Weekday Report - Expansion in to the UK market by megan tan

Weekday

an expansion into the uk market

Megan Tan Course: BA Fashion Communication and Promotion Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Module Code: FASH30002 Tutor: Chris Macdonald Word count: 5865(without quotes) 3

ONE

THREE

FOUR

Page 6 - Introduction Page 8 - About the brand Page 14 - Why now?

Page 19 - The Marketing Strategy; The four Pâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Page 20 - Brand Identity Page 22- Brand positioning Page 26 - Differentiation strategy Page 34 - Competitor Analysis

Page 44 - The current consumer The UK consumer - profiles Page 56 - A day in the life

FIVE

SIX

SEVE N

Page 64 - Existing brand strategies Page 71 - Failed brands

Page 73 - The creative idea Pre/during/after Page 76 - Offline marketing Page 82 - Weekday x Acne Page 91 - Pop up events

Page 98 - Store Launch Page 102 - A concept store; Store design Page 110 - After/ Secret Garden Party Page 112 - Conclusion Page 116 - List of references Page 124 Appendix

introduction This report will focus on an expansion plan for Swedish brand Weekday to enter the UK market. It will explore and suggest the best strategy of how the brand can go about this, including ideas to build awareness and create a credible reputation alongside existing UK competitors. The Scandinavian inspired progressive retail concept; as Weekday describe themselves, is something that the current UK high street seems to be lacking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with its minimalist design and aesthetics, along with its innovative store concepts, all at an affordable price. The reasons behind Weekday being the chosen brand, come from the discovery of Weekday whilst on a trip to Berlin, as well as consistently seeing established bloggers talk about the brand so highly. Seeing the brand first hand and wanting to, but being unable to purchase their products in the UK until last year, made for an incredibly exciting opportunity for Weekday to make its mark on UK territory. The exciting and creative brand identity, allow plenty of freedom when it comes to the suggestion of incredibly engaging and innovative marketing and promotional strategies. The distinct style and personality of Weekday means they could really carve itself into a key player within the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly saturated clothing retail market Initial research will investigate the factors that have prevented Weekday from already entering the UK considering its success in Sweden and other European countries. Research will establish where the gap in the market is, and who the main competitors will be, as well as the UK target market. This will be followed by suggestions of how the brand should choose to enter the UK, and gain awareness and consumer following.

aims and objectives Find out where the gap in the market is for Weekday, and what the consumer demand is like To successfully bring the Brand Weekday in to the UK market through a multi channel strategy Think of a successful way for Weekday to enter the UK market – whether it be a stand alone store, pop up shop or collaboration with an existing brand Increase awareness of the brand in the UK Make sure that it is as credible/on par with brands already in the UK such as American Apparel and Urban outfitters

about the brand "An unconventional and uplifting place where good music, great garments and high spirits meet"â&#x20AC;?(weekday, 2014) Weekday is a Swedish brand which started off in 2001 when Adam Friberg ,Orjan Andersson and two friends opened a small second hand store in the suburbs. It was previously called Weekend due to its nature of only being open on Fridays and Saturdays. However, when the brand gained increased interest and popularity, the store moved, and increased its opening hours, changing the name to Weekday. There are now stores in seven countries whilst they ship to eighteen others through their recently launched online store. This has allowed the brand to put down some sort of roots in the UK, since the success of the online shop. However brand awareness needs to be heavily increased due to the fact many target consumers in the UK had never heard of the brand before (see appendix 4) Weekday has a distinct aesthetic when it comes to the design of the products and the in store environment. Creative fashion is offered at extremely affordable and competitive prices, which is one of the key strengths for the brand.

P r o g r e s s i v e R e t a i l C o n c e p t

Weekday is a progressive retail store concept. Weekday offers creative fashion at an affordable price and genuinely believes that bold ideas and a humble attitude is the way forward. 10

weekday moodboard

Figure 1 - Weekday brand identity moodboard

why now? Time is such an important element when considering brand expansion into different markets; if it is not the right time; brands are likely to fail where they could have succeeded. With a heavily saturated clothing market at present in the UK, the obvious question is why should Weekday choose to expand now?

UK fashion market

Figure 2 - UK clothing market infographic

? Extensive primary and secondary research has proven that this is a timely project, for various reasons. Firstly, the UK fashion market has been looked at. A report on Mintel forecasts that the women’s fashion sector will grow in value by 12% between 2012 and 2017 to reach £23.1 billion (see figure 2). This is promising for any clothing brand wanting to move in to the UK at this time as the fashion sector can be seen to be growing steadily. To further back this up, a report on Keynote has said: “ The clothing retail market is expected to grow over the coming years, as consumers recover confidence in the market. Key Note estimates that the market will grow by 6.2% between 2011 and 2015. Much of this growth will be due to the increases expected in costs.”

Clothing is one category that has been relatively immune to the squeeze on consumers – shoppers have cut back elsewhere to fund their clothing spend (Mintel, 2013). Clothing spending appears to be a priority for many consumers, much to the delight of retailers such as Weekday. These facts highlight the growth within the clothing retailing market for the next few years, making the UK a prime market for brands to enter, and hopefully succeed, with this predicted market growth and consumer spending being on the rise both currently and hopefully for the next few years to come.

uk demand Speaking to Sarah Long from the communications department at Weekday, has strengthened the argument for Weekday to enter the UK now. Long said: “We find that a lot of online interaction comes from the UK too, so even if we have a lot of people in Germany following us we have more people from England actually talking to us. And the same is true of online shopping, broadly speaking. In fact the top four countries for us at Weekday Online are Germany, Sweden, Denmark and then UK. So we know that the interest is there. (Long, 2014) The fact that there is demand from the UK with absolutely no advertising at present, proves serious potential for Weekday, if the correct marketing and advertising tools are utilised effectively. This enables the project to be both a timely and viable one. With creative strategies for promotion enforced to increase awareness, there is potential for Weekday to become a major key player on the UK high street. An initial survey, asking people who already knew the brand if they would be interested in Weekday in the UK, found that 81% said yes; another promising finding to support the expansion plans. (see appendix 3) Further research was undertaken through competitor store visits, where the brand website was shown to target consumers to see whether it was something they would be interested in, as well as finding out what there perceptions of the brand were. One consumer said: “I love the minimal style of the clothing, I feel like you could wear the clothes over and over again. There aren’t many shops with that kind of look in the UK at the moment”. (see appendix 4)

Speaking to consumers found that many people were beginning to find the high street shopping experience both predictable and unengaging: “I think there is room for more bands such as Cos, as I find it quite hard sometimes to get the minimal style clothing that I love so much especially in this country for a decent price. “ (see appendix 10)

Would you be interested in the brand Weekday in the UK?

Yes

Figure 3 - Results from Weekday in the UK survey

Further primary research found that 69% of consumers felt there was room for a new and exciting, creative brand such as Weekday to enter the UK, but agreed they would have to do something different to make them want to shop there. “I think the brand looks really cool, but they would have to be doing something completely different to all the other brands out there to really make me buy in to it.” (see appendix 4)

scandinavian Invasion

The Scandinavian fashion scene is really making a splash at the moment within the industry: “Things are changing. The fashion world is now flocking to Scandinavia to find the next covetable fashion brands.” (Mdudu, 2014) In previous years Stockholm fashion week failed to generate as much as a buzz as other fashion weeks, but now the fashion world are suddenly going crazy to find the next covetable fashion brands. ‘

It wasn’t that long ago that hardly anyone was paying attention to fashion week here in Stockholm,’ Carl Malmgren, denim designer at Cheap Monday, tells me backstage at the label’s show. ‘It was too quiet here for a long time and was a big problem but now we see a great flow of people. It seems to be booming.’ (Mdudu, 2014) This sudden interest in Scandinavian fashion at the moment proves that demand for brands such as Weekday is currently at a peak, with more people beginning to appreciate its distinct style and design aesthetic as well as the fact the clothing is becoming the epitomy of everyday style.

THE MARKETING STRATEGY Where are we now?

Product //

Place //

Weekday sells both men’s and women’s clothing, with a selection of in house brands such as Cheap Monday and MTWTFSS as well as external brands through collaborations with different designers. Creative fashion at an affordable price Denim focused brand – wide selection of jeans available

Currently there are stores in seven countries, and shipping to eighteen countries via online shop. All stores are located in cities with a population of more then 100,000. Flagship in Stockholm was designed to have a carnival feel, the floors are uneven and some of the mirrors have a ghost effect, the changing rooms tilt perspective and if you look down from a certain point you can see that the furniture spells out the word Weekday

Price //

Promotion //

Weekday is an affordable brand. In terms of competitors it is a similar price point. However, Weekdays other brands such as Cristophe Lemaire are at a much higher price point, mixing high and low fashion together. Often offers discount in store and online with special promotional offers –this is often on a weekend for a limited amount of time.

Promotion is done via social media sites Facebook and Instagram, but do not pay to push content via this. No big media buying such as print, online, radio Sponsor Way Out Festival in Gothernburg, using their channels to spread the message about the brand.

Brand identity

affordable prices unique store design and interior innovative creative

stocks different labels in store

classic

style conscious

creative styles for innovative consumer minimal exclusive create an atmospheric collaborations shopping experience

mix of high and low through designer collaborations

offers

platform for creativity

zeitgeist print t shirt

Progressive retail contemporary concept designs Creative, cool, urban quality fashion socially aware

simple

offers a wide selection of products

cool

focus on music through in store DJ's and festival sponsorship

progressive

urban contemporary

Figure 4 - Weekday brand onion model

Physique

Personality

Creative, progressive fashion MTWTFSS logo represents the days of the week and the fact that Weekday offers its fashion seven daysof the week Iconic for being an affordable denim focused brand

For creative individuals. It has a unique personality through its distinct style of clothing, whilst emphasis is put on the unique store environment, collaborations with both designers and creatives such as artists, as well as their effort to be socially aware.

Culture

Relationship

Own distinctive Scandinavian culture with a minimalistic, approach

The brand promises to offer creative fashion at affordable price and value for money A diverse range of products and collections

Reflection

Self image

Cool consumers who care about music, art, design and culture. They care about their appearance as well as appreciating quality. They know exactly how they want to look.

People can express their personalities through wearing the brand Makes them feel both cool and trend aware - effortlessly stylish

An initial brand onion followed by Jean Noel Kapfererâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand identity prism have been used in order to really define the brand, as well as creating a tool to refer back to throughout the report when suggestions are being put forward in regards to how Weekday should enter the UK. This will ensure that all their marketing tools and promotion will link back to this. These brand identity models will be the basis of how Weekday can manifest their identity in to reality through promotion and raising awareness in the UK.

Figure 5 - Weekday brand identity prism

Brand Positioning â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brands venturing into the UK market need to get their positioning right from day one. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all part and parcel of truly understanding your own brand of being able to see its character and DNA through the eyes of consumers in a culture that is not your own.â&#x20AC;? (Colett, 2013)

Often collaborate with other designers

lack of focus on store atmosphere and interior design

Competitor analysis is key when considering Weekdays positioning to see where it lies in comparison with existing UK brands. This perceptual map has been created in relation to Weekdays differentiation strategy and competetive advantage. As can be seen if Figure 6, the main competitor who would be a threat to Weekday is Urban Outfitters and Monki, who are in a similar area.

Strong focus on store atmosphere and interior design

Weekday is currently positioned as a retail concept offering creative fashion at affordable prices. It positions itself as a creative brand through collaborations with designers and artists.

The idea is for Weekday to use their differentiation strategies to their advantage, rather than competing head on with brands such as Urban Outfitters.

Little collaboration with other designers

target consumer

Figure 7 - Consumer perceptions of Weekday

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Competition has

intensified considerably in every sector, including retail. This has happened because the majority of players are doing broadly the same things more intensivelyâ&#x20AC;? (Srinivasa, 2010)

.â&#x20AC;?

differentiation strategy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Differentiation is the concept of developing and marketing products or services so that they are different and hopefully superior to those offered by competitors within the same marketplaceâ&#x20AC;? (Posner, 2011) Weekday has the opportunity to differentiate at different stages of the marketing progress through factors such as the in store environment, design innovation and unique collaborations. This will help them to gain competitive advantage and also allow them to stand out when entering the UK market, giving them a distinctive unique selling point, and distinctive brand positioning. This is easy for Weekday to do as they already use such strategies in their existing marketing plan, as will be discussed throughout the report. Weekday must ensure that they use their current differentiation strategies and expand even further on these for successful entry in to the UK.

store environment

Something that Weekday really focus on is the store concept, from the amazing and one of a kind layout present throughout stores in different countries as seen in figure 8. No two Weekday stores ever look the same, unlike its UK competitors who do not put quite so much emphasis on the store interior. Weekday stores take a year to build and they often have special architects designing them. Sarah Long (2014) says: “We also want to stand out from competitors by encouraging people to stay in the store and hang out, rather than pressuring them just to come in and shop. That’s why we have DJ’s and giveaways on a regular basis, we want people to come in and enjoy the fashion, get to know us and come back with their friends. Apart from just a store, Weekday should be a place you feel comfortable and wanted.” Store environment is becoming more important to consumers in the UK, as primary research has found that many consumers said this is one of the main things that would attract them to a new brand (see appendix 6).

