Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Customer Profile - 3 Exclusive Summary - 4 Mood board - 5 Kate Moss – 6-7 Brand History – 8 Demographics – 9 Brand Image – 10 Brand Market Position – 11 Competition – 12 Attributes, Distinctiveness, Novelty – 13 Mission Statement - 14 Brand Identity Diamond - 15 Current Look Book – 16 Straplines - 17-18 Look Book 2 – 19-20 Brand Identity Model – 21 Brand Positioning Map – 22 SWOT Analysis – 23-24 PESTLE - 25
Hello Majoring in up-to-the-minute affordable fashion has always been a priority for Lucy as she love to indulge in the latest trends by writing her own blog and attending fashion shows which she documents on Instagram, Facebook and twitter her opinions and views on the shows, while also keeping up with the latest trends with her monthly subscription of Vouge magazine! As a single student studying fashion design at Brighton University, she believes that everyone should be able to express their feeling, attitude and sense of style through clothing without being judged as we are all individuals with different outlooks on life. Being close to the city capital means she sees unique characteristics in peoples outfit choices. Feeling inspired wishes to make a blog of her own and write about the interesting trends set by high street stores. Topshop being a distinctive brand, with good quality clothes is seen as ahead of the game from its competitors, appealing to her edgy and fashion forward style whilst on a budget. Topshop's brave and insolent approach has captivated the brand to fashion conscious shoppers and industry insiders alike. Lucy is a young girl who wants to look mature and independent while striving to aiming for a unique appearance as an individual with her own sense of style. Eventually portraying this to other young people who strive to look and feel good, yet don’t want to indulge and spend on higher end brands.
Executive Summary My assignment for this project was to choose a brand to research I depth as I work at this flagship and understand the ins and outs of the company. I have chosen the high street London brand because I have always enjoyed shopped at Topshop as a young girl because of the quality and style of clothing which is why so many people resort to shopping at Topshop. The purpose of this is to see the position Topshop is placed within the fashion market today along side its competitors. Both primary and secondary research will be included. For primary research I will include my insight knowledge of working In the company for the past two years and the information and experience over the period. For secondary research, I will be using online information and databases such as news article and Topshop’s website its self. My knowledge and findings were that shoppers and current customers are slowly drifting from Topshop due to recent scandals and a large fraction of stores in the UK resulting to closure, forcing customers to resort to shopping online. Existing and upcoming competitors such as H&M and Pretty Little Thing are selling high street fashion for a fraction of the price, yet still good quality which has resulted into the deflation of Topshop and its shoppers.
Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels - Kate Moss -
Brand History Topshop was first launched in 1964, founded by Peter Robinson, which then led to the first opening of the shop in Sheffield, reaching a profit of over £1,000,000 even though it had been open two years. Eventually taking over a huge store on Oxford street in 1994, bring in over 200,00 shoppers per week over 300 stores are open in the UK today and in 2009 expanding their brand internationally to locations such as New York to where they now have 100 stores outside of the UK. In 2005 Topshop was the first high street brand to show their collection, to which they are the only high street brand today that walks at London `fashion Week today. now becoming one of the most influential and trendiest shops we see in the high streets today. Apprehending all the seasons and trends that come along with it and making high end fashion, high street fashion affordable for young shoppers to wear, drawing attention to their target audience. Topshop is owned by Arcadia group which also owns multiple other brands such as Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Wallis, Burton and Outfit. Sponsoring the ‘new generation scheme’ , helping well known designer brands such as Alexandra McQueen and Marios Schwab. Along side collaborating with celebrities such as Kate Moss, a super model, producing collections which defined Topshop as the world wide brand that is is today. Topshop's multimodal function allows shoppers to have a pleasant experience shopping either in store or online. Topshop has branched out and become a well known and billion dollar company allowing shoppers to now go into the store and enjoy the experience as a whole. Giving shoppers the freedom , feeling and luxury of buying high end fashion for high street prices.
