DMU Level 4 Core Buying - Comp Shop Report

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Comp Shop Report Isabella Burzynski


INTRODUCTION

This is a comparative report to document and analyse current trends, fabrics, silhouettes and price points amongst shirts & blouses through the popular high street retailers. Focusing mainly on Urban Outfitters however also researching into its competitors Zara TRF & Topshop.


1. Key Trends; Shirts & Blouses 2. Urban Outfitters 3. Urban Outfitters; Place 4. Urban Outfitters; Promotion

CONTENTS

5. Urban Outfitters: Product 6. Urban Outfitters; Price 7. SWOT Analysis 8. Topshop 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 9. Zara 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4

Topshop Place Topshop Promotion Topshop Price SWOT Analysis Zara Zara Zara SWOT

Place Promotion Price Analysis

10. Price Comparisons 11. Like for Like Comparisons 12. Similarities & Differences 13. Conclusion


1. KEY TRENDS; SHIRTS & BLOUSES

Ruffles

Key trends found in stores & online at WGSN.

Animal Print

Sweetheart & Square necklines

Basic Checked & Striped Shirt

Floral Prints


Ruffles and frills were found in Urban Outfitters, closely synonymous with UO target market of female students, who have a girly & feminine style. A popular neckline this spring/summer is the sweetheart & square shapes creating closely fitting lines, these styles are mostly seen on all white blouses, a statement piece that can be worn with denim jeans and skirts. Colours found were the traditional white some pop of colours were found with reds ty green, mostly found on shirts. Beige blue are popular colours this S/S with brands creating blouses using them.

& black, & utiliand baby lots of

COLOUR TRENDS IN SHIRTS & BLOUSES

Trends in Shirts & Blouses found have been the popular animal print that made a huge statement in 2018. Still pushing through now in Feb 2019 however, zebra animal print has become popular. Other prints include a huge amount of floral prints throughout all stores researched and also the traditional striped and checked shirts.


2. URBAN OUTFITTERS. > Created in 1970 by college roommates in Pennsylvania, USA. > Originally called Free People. > Its mission was to sell second-handclothing, furniture, jewellery and homedecor aimed at college-aged customers in a casual, fun environment. > Today Urban Outfitters is a trendy, creative store selling womenswear, menswear, lifestyle & home products aimed at students and millennial aged 16 - 30.

TARGET CUSTOMER. > Tends to be female; student or at first job. > Aged between 16 to 30 years old. > Fashion Conscious; follows trends but likes minimalistic traditional styles also. > Has a part time job/good income to be able to afford more dearer garments and homeware. > Spends money on clothes & homeware.


URBAN OUTFITTERS. 3. Place. Store: Leicester, Date: 23.1.19 Time: 1:30pm

Highcross

Initial Reaction: The store front and entrance showed off sale signs and rails as most stores are now transitioning from AW collections to their SS ranges. The store felt full and busy as entering, music was playing at a good sound level; not too distracting and staff were easily seen with lanyards around their necks.

Visual Merchandising: Every UO store is unique to its own city or town, however they all create a cool, industrial feeling when inside the store. In Leicester, products were dotted around the store on wall units and floor units for garments to be folded. The VM consisted of selected clothes that could be worn together as an outfit were displayed on free-standing rails and wall rails.

Shirts & Blouses displayed where?: The shirts & blouses found were on rails dotted around the store along with other garments like skirts, jackets and trousers that would make an outfit, the store/ VM has done this to entice its costumers into buying the outfit in order to increase sales.


URBAN OUTFITTERS 4. Promotion.

UO Rewards. UO offers a members service where customers can sign up & receive offers, special prices and more. This is an incentive for UO customers who are loyal to the brand, meaning they can buy most of their clothes & homeware products from UO and keep going back throughout the years. They’ve made it more accessible to their target customers as they’ve created an app for members of UO Rewards enabling them to view their points, get offers, special prizes and enter competitions.

Student Discount. UO offers 10% student discount to customers with the Unidays app & student ID, as students are Urban Outfitters main target customers this is vital as they need this to entice students into spending their money. At times where student receive their student loans or come back to a city after summer/winter holidays they sometimes increase there discount to 20% as an even higher incentive.

