Topshop Brand Strategy Report by keiraobrienx

Topshop Brand Strategy Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

Macro economic Analysis

Brand Market Position

Competitors

Product Selection

Social Media And Influencer Marketing

Consumer Demographic

Marketing Mix

27 Proposed Strategy

33 Bibliography

CONTENTS PAGE 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Executive Summary 2. Introduction 2.1 Introduction to brand 3. Macro Economic Analysis 3.1 Economic Performance 3.2 PESTLE Analysis 3.3 Brand Performance 4. Brand Market Position 4.1 Brand Perception 4.2 SWOT Analysis 5. Competitors 5.1 Main Competitors 5.2 Brand Positioning Map 5.3 Brand Position Mood Board 6. Consumer Demographic 6.1 Current Consumer Demographic 6.2 Consumer Demographic Mood Board 7. Product Selection 7.1 Best Selling Products 7.2 In Store Concessions 7.3 Brand Pricing 8. Social Media and Influencer Marketing 8.1 Social Media Activity 8.2 Social Media Performance 8.3 Influencers 8.4 Current Brand Communications Mood Board 9. Marketing Mix 9.1 Products, Price, Place, Promotion 9.2 Advertising Strategies 9.3 Communication Channels 10. Proposed Strategy 10.1 Sustainable Sub Brand 10.1.1 Recycled Products 10.1.2 New Products 10.1.3 Time-line of Products 10.1.4 Competitors 10.2 Proposed Brand Competitors Mood Board 10.3 Sub Brand SWOT Analysis 10.4 Proposed Consumer Demographic Mood Board 10.5 Sustainable Sub Brand 10.5.1 Material Sources 10.5.2 Price Points 10.5.3 Social media and influencers 10.6 Sub Brand Instagram Feed 10.7 Proposed Brand Communications Mood Board 11. Bibliography 11.1 Text 11.2 Images

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 9 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 15 Page 16 Page 16 Page 17 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 38 Page 38 Page 38 Page 38 Page 39 Page 41 Page 43 Page 45 Page 45 Page 45 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 49 Page 49 Page 52

1 Executive Summary

Executive Summary This report is to research and understand background of Topshop and how this has caused them to become a failing brand. It will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the brand and form recommendations in the form of research findings that will allow the brand to move forward in a much more successful manor than in previous years. The methods that have been used to gather the necessary research for this report come in the form of both primary and secondary research. To gain knowledge from consumers of Topshop both online and in person surveys were carried out as well as gaining further information from other resources both online and in books. The main conclusions that were drawn from the research and the report were the issue of fast fashion and how this has become something more heavily focused on within today's society. Also, in line with this, the idea of many high street chains now needing to introduce a more sustainable range to their stores in order to keep consumers happy. As well, extensive research suggests that social media plays a huge role in the successes and therefore the failures of this brand due to its younger demographic, Instagram in particular is used as one of the more popular sites and primary research implies that 40% of people who took part in the survey follow Topshop on various different social media sites.

(Topshop Fall 2017 Campaignwww.fashiongonerogue.com)

Introduction to the Brand Topshop was founded in 1964 in department store Peter Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and at the time was a concession. By the 1970s Topshop appeared on the high street for the first time and continued to grow until 1994 where they opened their largest store in Oxford Circus. They continued to be thriving and successful brand in 2000 when they launched their website, and since have opened social media accounts such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube that have helped to drive their sales (www.lippymag.co.uk). This report will look into Topshop as a brand and discover the reasons why they are not performing to a high standard. It will look at many different reasons for the poor performance of the brand including their competitors, their social media presence, their main consumer demographic and their product selection. It will mainly focus on implementing a strategy to boost the sales of Topshop and increase their profits. The strategy that will be focused on will be reducing the amount of fast fashion Topshop sell and instead bringing in a range that is more sustainable and could feature products made from organic, recycled and environmentally materials.

Introduction

Initial primary research would suggest that people do want a change in the way fashion is consumed and that by introducing a more sustainable fashion line it would encourage a wider consumer base. Fast fashion is something that many people are now aware of and therefore creating a range that would help combat this issue could be pivotal to furthering Topshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successes.

