions!or!required!assistance!locating!somewhere!when! walking!between!Pied!a!Terre!and!Biba!concessions!within!House!of!Fraser!

Gateshead.!Within!the!observation!period!between!9:00am!and!3:00pm,!8! people/groups!required!instruction!to!locate!what!they!were!searching!for.!Most! frequent!questions!were!for!the!escalators!toward!menswear!and!home!sections.!

(See!Appendix!5).!By!assessing!how!many!people!directly!approached!the!author! rather!than!being!asked!does!not!show!how!many!people!required!assistance,!as! many!others!may!also!need!help!locating!where!they!need,!but!are!too!afraid!to!ask.!

This!is!another!reason!why!maps!would!be!a!good!idea!because!customers!don’t! always!want!to!interact!with!staff!members.!As!the!customers!who!have!been! observed!shopping!within!House!of!Fraser!appear!to!be!older!than!the!target! market,!House!of!Fraser!may!wish!to!tie!likeNminded!brands!together.!This!may! include!adjusting!the!layout!to!bring!current!cosmetic!brands!and!young!fashion! brands!together,!such!as!MAC!Cosmetics!with!Yumi!and!Miss!Selfridge.!This!may! attract!younger!consumers!to!House!of!Fraser,!resulting!in!multiple!purchases.!

Customers!within!House!of!Fraser!cannot!currently!return!items!to!store!that!have! been!bought!via!PayPal,!which!cause!annoyance!for!some!customers,!as!they!have!to! then!return!the!product!through!the!post.!House!of!Fraser!could!therefore!change! their!refund!policy!to!accept!PayPal!refunds!to!increase!the!customer!service!aspect! of!the!company.!! ! !

Secondary!Research!Analysis!!! ! !!!!!Research!on!Mintel!found!that!House!of!Fraser,!“given!its!young!customer!base! skewed!towards!underN35s,!it!is!important!for!it!to!continue!to!focus!on!new!and! updated!online!services.”!(Mintel,!2014).!However,!through!observation!it!was! concluded!that!the!general!age!of!the!people!who!regularly!shop!within!House!of!

Fraser!were!between!the!estimated!ages!of!30N75.!(See!Appendix!5)!House!of!Fraser! operates!a!Buy!and!Collect!system,!where!customers!can!purchase!online!and!in! store,!and!if!ordered!before!10pm,!they!can!gain!free!next!day!delivery!to!a!store!of! their!choice.!This!motivates!customers!to!shop!within!House!of!Fraser!as!even!if!their! size!is!not!in!stock,!staff!members!can!use!M@te!stock!systems!to!locate!one!on!the! web,!which!can!then!be!collected!in!less!than!24!hours.!By!using!technology!such!as! this!and!offering!fast!delivery,!it!helps!customers!with!‘The!Quest’!as!it!offers!the! opportunity!to!purchase!items!they!may!not!have!originally!bought!if!delivery!was!3N 5!days!and!costly.!This!is!true!even!more!so!if!they!decided!not!to!pursue!the!item!if! it!was!not!in!stock!in!store.!Therefore!increased!access!to!technology!definitely! assists!customers,!especially!since!they!can!gain!access!to!their!desired!garments! within!a!short!time!scale.!Other!Mintel!graphs!which!showed!the!results!of! questionnaires!with!16N24!year!olds.!Out!of!1,168!people,!12%!said!that!personal!

shoppers!would!encourage!them!to!shop!within!department!stores!over! independent!retailers,!and!another!15%!said!that!ENsizing!technology!within!fitting! rooms!to!help!gain!the!perfect!fit!would!also!inspire!them!to!convert!to!department! stores.!(See!Appendix!6)!! !

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(Fig1)! !

By!gaining!these!statistics,!department!stores!could!implement!those!ideas!because! it!again!helps!customers!on!‘The!Quest’!and!assists!them!in!finding!the!perfect! product!that!they!wish!to!own.!Not!many!customers!understand!their!body!type,! and!therefore!need!help!when!selecting!garments!which!best!flatter!their!figure.!

