CUSTOMER RESEARCH
• AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 •
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INTRO
Customers are at the very heart of what we do at Warehouse and as the brand gets ready to re-launch; we thought it was time to produce another customer research booklet. This booklet is designed to provide you with an up-to-date insight into the Warehouse customer and how she lives her life; so you can give her the best brand experience possible. We have spoken to over 800 customers and have identified three key groups who shop at Warehouse. Our core customer is a woman called the Urbanite everything that Warehouse do, from design to delivery, is with her fast-paced, urban life in mind. In-store that reflects on styling, visual merchandising and the service she receives. The Urbanite is the most influential of our customer groups, and the other two, the Suburbanite and the Ruralite look up to her for style inspiration. By concentrating our efforts on the Urbanite, we hope to grow our market share.
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CONTENTS
Customer Summary
Page 6
The Urbanite Core Customer
Page 8
The Suburbanite Secondary Customer
Page 12
The Ruralite Tertiary Customer
Page 16
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CUSTOMER SUMMARY
Our customers consist of three main groups, The Urbanite, The Suburbanite and The Ruralite; although separated into different groups, they are all brought together through a love for Warehouse clothing. Our customers appreciate quality clothing and great designs; flexible pieces that take her from the day to night are key and amazing customer service from you is what makes her come back time and time again.
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THE URBANITE PRIMARY CUSTOMER
Warehouse’s core customer, The Urbanite, is the young modern woman aged 18-35 living in the city, trying to juggle work, life and play, whilst still maintaining her desire for fashion. Our collections blend the boundaries between work and play to create a versatile, flexible wardrobe that takes her from desk to bar. The Urbanite doesn’t follow trends, she creates her own, and often visits Zara, ASOS and & Other Stories to find pieces to make her own. Our high fashion pieces appeal to her, and she doesn’t mind paying extra for high quality designs and one-of-a-kind pieces. She accounts for 28% of our customer base, but 64% of 18-35 year olds have shopped at Warehouse; a stronger collection will encourage The Urbanite to become a loyalist.
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KEY PIECES
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The Urbanite is a city worker, most likely to shop alone during the week, she frequents inner-city stores rather than concessions and shopping malls to avoid the weekend rush. She shops at least once a week and browses online daily, with 83% shopping online compared to 73% in-store. She is inspired by websites, magazines and style icons; taking inspiration from Alexa Chung and Elle magazine, with 37% being inspired by blogs and Pinterest. Living with her parents or flatmates, her disposable income is high, she spends about ÂŁ150+ a month on fashion and ÂŁ70 of that in Warehouse. Weekends are for making plans, she loves going out, and can often be found going for food in Shoreditch or visiting the latest exhibit at the V&A.
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THE SUBURBANITE SECONDARY CUSTOMER
Warehouse’s secondary customer, The Suburbanite is the ever-loyal 30-45 year old woman. Previously an Urbanite, she has grown with the brand and now has a family of her own, she is a modern woman and mother trying to juggle family, work and play. She used to create her own trends but she doesn’t have the time or budget to do that now. Instead, she relies on Warehouse to deliver catwalk trends in wearable, flexible pieces that can take her from the playground, to work, to after work drinks. The definitive range and floral prints are popular with the Suburbanite as they give her an outfit ready to wear. Shopping is a social experience, she is most likely to shop at weekends with friends, visiting concessions and stores in shopping malls for convenience. Due to family commitments, her monthly spend isn’t as high, averaging £120 a month, with £66 of that being spent in Warehouse.
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A committed loyalist to Warehouse, she doesn’t shop around for clothes; instead relying on a select few favourites such as Warehouse and Oasis who consistently deliver what she wants. The Suburbanite gets style ideas from magazines, with 93% taking inspiration from publications such as Glamour and Grazia. They also look to celebrities such as Holly Willoughby and their friends for advice, with 64% of customers doing so. She also gets inspiration from staff and visual merchandising in-store, so your uniform styling is key to helping her find the perfect outfit.
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KEY PIECES
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THE RUR ALITE TERTIARY CUSTOMER
Warehouse’s tertiary customer is The Ruralite, the elusive, but just as important modern country lady aged 45 and over. The Ruralite has a longstanding relationship with Warehouse, it is a brand that has seen her through her working and family life, she was a loyal fan when we first opened in 1976, and still shops with us now. She has worked up through her career and has less financial responsibility now her children have grown up. She likes to enjoy the finer things in life, and often goes on weekends away with friends, as well as spending time in the country on walks with her husband and dogs. She needs clothing flexible enough to see her through a multitude of plans, but doesn’t need her clothing to be as flexible.
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KEY PIECES
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The Ruralite loves investing in pieces from Jigsaw, Reiss and Hobbs and is most likely to visit concession stores. She loves Warehouse for those ‘must have’ items- a silk shirt designed by the in-house print team or a soft draped leather jacket. Although not the most frequent customer, she shops instore during the week with friends or her husband, and avoids stores at the weekend in favour of other plans. She loves fashion, but she doesn’t follow trends anymore; instead opting for styles she knows suit her. The Ruralite doesn’t mind paying for quality clothing as long as it suits her lifestyle, spending an average of £150 a month. Aside from getting inspiration from TV shows like Lorraine, she looks to staff in-store for ideas and also takes inspiration from her friends, with 60% of customers preferring to take advice from friends than magazines.
www.warehouse.co.uk