Seasonal Promotions & Sales. UO have seasonal sales as most high street brands do. These tend sell discounted items that have not sold well previously. Brands are able to see their worst sellers from this.


URBAN OUTFITTERS 5. Product

Store: Leicester, Highcross Date: 23.1.19 Shirt & Blouses.

Short Sleeved Blouses. Material Type: Vintage Fibres, Jacquard, Polyester, Acetate. Neckline: V-shaped, sweetheart, square. Embellishment/Print: Buttons, bows, floral print, ruffles. Style/Cut: Capped sleeves, oversized, flouncy, cropped, fitted. The short sleeved blouses were popular in the UO Leicester store. Not everyone will be purchasing these right now due to the cold climate in the UK however they are styles that will probably stay instore throughout the spring/summer months. Capped sleeves, ruffles and frills are a popular trend in blouses these were projected by WGSN. They create a feminine, spring vibe for the wearer.

Long Sleeved Blouses. Material Type: Polyester, cotton, lyocell. Neckline: Wrap over with tie, knotted, gathered, v-shaped. Embellishment/Print: Ring, floral print, jacquard, tie. Style/Cut: Puffy, wide arm, cropped, fitted. Long sleeve styles are more evening wear for students who go out partying. They mainly consist of floral styles, as most of UO blouses do. Frills, crossovers and puffy sleeves are a popular trend in these styles. These are more likely to be worn now as the long sleeves are more suitable in the colder weather. A lot of the styles are quite similar so could confuse customers.


Long Sleeved Shirts. Material Type: Corduroy, twill, Polyester, Nylon, Vintage Fibres. Neckline: Traditional collar and button down. Print/pattern: Stripes, plain. Style/Cut: Cropped, oversized, masculine, gathered & bubbled hems, cuffs, tie. There were not many shirts on offer in UO compared to the range of blouses. This maybe be due to previous sales of shirts in previous years were negative therefore UO have limited their styles as their blouses sell better. Most of the shirts gave a ‘tomboy’ vibe due to their oversized, boxy structure. Prints/pattern trends consisted mainly of plain colours or stripes.

Image screenshot from Urban Outfitters UK Website.

As the fashion industry and the general public become increasingly aware of the affects of making clothes on environments & people, brands are trying to do what they believe is a way in cutting down the affects they create. UO has created collections that uses deadstock fabrics to create garments instead of the everyday production of brand new garments made from new fabrics which causes the most issues socially and environmentally. This also helps to push sales for UO as consumer who are conscious of the issues will not want to purchase trendy clothing that causes problems elsewhere however will be more inclined to purchase clothing from these ranges as they are more sustainable and are still trendy pieces.


URBAN OUTFITTERS 6. Price. The chart shows all the amount of styles of blouses & shirts found in UO in Leicester. It also has prices and shows how many colour options of the same style were instore. For blouses there are 15 styles instore and 20 with colour options. For shirts there are 7 styles and 13 with colour options.

UO Shirt & Blouses Range Size = 22 Good size range for the size of the store, a lot of styles and options for customers especially in blouses.

Entry Price Point. The entry price is £25.00 which is for the floral mesh crop top. This is the starting price for shirt & blouses found in Leicester. As students are UO’s main target customer for a crop top that does not have much fabric or construction difficulties this price is quite high, however the crop top is within the Urban Renewal collection therefore the price could be justified as it has been made from deadstock fabric.

Exit Price Point. The exit price is £49.00 for the Brendan Corduroy Button Through Shirt. Corduroy is an expensive fabric and the design is also oversized therefore a lot of fabric was used to create the shirt. The price is justified because of this however UO target customer being students this price could be seen as overpriced as many students might not be willing to spend nearly £50 on a shirt.


Average To buy a shirt/blouse from Urban Outfitters the average price spent would be £37.00. This could be seen as quite a high average. UO target customer are students who have a part time job/ good income therefore maybe able to afford to spend this much. However, most students do struggle with money therefore will most likely not be able to spend nearly £40.00 on a shirt or blouse.