Demographics Topshop’s range targets an audience between the ages of 15-30, the generation Z. Middle to upper class people who aim to dress fashion forward, wanting high end fashion but without the price tag. Teenagers want to pick up the latest fashion trends without much hassle. With the stores being located mostly in towns or city centres, this makes quick buys and easy pick ups easily accessible for the shoppers. Topshop focuses on being able to create your own look with their medium to high price range yet good quality clothes, allowing anyone to express their sense of style if they choose to shop at Topshop.
Brand Image Topshop is a global fashion and beauty destination that connects women with the new and the next in style and culture. Topshop offers a premium, complimentary personal shopping and styling service in many of the brand's 620 stores and franchises located in over 40 countries. Premium lines include Boutique, a contemporary and luxurious wardrobe and Topshop Unique. The only collection designed by a high street retailer to be shown on-schedule at London Fashion Week. Topshop has always been known as very stylish and catering to everyone's needs from basic clothing to out there, unusual and unique piece. Topshop is catwalk fashion but for cheaper, more durable prices, enabling young students and adults to be apart of fast fashion and think fashion forward.
Brand Market Position Topshop demographic is mainly women between the ages of 16-30, attracting people of this age group due to their in store and online concessions in clothes such as Adidas and in their beauty range, such a Doll Beauty, which attracts people who want to shop at a particular brand in their town and don’t have to branch out to the high end stores in city centres and is convenient for those who don’t like to buy online.
Competition Topshop’s main competition is Zara, River Island and H&M as these fast fashion brands all aim towards the same target audience and sell similar products in the same price range. Customers acknowledge these brands as selling good quality clothes. Topshop’s sales have reduced because of heavy competition so thinking of new ways to reach more clients is key. Topshop is known for aiming for Indie style fashion and being peculiar with its clothing to stand out from other competitors. Zara is another huge competitor for Topshop. This is their closest competitor because they have relatively higher prices than H&M, but is considered to be less fashionable. Zara’s products are similar in prices, however they do sell basic clothing at cheaper prices known as the TRF collection. Similarly, River Island sells cheap clothing such as leggings and tank tops, as well as expensive clothing but is made from high end material.
DISTINCTIVENESS How different from competition
ATTRIBUTES Customer service Standard delivery up to 5 working days for free, to home if the customer spends over £50 • standard working day delivery to store 3-7 working days, free with any order • Express delivery to home, next day delivery, when you order by 9pm weekdays or 5pm Sunday for £6 • Express delivery to store, next day delivery £3 unless you do an ISO and get free next day delivery either in store or to home. • Recently introduced, free next day delivery to home or store for a full year for just £9.95. • Topshop now offer ‘buy now pay later’ with Klarna, which allows the customer to order items from their website, get them delivered to their home and then pay for them later once they know what they want to keep, rather than order lots of clothes • Topshop was one of the first companies to start offering OIS (order in stores) where if a customer orders something offline in the store they receive free next day delivery either to come and collect in store or to their home. This is another tool that allows shoppers to get the clothes they want that that certain store may have sold out of or don’t stock, for example if they are a small flagship in a small town •
Topshop offers a boutique section, throughout their line, which means the clothes are higher quality (100% silk) however at a higher price. • Topshop is ‘forward fashion’ thinking. Introducing new fashion trends on there ‘new in’ page on their website. Topshop in a way introduces new fashion styles before other high street brands where their clothes are quite generic. • Topshop sells other brands within their stores and online, with over 26 included brands such as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, New Balance, Vans. These high end brands allows customers to shop in Topshop while also at their other favorite high end brands. Also giving Topshop an advantage in comparison to its competitors that it includes multiple designers that are wanting to sell their clothes through Topshop • Topshop has collaborated with some of the biggest celebrities in the world such as Kate Moss, being the first model and face of the company, to current day such as Beyoncé creating her line ‘Ivy Park’ that was originally only sold and bough through Topshop. Kylie and Kendal Jenner worked with Topshop and introduced their own line. Companies such as H&M and Forever 21, have not created lines or other brands that make customers want to shop there. •