(Topshop Spring 2018 Campaign www.richardmagazine.com)

One survey indicates that there has been an increase in the awareness people have of fast fashion and the impact this can have on the environment. As well, it has been widely reported in the media that there needs to be a change in the way many high street fashion chains make their garments due to poor working conditions for the factory workers that have increasingly gotten worse and many factories have collapsed due to unsatisfactory conditions (Siegle, L www. theguardian.com)

3 Macro Economic Analysis

Brand Economic Performance In 2017, Topshop’s sales dropped by £2bn due to an increase in the number of online sales that year (www.theguardian.com) Taveta, who are the holding company of Arcadia group which owns Topshop saw a drop in sales of 2.5% in 2017, and it has been4 suggested this is because the retail environment is constantly changing as well as the uncertainty brought from Brexit having a large impact on what people choose to spend their money on (www.bbc.co.uk)

2014 Revenue £999.3m Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Gross Profit Margin

£781.3m

£218m

22%

2015

2016

2017

£1.0b

£990.8m

£933.6m

£793.2

£798.4m

£821.1m

£192.4

£112.5m

£215.8m

21%

19%

12%

Since 2014 Topshop’s gross profit has been steadily declining and their profit margin as decreased slowly. However, in 2017 it took a much steeper dip. By 2017 their revenue and profit was at the lowest it had been in three years, but their cost of goods sold was at its highest suggesting that what they were still selling was costing them more than in previous years (Craft, 2017 www.craft.co)

PESTLE Analysis

If Brexit goes through then despite Topshop being a British company, they have stores across Europe. The legal and trading standards would be compromised as a result of Brexit as the amount we pay would change (www.eu.topshop.com)

Topshop have started to see a decline in their profits due to a rise in sales and profits seen by cheaper online competitors including Boohoo and Misguided (Jill Geoghegan www.drapersonline.com). The closure of BHS under the Acadia group may also have impacted on the profit due to large pay-out to their workers.

S The rise of technology and the decline of physical shopping in bricks and mortar stores has seen a decline in the number of people going into a Topshop store and people now buying their clothes online. Young people used to regularly go into Topshop but now with the changing social market and Topshop’s rising prices they are choosing cheaper online alternatives. (www.theguardi-

Advancements in technology have allowed Topshop to use both a website as well as mobile apps to promote their brand and encourage more sales. It also enables a store locator and has a feature to scan to look for particular items.

Topshop, like many other fast fashion brands have been criticised for the way in which the factory workers are treated. For example, the workers who make the Ivy Park range are only paid £4.30 a day (www.independent.co.uk)

e Topshop have tried to be seen as a sustainable brand in previous years by creating a line called ‘Reclaim’ which used sustainable materials which were better for the environment. They have also claimed to be part of the Better Cotton Imitative (www.arcadiafashionfootprint.co.uk)

Brand Performance A study carried out by YouGov published on Bloomberg shows that Topshop are falling behind their competitors and they are seeing a decline in their profits. This research suggests that their target market is one of the reasons for this decline as they are not shopping there anymore, but their older more loyal consumers still are, despite the reports that Topshop is not good value for money. This has been made evident by younger consumers suggesting that they would not pay what Topshop is charging for their products, but they would pay the prices that are being charged by ASOS and Primark. (www.bloomberg.com) The following graphs created by YouGov and Bloomberg show the decline in their sales as well as where their competitors are in comparison to them. They also show which of their customers are loyal to their brand and give an indication on what a younger demographic (Topshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s target market) are most likely to pay for their clothes.

This graph suggests celebrities such as Kate Moss can now no longer be relied on as a way to promote a brand and drive their sales to the levels required.

Graphs (Andrea Felstead www.bloomberg.com)

4 Brand Market Position

Brand Perception Research suggests that Topshop is a brand for the younger generation, which would fit in with what the brand have stated is their target market. Jane Shepherdson who is a brand manager for Topshop stated that “Officially our target market is 15- to 30-yearold women, but internally we target everyone who loves fashion, regardless of age or income” (McMinn, M www. theguardian.com). The consumer perception of Topshop has been seen to be declining in recent months due to news reports surrounding CEO Sir Phillip Green. When the news reports were first published YouGov reports that “Topshop’s Buzz Score (whether you have heard something about a brand, and if so, if it was positive or negative) among the general public as a whole has declined, dropping from 0 to -7” (Shakespeare, S www.yougov. co.uk) (Topshop Summer 2018 Campaignwww.topshop.com)

(www.yougov.co.uk)