““They are quite s

a year to design choose location will want to co

(long, 2014)

ite special. It takes about sign one and so we need to ions where we feel people o come and shop with us.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Figure 8 - Store environment moodboard

social awareness

Christ M a t h K o s C a r i

opheLemaire h e w A m e s t a B o d a n W e s t e r

x weekday

30 Figure 9 - Weekday Collaboration moodboard

collaboration Another thing which helps to set Weekday apart from its competitors is the diversity of its collection. The core brand consists of MTWTFSS Weekday, Cheap Monday, Weekday Vintage, Weekday Collaboration, Weekday Store made and MTWTFSS Weekday Collection.

At the moment Weekday are focusing on Scandinavian designers so there are BACK, Whyred, Carin Wester and Carin Wester Menswear, and Rodebjer. The aim is to offer people a chance to mix high quality basics with one or two very special pieces a season.

Weekday often collaborate with exciting up and coming designers, creating a platform for emerging talent, again linking to the brand identity model. Not only this, but in stark contrast weekday have recently collaborated with Hermes creative director, Christophe Lemaire, which is a completely different feel to other designers, attracting a different type of consumer, who is fashion conscious and aware of the industry. The fact that Weekday have collaborated with someone from such a high end brand manages to give them more credential for a high street brand.

Another strategy Weekday are using to create differentiation is collaborations with artists, which tie in with the idea of Weekday being a brand for creative consumers who enjoy art, design and music. This is executed through collaborations such as the innovative Kosta Boda artists one with Åsa Jungnelius and Ludvig Löfgren – creating a series of six glass sculptures in unique colours, exclusively for Weekday, which were sold in store (see figure 9).

Speaking about the collection, Christophe Lemaire said: “I appreciate the Weekday mood, the dynamics and point of view on fashion. Christophe Lemaire is probably a higher range than many of their other garments and the Weekday team made it clear that we will have a specific display and environment in the store. I like the mix of street wear and fashion, it just feels contemporary. “ (Weekday Magazine, 2012)

The fact that Weekday are collaborating with artists as well as designers really show they are more than just a fashion brand, but a lifestyle one with industry credentials for being a creative brand, which manages to appeal to their target consumer effectively.

Sarah Long (2014) says: “We try to keep our collections diverse and our aim is that a customer should be able to come into any one of our stores and buy a cheap, high quality pair of jeans, for example, and mix it with a high fashion top from an interesting designer label.”

"The UK is a hugely competitive market but you can still thrive if you are offering customers something different"" (Wood, 2010)) Social awareness Something else which really makes Weekday stand out from the crowd is their aim to be socially conscious. This is evident through their Zeitgeist print. Weekday print a different t-shirt each week with a different design reflecting on something to do with society. They try to work with collaborators who are interested in similar issues. As can be seen in figure 10, the different t- shirts represent issues such as the change to the rape laws in Sweden, gay rights at Sochi and International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day.

Figure 10 - Zeitgeist print t - shits

Weekday also sponsor Way Out West festival in Sweden because it is a great music festival that is entirely vegetarian and eco friendly. They have also worked with The Red Cross on a collection where they sent all the profits from that collection to victims of the Syrian crisis.

ansoff matrix

existing markets

Existing products

lowest risk

market penetration

market development new markets

new products

medium risk

product development

diversification

medium risk

highest risk Figure 11 - Ansoffs Matrix Model

From looking at the Ansoff Matrix model, the chosen method for Weekday in this scenario would be market development. Weekday will be using existing products and collections within the UK market. This investment is a medium risk strategy, where if successful there would be great financial benefits for the brand. The market development has already been tested through an online store, so a physical store is the next stage in preceeding this. However, certain collaborations will have to change in order to relate to the different consumer, for example; there would be no point for Weekday to use up and coming Swedish designers like they currently do if they are completely unknown in the UK. Research so far has proven there is conumer demand in the UK for Weekdays current product, therefore this strategy would be the most appropriate.

Competitor Analysis The next stage in the marketing strategy is competitor analysis which has been carried out through store visits and observation, analysing the brands strengths and weaknesses as well as looking at the type of marketing and promotion each brand uses.

competitor analysis Urban Outfitters can be seen as Weekdays main competitor in the UK, with them having a reputation for selling edgy and cool clothing to urban hipsters. Like Weekday, they also aim to provide a lifestyle shopping experience for young people who enjoy music, art and fashion. Strengths Strong brand positioning, through iconic lifestyle associations. This also enables the brand to connect with consumers. One stop shopping experience. The merchandise ranges from clothing to home dĂŠcor. Uses creative, three-dimensional window displays to get the attention of their customers Weaknesses Ethics and religious problems often come up and have previously caused offense or even lawsuits Target customer group excludes other target groups that have higher disposable incomes. The brand is focused on small subculture, little opportunity for mass marketing There are 28 stores in the UK, not as many as other competitors Higher price point to other competitors Marketing Promotion is limited to the website, catalogue, store displays and online Limited promotion can be seen as an effective part of differentiation strategy Has previously used consumers social media pictures as a marketing tool for clothing

Urban outfitters 34

Figre 12 - Urban Outfitters Moodboard

ame Am

American Apparel sells fashionable basics to a similar target market to Weekday; someone who values arts, culture and individuality, whilst also caring about their appearance. Strengths Vertically integrated clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer - performs design, advertising, and marketing in-house Clean, simple, effective store layouts in trendy, fashion-forward locations All production within US - “sweatshop free” slogan Strong political reform activists, demonstrated through “Legalize LA” and “Legalize Gay” programs support immigration and gay rights reforms The most popular item is the T-shirt, which is always in style - even though AA has a specific target market, the T-shirt extends over every demographic Weaknesses Auditing firm Deloitte & Touche abandoned AA in 2009 due to “material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting” Quality versus price issue The marketing can be extremely sexual and controversial, However These characteristics reflect the youthful, carefree attitude of the fashionable demographic that the brand targets

american Americanapparel Apparel

Figre 13 - American ApparelMoodboard

zara

Zara is a competitor in terms of its minimalist and basic design aesthetic. Weekday and Zara have a different target consumer, but there is crossover between the two, with many consumers shopping at both brands. Their original brand values are very different, however the clothing is something that appeals to a Weekday consumer. Strengths Very vast target market Catwalk inspired styles faster than its rivals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; speed and price advantage to competitors Tightly controlled production system Vertical supply chain; in-house ability of getting designs to the store floor in two weeks - this can take most retailers 6-9 months to accomplish. High fashion items at affordable prices Weaknesses Over dependence on European market With so many stores to supply to, they may not be able to keep up the fast pace Currently no loyalty programmes. Marketing It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t promote via catwalk shows, but delivers them direct to consumers through the stores to understand their need. No advertising at all cutting down costs

Figure 14 - Zara Moodboard

Monki is another H&M owned brand that has recently expanded in to the UK. There is a similar target market to Weekday, but both brands have different values and aesthetics, with the Scandinavian feel adding a sense of similarity. Strengths Distinct minimal Scandinavian feel, the collections also retain a quirky edge in line with their playful store designs. Story based brand using characters in an imaginary otherworld has its own creative network, which includes a TV show, magazine and collaborations with illustrators; collaborative partners include the likes of Susie Bubble, Fiona Jane and Indigo Clarke Weaknesses Only one store in the UK Only recently launched online store in UK Marketing involves social media, word of mouth and bloggers.

monki

Figure 15 - Monki Moodboard

SWOT ANALYSIS

strengths Good reputation in the countries it operates within, interest also coming from the UK. Distinctive signature, Scandinavian style Good value clothing at a low price point Collaborations with different designers such as Christophe Lemaire and Matthew Ames Wide variety of products, different labels being sold in store – multi brand store Seasonal fashion magazine available in store signature synthesis of high fashion and streetwear. Atmospheric store layout and design

Opportunities Open up new stores in new markets – UK Collaborations with UK designers to gain credibility Gain more awareness in the UK through bloggers such as India Rose Denim focused brand – gap in the market for reasonably priced jeans brand Rise of social marketing – opportunity to raise awareness and promote products

weaknesses Only stores in Europe and Japan No store in the UK despite demand Quite a specific target market Only recently opened an online shop – limiting availability/awareness Not yet built a relationship with UK consumersno advertising over here

threats Entering the UK – a highly saturated market Competitors like Monki have recently entered the UK - similar but lower price point UK consumer has different needs Lack of advertising Competitors have more market shore – more stores in more locations Being less popular than existing competitors Competitors may step up their game once Weekday has entered

Figure 16 - SWOT analysis

Global vs local "A brand needs to be strong in its local market first, before expanding internationally" (Walshe, 2013)) The idea of brands having a global strategy versus a local strategy is something that Weekday must consider when entering the UK. Research has identified that there is currently a gap in the market for the brand Weekday, as they currently are. Research has also identified that there is a similar target market in the UK as there is in existing operating countries, again meaning that Weekday should stay true to their original brand values shown in the brand identity model. Consumer research has found that UK consumers liked the brand Weekday, with some already aware of the brand. (see appendix) The design aesthetic is similar to some competitors already in the market such as Zara and COS, so the product need not be adapted. The only part of product that would need to change for the UK market would be the collaborations. Currently Weekday do colaborations with up and coming Swedish designers. In order to gain interest in the UK, collaborations would have to be with known designers in the UK. Research has found that the core collections of Weekday were something that UK consumers would wear (see appendix 4)

Weekday must consider their entry strategy. Sociocultural factors influence a companies choice of entry mode. Of general significance is the cultural distance between the home country and target country societies. When the cultural values, language, social structure, and ways of life of the target country differ strikingly from those to the home country, international managers are more inclined to feel ignorant about the target country and fearful of their capacity to manage production operations there. (Root, 1994) Luckily for Weekday, although there are certain cultural differences between countries, they do not differ strikingly, with only certain adaptations having to be made, mainly in terms of marketing channels, with things such as more print advertising will need to be done in the UK rather than solely word of mouth.

the weekday consumer

Initial consumer research was conducted through social media site Instagram. As Weekday is not yet in the UK, it was hard to access a wide range of the brands current consumers. This was overcome through looking at Weekdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s followers, and then analysing their own profiles in order to gain an insight in to the current Weekday consumers life. This made it apparent exactly what type of consumer Weekday currently has, as can be seen in figure 17. This then helped to establish what type of consumer would be the target one in the UK, so that further research could be carried out, through in depth interviews and photographing consumers bedrooms to get a further understanding of their interests and general lifestyles. This was followed by completing a photo diary of a consumers day in the life, in order to find out the kind of places they go, in order to establish a successful route to consumer.

Figure 17 - Consumer lifestyle moodboard

Rowan / 24 studies fashion design Favourite brand: Zara and COS Last thing you listened to? Mr Carter - Lil Wayne Last thing you bought? Pink jumper from Zara Last place you ate? pizza east Last thing you drank? Lucozade Last festival you went to? Sonar in Barcelona Last text you sent? Maybe you should send them pink New Balance trainers too

Figure 18 - Consumer profile

sean / 20 Studies construction management Favourite brand: Norse Project

Last thing you listened to? Groove Chronicles - holiday da vybe Last thing you bought? biGga fruit punch Last place you ate? Dixys chicken Last thing you drank? bigga fruit punch Last festival you went to? Dimensions in Croatia Last text you sent? Are you home yet?

Figure 19 - Consumer profile

declan/ 20 Graphic designer Favourite brand: NIKE sb

Last thing you listened to? he pink fields - doxx, feint Last thing you bought? Fruit of the loom t shirt Last place you ate? barburritos Last thing you drank? corona Last festival you went to? bestival Last text you sent? Got a very VERY funny story to tell you when you wake up from last night'

Figure 20 - Consumer profile

laura / 24 assistant fashion stylist Favourite brand: zara and alexander wang Last thing you listened to? the weeknd - drunk in love Last thing you bought? gold gladiator sandals from asos Last place you ate? wasabi Last thing you drank? fiji water Last festival you went to? we are fstval Last text you sent? "what time shall i get to the airport tomorrow?

Figure 22 - Consumer profile

joe/ 24 studies interior architecture Favourite brand: topman

Last thing you listened to? mike mango - the show Last thing you bought? new balance trainers Last place you ate? meat liqor Last thing you drank? peroni Last festival you went to? secret garden party Last text you sent? "have you booked your tickets for detonate festival yet?