NOVELTY Are they doing new things that no one else is doing Topshop’s Vision statement is to produce fashionable products ’in an ethical way and demonstrate a responsible attitude towards people and the environment.’ Meaning the goods have been produced - lawfully, through fair and honest dealing without exploiting the people who made them - in decent working conditions - without damaging the environment. • Topshop offers a Personal shopping experience where customers can go into store and get a one on one experience with a member of staff. The customer can go onto line and book and appointment, where they describe what outfit they want for what occasion. Hair, skin and eye colour, which the staff set up a room with full head to toe outfits they have put together, which makes the customer feel special in a way as they have outfits allocated to them while saving them time. There are three options. Two options being 60 minutes ‘The Big Event’ (wedding and black tie) and ‘The Essentials’ (honeymoon or skiing.) Lastly, a 120 minute appointment ‘The Wardrobe Overhall’ for those wanting a complete new look. This service is free. •
Mission Statement The world around us is evolving fast, moving into a new age. We are working hard to champion progress, aspiring to make a positive difference. It is up to us to take a considered approach to what we do; to decide how we exist in the present and plan how we exist in the future. We recognise sustainability as a pressing concern, and it is for this reason that we strive to do everything we can for the people we care about, the products we create and the planet we live on. We are not perfect, but we are excited to embark on this journey. Together, let’s start reducing our fashion footprint and build a legacy we can feel proud of. While we work hard to develop excellent products, we’re striving to make a positive difference throughout our supply chain both socially and environmentally. Our Considered products have been designed to be more environmentally sustainable. We use lower-impact materials, innovative production methods and partner with certified suppliers across all of our key ranges. Considered products contain at least 50% organic cotton, 50% lyocell or 20% recycled material (polyester or cotton). To ensure products are of the highest quality, we can’t always include more than 20% recycled material. While we continue to put quality at the forefront of our designs, we are working closely with our suppliers to increase the number of more sustainable fibres in our products. MATERIALS Our vision is to replace all ‘conventional’ materials with sustainable alternatives over time. To achieve this vision, we collaborated with a specialist consultancy to compare the environmental impacts of our most commonly used materials. This work has been distilled into a toolkit that helps our product teams identify, procure and market more sustainable products. We incorporate organic and recycled materials into our products whenever we can.
ORGANIC COTTON Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and has a lower impact on the environment.
RECYCLED COTTON Recycled cotton is sourced from textile leftovers, which are broken down and spun into new yarns for our fabrics. It is better for the environment because it reduces our consumption of raw materials.
RECYCLED POLYESTER Contains polyester from recycled plastic bottles, textiles and other plastic items, helping to conserve natural resources.
RECYCLED WOOL Using recycled wool helps to conserve natural resources and prevents leftover textiles from being wasted.
LYCOCELL Lyocell is a cellulosic fibre, derived from trees grown in sustainably managed forests. Lyocell is manufactured in an environmentally responsible closed-loop system where chemicals are recycled. We mostly used branded Lyocell fibres, such as Lenzing TENCEL.
ENERGY AND CARBON Our focus is on maximising the energy efficiency of our assets through retrofitting programmes, Building Management Systems (BMS) and behaviour change initiatives across stores. Since 2015, 100% of the energy we have purchased in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland has come from renewable sources. Wherever possible we choose freight methods that minimise carbon emissions, for example by favouring shipping via sea freight rather than air. We work with our supply chain partners to reduce the distance that our products travel (particularly in Europe) by increasing capacity at our international DCs and by working with our forwarding partners to find more efficient routes to market. Find out more on our logistics and energy reduction programmes.