SWOT Analysis

Stores nationwide which generate large amounts of footfall as there is a store on almost every British high street Heavy and effective social media presence â&#x20AC;&#x201C; active on Instagram posting three times a day and using stories in between to generate more engagement Enjoyable in store experience. Many stores offer other experiences such as nail bars, hair salons and a personal shopping experience (www.topshop.com) (Emily Lewis www.blog.qubit.com)

Prices do not always match the quality of their products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; products such as jeans have been known to discolour or rip after only a few washes (Liz Stout www.dailymail.co.uk) Minimal TV adverts which reduces the amount of people that the brand will reach as not everyone is active on social media Lack of sustainable ranges and products available in store despite the increase in knowledge about the impacts of fast fashion on the environment

Make more sustainable ranges which would entice more people who have a passion for the environment to shop there as they would not be having as big an impact on the environment More collaborations with celebrities and influencers as a way of advertising their brand and encouraging more people to want to shop there Create a homeware range that would help entice a new demographic as the older generation would be more likely to purchase the homeware as this would be more appropriate for them

Online retailers such as ASOS, Misguided and Boohoo etc. have taken over as they are a cheaper retailer, but it is still possible to get the same type of clothing - it often comes much quicker than if you order from the Topshop website and means you do not have to go into a store There are many cheaper alternatives around that sell similar products at the same quality but for a cheaper price e.g. New Look and H & M Stores such as River Island offer a similar price range as Topshop but also offer cheaper price points that make people more likely to want to shop their when they can get similar items for a cheaper price

Main Competitors

YouGov suggests that Next and River Island are both performing better than Topshop. While River Island is only performing marginally better than Topshop, it clearly demonstrates that Topshop is a declining brand. Much of this is caused by the brands online competitors who are making life easier for their consumers by selling the same products without having to leave their home, and sometimes at a cheaper price (www.yougov.co.uk) Topshop’s main competitors can be seen both on and off line. With an technology increasing rapidly, bricks and mortar companies have seen a decline in their sales as more and more people have turned to online stores where they don’t even need to leave their homes (Christie, S www.telegraph.co.uk) One of the leading online retailers Boohoo, who also own PrettyLittleThing and NastyGal, saw profits rise dramatically towards the end of 2018, suggesting that the high street is not what it used to be. The brand saw revenues rise by 44% to £328.2m between September 2018 and January 2019. Boohoo called this “another great set of results” after also achieving a 95% increase through PrettyLittleThing revenues rose by 95% to £144.2m and NastyGal profits rose by 74% to £20.6m (www.bbc.co.uk)

Brand positioning Map

Competitors

The marketing map demonstrates which of Topshop’s main competitors offer a similar price range and quality to them. It suggests the online retailers do not sell high quality products despite their continuous success, and that the brands that are targeted at the older demographic tend to have a better price to quality match.

Current Consumer Demographic YouGov have also suggested that Topshop is most popular with the Millennial generation, with 47% of people being asked giving Topshop a positive opinion, in comparison with Generation X and Baby Boomers only giving 36% and 31% of positive feedback respectively. (www.yougov.co.uk) YouGov also confirms Topshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gender demographic as their research shows a higher percentage of positive feedback comes from women than men with 45% compared with 31% (www.yougov.co.uk) Primary research suggests that 18-24 and 25-34 were the most likely age ranges to shop at Topshop and were also the most likely to follow them on social media. An online survey suggests that only 3% of people that were surveyed believe that the prices in Topshop are affordable, while 25% believe they are too expensive. The lack of people who find Topshop products to be affordable suggests that they are pricing their products as too high a premium for their target market of students and teenagers, as they are unable to afford the higher prices.

AGE

Consumer Demographic

Gender

INTERESTS Social media Fast FASHION

15-30

mAINLY fEMALE

oNLINE sHOPPING fASHION fOCUSED sTYLE ON A BUDGET

(elliedigitalpublishing.blogspot.com)

(Cameron, E www.elliedigitalpublishing.blogspot.com) (McMinn, M, www.theguardian.com)

7 Product Selection

Best Selling Products Topshop sells a wide variety of clothing ranging from a basics range right through to more expensive and higher end pieces. Primary Research carried out suggested that the most popular item purchased was jeans, with 70% of people surveyed saying this is what they would buy. By providing their consumers with such as vast range of products it makes the brand appeal to a wider audience as there is more likely to be something available for everyone. Further research through the Topshop website suggests that many of the best-selling items come from the basics range and include items such as jeans and jumpers. (Topshop, 2019 www. topshop.com) This information comes from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;best-sellersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section on the website demonstrating that the brand has a clear understanding of what products they are selling well.