Figure 23 - Consumer profile

A day in the life of...

the weekday consumer 56

Figure 24 - Consumer day in the life

Figure 25 - Consumer day in the life

Figure 26 - Consumer day in the life

Figure 27 - Consumer day in the life

Figure 28 - Consumer day in the life

Extensive research into the consumers lifestyles has shown exactly what kind of person the Weekday consumer would be in the UK. They do not differ massively to the current consumer, which is a benefit to Weekday as they will not have massive cultural differences to overcome with their products, linking back to The Ansoffs Matrix model of market development as the chosen strategy. It is evident that consumer’s, either study or work in some sort of creative industry, or if not this then their lifestyle reflects someone who is interested in activities regarding culture and art. They are often very fashion conscious and know exactly what they want, and dress how they want rather than how they feel they should. They all share a love for music and festivals, which is something that Weekday should also consider when launching in the UK, as a means to connect with them. Consumer profiles showed that the target consumer had a range of different brands in their wardrobes, lacking any particular band loyalty. Further research proved that this consumer group was open to trying new brands : “If I see something I like then I will buy it no matter what brand it is from as long as the quality is good”. (see appendix)

There is a consumer trend in regards to the minimal style aesthetic as consumer research has found, with one consumer saying: “I love Zara and American apparel. I also love anything from Cos when I can afford it. I like these brands because I prefer quite plain minimal clothing. I’m not really a massive fan of colour” (see appendix 10) Another consumer said: I absolutely love Alexander Wang. If I could only buy one brand ever again it would be that. I just love the simplicity of the designs. I also love Zara, they never really get it wrong, especially for the price.” (see appendix 9) This has proven that there is already an existing target consumer for the style of Weekday’s clothing in the UK at present.

The fact that this consumer group are not particularly lloyal to brands is promising for Weekday in order to successfully target them.

Henry holland case study An innovative and extremely clever way of testing the market was Henry Holland’s idea of selling clothing from an ice cream van. This inventive strategy involved the refurbished van touring the UK from places in London such as Covent Garden, Carnaby Street and Spitalfields, up to Manchester. A limited edition capsule collection with a slightly lower price tag was sold from the van. The fact that a limited edition collection was sold rather than the regular products, managed to entice consumers in to purchasing so that they would not miss out. The collection also included a collaboration with New Era to sell two exclusive Mr Quiffy caps. The van was extremely eye catching and attention grabbing as well as staying true to the brand identity, as can be seen in figure… but most importantly it is a fun and engaging brand experience for consumers to get involved in, really strengthening the brand awareness. Even more strategically, this project serves as a testing ground for where the first physical store should be opened, as well as gaining a much better insight in to the consumer base. As well as this, Holland himself and everyone that works for the brand had to work in the van at some point so that they could get to know their consumers on a much more personal level.

existing brand strategies The idea of this originally stemmed from the trend of Food vans which has come over from the US where eating food from street vendors selling out of trailers is a well-established tradition. The moving ice cream van is an example of the mobilised breed of fashion retail, and this idea is aiming to interact with consumers on a much more personal and fun level. (Mintel, 2013)

“I loved the idea of doing something that wasn’t your average shop launch and the concept of an ice cream van felt weirdly on brand,” This is important when considering launch strategies; it must fit in with your brand identity, something that Holland has managed to carry off successfully, and something that Weekday must consider. What is so clever about this strategy is that While Holland’s larky approach is undoubtedly his brand’s USP, it is a determination to get to know his customers better that inspires this project. This approach is a carefully planned market- research campaign and an attempt to suss out which parts of the capital might be best suited to host the first House of Holland stand-alone store.

"This is our way of dipping our toe into retail without signing a fiveyear lease or spending loads of money on stock,Opening a store is a huge g amble and a massive investment this way we can gauge whether it might be worth it." (Holland, 2012)

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t n

Figure 29 - Henry Holland Mr Quiffy Ice Cream Van

Lululemon Case Study Lululemon have recently opened a physical store in Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Covent Garden. However, they have used an extremely carefully thought out launch idea when moving overseas. Before the Covent Garden store opened, there were Lululemon showrooms in London, which lulu lemon had limited opening hours and were only open certain days of the week. (see figure) Within these showrooms, most of the current range was available, but to consumers delight the brand offered free yoga classes. This is a clever way to get consumers involved with the brand, and increase loyalty through offering a service linking to consumers lifestyle, rather than simply trying to sell clothing. This also managed to build a higher level of brand awareness at the same time.

"Prior to the store launch CEO Laura Potdevin says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the time we open the store, we have the local market embracing us, pulling us, as opposed to pushing us" (Crawford, 2014)

This shows that their gradual expansion has been a factor that has worked well for the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall strategy, and testing the market via the showrooms was a crucial factor within their success. Prior to the launch, in March, yoga lovers gathered together in Covent Gardens Opera House for an extremely one of a kind yoga experience, (see figure 31) to introduce themselves to the UK consumer, Lululemon invited yoga enthusiasts from all over the country to participate in a mass yoga class with over 350 people under the beautiful glass canopy in the atrium of the Opera House. The class was carried out alongside a live orchestra performance. This exposed consumers to the brand before going ahead with the store launch.

Figure 30 - Lululemon showrooms

Lululemon used the strategy of providing consumers with an experience and a service in the form of yoga, in particular a mass yoga class which was something to get people talking about the brand, rather than simply promoting and selling products, which is something that worked well for the brand when entering the UK market.

tends to move slowly in new â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lululemon markets, recruiting "ambassadors" - local fitness instructors and athletes - to promote the brand, and running free yoga classes out of a showroom before committing to a full store. It uses its showrooms - small stores with limited product and opening hours - to test new markets. (Martell, 2013)

â&#x20AC;?

For the store launch the whole shop was decked out to look like a garden, with a Rebecca Louise Law flower installation hanging from the ceiling, and a garden swing . Lululemon chose to use taxi advertising around the capital to make people aware of the brand and store opening. This appeals to a mass audience, which may be effective for the brand, but when considering Weekdays promotion, this has a disconnect with the cool, exclusive feel of Weekday.

Figure 31 - Lululemon yoga class

Opening Ceremony Case Study Opening Ceremony came to the UK through a pop up shop in Covent Garden followed by a permanent store just a few doors down, three months later. For Opening Ceremony, much of its strategy was based around the timing. Much of their strategy was to do with timing, and having the temporary pop up open alongside the Olympic opening ceremony, managing to gain a lot of attention around this chaotic but extremely exciting time in London. The pop up store was filled with products for men women and children; much of it exclusively made for the London store, encouraging consumers to want to make a purchase from the brand. “The collections made for OC London are in limited runs. ‘Pretty much what’s here is it,’ said Leon.” (Dailey, K. 2013) In an interview with Timeout, the founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim discuss the reasoning behind opening a pop up store beforehand saying that this gave them a way to do fun and special products before the opening of the permanent store. In addition to this, they said that the store opening was another way to celebrate the London Olympics “We created special products for the pop-up with Chloë Sevigny, Norma Kamali, Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane, Band of Outsiders, Delfina Delettrez and many other collaborators. So it’s really an of-the-moment, musthave shopping experience, timed with the Olympics.” (Dailey, K. 2013) The pop up store managed to generate a buzz around the brand and offered consumers a completely different experience to the one they got in the permanent store.

Figure 32 - Opening Ceremony pop up store

J Crew Case Study

"With online expansion preceding physical entry into the UK market, J.Crew has already built up a notable fan base; however, the popup store encourages more consumers to familiarise themselves with the brand" (Ormrod, 2013) When J Crew entered the UK market they had already got a strong UK following thanks to the brand being popular amongst different celebrities, in particular Michelle Obama who is a major fan of it. Before the opening of its permanent store on Regent Street, J Crew popped up in Kings Cross with a concept pop up store for two days only, selling some of the brands most desirable pieces. It showcased the summer collection, which was available to pre order as well as a preview of the autumn collection. It was located next to Central Saint Martins College, therefore the store ran a design competition giving students a chance to help design its A/W 2014 offering. Creative director Jenna Lyons speaks about how design students are the lifeblood of their industry, with their creativity and enthusiasm acting as inspiration for the J Crew team.

Figure 33 - J Crew pop up store

“J. Crew was coming to London and wanted to give back to creativity, so of course they came to Central Saint Martins,” said Louise Wilson. “I would like to think that as a leading American brand, and as we are as a leading institution, they are creative and we are creative - it was a happy accident that they wanted to support education. Without brands’ support, we would be dead in the water. We met through their fortuitous imagination. This is about live learning.”(Alexander, 2013) This decision of the collaboration alongside the very short shelf life of the pop up store was able to raise J. Crew’s UK profile ahead of the launch of its debut London flagship store, which opens on Regent Street in November.

forever 21

US fashion chain Forever 21 opened its first store in Birmingham in 2010, with stores following in London, Manchester and Dublin. The brand is extremely fast changing at a very affordable price point. The brand chose to take the same strategic approach to marketing in the UK as it already does so in the US, in the way that they do not launch high-profile advertising campaigns, preferring to invest in products and stores. It relies on customer buzz spread by word of mouth rather than traditional advertising. Although Forever 21 has done billboard advertising around the stores in Birmingham and Dublin to drive interest in the openings, Chang says that there is already enough buzz about the brand in the UK from shoppers, like myself, that have been to stores in the US. Its strategy is based on speed. What they have in store one day may not be seen tomorrow, as Forever 21 has new product lines delivered seven days a week and old stock is not replenished.

Another strategy which the brand uses, is having ambassadors for the brand that are known in the UK in order to generate interest. They have used model Amber Le Bon for the initial UK launch as well as established blogger Bip Ling. At the time Head of Marketing Linda Chang said: “The face of our brand needs to be authentic,. We love the fact that Bip is a blogger, who is very key to what’s happening right now. She has this great energy and spirit, and she is 21, which works out perfectly. It’s all about a lifestyle and interests - it’s not just about fashion, she’s also a DJ, and we love all those components” (Costa, 2011) By using known icons such as these, they manage to appeal to the new target consumer. At the launch of the Oxford Street store, there was a hologram catwalk show, where models appeared from a screen and then disappeared in to sparkles.

Failed brands A brand that failed to crack the UK market was electrical store Best Buy. They attempted to deliver US style retailing to a UK consumer base, but failed to do so successfully. They opened 11 stores within 18 months before pulling out of the UK completely. The original plan was to open 200, making it an excellent example of what brands should not do in order to expand in to new countries. “It may have suffered from bad timing, but its retreat shows that even the most successful retail formats can fail if they do not adapt to changes in their target markets.” (O’Brien, 2011) They wanted to focus on the low price point and US style customer service. They analysed the UK industry for many years, choosing to launch in the UK when it was in the worst economic decline the country had seen in years. Best Buy chose the wrong locations, with large stores in out of town areas, which were really quite out of the way. Due to the fact they were completely unknown in the UK, they needed to utilise many more marketing tools in order to convince consumers to visit their stores. Rather than investing in multiple stores in such locations, it would have been more effective to open fewer stores in busier locations. This proves just how important the location of flagship stores are. More importantly, Best Buy did not fully understand its UK consumer. They did not realize that unlike Americans, Europeans only purchase electronics a few times a year and prefer smaller stores. Additionally, consumer shopping habits changed in terms of electricals with more purchases being made online or from companies such as Apple as well as supermarkets, which began to take market share from the electrical specialists. Best Buy does have a great customer service proposition, but it wasn’t enough. To the average customer, there wasn’t significant differentiation. “What’s more, Best Buy didn’t make enough of a splash – it did not build scale rapidly enough.” (Hardie, 2012)

Another brand that has failed in the UK market is US clothing brand Talbots. It arrived in the UK in 1994 with the intention to take on classic brands such as Marks and Spencer. The brand managed to open a handful of stores, but eventually closed them all down in 2008. Even though Talbots was popular in the UK with 55 million catalogues being sent out a year, it never really took off due to the expensive price tag as well as the fact it lacked any real contemporary design. The retailer originally approached the consultancy because they thought the problem was about not getting the right footfall. “But really,” says Saunders, “it was completely out of kilter with the UK market. It didn’t gel over here at all”. (Hardie, 2012)

"It all goes to show that when brands enter new cultural retail territory they can come up against challenges that easily spell disaster. It almost doesn't matter whether it is the look of the store or the clothes on the rails, if one bit of the jigsaw puzzle is wrong, then the whole venture can come tumbling down"(Colett, 2013)

The Creative Idea Weekday will establish its presence in the UK through the opening of a physical store. From analyzing existing brand strategies in previous case studies, this can be seen as an effective strategy to utilize once brand awareness has been built up in that particular market. As previously mentioned, Sarah Long has confirmed there is currently a lot of interest seen from the UK through social media sites and the online store, suggesting that now is the right time for Weekday to enter via a physical store considering the success of their online one.

visualise timeline

Offline marketing stickers. Coffee cup advertising. Word of mouth marketing.

Partner with Secret Garden Party festival for store launch host a stage Live art

Concept store - more than a retail store In store exhibition space and cafe Strong focus on the retail interior Changing exhibition space to entice consumers in store Different collaborations with established designers limited edition

Series of pop up events. Secret location. Social media campaign to build awareness Creative collaboration in store.