Modal The most common price for a shirt/blouse at Urban Outfitters is £39.00, with 5 styles found in Leicester with this price. UO do have a particular unique style of there garments that differs from other retailers that not everyone will wear therefore those who identify themselves within this would not mind spending £39 on a shirt or blouse. They would be incredibly loyal customers.

7. SWOT Analysis. Shirts & Blouses at Urban Outfitters. STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Good range of blouses on offer.

Poor range size of shirts.

Urban renewal collections help to lessen the effects of UO on the environment and socially.

Distinctive style could also be a weakness as they are clothes that are not open to all customers and sizes, therefore does not help sales.

Distinctive style at UO could be a strength as those who identify with this style tend to buy their clothes at UO.

Prices of shirts and blouses are mostly more expensive at UO than Zara and Topshop therefore customers are more likely to purchase from cheaper places.

The blouses at UO have been created using the latest trend, they tend to be cropped, fitted which sell well with UO target market being female students.

Tend to only have floral patterns of their blouses; quite repetitive, nothing new/fresh.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Opportunity to do more like Topshop and Zara.

basic

styles

Zara and Topshop’s cheaper prices for shirts & blouses.

The possibility to do more prints/patterns of blouses and shirts.

More basic, simpler styles at Zara and Topshop could affect UO sales as some may be put off by UO more complicated/ alternative designs.

Create more basic, simpler styles with more colour options at lower price might help sales in shirts/blouses.


8. TOPSHOP 8.1 Place Store:

Leicester, Highcross

Date: 5.1.19 Time: 12pm

Initial Reaction: The store front and entrance was displayed with new collections hung on racks and on the walls. The shop atmosphere was light & fun with pop music playing at a good level. Around 3 staff were dotted on each level of womenswear.

Visual Merchandising: Topshop has similar VM throughout their stores. In Leicester they had posters of their latest campaigns, light signs and walls were painted in bright blues and pinks. The store consists of two floors which are dedicated to womenswear, the top floor mainly had new collection, more fashionable pieces whereas the bottom floor had mostly basic, jersey wear. Mannequins were displayed in the entrance of the top floor which were dressed with the latest trendy outfits.

Shirts & Blouses displayed where?: The shirts & blouses found were on rails, mainly located upstairs of the store as this was where most of the fashionable items were located. Hung close to garments that would be worn with a shirt or blouse like skirts and jeans.


TOPSHOP 8.2 Promotion Student Discount. Topshop gives 10% student discount to their student customers all year round. Using a student beans or unidays app, making it easy for students to receive the 10% discount off all purchases. As leicester is a popular student city this offer attracts them to shop at Topshop. At selected times throughout the year it has been seen that Topshop do 20% discount for a limited time, these happen when most students receive their student loans at the beginning of each term, this also helps to attract students into spending their money at Topshop.

Seasonal Promotions & Sales. Like most high street stores Topshop puts on the usual season sales throughout the year. They also discount selected styles and ranges with up to 40% off to promote those that are not selling well.


TOPSHOP 8.3 Product.

Long Sleeved Blouses. Material Type: Polyester, Viscose Neckline: V-shaped, round neck, tie up neck. Embellishment/Print: Buttons, bows, gathering Style/Cut: Capped sleeves, flouncy, cropped, smart style. These are some of the long sleeved blouses that were found in Topshop Leicester store. These styles are less fitted than some found in the store. They can be worn by dressing them up or wearing them casually with jeans. Mainly made from polyester or viscose and the prints tend to be plain compared to UO floral designs.

Long Sleeved Shirts. Material Type: Polyester, Viscose, Lyocell. Neckline: V-shaped, plunge, traditional shirt & collar. Embellishment/Print: Buttons, bows, gathering, print. Style/Cut: Cuffs, plackets, flouncy, full length, smart style. These are some of the long sleeved shirts that were found in Topshop Leicester store. The shirts had a good variety of colour/print options. Topshop target market age is wider than Urban Outfitters they therefore have more variety in their styles because instead of Urban Outfitters more fitted, cropped styles.


