West Elm - Contemporary Issues

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

BY

AND

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN

AND

PROFESSOR DONALD LEVY WINTER QUARTER, 2016

DATE

Taylor Harman Sophie Litow Katie Schiewe March 2016

HELLO

TA B L E O F CO N T EN T S

Intro

4

Why sustainable?

6

About the brand

8

SWOT

10

Local collaboration

20

Materials

22

Consumer research 12

Process

Product categories 14

Product assortment 26

The concept

16

Packaging

27

Inspiration

18

Marketing

28

24

THE GROUP

This project was a collaborative effort for Contemporary Issues. In addition to the three group members, we worked with Harrison Albert to take all of the original photography as seen in our project.

WINTER QUARTER

March 2016

Merchandise Manager KATIE SCHIEWE Katie is West Elm’s newest Merchandise Manager. She is esponsible for the development and strategy of the merchandise assortment with the Buying and Inventory Management teams. She builds a strong product selection to deliver sales, achieve financial goals and enhance the brand.

Digital Marketing TAYLOR HARMAN

Taylor is West Elm’s Digital Marketing cordinator. She is responsible for developing strong creative ideas to express the brand on web and social through organic and paid content.She also leads the execution of the digital strategy and content development ensuring the production of high quality digital assets.

Product Development SOPHIE LITOW

Sophie is West Elm’s lead Product Developer. Her and her team analyzes and identifies product assortment needs for buying trips and development.

She also identifies trends, looks and product types that will help the business grow through competitive shopping, attending relevant trade shows and market research.

ABOUT THE BRAND

HOME BASE

FOUNDED IN

2002

B R O O K LY N /

CHANNELS

Customers are able to shop in-store,

NEW YORK

online, or through a catalog by calling a toll free number.

A part of the Williams and Sonoma portfolio brand.

582K

Some interesting facts

FACEBOOK

INS TAG R AM

800K

45 M A I N S T, B RO O K LY N , N Y 11 2 01

Heavily inuenced by global design and culture, West Elm also offers one-of-akind discoveries from around the world.

The brand now has a total of 65 retail stores and plans on expanding to Mexico and the

85K

350K

TWITTER

PINTEREST

Middle East within the next five years.

4

United States Canada Australia United Kingdom

OUR VISION

WEST ELM IS VERY COMMITTED TO THEIR CUSTOMERS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH A CHOICE IN THEIR PRODUCTS, BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LIKE MINDED THINKERS AND S TAY I N G T RU E TO B US I N E S S PR AC T I CE S . W H I L E W E S T EL M HAS A COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING LOCAL COMMUNIT I E S H ER E I N T H E S TAT E S , T H E Y A R E A L S O A R E CO M M I T T ED TO IMPROVING THE LIFE OF THEIR GLOBAL ARTISANS BY SUPPORTING FAIR TR ADE AND WORKPL ACE PROGR AMS. WEST ELM IS CONSCIOUS OF THEIR ECO FOOTPRINT AND S U P P O R T S E N V I R O N M E N TA L LY F R I E N D LY P R AC T I C E S .

COMPANY HISTORY

2002

2003

2012

2014

B RO O K LY N

CORPOR ATE

PERTH

LONDON

NEW YORK

HEADQUARTERS

AUSTRALIA

UNITED KINGDOM

West Elm launches

First catalog /

The company

West Elm continues

e-commerce site

lookbook is released

opened four stores

to grow and opens

and opens their first

in the United States

for the first time

a store in London,

brick and mortar.

only.

outside of the US.

United Kingdom.

SWOT

STRENGTHS

Online sales enabled increased reach, reduced operating costs, and met the brand’s diverse needs.

Strong product portfolio which caters to a middle-class contemporary consumer.

West Elm targets a younger demographic and has the potential to increase brand awareness and loyalty by incorporating multiplatform use and improve brand equity.

West Elm’s presence on HGTV and in House & Home for example, has exposed the brand to large audiences looking to find design

OPPORTUNITIES

Consumers easily adapt to alternative retail channels, the opportunity lies in providing solutions on relevant devices or within platforms.

Growing economy and home decor market.

Income level is at a constant increase.

A N A LY S I S

WEAKNESSES

T H R E AT S

West Elm is in danger of being unable to cope with new channels and new consumer expectations.

Customers use West Elm as a showroom, where they take advantage of the extensive, wellstocked locations and some of the “knowledgeable” staff to research products; which they actually buy

Similar products are available at lower price points from competitors.

Items are frequently back-ordered online; this information is usually unknown to sales associates, until they make an online order on behalf of a customer. Items “Out of Stock” during sales and holidays is common, West Elm needs to invest in methods to recognize its own potential disadvantages and innovate ways to overcome them.

