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CONT ENTS
Page 3 Introduction 4 People 6 Place 8 Product 10
Price
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Physical environment
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Promotion
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Process
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References
19 List of illustrations
INTRO DUCT ION The following report will discuss Topman’s marketing strategies, using the 7 ps of of the ‘marketing mix’. Areas such as target audience, social media, and promotion strategies are discussed.
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PEO PLE “A definitive Topman customer is hard to pin down, it’s a pretty diverse crowd…” (Topman, 2017)
Topman promotes a selection of brands within their stores and online. These brands include Converse, Fred Perry, Levi’s, and Tommy Hilfiger. There are a total of 51 additional brands promoted. This does not include Topman’s in-house additional collections. This may reflect the store’s eclectic customer base. Segments of this customer base include the trend conscious customer, who are looking for the most fashion forward pieces, the customers who want essential basics, and subcultural groups. Philip Green is the chief executive of Arcadia, the retail group which includes Topman. Since buying the high street chain in 2002, Philip Green has expanded product offerings and built numerous flagship stores (BoF, 2017). Topman’s competitors include River Island, New Look, and H&M. Due to the launch of online menswear brand boohooMAN in 2013, it could be argued that this brand also poses a threat to Topman’s sales. Topman currently quotes their online sales as 500,000. An article regarding boohooMAN’s recent capsule collection specifies that online visitors hit 500,000 in December 2016 (Holmes, 2017). During a recent Topman Design catwalk show, Lennon Gallagher, son of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, made his debut. Due to the connections with the indie band Oasis, this may reflect Topman’s desire to appeal to the indie fanbase. It may also be noted that the music magazine NME is sold within Topman stores. For their Christmas 2016 campaign, Topman employed Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy to direct. The designer also photographed the season’s lookbook.
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PLACE
At the time of this report, Topman had opened 154 bricks and mortar stores across 31 international countries. One of these countries includes America, where Nordstrom also houses the brand, both online and in-store. Nordstrom imports Topman designs from the UK, and the higher price point reflects this. In addition, there are 250 Topman stores across the UK. The stores are located in large towns and cities, such as London, Leeds, Manchester, Brighton and Liverpool. The brand is housed within stand-alone stores, as well as shopping centres. One example of a shopping centre featuring the brand is Westfield London, where fast-fashion brands and luxury brands, such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton, are housed under one roof. The brand’s flagship store is located on Oxford Street, arguably the shopping capital of London. Topman shares the space with its sister brand, Topshop. The building occupies 6 floors in total. Floors 4-6 house Topman, with the 6th floor dedicated to Johnny’s Chop Shop, and personal shopping. A real-view layout plan of Topman Oxford Street can be seen on their website. This enables customers to view each floor, and potentially plan their visit beforehand. Topman can be found online at www.topman.com. Customers are able to purchase online and the brand ships to across the world to countries including the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, Thailand and Singapore. In 2011, the brand opened a concept store, Topman General Store, in Shoreditch, east London. The store is set over 2 floors, and also houses a coffee bar. The General Store stocks an edit of Topman’s own brand, as well as a selection of additional brands and seasonal collaborations that are unique to the store.
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PROD UCT
Topman’s main collection includes clothing, accessories and footwear. The brand is trend-led, and hundreds of products are launched every week. Products include those suitable for both casual and smart wear. In additional to the Topman labelled designs, the brand stocks a range of alternative in-house collections. These include: Design – a distinct premium collection, showcased during London Collections: Men. Lux – modern, forward-thinking menswear that pushes the boundaries LTD – simple and clean Scandinavian-inspired designs Premium – smart and casual pieces, constructed in first-class materials AAA – NYC designed streetwear luxe label The brand’s flagship store at Oxford Street offers additional products and services. The 6th floor of the building houses a personal shopping service. There are currently three packages on offer: Express, which is a 30-minute appointment; Edit, a 1-hour style update, and Experience, which offers 2 hours of personal shopping experience. Both the Birmingham Bullring and Brighton stores also offer a personal shopping experience. A Topman Stylist Service is offered at Manchester Arndale, Leeds Trinity and Westfield White City. To coincide with personal shopping at London Oxford Street is Johnny’s Chop Shop, a retro-style barbershop. Services on offer include a haircut for £26, buzzcut for £15, a shave for £26, and a beard trim for £15. Topman, Oxford Street stocks a collection of handpicked vintage pieces. This collection could represent the customers’ increasing interest in vintage-wear.