TOPSHOP 8.4 Price The chart shows all the amount of styles of blouses & shirts found in Topshop in Leicester. It also has prices and shows how many colour options of the same style were instore. For blouses there are 9 styles instore and 21 with colour options. For shirts there are 18 styles and 29 with colour options.

Topshop Shirts & Blouses Range Size = 28 Good size range, as it is a large store they need enough choice for customers. A lot of the styles have many colour options which allows for customers to purchase as many colours of the same style.

Entry Price Point. The entry price is £25.00 which is for the Casual Shirt. The same price point as UO however this is for a shirt not a blouse. Shirt styles are generally quite simple & this one is made of 100% cotton so not much else has been added into the material. There are also several buttons which makes the cost of £25 appropriate.

Exit Price Point. The exit price at Topshop is £39.00 for the Pink Zebra Plunge Blouse. This blouse is made of 100% polyester, the price could be justified by how technical the blouse is due to the use of darts, structured joining, buttons and a belt. The print is also a popular animal print that has been seen on the highstreet & on catwalks therefore the printing of this zebra print could have been expensive for Topshop to source from a supplier due to high demand.


Average To buy a shirt/blouse from Topshop at Leicester the average price spent would be £32.00. This price could be justified by the fact that most shirts & blouses take a lot of extra work to make them fit properly on customers. For example, they use a lot of darts and structure to create some styles therefore it can make pieces more expensive. The average price however is not too over budget for Topshop’s target market who tend to be young women who have money to spend on nice, good quality clothes.

Modal The most common price for a shirt/blouse at Topshop is £29.00, with 9 styles found in Leicester with this price. This price allows customers to remember a figure when they are wanting to buy, for example a shirt/blouse. Having the same price for more than one styles helps consistency for customers.

8.5 SWOT Analysis. Shirts & Blouses at Topshop STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Good size range of both shirts and blouses for the size of store. Enough product offer.

Offers the mid price range out of the three retailers, Zara still has the cheapest prices.

Blouses and shirts have a good variety of colour options available.

Does not offer a sustainable collection of clothing.

Topshop design styles have clever variations with some full length looks and some more cropped, fitted styles. Good range of basic, everyday styles and more trendy fashionable styles. British brand.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Could offer a rewards card.

Zara’s prices are lower than Topshops’s, therefore Zara is a threat to Topshop’s sales.

Opportunity to create more sustainable options.


9.ZARA TRF 9.1 Place

Store: Leicester, Date: 5.1.19 Time: 1:30pm

Highcross

Initial Reaction: The Leicester Zara store was brand new flagship store at the end of 2018 so initial reactions were that it looks very new, is a good sized store, nicely separates each section into Kids, Men’s, Women’s and Zara TRF. The lighting was good and the right volume of music was playing; not too loud.

Visual Merchandising: Clothing was displayed in various ways in Leicester, Highcross. Most of their clothing is displayed in the stories/ trends or colours/ prints, along with basic tops and bottoms dotted around the store. They have wall rails around the edges of the store displaying a full length outfit, with more sizes displayed beside them. Some clothing is folded on tables whereas some are displayed on free standing rails. Around 15 mannequins were dotted around the store dressed in the latest trends.

Shirts & Blouses displayed where?: Shirts and blouses were displayed in various places in Zara. Most of them were displayed with a collection of clothing that would make an outfit, such as a skirt/ trouser and a coat. Colours and prints were closely matched together in these areas.


TOPSHOP TRF 9.2 Promotion Student Discount. Unlike Topshop & Urban Outfitters, Zara does not give students discount for purchases, from viewing different styles and prices at Topshop and Urban Outfitters, Zara has the cheapest price for their shirts & blouses therefore could mean Zara does not feel the need to offer student discount.

Seasonal Promotions & Sales. Zara have seasonal sales as most high street brands do. They tend only to do these where most items get up to 50% reduction. They do not usually have selected items they reduce like Topshop do, they only have their main sales. This may be to avoid confusion in customers not knowing the prices of items.