(Topshop Jamie Jeans Poster, 2019)

(Topshop Joni Jeans Poster, 2019)

(Topshop Bestsellers web page www.topshop.com)

In Store Concessions In addition to their own products, Topshop also stock other brands including Skinny Dip and Gyspy Shrine. This could suggest that they are trying to attract a wider audience by providing products that do not follow their brands ideas fully. However, by selling these products it has given a boost to both brands. As a much fresher brand, Skinny Dip, by collaborating with Topshop has been able to further its self into the fashion industry, while helping Topshop to move forward with their identity into something new and refreshing. (Unknown, 2015 www. appearhere.co.uk) The target demographic of Skinny Dip is very similar to that of Topshop suggesting by having these in store concessions it will help drive Topshop’s overall sales and profits. By selling mainly accessories such as bags, purses and phone accessories, Skinny Dip does therefore not take away from the products Topshop sell, but still encourages customers to come into the store to purchase from the concessions.

(Topshop Skinny Dip web page www.topshop.com)

Does a store having concessions stands make you more likely to shop there?

Brand Pricing What is your opinion on Topshop’s pricing points?

Depends on the Product Too Expensive Just Right

Does a sale in store make you more likely to buy from Topshop? Yes

Yes

No No

Maybe

This primary research suggests that concessions are part of what makes Topshop successful and what customers want as a way of getting more products from one store.

Due to the vast number of products sold by Topshop, their prices can also vary largely. A survey carried out amongst 20 people suggested that 70% of them would be more inclined to shop at Topshop if there was a sale on, and 60% claimed that the prices often have a major impact on whether they would buy a certain product. However, only 25% of people surveyed said they believed that Topshop’s pricing points where too expensive.

8 Social Media And Influencer Marketing

Social media activity On Instagram Topshop post on average three times a day with a mixture of video and still image content. In addition to this, they also post ‘Insta Stories’ as a way to promote their content to their target audience. The brands success on social media could also be linked to their ‘click to buy’ option that allows consumers to be taken to that product immediately instead of having to search through the website. Like with Instagram, Topshop heavily populate their YouTube page with videos on a daily basis. Their ‘Topshop TV’ campaign is a new feature on the channel for a limited amount of time to coincide with ‘Fashion month’, and the various fashion weeks (www.youtube.com). It has been suggested that video content is now much more successful on social media than image-based content. Wyzowl has suggested that views on a brand video on YouTube have increased by 99% over the last year, and that 88% of marketers that tried using Video on Instagram found it to be a much more effective strategy for their brands than just image-based content (Unknown, 2018 www.wyzowl.com)

(Topshop YouTube page www.youtube.com/channel)

(Topshop Instagram Page www.instagram.com/topshop/

(Topshop Facebook Page www.facebook.com/Topshop/

(Topshop Twitter Feed www.twitter.com/topshop

Social Media Performance

Influencers

Does social media influence the products you choose to buy? Yes

Are you likely to buy a certain product based on an influencer? Yes No

Sometimes Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Know

A survey carried out by Vouchercloud suggests that Topshop is performing well with their social media, despite their overall brand performance being poor. The survey suggests that out of 70 other brands, Topshop is the best preforming and has the biggest social media presence. The research suggests Topshop has the biggest online presence on both Instagram and Twitter, and that despite the digital age and the rise of online retailers, high street stores such as Primark and Marks and Spencerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s did better than online retailers such as Boohoo (Stevens, B 2017 www. retailgazette.co.uk)

Primary research suggests that social media does have an impact on the shopping habits of consumers. The split could be to do with the range of ages of the people who took part in the survey, as the Millennials and generation Z are more likely to use social media than other generations. The split in the number of people who are influenced by influencers could also be down to the generations, as the younger generation may be more likely to use traditional advertising techniques such as TV adverts and print advertising to influence what they choose to buy.