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PRICE “The brand’s attitude to creating brilliant, affordable… menswear is second to none.” (Topman, 2017)
Topman’s price point could be seen to reflect the competitive fast-fashion market. This can be observed when comparing Topman to River Island, for example. A pair of ‘mid wash blue, standard fit jeans’ from Topman cost £38, or £34.20 with student discount (Topman, 2017). A similar pair of jeans described as ‘mid wash Dean straight jeans’ are priced at £45 at River Island (River Island, 2017). The brand’s website stocks a constant offer of sale and clearance items. The prices seen on the website can be seen to reflect a continued competitive edge. At the time of this report, an ‘off white cropped denim parka’ was on sale at £20. The original price was stated at £65. Additional special offers such as t-shirts and vests at 2 for £12, and socks at 3 pairs for £7 can be found. A higher price point is observed in the LUX, Limited, Premium, and AAA collections. A comparison can be seen in the following examples: Topman Premium burgundy slim fit t-shirt - £18 Standard red slim fit t-shirt - £7, or 2 for £12 At the time of this report, Topman were offering a free beanie style hat when customers spent over £60 online. It could be argued that Topman’s desire to create ongoing sales and offers is a marketing strategy to appeal to a target audience on a lower income, such as students.
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PHYSI CAL ENVIR ONME NT
Using the Oxford Street store as an example, the following observations can be made: The main entrance of the store is step-free, which allows for wheelchair access. Access to all floors is via both lift and escalator. The lighting is ample and allows easy vision of the merchandise. This specific store displays an industrial feel, with fixtures and fittings visible. Each section is signed clearly, and the flooring changes colour, which further enhances the section change. The colours are, in majority, kept to black and white, in keeping with the brand’s logo. Some parts of the store are enhanced with colour such as green. The store displays mirrors on various pillars throughout the two levels, allowing customers to try on a selection of garments without visiting the store’s changing rooms. In contrast to the Oxford Street branch of Topman, the specialist General Store has been designed using a vintage atmosphere. Exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floorboards and mismatched shelving units are featured. This may be a strategy employed by Topman to appeal to a new customer base. The brand’s website displays a clear and simple layout, with the black and white colour scheme carried on throughout. The initial categories that can be chosen from the home page are new in, clothing, suits, shoes and accessories, brands, clearance, and style & stuff. Each category displays quick shortcuts to parts the website. For example, when clicking on the clearance category, it is possible to choose a specific size instantly. The colour blue is used on the homepage to highlight certain offers, such as free express delivery. There is a search option, allowing users to search for a specific garment, brand or collection. Product information is listed for each item. This includes the fit of the item, any extra design features, and the item’s material composition.
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PROM OTION
Topman is featured as product placement in magazines such as Esquire UK, and NME. For example, a pair of blue distressed denim jeans, priced at £45, was featured in the January/ February 2017 edition of Esquire. As the jeans were featured amongst items of a higher price point, this represent Topman trying to reach out to a more affluent target audience. A Topman garment was also displayed in an NME magazine article in December 2016. The item featured was a ‘hoodie’, priced at £35. Topman promotes itself on various social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The brand’s Twitter page had 113,000 followers at the time of this report. In comparison, boohooMAN’s Twitter account had 39,900 followers. This may represent Topman’s strong social media following. The brand utilises YouTube as an alternative approach to social media promotion. The channel is updated less frequently than the Twitter account, however, the brand has collaborated with artists such as filmmaker Dexter Navy to produce short films. Additionally, the channel showcases Topman’s catwalk collections. In 2016, Topman sponsored Sounds of Summer, an evening of live bands at Hoxton Square, London. The evening featured acts such as British indie band, Blossoms. In addition to Topman featuring in music magazine NME, this event sponsorship could represent Topman’s desire to appeal to music subculture fashion. During December 2016, Topman offered denim customisation in selected stores. Customers could spend £40 at a specific day and time, and were then able to receive denim customisation by a local tattoo artist. This collaboration may indicate Topman’s strategy to embrace the rising popularity in tattoos, and garment customisation. This may also represent an additional market segment no yet mentioned in this report. As each Arcadia brand works in partnership with a charity of their choice, Topman has chosen to concentrate on raising awareness for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a charity that aims to prevent suicide in young men. Topman states that it chose CALM as it is a “…current and modest charity, well aligned to the customer base and their social circles” (Topman 2017). This collaboration works to promote both the brand and the charity.