Join Life.

As the fashion industry and the general public

become increasingly aware of the affects of making clothes on environments & people, brands are trying to do what they believe is a way in cutting down the affects they have. Similar to UO, Zara has created collections of clothing that are more sustainable called Join Life. A lot of this clothing is made from sustainable materials such as recycled wool, sustainable Tencel and organic cotton, they also state on Zara’s website that ‘Our supply chain respects workers and the environment. A way in which Zara is helping to be more sustainable is that they have containers in stores where the public can put unwanted clothes, the clothes are then donated to aid non-profit organisations. Some clothes are recycled and transformed into new fabrics. This helps to push sales at Zara as consumer who are conscious about the issues will not want to purchase trendy clothing that causes problems elsewhere however will be more inclined to purchase clothing from these ranges as they are more sustainable and are still trendy pieces.


ZARA TRF 9.3 Product.

Long Sleeved Shirts.

Material Type: Viscose, lyocell, Polyester, Elastane. Neckline: Traditional collar and button down. Print/pattern: Print, tie dye, plain. Style/Cut: Oversized, cuffs, rolled hems, double pockets. There was a good range of shirts at Zara in Leicester, these are just a few found. They tend to be made from polyester or viscose, have traditional length shirt or oversized. Most of the shirts were button down allowing them easy to be put on and taken off. Trends found were printed shirts like the ‘Car’ one, that presented a 70’s vibe, pushing through also was a lot of tie dye on tops and shirts. Then there were the plain everyday casual or could be dressed up black or white plain shirt. A lot of these shirts came in a variety of colours.

Long Sleeved Blouses.

Material Type: Viscose, Polyester, Cotton. Neckine: Drawstring tie, v-shaped, round neck. Embellishment/Print: Frills, lace insertion, pleats, gathers. Style/Cut: Wide arm, full length, oversized, draped. Zara’s TRF long sleeve blouses are completely different to UO. They differ from colour palette where Zara TRF has chosen most whites and cream whereas UO used more floral, jacquard weaves. The style and cut also differ due to Zara’s being mainly full body length and more oversized however UO tend to be more fitted and cropped styles. These styles have been created to fit UO target market being of a younger age range compared to Zara TRF, although Zara TRF is a group of clothing designed for younger women. Zara styles are similar to Topshop’s range although Topshop could be in the middle as they do offer shorter, cropped styles as well as longer, full body length shirts/blouses.


ZARA TRF 9.4 Price

Entry Price Point.

The chart shows all the amount of styles of blouses & shirts found in Zara in Leicester. It also has prices and shows how many colour options of the same style were instore. For blouses there were 5 styles instore and 7 with colour options. For shirts there are 15 styles and 18 with colour options.

At Zara they only seem to have two prices they sell their shirts/blouse at. The entry price of £19.99 which makes the other price; £25.99 their exit price. A reason for this could be that Zara wanted to allow customers to remember the kind of price they would spend at Zara and avoids confusion for them.

Zara TRF Shirts & Blouses Range Size = 20

An example of an entry price item is the Pleated Top. At £19.99 it is the cheapest entry price point out of all three stores. This shows that Zara is the cheapest place to purchase a shirt/ blouse from. The blouse comes in three colours, red printed, black and white. There is not much to the design therefore does not have extra costs in the making stage so price can be justified.

The smallest range of styles even though the store is the biggest out of the three stores. Store was going through a sale at the time so space could have been taken up therefore not room for new styles.

Exit Price Point. The exit price is £25.99. An example of this is the Shirt with Contrasting Embroidery. The design is quite fitted, with puffy sleeves meaning extra fabric has been used, it is also made from 100% cotton therefore is of higher price due to this.


Average To buy a shirt/blouse from Zara the average price spent would be £25.00. This is a lot lower than Urban Outfitters and Topshops. It is also the same price as their entry price points. This heightens the fact that Zara is indefinitely the cheapest place to buy a shirt or blouse.