Weekday collaboration with Acne. Promoted through a lookbook and offline marketing such as magazine and posters

Weekday stall at Secret Garden Party Festival - offering screen printing and a swap shop

creating initial awareness In terms of the consumer decision journey, various marketing tools must be enforced to initially raise awareness, all the way through to strategies which will persuade consumers to purchase from Weekday, rather that other brands. Before the store launch, Weekday will have to build up awareness in the UK. This is the first step in the consumer decision journey for any brand entering a new market and will initially be done through discreet, offline marketing methods. “For one thing, they don’t care about the Internet. Not the way older generations do. They use the internet, of course, almost endlessly, often from mobile devices. But it’s not a thing to them, a discrete, nifty invention. Rather, for a millennial, it’s just the norm. Like flush toilets. Like electricity.” (Solomon, 2014) Primary research has found that the target millennial generation are tiring of the online, predictable advertising tools used by brands. They often feel bombarded by online marketing, with a survey finding that 68% of consumers saying that they responded better to offline methods (see appendix 5)

"I never look at pop ups on the internet, I find them annoying so I just click off them straight away". (see appendix 6)

Another consumer said: “I would definitely take more notice of a flyer put through my door than I would an email in my inbox. It’s the same for events. I would notice a poster that I am walking past rather than another one of the hundred of invites I receive on Facebook everyday.” (see appendix 6) A trend of anti digitalism has been identified throughout research, finding that more people are keen to disconnect. Fast Company devoted an entire issue in regards to the notion of stepping back from technology. They described who digitally detox and how; what you can do to lessen the effect of the technology barrage on your personal and professional life; what unplugging can do to improve your life; and how to determine whether you are addicted.

This research has found that target consumers can often be unresponsive or immune to unwanted, pop up online marketing, leading on to the suggestion that initial marketing and promotion will use offline methods to raise awareness. Research has found that target consumers can often be unresponsive or immune to unwanted, pop up online marketing.

Figure 34 - Weekday Stickers

Initially, there will be Weekday branding stickers stuck around city centres in places such as tube stations, independent cafes, coffee shops and bars, on walls, lamppost’s and toilet doors, in relation to the consumers ‘day in the life’ (see appendix 8). This will ensure that they can be targeted in the appropriate places throughout their day and be constantly reminded of the brand. This will introduce the brand to the UK consumer, but they may not be able to make a link or know what Weekday stands for, if they are currently unfamiliar with it. However the idea is that they will constantly see the stickers, making them question what they stand for, encouraging them to find out what Weekday is. This will then create speculation around the brand and a sense of intrigue. This initial subtle marketing will be discreet in order to get people talking about it and create an initial buzz before online marketing methods and social media are utilised. It will appropriately relate to Weekdays brand identity of being both cool and not as mainstream. Consumers who are aware of Weekday, will recognise the logo, and become excited over the brands upcoming presence within the UK. After this, consumers will be encouraged to visit the website or Twitter/Instagram in order to find out more. “Online can be annoying. I like to hear about stuff offline and then maybe look more into it online” (see appendix 6), backing up the idea of using offline before online.

Figure 35 - Weekday promotional stickers in relation to consumers â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;day in the lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

coffee cup advertising The next stage is to incorporate Weekdays branding on to coffee cups. Consumer research has found that 70% of consumers drink a hot drink on a daily basis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so why not utilise the space on this cup effectively. The idea of using a coffee cup is because they have it for a prolonged period of time, and are forced to stare at it, making it impossible to ignore the marketing, unlike flyers, which are often put in the bin immediately. Hopefully the coffee cup will be able to focus peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention on the brand as they drink.

“"The only reason I take flyers in the street is because I feel bad, but I usually bin them straight away"” ((see appendix 6)) This tool is based on the analysis of consumer response to advertising. Consumers have spoken about when they are given flyers in the street, which are often discarded immediately, or ignored all together: 64% of consumers said that they did not take flyers in the street with one saying: “The only reason I take flyers in the street is because I feel bad, but I usually bin them straight away” (see appendix 6) These Weekday coffee cups will be given out in the street prior to the opening of pop up stores and the permanent store. By offering consumers something for free that they actually want, like a hot drink, they are forced in to brand exposure due to the fact they will be much more inclined to take this rather than a flyer. “I don’t see the point of flyers. Unless they are giving out something free with it, like food or drink.” (see appendix 6) Waitrose have been giving out free coffee, with their loyalty card, which has seen it become the second most popular loyalty card within the UK in terms of supermarkets. “Managing director Mark Price said: ‘Giving free coffee or free newspapers is disruptive to the market, but I think that is what customers want, I don’t think they want a point. I mean, what is a point” This idea has been validated by asking consumers if this is something they would be interested in with 86% saying they would take a free hot drink given out by a brand (see appendix 5)

Figure 36 - Weekday branded coffee cups

The success of this will be measured through the amount of website visits Weekdays website receives, or an increase in following on social media platforms. Consumers will be directed to follow Weekday’s social media accounts in order to find out more about the launch. (see figure 36)

Acne Collaboration The next step in the consumer decision journey is consideration; what is going to persuade the consumer to purchase Weekday over other brands? One way which Weekday will persuade consumers to buy in to their brand is through a collaboration with high end brand Acne. As discussed previously, something which successfully forms Weekdays USP in existing markets, is the fact they collaborate with both well established and up and coming designers, so it is appropriate that this is carried through to the UK. After initial awareness has been raised, Weekday will want to reach out to a wider audience. By collaborating with a known well brand in the UK, they are able to do this successfully.

Acne is an established, highly regarded high end brand, to a fashion aware crowd, fitting with Weekdays identity of going against mainstream, mass produced garments for mass consumption. Like Weekday, Acne is not a brand that everyone out there knows about, which is why it would be an effective collaboration; it is not too mainstream but is well established enough to generate a lot of interest and excitement, with people wanting to purchase the brands.

A survey has found that designer collaboration is one of the main factors that would attract them to a new brand (see appendix 5).

The fashion industry has embraced collaboration in a big way, with H&M being a leader; collaborating with brands such as Versace, Marni and Isabel Marant. These collaborations were incredibly innovative, as the project brought together a mass market with incredibly highend designers. As with an ideal collaboration situation, this joining of forces leveraged both brands, and provided advantages for H&M and the designers that they worked with. H&M gained huge sales from the projects, and the high-end designers were able to reach a wider consumer base than they had previously been able to. (Scharf, 2012)

The reason for choosing the brand Acne, which is also Swedish, is down to the overall look and design aesthetic fitting in perfectly alongside Weekday. The two brands integrate seamlessly and work well together, with similar target consumers who appreciate the minimalist style with attention to detail and quality. . .

Collaboration has been successful in the UK with competitor H&M pulling off various successful designer collaborations, with an extremely positive and receptive reaction from consumers.

Weekday x Acne 82

Figure 37 - Acne Collection

As well as helping Weekday to gain competetive advantage in the UK, designer collaborations manage to benefit all parties concerned: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The designer gets wider exposure and is able to attract a new audience that might have been excluded previously becuase of the high price or exclusivity of the label. For the retailer, the arrangement allows them to offer increased choice, keep relevant and up to date and attract new fashion conscious customers. (Posner, 2012 p.179) The fact that the collaboration will be limited edition manages to create desire for the collection, through consumers knowing that only a limited amount of people will have the same product, making this an extremely attractive propositon.

marketing tools In order to inform consumers about the collaboration, there will be various marketing tools with images of the Weekday x Acne collection. A photo shoot has been carried out to visualise the exclusive collection. The photographs should be used as much as possible, to gain maximum exposure and so that consumers will constantly see the images, enabling them to make links with the brand. Initially there will be posters in various locations, (see figure 39). again linking to the consumer day in the life. This will expose the exciting collaboration to target consumers and allow them to understand what Weekday is about after initially seeing only branding stickers. . The day in the life research found that consumers often took public transport such as the tube to work, so this will be another important form of offline advertising that will be utilised in order to reach the target consumer and gain maximum exposre for the brand

These advertisements will also feature in magazines such as ID, Dazed and Confused, Love and Tank along with others that the target consumer read (see appendix 9-12). Currently, Weekday do not use print advertising within magazines, however as they are entering a completely new market, this will be necessary so that maximum brand exposure can be gained to a market that know very little about the brand as it stands.

Figure 38 - Mock up of magazine advertising

89 Figure 39 - Moodboard of marketing and promotion tools

weekday x acne lookbook There will be a lookbook especially for the Weekday x Acne collaboration. This will be distributed within pop up stores, in order to introduce people to the collection, before it is available to purchase. It will also be given out in the permanent store once opened. This links to consumer research which has found the target consumer enjoys browsing through lookbookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or magazines from their favourite brands, therefore this would be an appropriate way for consumers to familiarise themselves with the collection. (see appendix 9 and 10) Even more importantly, it is something that consumers can take home with them, working as a reminder of the brand even after they have left the store, hopefully resulting in consumer loyalty. The lookbook is able to get across the overall brand message extremely well, rather than a single photograph in a magazine, so that consumers who are unfamiliar with the brand can understand what Weekday is all about. The lookbook manages to convey the style and aesthetic as well as the brand message of Weekday.

The lookbook will be sent out by direct mail to influential bloggers, as well as industry, along with an invitation to the store launch party. This will hopefully encourage bloggers and journalists to write about the brand before the permanent store opening, making more consumers aware of Weekdays expansion plans. The lookbook will also be sent to existing consumers of the brand who have purchased on the online store. This will inform them of the UK opening and the Acne collaboration. Direct mail is a cost effective way to send out its lookbook to current consumers from the online store, with this database continuing to grow after the launch of the UK store. There will also be a digital version of the lookbook on the Weekday website, for everyone to browse through. (see figure 40)

Figure 40 - Digital lookbook mock up

pop up events

After the offline and online marketing tools have started to build up brand awareness and consideration, this will be pushed even further through the strategy of using a series of pop up events as the next phase of Weekdays expansion. Consumers will have been directed to follow Weekday on social media platforms by now, to find out more information about the brand and its products, as well as information regarding the UK launch dates. The reasoning behind this approach has come from the analysis of existing brands successful strategies as spoken about previously, whereby all of the brands have used some kind of pop up event leading up to the permanent store opening. In all instances, this strategy has managed to both increase awareness and create a buzz around the brand, by offering consumers something exciting and temporary before the permanent move to the UK. It is also an effective way to get to know the UK consumer base of Weekday beforehand, as well as gaining press coverage.

According to Linda S, N et al (2007), industry professionals support that the novel, interactive, surprising, and fleeting aspects of pop-up retail may offer engaging experiences currently desired by consumers as well as offer retailers good return-on-investment based on the ratio of buzz to the short-term nature of the investment (Hays, 2004; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pop-up retail: Brand environmentsâ&#x20AC;?, 2005) However, pop up shops are certainly not a new concept, with numerous brands having used them over the years. As a result, in order to really make noise, Weekday will have to do something different, making sure to fit with the overall brand identity. The creative idea is centred around the brand name Weekday; by playing on this name there would be a completely different pop up each day of the week in different areas such as Spitalfields, Carnaby Street, Camden, Covent Garden, Manchester and Nottingham throughout the course of a week, in secret locations that consumers must try to find. These locations have been chosen from looking at consumer days in the life (see appendix) and where they spend their time, so that the right type of consumer will be exposed to the brand. They are also in areas, with a high level of footfall.

Consumers will find out about the pop up stores via a social media campaign, which will take place over the course of the week. They will by this time be following Weekday on social media platform due to the initial promotional materials and advertisements with links to Weekdays twitter and Instagram. The location of the store would only be announced via twitter, Facebook and Instagram on the morning of each pop up with consumers having no idea prior to this announcement. Research has proven that the millennial target consumer is an avid social media user, therefore this platform will make sure that the message reaches as many consumers as possible, after the initial speculation surrounding Weekday in the UK has been fuelled through the offline promotion methods.

Millennials want brands to engage with them through social media and also expect brands to engage in social media (Garton and Fromm, 2013) The average Millennial checks their smartphone 45 times a day, and is 56 percent more likely to discover brand content on social networks than via search engine or traditional email, according to a new study by SDL (LSE: SDL).. This reiterates the importance of using social media to connect with the consumer. On the morning of each event, Weekday will upload a picture of the pop up shop via social media platforms. They will announce what area they are in and give consumers a clue to their exact location by telling them what they can see (See figure 42)

weekday_stores Camden Town

Monday: Weekday is in Covent Garden. We can see Maxwells Restaurant. Can you see us? #whereisweekday?

Tuesday: Weekday is in Camden. We can see the Electric Ballroom Nightclub. Can you see us? #whereisweekday? Figure 41 - Social media campaign mock up

Figure 42 - Social media campaign mock up

The store exterior would have no branding so that consumers do not know it is Weekday until they enter inside. An example of this is the Boilermaker bar in Nottingham (see figure 43), whereby you would not know it is a bar when looking in from the outside. This will then make it harder for consumers to find, which links back to the exclusive nature of the brand.

Figure 43 - Boilermarker Bar

As an incentive to get consumers involved, there will be giveaways to the first 100 people who manage to find the store location. These would be prizes such as tickets to the store launch party, VIP tickets for Secret Garden Party Festival, who Weekday will be in partnership with and store vouchers. The first 100 people will then be encouraged to use social media to upload a picture of the store in order to help other consumers find the store by using the hashtag #whereisweekday? This will then raise awareness of the location and increase traffic in store throughout the day. Additionally, in the surrounding area of the pop up there would be the Acne x Weekday coffee cups being distributed. Eventually word of mouth will help consumers to easily locate the store as the day goes on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Experiential marketing continues to grow because of its powerful effect on purchase intentions and word of mouth advertisingâ&#x20AC;? (Flore, 2010)

#WHEREISWEEKDAY?