Stores!like!Selfridges!(See!Appendix!7)!have!already!applied!this!technology!within! their!changing!rooms,!by!building!the!‘Fantasy!Mirror’!with!fantastic!results.! !

(Fig!2)! !!

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Recommendations!! ! !!!!!By!gaining!research!from!various!sources,!the!results!seemed!to!coincide!with! each!other!and!provide!multiple!ideas!for!improvement.!In!terms!of!assisting! customers!with!directions,!implementing!maps!and!more!detailed!store!guides! would!definitely!benefit!customers!and!help!them!locate!departments! independently.!If!House!of!Fraser’s!target!market!individuals!aged!35!and!under,! better!marketing!and!visual!merchandising!tactics!may!need!to!be!enforced,!such!as! using!younger!people!within!advertisements!and!raising!awareness!of!the!younger! brands!that!are!within!the!stores.!Such!as!the!likes!of!Miss!Selfridge,!Quiz!and!

Mango,!who’s!target!age!range!is!much!younger!than!Hobbs,!Phase!Eight!and!Coast.!

As!House!of!Fraser!already!allows!customers!to!check!the!stock!of!items!within!store,! it!may!be!ideal!to!make!the!stock!checker!more!precise,!and!also!list!if!items!are!an! online!exclusive!or!not!to!ensure!customers!aren’t!disappointed!if!they!come!in!to! store!to!discover!it!is!not!available.!Within!secondary!research!and!interviews,!it!was! also!uncovered!that!there!is!not!very!many!staff!available!within!department!stores,! with!increased!queue!times!(See!Appendix!8)!and!inability!to!locate!staff,!therefore!

House!of!Fraser!and!other!department!stores!could!employ!further!staff!to!assist! customers.!! ! !

Conclusion!! ! !!!!!After!analysing!the!results!of!the!research!gathered,!it!has!been!concluded!that! customers!prefer!to!shop!online!for!their!clothes!to!gain!ideas,!and!then!view!them! in!store!to!ensure!that!the!clothes!fit!before!purchasing.!The!most!significant!way! customers!can!be!assisted!in!‘The!Quest’!for!finding!the!perfect!fit!by!bringing!in! online!stock!checkers!like!seen!in!Topshop!and!House!of!Fraser.!This!way,!if!they! particularly!like!an!item,!it!can!be!viewed!first!hand!in!stores.!Due!to!the!inclusion!of! concessions,!department!stores!have!a!larger!floor!plan!and!are!harder!to!negotiate! around;!therefore!floor!maps!are!also!another!way!to!directly!aid!customers!with!

The!Quest.!Although!the!shopping!experience!has!grown!and!progressed!over!the! years,!it!is!in!no!way!perfect.!By!analysing!market!research!and!responding!to!the! needs!and!wants!of!consumers,!retailers!will!eventually!be!able!to!please!customers! on!all!levels!of!the!shopping!experience!as!well!as!helping!them!find!exactly!what! they!are!searching!for.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Bibliography!! !

Mintel!(2014)!The$Consumer$–$Levels$of$Satisfaction$with$Department$Stores.!

Available!at:!http://academic.mintel.com/display/702550/!(Accessed:!23rd!

November!2014).!

Mintel!(2014)!The$Consumer$–$Most$Important$Factors$When$Shopping$In>Store!

Available!at:!http://academic.mintel.com/display/704975/!(Accessed:!17!October!

2014).!! !

Fig!1!N!Mintel!(2014)!Next$most$popular$what$would$encourage$them$to$shop$more$at$ a$department$store$by$demographics![Table].!Available!at:!URL!(Accessed:!20!

November!2014).!

Fig!2!N!Shine!Squad!(2012)!Fantasy$Mirror![Image].!Available!at:! http://shinesquad.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/selfridgesNshopNwindowNpressN reflection.jpg!(Accessed:!29!November!2014).!