CONSUMER RESEARCH DEMOGRAPHRICS AND PSYCHOGRAPHICS

AGES 25-40 I N CO M E $ 8 0 K-12 5K COLLEG E G R ADUATE

ENJOYS BRUNCHING, YOGA, READING DESIGN SPONGE, AND COOKING

AL SO SHOPS AT LOF T, ANTHROPOLOGIE, WHOLE FOODS, AND CR ATE & BARREL

E A R LY A D A P TO R S & E A R LY M A J O R I T Y O N E / T H I R D O F T H E T O TA L P O P. VA L U E C O M M U N I T Y, FA M I LY, A N D C R E AT I V I T Y TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA OFTEN TOTA L P U RC H A S I N G P OW ER O F $2 0 0 B I L L I O N

PRO D U C T C AT EG O R I E S DESCRIPTION NET REVENUE

BRAND GROWTH

E-COMMERCE

THIS YEAR

RANKING

$4.7 billion 7.1% 50% of total revenue 11 store openings 21st largest in USA

West Elm carries an array of products such as: kitchenwares, housewares, furniture and linens. Along with their wide range of products, West Elm makes a point to include products from local makers and artisans from across the globe. They also add uniqueness to their products by collaborating with independent designers to create one of a kind pieces for their customers.

FURNITURE BEDDING B AT H RUGS + DRAPERY ACCESSORIES

THE CONCEPT

FOCUSED ON

PARTNERED WITH

Sustainability Savannah Coffee Roasters

DESCRIPTION

Each one of our items are created using a previously used coffee bean bag that would otherwise be discarded and end up in a landfill. Savannah Coffee Roasters goes through dozens of bags a week. With our partnership, we’ve reduced their waste and they’ve helped to reduce ours. In the process of making our West Elm x Savannah Coffee Roasters products, we try to use as many recyclable or reusable materials as possible. In addition, we monitor our manufacturing practices to make sure we are being as sustainable as we can be. Through reusing these one of a kind burlap coffee bean bags, we’ve been able to give a product a second life. Purchasing from our goods means buying into a more sustainable future for ourselves, our children, and generations to come.

ECLECTIC

RUSTIC

WHIMSICAL

HAND-CRAFTED

MOODBOARD

West Elm’s summer collection is always focused on the gathering that dining provides. We wanted to show how our product could be used throughout the day, in different dining environments. Breakfast in bed provides an intimate setting for the meal that starts your day. A dinner gathering brings friends and family together, something West Elm believes is the core

SAVANNAH COFFEE ROASTERS A local coffee brewery in Savannah, Georgia founded in 1909 that prides themselves on roasting the freshest and finest coffee beans.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE BRAND They brew ethically produced coffee beans from Brazil, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, Columbia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.

M AT ER I A L S

PL ACEMAT

WHAT IT ’ S MADE OF

Coffee Bag Vinyl Backing Embroidery Thread Spray Adhesive

DESCRIPTION

Each bag of fresh coffee beans comes in a burlap coffee bean bag. Each one is unique, as every country and coffee bean has their own one of a kind design. West Elm has taken note of the natural beauty in the color and design of these bags and decided to turn them into something great. Our West Elm x Savannah Coffee Roasters line has reused these coffee bean bags to create placemats, table runners, potholders, dish towels, and coasters for your home. Each bag has it’s own unique touch and form of wear, so products will vary slightly.

THE PROCESS

DELIVERABLES

Physical Product Signage Digital Marketing Direct Mail Piece

DESCRIPTION

Our place mats are created by selecting unique designs from Savannah Coffee Roaster’s coffee bean bags. The burlap is cut around the design at about 16” X 12”, although sizes might vary according to the design. Then, frayed edges are created in the burlap piece by pulling out two strands of either the weft or warp on all four sides. A vinyl piece is cut slightly smaller and used to back the burlap. This keeps the place mat clean, sturdy, and easy for everyday use. After the vinyl is adhered using a strong adhesive, the bright tassels are constructed and sewn on. The color of the tassels are selected according to the design on each piece and will vary. This is where the personality of our place mats really come through, making it different from any others currently on the market.

THE LINE THE FULL PRODUCT ASSORTMENT

1. PL ACEMATS

- SET OF 2

2. TEA TOWELS - SET OF 2 3. POT HOLDER 4. COASTERS - SET OF 4 5. TABLE RUNNER

PACK AGING Every box West Elm ships is packed with air pads that are made up of 98% air and 2% recycled plastic.

Air pads are more sustainable then packing peanuts and easier to clean up too.

MARKETING

FACEBOOK

INS TAGR AM

PINTEREST

FRONT & MAIN

IN-STORE

584K likes 801K followers 349K followers Design blog Services & events

DESCRIPTION

West Elm chooses social media presence to be the main focus for their marketing efforts. In addition, the brand has an email campaign and uses lookbooks as promotions. West Elm has a large Instagram following with an impressive 811k followers.

With the introduction of the West Elm x Savannah Coffee Roasters line, we will utilize these platforms to effectively market our new product.

MARKETING West Elm releases a monthly catalog so we designed an identical version with all original photography based around our sustainable collection.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN PROFESSOR DONALD LEVY TAYLOR HARMAN , K ATIE SCHIE WE, & SOPHIE LITOW WINTER QUARTER, 2016