CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Customer experience is of course something I value and place a lot of importance on as it almost always guarantees positive feedback and returning customers. An example of good customer experience that I provide would be for example, sending out orders to customers either the same day or next day to ensure they receive their purchase quickly, another example is that I try to reply to messages from customers as soon as possible to answer any questions they may have about the item, or to offer discounts if they buy more than one item from me. Apart from the basic customer service skills that contribute to a positive shopping experience, I have recently been thinking about how I can enhance this experience to make it more special. For example, one thing I have seen a lot of brands doing, particularly small businesses is that they put a lot of effort into their packaging, for some brands, this may include a little note showing their appreciation for the customers purchase, for other brands, this may include a small poster design of their brand photos or of influencers wearing their clothes, with these posters also sometimes including a 10% discount for their next purchase, or including a small note welcoming the customer into their community.

After a talk with industry mentor, Eden Loweth, he said that he really liked some of my edited images from my test shoot and said that he thought it would look even better if I printed the image off and used it as a poster. From that idea, with influence from other small brands, I started thinking that I could include this poster within the packaging as a way of providing a positive and special experience for the customer. As this customer would be a plus size customer with it being centred around my project, I have focused this poster on promoting body positivity, as you will be able to see on the following page, this poster spreads a positive message and will hopefully make the customer feel valued and accepted for their body which was my intention when creating these edits, through this, my hope is that it will spread the notion that plus size customers should feel confident wearing clothes that most people would say belong on smaller bodies, with the most classic example being a mini skirt. Aswell as this poster, I think it would also be special if I was to add in a small appreciation note, again for the purpose of making the customer feel valued. As mentioned before, these images represent what it would look like and what I would do differently if I was to introduce size inclusivity into my business.

To go alongside the campaign messages, I looked into how I could enhance the customer experience for my future customers, so in that sense, aswell as developing a future business model that focuses on size inclusivity, I am also developing my business in general by thinking of different approaches to packaging orders for example, as I take on my business full time. This small note on the previous page will be something of which I would include in customers orders to give them some empowerment prior to wearing their purchase.

When introducing a new approach to your business, an approach that covers a sensitive subject, I think it’s important to go that extra mile when thinking about the target audience. Especially when it comes to the topic of size inclusivity and diversity, plus size individuals just want to feel valued by brands and to be given the same level of respect, which is why I think it’s important to go that extra mile to ensure that they do feel valued.

“The unboxing experience has to tell your brand story. Highlighting the benefits of the product on the inside of the top of the box, an area immediately visible upon opening, can make a strong impression.” – Miriam Brafman, Packlane CEO. (Strang, 2022).

As you will have noticed at the start of this book, I talked about my current business model and how having a low price point is something I have implemented with the aim of making more sales and a quick turnover. However, as I have identified a new future business direction through my FMP, I thought it would be relevant to create a new business model, specifically for this potential business venture.

As I have identified size inclusivity as a gap in the market, I can label it as my unique selling point as size inclusive vintage is not a common sight within the second hand resale market. A vintage clothing brand offering plus size 2000s style clothing is not something I have come across on resale sites, I have only discovered plus size vintage resellers through researching them which tells me that they’re not very popular in terms of their product offerings, or they haven’t gained enough reach from their target consumer. With reference to my business strategy, rather than diving headfirst into launching size inclusive vintage, I have instead created a social media campaign in the hopes that I can build up a following and connect with my target audience, and this has been the starting point for this new direction. Once I have built up a following and a community, I can then start thinking about implementing this.

Furthering the discussion of this gap in the market, the problem that I identified is the lack of size inclusivity and representation for plus size consumers. How do I intend to solve this problem? the solution is fairly straightforward as most sellers simply don’t have an extensive size range which means that the solution is to make the conscious effort to source in larger sizes. Aswell as this, with regards to the representation aspect, I have created a social media campaign to highlight this gap in the market and to give plus size consumers more of the spotlight, as mentioned before, I have secured a plus size model and face of the campaign for this with the hopes that she can be someone that the target audience can look up to. To ensure I am being inclusive to all, I also decided that it would be in my interest to continue with the low price points so that it is accessible to all, and to ensure that there are no barriers preventing future customers from buying from me, this would also be a goal of mine with regards to increasing my profit margin.