Brand Identity Diamond Physic • Forward thinking fashion • Trend setting/on trend • High street affordable clothes • High quality • Unique
Personality • Trendy • Fashionable • Young • Trip to date
Relationship • Good quality • Medium to high prices • Flattering • Engaging
Culture • Originally a UK brand, founded in Sheffield • 100 International • Liberation • edgy
Reflection • Suitable for everyone, men and women. • Aimed towards people between the ages 16-30 • Edgy, out going, fashionable people • Style
Self Image • Stylish • Unique • exclusive • On trend • Fashion forward
CONSIDERED Patch Vinyl Jacket £225.00
CONSIDERED Floral Chuck On Dress £49.00
CONSIDERED Brown Quilted Puffer Jacket £55.00
CONSIDERED OSLO Snake Chunky Lace Up Boots £42.00
The ultimate fashion fix!
Fashion of the future. The future of fashion! I have re-wrote Topshop's strapline as I think this describes the brand more so than ‘the ultimate fashion fix!’ Topshop has drifted over the last couple years to more edgy clothes, such as certain fashion trends that seem to appear on Topshop online compared to other competitors like River Island that seem to follow.
Bonjour Baby Sweatshirt £22.00
PETITE Teal Snake Buckle Skirt £32.00
Brand Identity Model The Brand Identity Model differentiates Topshop from its competitors by capturing the essence, values and personality traits. Through looking at their website, promotional material, labeling and advertising this model illustrates how Topshop's values are realized.
Actions
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Trend setting
Reduc ed carbo n footpr int
British orientate d
• Socially interactive, multichannel marketing, Through free social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) Offers both high street and designer brands (Calvin Klein, Adidas)
Global shipping
Personality
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User friendly site
• Quirky, successful, trendy, innovative, independent • Forward thinking, fashion- conscious, neutral, artistic • Luxurious, personal, unique pieces, hippie, indie
Values •
• Cultural, handcrafted, one of a kind Up to date fashion, sets the trends. Most good quality pieces. Clean, sleek look online & store
Essence • • • • • • •
Attention to detail, beading, sequins, high quality products. Online fashion for men and women in their young years. Aimed towards people between 18-25. In store and online fashion. ‘Fast fashion’ enabling shoppers to walk straight in store and collect the latest fashion trends Personality Attention to detail Style for everyone
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Trade in store and on line •
Continuo us grouping company •
Easy shopping for the customer
Brand Positioning Map
Hight Quality
High Price
Low Price
Low Quality
This brand positing map shows the level of quality and price against Topshop’s competitors from the perception of customers based on their reputation and what each brands stands for, in connection to the price and quality of their products per brand. The surrounding brands that seem to be competing with Topshop are Zara, Asos, H&M and River Island, which all similarly sell alike clothing, all with aims to be the stores selling the latest trends first towards the same targeted aged audience.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Topshop have gained a strong market position from its success many years ago as they provide products allowing you to buy a whole outfit in one store. Their success showing as they were known to selling a pair of jeans every 10 seconds, proving their popularity. Alongside introducing 10% off for students, encouraging their target audience to pick to shop at Topshop, where as their competitors such as River Island and Zara don’t offer this discount. However, from research 10% of people said Topshop’s website is hard to yours and another 19% said it was boring due to their colours yet sheek style. While Topshop’s online competitors such as Pretty Little Thing have a more vibrant website and offer higher student discount while selling the style of clothes that would mostly attract students at student prices. Topshop is a popular brand with an iconic logo, with celebrity links such a Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne which have promoted the brand for many years, increasing the customers shopping at Topshop. Stores are easily accessible in towns and city centres, with variety of trends to suit everyone, allowing any one to shop at Topshop and find clothes to suit their look. Topshop has other attributes that are seen as strengths such as • Mannequins dressed in the latest trends to improve sales • Ships word wide and has stores currently opened internationally • Social media advertising • Customers are able to return online order in store so they don't have to post them back
Weaknesses