(Megan Ellaby Instagram page www.instagram.com/meganellaby)

Amy Bell Instagram page www.instagram.com/little_magpie1)

Topshop have a good relationship with many social media influencers. Unlike. Many other brands, they do not use them in many of their posts on their social media accounts. However, they are still often seen wearing the brands products and being invited to events to see new products. For example, influencers such as Megan Ellaby and Amy Bell were invited to Topshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s launch of their autumn winter collection in 2017 to see the new collection before it was released (www.topshop.com). This strategy is successful, however, in order to use influencers more effectively, Topshop could use some of their images on their brand social media feeds to highlight to consumers the types of people wearing their products.

9 Marketing Mix

Products, Price, Place Promotion Product Topshop stock a range of products ranging from t shirts to dresses as well as ranging in price a basics range to their Boutique range which is more expensive. They stock a number of different fashion ranges that each bring something different to that brand varying from different materials, different price points and celebrity collaborations, with their most recent collaboration being with Halpern, to create a disco line within store (www.independent.co.uk)

Price The price points of Topshop are very consistent to what would be expected of a high street brand. The average price for a pair of jeans from Topshop is £40 (www.topshop.com) in comparison with some of their competitors, this is deemed a reasonable price. River Island’s average price for a pair of jeans is also £40 (www.riverisland.com) however, at other competitor H & M the average price is on £35 (www.hm.com)

Place There is a Topshop store on almost every British high street across the country suggesting that it is a very popular brand. By having them in major cities it allows a wide range of consumers to shop there as well as those who shop online. Their flagship store on Oxford Street in London has three floors and offers an interactive in store experience. They have a nail bar and a café within their store and also offer a personal shopping experience to make the visit to the store more enjoyable and more of an experience rather than just shopping (www.topshop.com)

Promotion Topshop have a number of ways they promote their brand to try and communicate with a wide range of consumers. They often send emails out to their customers informing them of sales or extra discounts for being signed up to their mailing list. They also use large billboards in major cities to promote new lines or advertise when they are having a sale. They use taxis that drive around cities to promote their new lines in order to reach a wider audience than just billboards would. In store, their large signs often clearly indicate to consumers whether there is a sale on or if a new line has just been launched within the brand (www.campaignlive.co.uk)

Topshop Oxford Street Nail Salon, 2018

Advertising Strategies

The television adverts used by Topshop are also used on their social media platform as a way to try and reach as many people as possible to promote their brand. They have often used celebrities who they have collaborated with in their adverts which encourages a large number of consumers to purchase the products. For example, Topshop have used Cara Delevingne in their TV adverts (www.wwd.com) By promoting the adverts on multiple platforms it makes it easier to reach a wider audience who do not all use social media.

Communication Channels Topshop are an omni-channel brand and have started to embrace this in order to help drive them forward and increase their number of sales. They have a section on their website homepage and on their app titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Topshop on the goâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; highlighting that they are no longer just a high street store. The app allows consumers to see what stores are nearby as well as check which stores have certain products are in stock in each store, making the shopping experience easier for them (Jackson, H, 2013 www.hitsearchlimited.com)

(Topshop on the go, 2013 www.hitsearchlimited.com) (Topshop Live Trends Billboard, 2015 www.stackla.com)

Window displays play a fundamental role into the advertising and promoting the brand. The products shown in the window displays form full outfits which is a way of encouraging consumers to buy the products as they know what they look like as a whole outfit, rather than just an individual product. Also, by placing multiple products together it encourages consumers to buy more than one item (Unknown, 2014 www. thebwd.com)

(Topshop App http://www.topshop.com)

Topshop have also started to use more video content to market their brand in an attempt to boost sales. A video for Chinese New Year was created in order to strengthen the brand as being multi-cultural, but still highlighting that the brand is overall British (Baker, R, 2013 www.marketingweek.com)

(Topshop SS18 Window Display www.retail-focus.co.uk)

The Lanterns still image, 2013 (www.marketing-interactive.com)

(Topshop Sale Window Display, 2014 www.businessinsider.com)

10 Proposed Strategy and Recommendations 37

Sustainable Sub Brand

Topshop is a brand that is known for its contributions to the fast fashion world. In order to try and move away from this idea a new sub brand called Revive and Wear would be introduced to combat this idea and move the brand towards something more sustainable in the long run.