Modal The most common price for a shirt/blouse at Zara is £25.99, with 18 styles found in Leicester with this price. As stated before Zara only has two prices it uses for their shirts and blouses found in Zara TRF, these are £19.99 and £25.99. Has a small price architecture helps customers to not be confused as to why some items are more expensive than others, allows them to have a clear price they may spend at Zara.

9.5 SWOT Analysis. Shirts & Blouses at Zara TRF. STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Cheapest prices for shirt/blouse out of all retailers.

Cheap prices could reflect bad quality items, therefore customers looking for quality might be put off by Zara’s prices.

Good range of shirts styles. Only two prices used for their shirts/ blouses; allows less confusion for customers.

Poor amount of blouses on offer.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Could offer more expensive with better quality. Could offer student ‘rewards card’

discount

styles or

a

Quite similar styles of blouses, tend to be white/cream.

Both Topshop and Urban Outfitters offer student discount therefore these become a threat to Zara as these are incentives for customers.


PRICE COMPARISONS; UO, ZARA TRF & TOPSHOP


10. Price Comparisons for Shirts & Blouses at Urban Outfitters, Zara and Topshop.

Entry Price Points. As it is shown on the graph above, the entry price points are fairly similar with both Topshop and UO at £25.00. Topshops entry price is for the casual shirt whereas UO is for the Mesh Printed Crop Top. Zara’s entry price point is the cheapest at £19.99 for the Pleated Top. This shows that Zara is the cheapest brand to buy a shirt or blouse from. UO and Topshop have the same price however customers are getting completely different styles for the same price. Urban Outfitters entry piece is a simple, mesh crop top therefore at a price of £25.00 could be seen overpriced compared to Topshop’s Casual Shirt which is full body length and incorporates a lot of technical aspects to it. More over UO Crop Top as stated before comes at the price due to the way it has been made. It is apart of Urban Outfitters Urban Renewal Collection where pieces are made from dead stock fabric. This justifies the price for Urban Outfitters entry garment although customers are getting a lot more for their money at Topshop.


Exit Price Points. As it is shown on the graph above the exit price points differ a lot. Zara has the lowest exit price point with £25.99. The data shows there are only two prices Zara has for shirts & blouse; £19.99 and £25.99, this helps consumers remember what kind of price range there are going to spend at Zara if wanting to buy a shirt or blouse. Topshop’s exit price is £39.00 for the Plunge Blouse, whereas Urban Outfitters is £10 more at £49.00 for the Corduroy Button Through Shirt. The styles are quite different and UO have used corduroy for their shirt which is quite expensive fabric this could be reasoning behind the pricing.

Average Price Point. Similar to exit and entry price points the average price point is the cheapest at Zara at £25.00, at Topshop it is a mid range price at £32.00 and Urban Outfitters being the most expensive at £37.00. Urban Outfitter’s is an American brand, this means their main consumer market is the US. It can be difficult for international brands to open shops in other countries like Urban Outfitter’s have done. This can cause problems for pricing of clothes, as UO has not got many stores in the UK it can be expensive for UO to operate them they therefore have to up their prices. Whereas, Zara has many stores all over Europe and Internationally, they are a more distinguished brand and create more money from their stores, therefore can keep prices lower. Topshop is a British brand, so most stores are in the UK. The prices tend to fall at mid range as they have enough stores to make sure prices are not too expensive and not too low.

Overall. From the graph above it is clear to see that Zara is the cheapest place to buy a shirt or blouse, Topshop is mid range price and Urban Outfitters offers more expensive prices. They each differ with the style of blouse/shirt they have for there different price points and what they believe are the correct prices for them.


11. Like for Like Comparisons. Black Shirt.

£19.99

Material: 100% Viscose

£42.00

Material: 100% Viscose

£29.00

Material: 100% Polyester

A classic must have item, popular in most wardrobes is a plain black shirt that can be dressed up or worn casually. All have a similar v-shaped neckline and button down style. Urban Outfitters is the most different of designs with double breasted buttoning and a thin tie pulling in the waist, this could be a reason for the more expensive price compared to the others which are a more traditional shirt shape and style.

Printed Floral Blouse.