Also there was a re-call for all Topshop mannequins as customers who were a size 8 didn’t feel the mannequins portrayed a ‘true size 8’ miss leading shoppers and leaving them disheartened when they didn’t feel the clothes looked or fitted the same. As Topshop don’t have a curvy or plus size section which most online stores now have in place such as Pretty Little Thing. They do a petite sections therefore they should put a collection together for bigger women. Secondly, not everything can returned in store that’s bought on line. ** items are seen as premium or something the store wouldn’t be able to sell on if it is a certain brand that they don't stock, and therefore cant be returned making it more of a hassle for the company if they have a large order and cant just return all their items in the store. Topshop has other attributes that are seen as weakness such as • Limited large stores. Flagships are Oxford Circus, 5th Av and Times square. • Target market cant always afford the clothes, as a huge percentage are students. • Advertising strategies could improve by having adverts on TV such as PLT. • Stock is not always in every store, so customers cant always get what they wish when they go shopping • Items seem to sell out extremely quickly online compared to a few years ago. Sizes are never in stock. • Online exclusives
Opportunities
Threats
Topshop's downfall is the closure of a high proportion of their stores closing while their delivery prices remain high. An opportunity for Topshop is to offer free delivery service to customers as at the moment it does cost the customer to pay for their delivery if they don’t want to wait for over a week for their parcel. Most brands and companies have make delivery cheaper to increase online sales and order in stores. Another opportunity for Topshop is to change the size of models and mannequins, with most people in the UK being and adverse of a size 12-14, this would make their targeted audience which is between the ages of 16-30 feel more comfortable and thought out within the brand and eventually adding a plus size/curvy line, rather than just starting to make size 18s. Thirdly, advancing their website and the model photos take, introduce catwalk videos such as PLT, to show off the clothes and allow the shopper to see how they fit when they move. Other attributes that would improve Topshop would be
Topshop has multiple ’threats’ as there now cheaper stores online and on the streets. High street competitors are • New Look • Primark • H&M – use graphics with prices • Zara – big in the US • Urban Outfitters • River Island • Forever 21 – big in the US Online competitors are • Boohoo • In The Style • Pretty Little Thing • Nasty Girl • Miss Guided • Missy Empire
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Increase the use of sustainable fabrics. For example, creating an eco-friendly collection using secondhand products of sustainable fabrics. Continuing charity work, NEWGEN, Age UK, Centrepoint, Teenage Cancer Trust, Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
Improver team communication, through the staff app TAPP, clearer information available on the app. Improve customer experiences in store. Allowing time for re-plan and merchandising either in the morning or evening, while the store is closed so help is always available for customers instead of just having the time period 12-3 no task completion. Improve graphics on E.O.A Improve and rive jersey more, by making it more interest and suitable for their older targeted audience than flimsy crop tops that are most purchased by young teenagers.
Another important aspect is that people are now moving towards charity shops and vintage clothing and swapping sites such as Depop, Ebay which people sell they clothes they want for cheaper.
PESTLE Analysis
Economic 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.drapersonlin e.com). The closure of BHS under the Acadia group may also have impacted on the profit due to large pay-out to their workers. The prices of goods and service in retail has increased due to the CPI rising by 1%
Political 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 also products transported abroad will lose its value of money. (www.eu.topshop.com) Minimum wage required employees ages 25+ to get paid £7.20 an hour, where at Topshop if you are under the age of 18 you are on a wage of £5.75 and hour and when you turn 18 your wage goes up to £7.70 Topshop can get rid of less capable employees
Technological 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. Also helps the customer connect better tot the brand
Social 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.theguardian.com) Women are Topshop's targeted segment, the biggest spenders on clothing The living standard is developing everyday, people now have higher demand and expectations 79% of Topshop’s customers how their own income, which means their spending is independent, affecting the power of the customer.
Environmental 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) In the emerging markets more than 65% of the consumers are seeking sustainable fashion actively. In the mature markets this figure is 32% or less. Topshop now has multiple schemes in place to help save the environment enforcing their vision statement which includes their packaging (plastic bags) and what their clothes are made out of.
Legal 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) Environmental laws have also grown tough and need to be complied with. There are other laws related to international trade too that require compliance. However, legal compliance and an ethical image can be beneficial for a fashion brand’s business.