This idea ties in with the trend of gamification, the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging. It has come about due to te confluence of trends in technology and demographics with the widespread of social media allowing a connection with consumers that did not exist before. The number of people playing video games is increasing with one of the most popular activities on social media sites like Facebook being games such as Farmville. (Hugos, 2012). By involving consumers and making them have to go out of their way to try and find the secret location of the pop up stores, they are tapping in to this idea of playing a game, which is proving to be increasingly popular. An increasing number of businesses are discovering that gamification principles can be applied to help solve their marketing problems as well, with over 70% of the Forbes Global 200 saying they planned to use gamification for marketing purposes by the end of 2014 in a survey performed by Gartner, Inc (Olenski, S. 2014), making this a timely strategy to gain awareness.

Jimmy Choo is an excellent example of a brand that has successfully used gamification, through their real time treasure hunt whereby a pair of trainers were checked in at various locations around London. Consumers were notified of the location via foursquare, and then had to try and hunt them down in a limited timeframe. The successful participants were rewarded with their very own pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. The strategy also links to Mintelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inspire Trend: Secret, Secret that explores how secret locations and products garner exclusivity and turn consumerism into a game. The name of that game is exclusivity: covert or stealth consumption that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t supposed to be publicised or available to everyone. It is also about a level of word of mouth and connoisseurship that appeals both to our sense of self and individuality and our need to inject a playful element of surprise and chance into our ordered lives. (Mintel, 2013)

Weekday must communicate the temporary and exclusive nature of the limited time event, by making people aware that it is a unique opportunity exclusive to this particular location at this particular time. They need to be told how long the space will be available to them. The idea of using pop us stores has been validated through seeking professional advice from the brand itself. When the idea was put forward to the brand themselves the response was: “I have to say that a pop up store feels very Weekday, we pride ourselves on spontaniety and creativity so I’m sure that we could turn it into an event. We always try to create a memorable event when we open a new store”. (Long, 2014)

“"Pop up stores call for the creation of a retail environment that is highly experiential, focused on promoting a brand or product line, but temporary. They are designed to be open a few days to a year, may not sell products, and generally depend on word of mouth instead of mass media campaigns to draw people"” ((Flore,2010)

Within the pop up stores there will be creative collaboration at each event in order to link back to the brand identity of Weekday, and also offer more than just a shopping experience. Building on Weekdays existing strategy, there will be a screen printing service within the pop up stores. In Sweden, Weekday offered a screen printing service at Way Out festival (see figure 44) Consumers were able to pick limited edition designs and then print them on to their own clothes or purchase items from Weekday and do so. This was a great success, which is why it is being suggested for the brand in the UK so that consumers can customise garments and get involved with the brand in a fun and creative way. Additionally, consumers will be able to create their own designs and have them printed on the clothing. There will be a competition for the best print to be made into a real T-shirt design and sold in Weekday stores. The idea of this comes from J. Crews successful collaboration with Central Saint Martins student, where they allowed students to help design the A/W collection (see case study). Consumers will then be able to vote for their favourite design via Instagram. More importantly, this service links back to Weekdays brand identity of being a creative brand for consumers who enjoy art and design, acting as a platform for creative talent, something that is part of Weekdays brand essence.

Figure 44 - Screen printing at Way Out Festival

Where?

Shoreditch has been dubbed as East Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design central. It is the hub of creative and artistic talent for the capital. The regeneration was led by the influx of artists and designers looking for cheap live/work spaces close to the city with good transport links. In recent years Shoreditch has attracted more and more young creative professionals. It is now home to numerous art galleries, bars, restaurants and clubs and is very much the cutting edge of London contemporary life. The area attracts the type of consumer that Weekday want to target, making it an appropriate location for Weekday to open its first store in the UK. The suggestion is for Weekday to open its first UK store on Commercial street, home to brands such as the Topman general store, Offspring, and Urban Outfitters, all of which have a similar target market to Weekday. The number of international retailers looking at London highlights the continuing attractiveness of the city for businesses. London has become the first destination for international retailers looking to launch across Europe. (Ruddick, 2013)

Figure 45 - Location of Weekday Store

when? The store launch will be just before the Secret Garden Party Festival takes place, in July 2015.This strategy will increase exposure of the brand to a wider audience. The store opening will take place a month after the pop up events so that Weekday is still fresh in consumers minds but at the same time have a sense of excitement and eagerness for the permanent store opening after they are given the brand for a short period of time and having it taken away from them again. Brands such as J Crew and Opening Ceremony also opened shortly after the pop up events.

launch party For the permanent store opening there will be a launch party, inviting important members of the press and influential figures in the industry, bloggers and consumers who have won invitations through finding the pop up stores, as mentioned previously. Weekday always have a launch event when opening a new store, so it would be appropriate to follow this through within the UK. The store opening will be greatly linked to music through partnering with the music festival Secret Garden Party. This all links back to Weekdays brand identity, with consumers and also the brand itself having a strong connection to music. Consumer research has found that 66% of target consumers had visited a festival within the last year (see appendix 12), proving that this approach will appeal to Weekdays UK consumer, and would be an appropriate strategy within the route to consumer. The Secret Garden party has been chosen due to the type of consumer it attracts; similar to Weekday. It is an independent music and arts festival, launched in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream music festivals.

This builds on Weekdays existing, successful strategy whereby they sponsor Way Out Festival in Sweden, and have hosted a stage for the festival in there Gottenburg store. This idea will be implemented in the UK through the store launch coinciding with the Secret Garden Party festival. Weekday will hold a pre party in collaboration with the launch of the brand. There would be a stage set up in store (see figure 46) with selected artists performing, prior to the festival. This will increase awareness and help to target Weekdays target consumer through a festival, with Secret Garden party now having over 94,000 likes on Facebook and over 2,500 people talking about it.

Figure 46 - Way Out Stage in store

There will also be live art at the By having live art at the store, store launch from Warsaw based Weekday will really be able artist, designer and illustrator to get across the ‘cool’ and Swanski. The reason for Swanksi ‘relaxed’ brand identity, and be being chosen is down to the able to show exactly what they style of his work fitting in with are all about, rather than purely Weekdays urban concept, He showcasing the clothing. This is a street artist, often painting really manages to reiterate the on walls and buildings so will fact that Weekday is a creative be painting on the walls within brand concept for conusmers the exhibition space in store. who are interested in such You invited to theactivities. exclusive He has alsoare recently designed a range of girls skateboards. weekday store launch and pre party Asfor well The as this he established Secret Garden Party Festival Turbokolor, a clothing and design company which is inspired by art, behim the first to shop linking to fashion as well as the exclusive art, something that Weekday weekday x acne collection manage to successfully integrate together through existing collaborations with other artists such as Koda Boda as mentioned previously. The fact it is a streetwear brand relates to the urban concept of Weekday

swanski 100

weekday the wait is over

you are officially invited to The exclusive launch of our first uk store and official pre party for the secret garden party festival be the first to shop the greatly anticipated weekday x acne collaboration

MTWTFSS Join us on friday 29th july 2015 for a night of music, drinks, live art and an exclusive 25% off the collection main stage hosted by bonobo 98 commercial street Shoreditch london e1 6bj

Figure 47 - Store Launch invitation

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a concept store Research has established that part of Weekdays unique selling point is the exceptional design of its stores; something that they must push even further when entering the UK in order to stand out from credible competitors. Experiential retail is a trend that has become quite a focus in recent years; it is now inescapable due to the rise in online retailing. The internet and technology is changing the retail landscape and the way in which consumers shop, with retail stores having to offer much more of a shopping experience in order to stand out from the crowd. “Many people are no longer concerned with just buying goods and services, they also expect engaging experiences. A growing segment of consumers want greater choice, personalization, and participation in their overall retail experience” (Niehm, 2006)

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Retail markets are more diverse and fragmented than ever before, presenting consumers with an overload of information and alternatives. To attract these consumers, retailers have increasingly turned to retail atmospherics to create a more memorable and attractive consumer experience (Kozinets. R.V et al,. 2002) Aditionally, there are arguments around the fact traditional shopping has lost its appeal and if online shopping continues to gain increasing momentum then questions will be asked about the physical space occupied by traditional retail outlets and shopping centres. Here, the focus is on utilising such space to create more of a dynamic social environment with less space devoted to the display and storage of merchandise. Allan (2008) suggests that as working and family lives become more complex so people face “the paradox of increasing time pressures and expanding choices” and that they are looking for “shopping that’s more like entertainment and places to hang out with their family and friends”. Uplace (2008) suggests, for example, that “customers are looking for new experiences” and argues that “the quest for ‘wow’ experiences has replaced functional materialism”. (Jones, P et al, 2010)

Figure 48 - Snickerbacken store

As can be seen in figures 50 to 56, the interior of the store has been mocked up in order to visualize this idea more clearly. The in store café will have a sofa area and a selection of books and magazines that consumers can read whilst enjoying a drink or some food (see figure 56). This will allow consumers to stay in store for a longer period of time, and therefore be exposed to the brand for a prolonged period of time also.

This research has proven that consumers now demand much more than simply a retail space; they want an overall experience within a store; a place they can enjoy spending time and hanging out. This leads on to the suggestion that Weekdays UK store will be a concept store incorporating an in store exhibition space and café, rather than simply a retail store. Inspiration for this idea came from Snickerbacken store in Stockholm (see figure 48), which is a store, café and exhibition space all in one. European capitals such as Stockholm and Berlin are filled with concept stores like these, but somehow the UK high street seems to be lacking such stores, making it the perfect opportunity for Weekday to really make noise when they enter.

To further back this suggestion up, observation was carried out to find out how target consumers currently shop. This was carried out through standing outside competitor shops, where the Weekday target consumer would be and finding out who they shopped with, as well as what they planned on doing when leaving the shop. As can be seen, 68% of target consumers shopped in groups of friends with at least two of them, many with three or four. This links to the idea of the Weekday store being somewhere where friends can hang out, rather than simply shop. It should be a place that consumers enjoy coming to together. Another interesting finding was the fact that 53% of consumers said that they were going for food or a drink after they had left the shop. By having a café within the store, this relates back to being a clever strategy for the brand by keeping consumers in store for longer, which will hopefully encourage purchase, and if not at least build up brand awareness.

x4 53% Figure 49 - Infographic of store observation results

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in store design

Figure 50 - Front of store

Figure 51 - Central Focus of store (Weekday x Acne collaboration within light installation)

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Figure 52 - clothing fixtures

Figure 53 - Shoe display and fitting rooms

ght

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Figure 54 - Till area

Figure 55 - In store exhibition space

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Figure 56 - In store coffee shop/cafe area

We create places that people want to return to. This also means that some of the interior design solutions might never have been tried before. But we strongly believe that new ideas are worth the extra effort. We want our stores to be a mixture of friendly staff, great music and interiors that combine exciting hightech solutions with a touch of old school.

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As seen in figure 55, there will also be an in store exhibition space. Consumer research has shown that both the existing Weekday consumer and the target UK consumer is somebody who enjoys art, culture and design, and who also enjoys visiting galleries, museums and exhibitions. This is evident in the consumers day in the life, as well as research in to the consumers general lifestyle. (see appendix). This makes the idea of an exhibition space highly appropriate for Weekday. Not only this, but it will be a strategy to entice more consumers in to the store who may not have the intention to buy, but are getting to know the brand more and building loyalty. According to a report on Experian (2012): One thing we have established is that it is easier for retailers to sell to consumers who are already in the store. So it’s clear that retailers need to do all they can to get customers into the store. By having a service such as a free exhibition Weekday are managing to do this successfully. There will be a range of artists who will exhibit, the first being Swanski, after the live art show during the store launch. This idea of using exciting artists who fit in with Weekday brand identity really put Weekday across as more than a clothing brand, but a lifestyle one also. This will manage to attract consumers who may know about the selected artists, or are interested to find out more. In conversation with consumers, it is evident that they enjoy visiting various art or design exhibitons in their spare time, so this idea would fit in well with the brand and its consumers. (see appendix 11)

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“Store atmosphere drove pleasure, time and money spent. Shoppers respond to music psychologically and behaviorally (Yalch and Spangenberg,1990). Music is an important, frequently and commonly studied variable that influences affective states (Bruner, 1990). It is a key ambient variable (Bitner, 1992) shaping consumer behavior in retail environments (Milliman, 1982; 1986; Yalch and Spangenberg, 1990). The presence of pleasant music produces positive affect (Garlin and Owen, 2006)”.(Mohan, G; Bharadhwaj S; Sharma, P, 2013) Weekday have spoken about often having DJ’s within their current stores; something which will also be present in the UK store, in order to create a relaxed atmosphere for consumers. Primary research has also proven that music is an important factor to all consumers (see appendix 12), so may be another factor which entices consumers in to the store. As seen in figure 51, there will be a central sales point when you walk straight in to the store. This is lit up using a neon light installation, similar to Alexander Wangs New York store (see figure 57). This space will be used to show the Weekday x Acne collection, and will be the focal point when consumers walk in the door. “Well-designed lighting systems can bring an added dimension to an interior, guide the customer’s eyes to key sales points, create an atmosphere of excitement and induce positive affect (Yoo et al., 1998)” (Mohan, G; Bharadhwaj S; Sharma, P, 2013)

“Positive experiences arise if the store makes it easy for the consumers to find the product they are looking for, by providing a logical store layout and sufﬁcient signage. Retail layouts are important since they help present product assortments in an effective and positive way (Aghazadeh, 2005). A good layout may produce and enhance positive affect by helping the shoppers ﬁnd what they want faster (Spies et al., 1997). A good layout may also make the shopping more enjoyable,by reducing the perceived stress in shopping (Baker et al., 2002)” (Mohan, G; Bharadhwaj S; Sharma, P, 2013) In order to adhere to a logical store layout, the space is open plan as can be seen in figure 51. so that consumers can easily see exactly where everything is, with lots of open space surrounding clothing fixtures. This also relates back to Weekdays brand identity of being a minimal brand. The in store layout reflects this well through the spacious surrounding, with hangings and fixtures not being too near each other or too cluttered. All of the fixtures are structured and geometrical, again reflecting the brand identity and its clothing.