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PROC ESS
In terms of the process of transporting their apparel, Arcadia has stated that “Wherever possible, we seek to minimise the impacts of transporting products, especially as our global reach as a retailer starts to grow” (Arcadia Group Limited, 2017). The brand has also indicated that they have reduced what they deem unnecessary shipping of their goods between source and point of sale. Additionally, Topman plans to further reduce their mileage, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions (Arcadia, 2017). Customers are able to purchase Topman items at one of over 250 UK retail stores. To purchase an item online, UK customers are able to use the brand’s official website, www.topman.com. The website has also been adapted for use on smart phones and tablets, and the brand has also launched a free app. If users sign up to Topman’s online newsletter, they are able to receive 10% of their first order. Additionally, customers are notified of the latest trends, special offers and promotions. After online purchase, company Hermes are employed to deliver the customer’s items. Customers are able to track their order using a unique tracking number provided in their confirmation email. A range of delivery options is offered. Standard delivery is free for purchases over £50, and can take up to four working days to arrive. An express delivery option is also offered at £6. This means that the customer can receive their item the next day if they order by 9pm.
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REFER ENCES
Arcadia (2017) Our brands. Retrieved from https://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/about-us/our-brands/topman Arcadia (2017). Retrieved from https://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/fashionfootprint/our-communities/charities-community Arcadia (2017). Retrieved from https://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/fashionfootprint/our-environment/transport Business of Fashion (2017). Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/philip-green CALM (2017). Retrieved from https://www.thecalmzone.net/sponsors/topman/ Holmes, L. (2017, 26 January). Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/boohoo-man-capsule-collection-men-style-menswear-website-urban-culture-minimalism-fashion-a7547486.html Stansfield, T. (2016). Gosha Rubchinskiy lenses Topman’s new campaign. Retrieved from http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/33430/1/gosha-rubchinskiy-lenses-topman-s-new-campaign Stansfield, T. (2017). The son of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is now a model. Retrieved from http://www. dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/34219/1/the-son-of-oasis-frontman-liam-gallagher-is-now-a-model-lennon-gallagher Topman (2017). Retrieved from http://customer-profile.com/apparel-and-fashion/clothing/men-s-clothing/topman-customer-profile.html Topman (2017). Retrieved from http://www.topman.com/blog/win-tickets-see-blossoms-live-nme-topman/ Topman (2017). Retrieved from http://www.topman.com/blog/let-topman-treat-christmas/ Visit London (2017). Retrieved from http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/shopping/accessible-shops#IrBaUwM66flIBVZT.97
LIST OF ILLUS TRATI ONS Figure 1 – https://twitter.com/boohooman
Figure 2 - https://svmoscow.com/men/designer/gosha_rubchinskiy Figure 3 - http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/Retail_and_leisure/article1528245.ece Figure 4 - http://www.vogue.com/article/lennon-gallagher-topman-runway-debut-london-fashion-week-mens Figure 5 - http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/about-us Figure 6 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 7 - https://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/topman-general-store-2 Figure 8 - http://www.topman.com/?geoip=home Figure 9 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 10 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 11 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 12 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 13 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/clearance-6288465/view-all-sale-2344190/N-d54Z7yd?No=0&Nrpp=20&siteId=%2F12555&cat1=234016&cat2=1422492 Figure 14 - http://www.riverisland.com/men/jeans/slim-jeans/mid-blue-wash-dylan-slim-fit-jeans-290533 Figure 15 Figure 16 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/product/clothing-140502/mens-jeans-140508/mid-wash-bluestandard-fit-jeans-6143282?bi=0&ps=20 Figure 17 - https://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/topman-general-store-2 Figure 18 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 19 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 20 - http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/topman-oxford-circus-store-4262519/home Figure 21 - https://www.drapersonline.com/retail/independents/topman-general-store-shoreditch/5030028. article Figure 22 - http://style-etc.co.uk/topman-introduces-in-store-denim-tattooing-and-barbershop-pop-ups-forchristmas/ Figure 23 - https://www.youtube.com/user/topman Figure 24 - http://www.fashionbeans.com/discountcodes/topman/ Figure 25 – http://www.topman.com/blog/win-tickets-see-blossoms-live-nme-topman/ Figure 26 - http://us.topman.com/en/tmus/category/5th-avenue-store-opening-3453448/home Figure 27 - https://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/fashionfootprint/our-environment/transport Figure 28 - https://www.hermesworld.com/en/ Figure 29 – http://www.fashionbeans.com/discountcodes/topman/
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HANNAH MCNAY BA (HONS) FASHION MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AD4606 FASHION BRAND DEVELOPMENT