(www.lurapparel.com) Unlike with the previous sustainable range that Topshop have had in their stores, Revive and Wear would be available in store all year round in order to have a large enough impact on the issue that is fast fashion. By having the range available permanently instead of on a limited-edition basis it would encourage existing consumers to purchase the range as they would be able to see the difference between the products that contribute to fast fashion and those that are helping the environment. Primary research suggests that a large proportion of the population do want to see more sustainable fashion with 76% of people asked saying that while they would continue to shop at Topshop, introducing a brand that is sustainable would make them even more likely to. In order to make this new sub brand a success and remain in stores all year round, the products that make up this range would have to be pieces that are trans seasonal and do not go out of fashion when new trends come in. As Topshop’s current best-selling products come from their basics range and include items such as jeans, jumpers and t shirts, these would be the best products to include in the new sub brand. Some of Topshop’s competitor brands have already started to introduce the idea of sustainable fashion into the collections and have also started with the basic and most popular products. ASOS have started to sell recycled denim and now stock three types of jeans all made from recycled cotton in order to try and reduce the amount of water that is used to create a brand new pair from scratch (www.asos.com)

Like with the previous ‘Reclaim to Wear’ collection Topshop had in store, the products for this sub brand would be made entirely out of sustainable, recycled and organic materials to help stop the amount of waste products that come from the fashion industry each year. It is currently estimated that only 1% of clothing a year is recycled into new garments and the rest ends up in landfill sites (Cooper, K 2018 www.bbc.co.uk). By creating a completely sustainable fashion range it would reduce the number of garments Topshop throw away each year and reduce their contribution to the fast fashion world.

(ASOS men’s recycled jeans, 2017 www.asos.com)

Sub brand SWOT ANALYSIS

The range will be better for the environment by using recycled, sustainable and organic materials as well as reduce the amount of fast fashion on the high street

The price points of the products could be higher than the other ranges / brands that Topshop sell because of the materials that are used to create the products

Bring in new influencers to the brand who are already established within the sustainability world that would encourage a large success rate for the brand

Encourage a larger consumer base for the brand as more people want to stop shopping at fast fashion stores. Primary research survey suggests 76% of people asked wanted to see a sustainable range within Topshop

Integrate the idea of sustainability and The same products would sustainable fashion be in store all year around meaning the garments would throughout the other ranges not change with the seasons within Topshop to encourage existing and trends and consumers may want to see something customers to buy the new different each season range

The range may not be suitable for everyone and as it would not change with the seasons and the trends it would never be an appropriate range for all consumers Already existing brands within this sector may be too dominating for the sub brand to become a success and therefore it may not prove as popular with the consumers

Sustainable Sub Brand

Sub brand Instagram Feed

To help differentiate this new sub brand from already existing ranges within Topshop and from other sustainable brands that would become a competitor to this brand it would help to show exactly where the materials have come from. For example, primary research suggests that consumers would be more likely to purchase from the new range if they knew that the products where 100% sustainable and that they were contributing to a decline in fast fashion (see appendix 1) By having an understanding of where their products were coming from it would make them less likely to want to support the fast fashion trend and therefore buy more sustainable products. As this would be a new sub brand within an already existing brand, it would have to appeal to the already existing customers as well as any news ones that would be interested in the sustainable brand. A way to do this would be to ensure the price points of the new range were in proportion to those that have already been set by Topshop, as if they were too high or too low, they would discourage customers from either buying the new range or already existing products. Social media, particularly Instagram, would play a large part in the way this new sub brand is marketed and promoted to consumers. Topshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current social media strategy consists of three posts a day on Instagram as well as Instagram stories throughout the day. A way they could initially promote this new brand alongside their current products could be through dedicating their Instagram stories to the new brand as well as one of their daily posts, so it is made clear to consumers that this is something new that they are offering.

Another way Topshop can promote this new brand is through the use of influencers. The influencers they use would need to already be established within the sustainable fashion world as their existing follower base are more likely to want to purchase the new range. One Instagram influencer that would be able to promote this new brand is Michelle Chavez (@michelleforgood) (www.instagram.com/michelleforgood) who is an ethical fashion blogger and would have a good understanding of what the new sub brand was trying to do and promote it in an effective way (Spoljaric, S 2018 www.thegoodtrade.com)

Image 1 (Fashioned by Nature at Victoria and Albert Museum, 2018) Image 2 (Impact of fast fashion on environment, 2015) Image 3 (Importance of Sustainable fashion, 2016) Image 4 (Michelle Chavez Instagram Image, 2018) Image 5 (Fashioned by Nature at Victoria and Albert Museum, 2018) Image 6 (The environmental cost of fashion, 2018)

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