£29.00

Material: 100% Viscose

£19.99

Material: 100% Polyester

£28.00

Material: 100% Polyester

Floral blouses will always be a popular everyday choice for women as they are able to be dressed up and worn casually with jeans. The prices of these are the closest out of all the like for likes. There is a £1 difference between UO and Topshop however, Topshops design has a lot more embellishments and does use more fabric than UO. UO prices are higher in most shirt/blouse category than Topshop and Zara’s therefore their price architecture would not work if they made some of their items cheaper and some of their items more expensive; customers will be more confused as to why there is a large gap between prices.


Printed Shirt.

£35.00

Material: 100% Polyester

£39.00

Material: 100% Viscose

£25.99

Material: 100% Polyester

A popular trend this season is printed shirts using 70’s inspired prints. Pricing for these are not too different compared to other like for likes. Topshop and Zara have used the same material composition for their printed shirts which makes it unusual that the prices have nearly a £10 difference although the design of the Topshop’s shirt is more complicated and has the added the extra tie up at the front. Urban Outfitters is again the most expensive although it uses less material than the others as it is a tie up around the waist.

Pink Shirt.

£25.99

Material: 84% Modal, 16% Polyester

£49.99

Material: 100% Cotton

£32.00

Material: 100% Lyocell

Here are a selection of pink shirts found from each retailer. It is unclear to see which one would be the most expensive however, Zara’s is less of a fitted shape and has less of the detail that Topshop’s has on the cuffs and sleeve style. Urban Outfitter’s price could have been due to the material composition of 100% cotton, making it more expensive. Baby pinks and nudes are a popular colour trend that has come through this SS19.


12. SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES.

PRODUCT SIMILARITIES. Topshop & Zara had good variety of lengths and styles. Topshop & Zara had more variety of colour options. All shops had main trends within their ranges such as frills, animal prints and stripes. All use similar materials make their clothes.

to

Zara & Urban Outfitters offer a more sustainable branch of clothing.

PRODUCT DIFFERENCES. Urban Outfitter product offer tended to be fitted, cropped styles. Urban Outfitters had very little colour options. Zara had smallest range size even though it is the biggest store. Zara had the smallest range size of only 20 different styles. Topshop does not yet have a sustainable collection.

PRICE POINTS SIMILARITIES. Topshop & Urban Outfitters had some similarities; with entry price points and some similar prices for items.

PRICE POINTS DIFFERENCES. Zara had the cheapest prices & only two prices; £19.99 and £25.99. Urban Outfitter had the more expensive price difference.

PROMOTIONAL SIMILARITIES.

PROMOTIONAL DIFFERENCES.

Topshop & Urban Outfitters offer student discounts.

Zara does not offer student discount.

Topshop & Urban Outfitters have selected styles they discount out of sale season.

Zara does not have selected styles that have money discounted in stores.

All have major seasonal sales.

Urban Outfitters is the only brand to have created a rewards card.

mid-season

and


VISUAL MERCHAINDISING SIMILARITIES.

VISUAL MERCHAINDISING DIFFERENCES.

All stores used mannequins to show outfit ideas.

Zara uses no colour on walls or any decorative signs.

All stores dotted their shirts and blouses in different areas with other items like coats or jeans to create an outfit idea for customers.

Zara window display showed no clothes.

Topshop had brightly coloured walls and light decoration. Topshop & Urban Outfitters had eye-catching mannequin window displays.

13. CONCLUSION Overall, the Leicester Urban Outfitters store probably struggles when trying to sell shirts & blouses. Their competitors Zara and Topshop (through the data collated) shows there are more styles and cheaper prices for shirts and blouses at these other brands. The price data showed that Urban Outfitters prices where a lot higher than Zara’s and Topshop’s, where UO entry price point was the same as Zara’s exit price point. The brands all have products that are similar; as the like for likes showed. Only those customers who have more of an income and are loyal to UO brand would be likely to purchase a shirt / blouse from UO. The data showed ways in which Urban Outfitters could be more competitive whereby they could offer more basic, everyday styles that have a few different colour options as these would probably sell well similarly to what Zara and Topshop have.


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