A marketing mission statement clarifies what a company hopes to achieve with its content. It shows why the content exists, who the content is for and what value the content can provide for audiences, including both customers and potential customers.

Having a simple, relevant marketing mission statement can help a company make important decisions about content creation, stand out from other businesses and offer engaging materials to its target audience. (Indeed Editorial Team, 2022).

With this mission statement that I have put together, I would say that the content I have created for the social media campaign refelects this. For example, ‘we strive to make this market more inclusive’ is one of the focus points for this campaign as the reality is that the vintage second-hand market isn’t inclusive and that is a gap I am looking to fill within this market. As a result of this gap, plus size individuals don’t get any representation and feel that their body is disregarded within the resale space as the early 2000s was an era that celebrated the skinny look and even with the resurgence of the Y2K style, that look is still celebrated in the 21st century. As stated in the mission statement, my goal for this campaign is to empower the audience, to help them feel confident in wearing whatever they choose.

This mission statement outlines the aims and objectives for this campaign, as I am not selling size inclusive vintage right now, I am using this time, this project to change the narrative and to help place plus size into the spotlight more.

Vintage clothing brand, Freya Jane Vintage has announced today that it will be expanding its size range with the launch of a size inclusive collection.

This new collection has been in the works now for months and the brand has been promoting this secret project via a social media campaign.

The brand’s founder, Freya Davidson decided that it was time for something to be done regarding the second-hand markets’ problem with size inclusivity and toxic body image standards.

Davidson adds, “being a consumer of vintage second-hand fashion myself, I am tired of seeing plus size individuals excluded from shopping vintage. With the resurgence of Y2K fashion, this has revived the obsession of the slim body physique in mini skirts and low rise jeans.”

“This campaign has granted me the opportunity to change the narrative surrounding Y2K fashion.”

To complete the package of this brand campaign and the future launch of size inclusive vintage, I have put together a press release as if this launch was in reality. Again, as the purpose of my FMP is to portray what this would look like in reality, I thought it would be necessary to include the whole package of what a brand would do prior to launching something new. As you will be able to see in the press release, I have included the key information that explains everything the audience needs to know. I have tried to make the information as professional as possible and the whole look of the press release aswell. For example, I have included the date of the launch which I have put down as the date of submission for this book and all of the other books, and I have also included the brand name, Instagram handle where the audience will be directed to the social media campaign, and then the website where the launch of the new collection can be found.

Distributing a well-crafted press release provides the opportunity to rank high in search, catch the attention of current and potential customers, and leads to direct engagement and sharing on social channels. You have the opportunity to reach an untapped audience that you may never have considered before. (Lorenz). Linking the social media handle and the website is relevant for gaining more engagement and traffic, bringing in audiences that discovered my brand from publicizing this press release.

To go alongside the press release and mission statement, I came up with a slogan which reveals the key focus of my FMP without the extra details. As you can see from the slogan, my project focuses on inclusivity, which is why I thought it was necessary to include it in the slogan. ‘All Inclusive’ suggests that my brand focuses on being inclusive to all. Currently, the sizes I sell don’t reflect this, however, with extending my size range, I will be looking to source in larger sizes aswell as smaller sizes. Having an inclusive size range means that there won’t be any barriers for future customers who want to buy into my brand.

A creative slogan should be unique and specific to your brand, but still easy enough to understand so that your audience gets the message immediately.

From my research, a good slogan should be brief in order for the audience to retain the information, seen as attention spans are getting shorter, it should also be clear so the audience can understand what exactly it is they’re buying into. (Master Class, 2021).