Figure 57 - Visual Inspiration Moodboard

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after - secret garden party festival The partnership with Secret Garden Party Festival, will come after the store launch whereby there will be a Weekday stall at the festival. Like in the pop up stores, and also Way out Festival in Sweden (see figure 59), there will be a screen printing service available. This will allow people to screen print different festival designs on there clothing for free, which relates back to Weekdays brand identity. Building on this strategy and to adhere to Weekdays aims to be environmentally friendly, there will also be a swap shop. Consumers can swap their old clothing for limited edition Weekday x Secret Garden Party t-shirts and other product from the brand. This will be something that consumers can take away with them from the festival and be a constant reminder of the brand.

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The way in which consumers would be informed of this would be via Weekdays social media platforms such as Twitter, as well as the Festival themselves so that they are aware before they get there and can bring their clothing. This idea is validated by looking at the success of River Island who have previously done a swap shop (see figure 58) at Reading Festival in 2012. Consumers were allowed to exchange old clothes for brand new ones. The scheme was a big success with a constant queue of people lining up to donate their old clothes. All the clothing will be donated to a charity for recycling, which shows Weekday are aware of the environment and are doing their bit for charity. As well as this, official Weekday products will be sold at the festival, so that consumers can get a feel of the brand and its products

Figure 58 - River Island Swap Shop at Reading

changing exhibitions and collaborations T here will be the changing exhibitions in store. This will attract a wider audience in to the store, therefore exposing them to the brand. Anyone who is interested in art and design, and might be unaware of the brand, may want to go in store just to see the exhibition space. This will then expose them to the brand and its products with the possibility of resulting in purchase, or at least build on brand awareness.. There will be different types of exhibitions from art, design, photography to installations. All the artists will be up and coming rather than well known, in order to link back to Weekdays brand identity to act as a platform for creativity. This also fits with the exclusivity of the brand, with more underground artists being more appropriate to the target consumer. Figure 59 - Weekday stall at Way Out Festival

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conclusion This report set out to establish if now was an appropriate time for Weekday to enter the UK market. Both secondary research, along with a coherent marketing strategy and consumer insight has suggested that it is now time for Weekday to make its mark through a physical store in the UK, with growing demand and awareness beginning to build up. There is demand for retailers to be more than just a store, which is what Weekday in the UK will set out to be. The clear USP of Weekday will help them to stand out from existing competitors and appeal to a wide range of consumers, with its main aim of being able to provide creative fashion to creative consumers standing them in an exciting and unique position. There is serious potential for Weekday in the UK if they use the proposed marketing strategy; an extension of their existing and successful one which has been adapted to a UK consumer and market, making now the perfect time for Weekday to expand.

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References/ appendix

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List of references Alexander, E. 2013. Join the queue for Henry Hollands Ice cream van. Vogue [online]. Available at: http:// www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/07/29/henry-holland-launches-house-of-holland-ice-cream-van. [Last accessed 15th March] Alexander, E. The Wait is over: J Crew arrives in London. Vogue [online]. Available at: http://www.vogue. co.uk/news/2013/05/23/j-crew-london-store---central-saint-martins-pop-up---jenna-lyons-interview. . [Last accessed 15th March] Collett, N, 2013. What flies in Mumbai can flop on Oxford Street. Design Week [online]. Available at: http://www.designweek.co.uk/industry-voice/retail-design-what-flies-in-mumbai-can-flop-on-oxfordstreet/3037549.article . [Last accessed 15th March] Costa, M. Forever 21 brings speed retailing to the UK. Marketing Week [onlone]. Available at: http:// www.marketingweek.co.uk/analysis/essential-reads/forever-21-brings-speed-retailing-to-theuk/3030494.article. [Last accessed 25th March] Crawford, T, 2014. Lululemon takes London in a big way. The Vancouver Sun [online]. Available at: http:// www.vancouversun.com/health/Lululemon+takes+London/9702472/story.html [Last accessed 25th March] Dackre, K, 2013. Want a flake in that, love? Henry Holland takes his designs to the streets in an icecream van.London Evening Standard [online]. Available at: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fashion/ want-a-flake-in-that-love-henry-holland-takes-his-designs-to-the-streets-in-an-icecream-van-8736022.html . [Last accessed 15th March] Dailey, K, 2012. J.Crew pop-up shop sets the scene for UK autumn arrival. The Other Opening Ceremony. Time Out [online]. Available at: http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/the-other-opening-ceremony. [Last accessed 25th March] Fiore, M. 2010. Understanding aesthetics for the merchandising and design professional. 3rd ed. New York. Fairchild Fromm, J; Garton, C. 2013. Marketing to Millennials. 3rd ed. New York. AMACOM Hardie, C, 2012. Beating a UK retreat. Retail Week [online]. Available at: http://www.retail-week.com/ beating-a-uk-retreat/5032524.article Hugos, M. 2012. Enterprise games : using game mechanics to build a better business. 1st ed. Sebastopol, CA. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Jones, P et al. 2010. Retail experience stores: experiencing the brand at first hand, Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, 2010, Vol.28(3), p.241-248 Keynote, 2013. Clothing Retailing. Keynote [online] Available via: Keynote Database

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Kim, Y; Sullivan, P; Forney, J. 2007. Experiential retailing. Concepts and strategies that sell. 1st ed. New York. Fairchild Kozinets. R.V et al,. 2002. Themed flagship brand stores in the new millennium: theory, practice, prospects. Journal of Retailing, Vol.78(1), pp.17-29 Linda S, N et al, 2007. Pop-up Retail’s Acceptability as an Innovative Business Strategy and Enhancer of the Consumer Shopping Experience, Journal of Shopping Center Research. Volume 13, Number 2 Martell, A, 2012. Lululemon plans expansion. Reuters [online]. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/06/us-lululemon-earnings-idUSBRE8B50M720121206 [Last accessed 25th March] Mdudu, N. Stockholm: the new capital of everyday fashion. The Metro [online] Available at: https:// metro.co.uk/2014/02/04/stockholm-the-new-capital-of-everyday-fashion-4289614/ [Last accessed 25th March] Mintel, 2013. Mintels Womenswear – UK – April 2013. Mintel. [online] Available via: Mintel Database Mintel, 2013. Clothing Retailing October 2013. Mintel. [online] Available via: Mintel Database Mohan, G; Bharadhwaj S ; Sharma, P, 2013. Impact of store environment on impulse buying behavior, European Journal of Marketing, 2013, Vol.47(10), p.1711-1732 O’Brien, P, 2011. Why Best Buy’s UK failure was not just bad timing. Verdict Retail [online]. Available at: http://www.verdictretail.com/why-best-buys-uk-failure-was-not-just-bad-timing/ [Last accessed 25th March] Olenski, S, 2014. How To Solve Your Biggest Marketing Problems With Gamification. Forbes [online]. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/03/05/how-to-solve-your-biggest-marketing-problems-with-gamification/ [Last accessed 25th March] Ormrod, K, 2013. J Crew pops up in London. Verdict Retail [online]. Available at: http://www.verdictretail.com/j-crew-pop-up-shop-sets-the-scene-for-uk-autumn-arrival/ [Last accessed 25th March] Posner,H (2011). Marketing Fashion. London: Laurence King Publishing LTD Qader, Iman K, A. ; Omar, A, B, 2013. The Evolution of Experiential Marketing: Effects of Brand Experience among the Millennial Generation, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2013, Vol.3(7) Online. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/oct/01/retail-therapy-uk-highstreet [Last accessed 25th March] Zablan, M. 2011. The changing face of UK retail in today’s multi-channel world . Experian. Online. Available at: http://www.experian.co.uk/assets/business-strategies/white-papers/RWC-whitepaper2.pdf [Last accessed 25th March]

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Root, R, 1994. Entry strategies for international markets. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass. Ruddick, G . 2013. American Eagle in hunt for UK sore. The Telegraph. Online. Available at: http://www. telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10150536/American-Eagle-in-hunt-for-UKstore.html [Last accessed 25th March] Ruddick, G. 2013. Waitrose boss attacks ‘meaningless’ loyalty cards.The Telegraph. Available at: http:// www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10538458/Waitrose-boss-attacks-meaningless-loyalty-cards.html [Last accessed 25th March] Scharf, C. 2012. The Benefits of brand collaboration. Trend hunter [online]. Available at: http://www. trendreports.com/article/brand-collaboration Solomon,M, 2014. Millenials, the biggest generation of customers ever, don’t care about the Internet. Forbes [online]. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/04/21/millennials-the-biggest-generation-of-customers-ever-dont-care-about-the-internet/ Srinivasa, S, 2010. Creating the futuristic retail experience through experiential marketing: Is it possible? An exploratory study. Journal of Retail & Leisure Property (2010) 9, 193–199. Tan, M (megantan@hotmail.co.uk), 2014. Weekday UK expansion dissertation help. 18 March 2014. Email to: Sarah Long (sarah.long@weekday.com) Wakefield, M, 2014. New SDL Study Shows Millennials are 56 Percent More Likely to Discover Marketing Content on Social Networks than Via Search Engines or Email. SDL [online]. Available at: http://www.sdl. com/aboutus/news/pressreleases/2014/new-sdl-study-shows-millennials-are-56-percent-more-likelyto-discover-marketing-content-on-social-networks-than-via-search-engines-or-email.html Wood, Z, 2010. Retail therapy: foreign chains glimpse window of opportunity in UK market. The Guardian. [online]. Avaliable at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/oct/01/retail-therapy-uk-highstreet [Last accessed 25th March]

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List of illustrations Figure 1 - Tan, M. (2014) Weekday Moodboard [Moodboard] Figure 2 – Tan, M, (2014. UK clothing market infographic [infographic] Figure 3 – Tan, M (2014) Results from Weekday in the UK survey [infographic] Figure 4 – Tan, M (2014) Weekday brand onion model [infographic] Figure 5 – Tan, M (2014) Weekday brand prism [infographic] Figure 7 – Tan, M (2014) Consumer perceptions of Weekday. [photograph] Figure 8 - Tan, M (2014) Store environment moodboard [moodboard] Figure 9 - Tan, M (2014) Store environment moodboard [moodboard] Figure 10 - Tan, M (2014) Zeitgeist print t-shirts [moodboard] ] Figure 11 - Tan, M (2014) Ansoff Matrix Model [infographic] Figure 12- Tan, M (2014) Urban Outfitters moodboard [moodboard] Figure 13. Tan, M (2014) American Apparel moodboard [moodboard] Figure 14. Tan, M (2014) Zara moodboard [moodboard] Figure 15. Tan, M (2014) Monki moodboard [moodboard] Figure 18. Tan, M (2014) Swot Analysis Figure 17. Tan, M (2014) Consumer lifestyle moodboard [moodboard] Figure 18 -22. Tan, M (2014) Consumer profile [moodboard] Figure 24-28, Tan, M (2014) Consumer Day in the life [moodboard] Figure 29. Henry Holland Ice Cream Van. [photograph]. Available at: http://www.adventuresofanne.com/ wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_2176.jpg Figure 30. Lululemon showrooms [photograph] Available at: http://blog.stylesight.com/active/lulu lemon-lands-in-london Figure 31. Lululemon yoga class [photograph] Available at: http://www.vancouversun.com/cms/binary/9697381.jpg Figure 32. Opening Ceremony pop up store [photograph] Available at: http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/ thecut/2012/07/19/19-opening-ceremony.o.jpg/a_560x0.jpg Figure 33. Forever 21 [photograph] Available at: http://styleloupe.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/ img_12751.jpg Figure 34. Tan, M (2014) Weekday stickers [moodboard]

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Figure 35 – Tan, M (2014) Weekday promotional stickers in relation to consumers ‘day in the life’[moodboard] Figure 36. Tan, M (2014) Weekday branded coffee cups [photograph] Figure 37. Acne Collection [photograph] Available at: http://www.highsnobiety.com/files/2014/02/acne-studios-fall-winter-2014-lookbook-01.jpg Figure 38. Tan, M (2014) Mock up of magazine advertising [photograph] Figure 39. Tan, M (2014) Moodboard of marketing and promotion tools [moodboard] Figure 40. Tan, M (2014) Digital lookbook mock up [photograph] Figure 41. Tan, M (2014) Social media campaign mock up [photograph] Figure 42. Tan, M (2014) Social media campaign mock up [photograph] Figure 43. Tan, M (2014) Boilermaker bar, Nottingham [photograph] Figure 44 - Weekday at Way out Festival [photograph]. Available at www.weekday.com Figure 45. Tan, M (2014) Google Maps [screenshot] Figure 46. Weekday Way Out stage [photograph]. Available at www.weekday.com Figure 47. Tan, M (2014) Mock up of launch invitation [photograph] Figure 48. Snickarbacken store (2014) [photograph] Available at: http://www.highsnobiety.com/ files/2014/02/acne-studios-fall-winter-2014-lookbook-01.jpg Figure 49 – Tan, M (2014) Infographic of store observation results {infographic] Figure 50 – Tan, M (2014) Front of Store Figure 51 –Tan, M (2014) Central Focus of store - (Weekday x Acne collaboration within light installation) Figure 52 – Tan, M (2014) Clothing fixtures Figure 53 – Tan, M (2014) Shoe display and fitting rooms Figure 54 – Tan, M (2014) Till area Figure 55 - In store exhibition space Figure 56 – Tan, M (2014) In store coffee shop/cafe area Figure 57. Tan, M (2014) Visual Inspiration moodboard [moodboard] Figure 58 - River Island Swap Shop at Reading (2014) [photograph] Available at: http://www.sevens7.co.uk/ wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Thumbnailriver-580x482.jpg Figure 59 Weekday stall at Way Out Festival (2014) [photograph] Available at: www.weekday.com

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bibliography Websites Alexander, E. 2013. Join the queue for Henry Hollands Ice cream van. Vogue [online]. Available at: http:// www.vogue.co.uk/news/2013/07/29/henry-holland-launches-house-of-holland-ice-cream-van. [Last accessed 15th March] Alexander, E. The Wait is over: J Crew arrives in London. Vogue [online]. Available at: http://www.vogue. co.uk/news/2013/05/23/j-crew-london-store---central-saint-martins-pop-up---jenna-lyons-interview. . [Last accessed 15th March] Collett, N, 2013. What flies in Mumbai can flop on Oxford Street. Design Week [online]. Available at: http://www.designweek.co.uk/industry-voice/retail-design-what-flies-in-mumbai-can-flop-on-oxfordstreet/3037549.article . [Last accessed 15th March] Costa, M. Forever 21 brings speed retailing to the UK. Marketing Week [online]. Available at: http:// www.marketingweek.co.uk/analysis/essential-reads/forever-21-brings-speed-retailing-to-theuk/3030494.article. [Last accessed 25th March] Crawford, T, 2014. Lululemon takes London in a big way. The Vancouver Sun [online]. Available at: http:// www.vancouversun.com/health/Lululemon+takes+London/9702472/story.html. [Last accessed 25th March] Dackre, K, 2013. Want a flake in that, love? Henry Holland takes his designs to the streets in an icecream van.London Evening Standard [online]. Available at: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fashion/ want-a-flake-in-that-love-henry-holland-takes-his-designs-to-the-streets-in-an-icecream-van-8736022.html . [Last accessed 15th March] Dailey, K, 2012. J.Crew pop-up shop sets the scene for UK autumn arrival. The Other Opening Ceremony. Time Out [online]. Available at: http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/the-other-opening-ceremony. [Last accessed 25th March] Hardie, C, 2012. Beating a UK retreat. Retail Week [online]. Available at: http://www.retail-week.com/ beating-a-uk-retreat/5032524.article [Last accessed 25th March] Martell, A, 2012. Lululemon plans expansion. Reuters [online]. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/06/us-lululemon-earnings-idUSBRE8B50M720121206. [Last accessed 25th March] Mdudu, N. Stockholm: the new capital of everyday fashion. The Metro [online] Available at: https://metro. co.uk/2014/02/04/stockholm-the-new-capital-of-everyday-fashion-4289614/ [Last accessed 25th March] Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, P, 2011. Why Best Buyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK failure was not just bad timing. Verdict Retail [online]. Available at: http://www.verdictretail.com/why-best-buys-uk-failure-was-not-just-bad-timing/ [Last accessed 25th March] Olenski, S, 2014. How To Solve Your Biggest Marketing Problems With Gamification. Forbes [online]. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/03/05/how-to-solve-your-biggest-marketing-problems-with-gamification/ [Last accessed 25th March]

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Ormrod, K, 2013. J Crew pops up in London. Verdict Retail [online]. Available at: http://www.verdictretail. com/j-crew-pop-up-shop-sets-the-scene-for-uk-autumn-arrival/ [Last accessed 25th March] Ruddick, G . 2013. American Eagle in hunt for UK sore. The Telegraph. Online. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10150536/American-Eagle-in-hunt-for-UK-store. html [Last accessed 25th March] Ruddick, G. 2013. Waitrose boss attacks ‘meaningless’ loyalty cards.The Telegraph. Available at: http://www. telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10538458/Waitrose-boss-attacks-meaningless-loyalty-cards.html [Last accessed 25th March] Scharf, C. 2012. The Benefits of brand collaboration. Trend hunter [online]. Available at: http://www.trendreports.com/article/brand-collaboration [Last accessed 25th March] Solomon,M, 2014. Millenials, the biggest generation of customers ever, don’t care about the Internet. Forbes [online]. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/04/21/millennials-the-biggest-generation-of-customers-ever-dont-care-about-the-internet/ Wakefield, M, 2014. New SDL Study Shows Millennials are 56 Percent More Likely to Discover Marketing Content on Social Networks than Via Search Engines or Email. SDL [online]. Available at http://www.sdl.com/ aboutus/news/pressreleases/2014/new-sdl-study-shows-millennials-are-56-percent-more-likely-to-discovermarketing-content-on-social-networks-than-via-search-engines-or-email.html Wood, Z, 2010. Retail therapy: foreign chains glimpse window of opportunity in UK market. The Guardian. Online. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/oct/01/retail-therapy-uk-high-street Zablan, M. 2011. The changing face of UK retail in today’s multi-channel world . Experian. Online. Available at: http://www.experian.co.uk/assets/business-strategies/white-papers/RWC-whitepaper2.pdf

Books Bradley, F. 2005. International Marketing Strategy. 5th ed. Pearson Education Ltd. Fiore, M. 2010. Understanding aesthetics for the merchandising and design professional. 3rd ed. New York. Fairchild Fromm, J; Garton, C. 2013. Marketing to Millennials. 3rd ed. New York. AMACOM Gillespie, K; Hennessey, D. 2011. Global Marketing. 3rd ed. South – Western. Cengage learning. Hugos, M. 2012. Enterprise games : using game mechanics to build a better business. 1st ed. Sebastopol, CA. O’Reilly Omar, O, 2009, International Marketing. 1st ed. New York. Palgrave Macmillan Posner,H (2011). Marketing Fashion. London: Laurence King Publishing LTD Root, R, 1994. Entry strategies for international markets. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass.

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Databases Keynote, 2013. Clothing Retailing. Keynote [online] Available via: Keynote Database Mintel, 2013. Mintels Womenswear – UK – April 2013. Mintel. [online] Available via: Mintel Database Mintel, 2013. Clothing Retailing October 2013. Mintel. [online] Available via: Mintel Database

Journals Jones, P et al. 2010. Retail experience stores: experiencing the brand at first hand, Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, 2010, Vol.28(3), p.241-248 Kim, Y; Sullivan, P; Forney, J. 2007. Experiential retailing. Concepts and strategies that sell. 1st ed. New York. Fairchild Kozinets. R.V et al,. 2002. Themed flagship brand stores in the new millennium: theory, practice, prospects. Journal of Retailing, Vol.78(1), pp.17-29 Linda S, N et al, 2007. Pop-up Retail’s Acceptability as an Innovative Business Strategy and Enhancer of the Consumer Shopping Experience, Journal of Shopping Center Research. Volume 13, Number 2 Mohan, G; Bharadhwaj S ; Sharma, P, 2013. Impact of store environment on impulse buying behavior, European Journal of Marketing, 2013, Vol.47(10), p.1711-1732 Qader, Iman K, A. ; Omar, A, B, 2013. The Evolution of Experiential Marketing: Effects of Brand Experience among the Millennial Generation, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2013, Vol.3(7) Srinivasa, S, 2010. Creating the futuristic retail experience through experiential marketing: Is it possible? An exploratory study. Journal of Retail & Leisure Property (2010) 9, 193–199.

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Appendix Appendix 1 - Methodology table

Methodology – Primary Research

What Online surveys

Why To Find out if consumers were aware of the brand Weekday and if there was demand for it to enter the UK. Also to understand target consumers shopping behaviour, what would get them to try a new brand

Who Participants aged 18 to 30 years old.

How Through a series of online surveys on surveymonkey.com using a combination of multiple choice and essay type questions.

Benefits

Weaknesses Online method meant there was no conversation with the individuals meaning there was a limited response with not much elaboration quite often There were more women that answered the survey than men. There were more under 25’s than over 25’s responses.

5 Participants aged 20-‐30 years old.

Asked consumers to write down in bullet point form what they did and where they went throughout the day and to take photographs at certain points

This gave me an insight into what consumers do in their daily lives, including interests and places they visit. This helped to decide where promotional material would be used and how best to target the consumer.

-‐ Answers may not be completely accurate. May change their day slightly to be perceived in a better way Each day is different, this was only one day in the life, they might have very differing days

To find out if they preferred online or offline marketing techniques and how they responded to certain types of marketing. Also to find out who was using social media, and if this was an appropriate platform for brands to engage with consumers

It was able to reach a wide range of consumers – both gained over 30 responses Anonymous response so people would be honest. Answers could easily be recorded and made in to statistics. Good starting point to understand consumer behaviour

To find out if consumers went to festivals, to validate ideas about store launch Consumer day in the life

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To gain an understanding of a day in the life of a target consumer and also find out where they spend their time, to establish where would be appropriate to use marketing tools. Also gave a clear insight to their interests, which would help in relation to Weekdays marketing tools and promotion, and find out what the consumer was like.

Methodology – Primary Research

What Consumer profiles – pictures of bedroom

Why To gain an insight in to the lifestyles of consumers. This helped to define the UK target consumer

Who 5 consumers between the ages of 20 – 25. 3 male and 2 female.

How By visiting these peoples bedrooms and photographing various things such as wardrobes, shoes, desks etc.

In depth interviews with target consumers

To understand the different lifestyle values, shopping habits and brand interactions of the Weekday target consumer in the UK

3 consumers -‐two male and two female aged 20 – 25

Store observation

To find out how consumers shopped. Also to find out what they were doing for the rest of the day

Spoke to 30 consumers

Waited outside the shops that are considered to be Weekdays competitors – American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and Zara. Asked consumers what they thought of the brand, and if they would purchase from it. Also asked what they were doing with the rest of the day.

Benefits -‐ Gained a further understanding of consumers favourite brands, and if they were brand loyal through looking in their wardrobes. -‐ Could find out more personal information that maybe they would not expose if simply asked -‐ Ethnographic research meaning the participants could not change their information. -‐ I gained valuable information about how consumers respond to brands. I also found out more about their lifestyles and how they spend there time. -‐ Was able to find out what magazines they read -‐ The interview face to face meant the interviewees could elaborate on their answers and have their own conversations too. This helped to validate the idea of a concept store with a café within it due to many responses being around the fact they were going to eat or have a drink after. Found that many people of this target group shopped with friends.

Weaknesses -‐ Quite a small sample

-‐ Sometimes questions were a bit open. Hard to know if consumers actually knew what they wanted.

People might not always shop in groups. Some people were unsure of what they were going to do next.

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What Interview with Sarah Long

Why Who To ask industry Sarah Long – expert from the communicati brand opinions on on my ideas as well as department getting at Weekday information that I Methodology – nPot rimary could access Research via the internet. What Why Who Interview with To ask industry Sarah Long – Sarah Long expert from the communicati brand opinions on on my ideas as well as department getting at Weekday information that I Observing To understand 1 female could not access consumer social how the target consumer -‐ via the internet. media use consumer interacts 21 with brands via social media and the internet. Also to find out how they respond to online marketing Further c onsumer To fuind out if 40 people Observing nderstand 1 female research in people had heard consumer social how the target consumer -‐ regards to of Weekday and media use consumer interacts 21 Weekday what hey thought with btrands via of it. Tm his came social edia and after the survey the internet. Also response whhere to find out ow a lot of rpespond eople ktnew they o about he brand online tm arketing Further consumer To find out if 40 people research in people had heard regards to of Weekday and Weekday what they thought of it. This came after the survey where a response lot of people knew about the brand

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How On going email conversation back and forth

Benefits -‐ Easy format to ask and answer questions. -‐ Gained valuable insight about the brand that otherwise I did not know. Was able to get How Benefits real insight on to On going email -‐ Easy format ideas and whether conversation back ask and answer or not they would and forth questions. fit n with -‐ Giained valuable Weekdays brand insight about the identity brand that By This showed me otherwise I did ethnographically how konow. r if not observing their consumers Was able to get internet use on the real interacted insight woith n computer for one brands online. It ideas and whether hour also showed e or not they wm ould how hey fit in tw ith responded Weekdays bto rand advertising identity Asking consumers Was ble to reach By This ashowed me if they had heard of a wider ethnographically how or iaf udience the brand W eekday to find out if there observing their consumers through interest in the internet suhowing se on the was interacted with them images brand. computer for forom ne brands Boy nline. It the W ebsite and physically hour also showed me social media showing how they them the platforms. Then brand they tco ould responded asked each give an honest advertising consumer to answer on Asking consumers Was able to hrow each describe the brand they perceived it if they had heard of a wider audience in o ne w ord, o r a the brand Weekday to find out if there few sentences on it. was interest in the through showing them images from brand. By the Website and physically social media showing them the platforms. Then brand they could asked each give an honest consumer to answer on how describe the brand they perceived it in one word, or a few sentences on it.

Weaknesses This was not face to face so could not have a full conversation.

Weaknesses This was not face to face so could not have a full conversation. This was a small sample. It was also only for a short period of time in one day. Their behaviour might change on a day to day basis. Some eople did This wpas a small not want sample. It to was also answer only for qauestions short period Some poeople f time diid n not wThat the one gdet ay. heir brand was m about, behaviour ight perceived in a to change on iat d ay different day basis. w ay Some people did not want to answer questions Some people did not get what the brand was about, perceived it in a different way

Secondary Research: Reading around traditional and current marketing was carried out in order to gain an understanding around the topic, and to learn about different entry strategies. Literature was also read around experiential marketing and in store environments. This research was vital to gain insights from industry professionals, and gain a better understanding of how brands should enter new markets. Primary research was then used in order to test ideas and theories in which secondary research has provided. Books: I have used a range of books to provide insight into market entry strategy as well as retail trends. Some of these include Marketing Fashion by Harriet Posner, Global marketing by Gillespie and Market Entry Strategies by Franklin Root. Websites: I have used a number of websites for gaining industry insight from brands and journalists. The Guardian, Marketing Week, Forbes, The Telegraph, Vogue and Mckinsey & Company are examples of these websites that have helped me to develop this report. These have been essential in order to find out current information. Journals: Journals have been used throughout the report, particularly in regards to store environments. Journals such as the Journal of retailing and the European Journal of marketing have been used within this report to offer an academic view on various subjects. Databases: I have used databases as part of secondary research in order to provide me with statistics surrounding the UK fashion Market. Databases such as Mintel, Keynote and Experian have been used. Visual Inspiration: I used a Pinterest board to gather all the visual inspiration for the report layout. I also referred to book, Essentials in Visual Communication by Bo Bergstrรถm for further inspiration

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Appendix 2 - critical path

March 2014 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday 1 Research in to the brand

seconday research on brands existing strategies

group work

20 Visual

plan all primary research day off that needs to be done

Consumer Primary research

GROUP WORK

group work

Marketing audt

marketing audit

group work - interim

Research

Interim Presentation for individual

live interim

Group work - interim

Notes:

What do I want to find out from primary research?

define the UK consumer

Prepare for interim presentation

secondary research on brands existing case studies and strategies

find books/journals to validae ideas

Brainstorm ideas for the big idea

Define aims and objectives

Analyse secondary research

visual reearch

group work

Take photos of competitors - visualise in moodboards finish marketing audit

April 2014 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday 1 Plan all writing

Plan writing , have finished chapter plan

6 Begin writing up research

13 Write

Go to London for primary research

27 Creative outcomes planning

Gather all research together and begin to analyse

Friday 4 Carry out primary research - interviews with target consumers

Saturday 5 Photograph consumer bedrooms for consumer profiles

writing

Writing

writing

EASTER ENDS Group work

Thursday 3

writing

Look for visual inspiration writing

28 group work

Notes

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Wednesday 2

22 Group work

29 start layout

Finalise writing

writing

Start to plan creative Continue writing outcomes - what could they be?

23 writing

Group work

plan secod part of writing

30 Plan creative outcomes in more detail

layout and writing

group work

find people to collaborate with

May 2014 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday 1

Friday 2

Draw up rough sketches Meet with interior of store design architecture student

Look at interior design Photoshoot planning trends, plan for inspiration photoshoot - get clothes ready, moodboards

12 Appendix

6 writing - finish!

7 Location photoshoot

8 look through edited photos, make the lookbook

Saturday 3 Find research to do with experiential retail

9 Finalise layout

Appendix

Printers

19 Deadlne

Notes:

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Appendix 3: Demand for Weekday in the UK Survey A very short initial survey was sent out to consumers who were aware of the brand to find out if they would be interested in Weekday entering the UK market. There were 30 participants. Have you purchased from the brand before?

Would you be interested in the brand entering the UK market?

No Yes

Appendix 4 - Asking people face to face what they think of Weekday This was followed by competitor store visits to ask people who may have been unaware of the brand if they would be interested in this, as well as what they thought about the brand.

83% had not heard of the brand 17% had heard of the brand 130

bibliography

69% YES

31% NO Words used to describe Weekday

“The clothing looks so classic, i love the basic look” “I think the clothes look a bit boring. They aren’t really my style” “I love the minimal style of the clothing, I feel like you could wear the clothes over and over again. There aren’t many shops with that kind of look in the UK at the moment”. “I think the brand looks really cool, but they would have to be doing something completely different to all the other brands out there to really make me buy in to it.” “There is definitely room on the UK highstreet for a brand like Weekday”

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Appendix 5 - Response to marketing survey Male or Female?

Male Female

Do you respond better to online advertising or offline? (online being on the internet eg. pop ups, banners, facebook etc and offline being postal, flyers, magazines etc) Why?

Online Offline

Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis?

Yes

2. Offers/discounts 3. Collaborations with high end designers

7. Celebrities 132

If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one?

Yes

1. Print advertising

6. Hearing about it from a blogger

(results in order of popularity)

5. Word of Mouth

Yes

What would make you want to try a new brand?

4. Appearance of the store

Do you take flyers in the street?

Appendix 6 - Sample of answers from questionairre How old are you? 20 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Online Why? Because I am usually browsing for specific things online anyway so when I see advertisements I am interested in, I can directly go to the website Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? I dont agree with them because it is a waste of resources. Everyone just puts them in the bin anyway Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? No If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Offers/discounts Appearance of the store

How old are you? 21 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Online Why? You can learn more about what they advertise online Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? I only pick up things that I want to, if I know it is interesting Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? No If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? No What would make you want to try a new brand? Hearing about it from a blogger Collaborations with high end designers Offers/discounts Print advertising

How old are you? 24 Male or female? Male Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? Online intrudes on what I am doing at the time and bombards you with irrelevant material Do you take flyers in the street? Yes Why? Sometimes they can be useful. Also some of them look cool and I often stick them up in my bedroom Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Print Advertising Word of mouth Appearance of store

How old are you? 26 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? I like tangible things that I can actually feel and touch Do you take flyers in the street? Yes Why? Sometimes flyers can look really nice. I always take anything that is given out, you never know if it might come in handy Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Print Advertising High end designer collaborations

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How old are you? 22 Male or female? Male Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? I find online to be intrusive, and it is never anything that I am interested in. They all look the same as well which doesnt help Do you take flyers in the street? why? Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Offers/discounts Appearance of the store

How old are you? 21 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? Online can be annoying. I like to hear about stuff offline and then maybe look more into it online Do you take flyers in the street? why? The only reason I take would ever take flyers in the street is because I feel bad, but I usually bin them straight away Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Bloggers Appearance of the store Word of mouth Designer Collaborations

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How old are you? 22 Male or female? Male Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Online Why? I spend so much time online so this is more convinient. It is good as I can then reseach the brand or product there and then whereas if it is offline then I often forget to go back to it especially if I am in a rush. Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? They are so irritating. They never have anything of any relevance to me on. Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? No What would make you want to try a new brand? Print Advertising Word of mouth Store appearance How old are you? 28 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? Prefer advertising that catches my eye in the street such as billboards. Also tv advertising. I tend to ignore Internet advertisements, whereas I will take the time to look at offline methods. Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the point of flyers. Unless they are giving out something free with it, like food or drink. Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Print Advertising Word of mouth Designer collaborations

How old are you? 20 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Online Why? I am always on social media and for this reason I repond better online becuase I am constantly on the internet and social media so when they come up they are hard to ignore Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? I dont end up reading them if I take them and they all end up in the bottom of my bag, they are annoying. Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? No If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Hearing about it from a blogger Collaborations with high end designers Celebrities Offers/discounts How old are you? 28 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? I would definitely take more notice of a flyer put through my door than I would an email in my inbox. It’s the same for events. I would notice a poster that I am walking past rather than another one of the hundred of invites I receive on Facebook everyday. Do you take flyers in the street? Yes Why? Put under pressure to take them. However sometimes they actually come in use, I have got a lot of discount books handed to me that I have actually ended up using Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Print Advertising Word of mouth Appearance of store

How old are you? 21 Male or female? Male Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? I never look at pop ups on the internet. I find them annoying so I just click off them straight away. Do you take flyers in the street? No Why? They are irritating. I don’t like people pushing things on me that I don’t want or have no use to me Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? No What would make you want to try a new brand? Celebrity Offers/Discounts Store appearance How old are you? 26 Male or female? Female Do you respond better to offline or online marketing? Offline Why? image remains in my mind longer when flyers,magazine are in my presence whereas on the internet the moment i come out of that particular page it is normally forgotten and out of my mind Do you take flyers in the street? Yes Why? Because I feel sorry for the people who are doing the job Do you drink a hot drink on a regular basis? Yes If a brand were giving out free hot drinks would you take one? Yes What would make you want to try a new brand? Appearance of store Offers/discounts Print advertising

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Appendix 7 - Social media stalking

consumer stalking more

136

137

Appendix 8 - Consumer day in the life notes These were taken to go alongside the visual references to the day in the life

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Appendix 9 - Interview with consumer

An interview with

laura What are your favourite brands and why? I absolutely love Alexander Wang. If I could only buy one brand ever again it would be that. I just love the simplicity of the designs. I also love Zara, they never really get it wrong, especially for the price. Are you loyal to these brands only or do you shop around? I am loyal in the sense that I have loads of stuff from both them brands, but I definitely shop around. I probably have an item from nearly every shop in my wardrobe. I swap and change quite a lot and it depends what I want to buy. What influences your purchase decisions? Usually when I hear about exciting brands or clothes that people have bought. I am always hearing about stuff like that in the office, so I would say other people influence me quite a bit. Also price does, I love a sale bargain and often look on the Outnet, as I always find some really great deals on there. What is a typical day for you? No day is ever the same in my life. I go to work, usually in different places as I am on shoots a lot. If not then I am in the office. I go by tube. I will usually grab lunch when i get the chance, often from a cute lite cafe around the corner. After work I sometimes go to Camden for a drink with a friend who works nearby, or I will go and have a look around the shops. If not then I will go home and cook dinner and go to bed (how boring) What would make you try a new brand? Advertisement would make me aware of it so that. Also at work we receive loads of lookbooks from new brands which I usually take some time to look at. So if I see a collection that I like I would look in to the brand more. Also if it is getting a lot of exposure then I will maybe research it. However ultimately it is the style and the quality of the products. A brand may have an amazing ad campaign but if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the products I am not going to buy it. How often do you go shopping? I go shopping a lot. As I work in London, I am constantly surrounded by the shops so I often go in a few times a week. I love Libertys and Dover street market as everything is in one place. I really love the environment in Dover street market, I think its amazing! There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really many stores like that which is why I love going in. Do you interact with brands on social media? Yes, I follow loads of brands on Twitter and Instagram, more so than Facebook. I love finding out news in this way and hearing from the brand directly. What magazines do you read? I read nearly every magazine. My favourite is ID magazine without a doubt. Also I read a lot of brand magazines, I love the ASOS one and I will always pick up any magazines when I go in to stores. Would you consider yourself to be creative/have creative interests? Yes I would due to the nature of my job. I always have to think of exciting new outfits down to moodboards and storyboards.

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Appendix 10 - Interview with consumer

An interview with

rowan

What are your favourite brands and why? I love Zara and American apparel. I also love anything from Cos when I can afford it. I like these brands because I prefer quite plain minimal clothing. I’m not really a massive fan of colour. I also feel that these kinds of brands have clothes that are always in fashion so I don’t have to constantly update my wardrobe. I have clothes from these places that are years old and I still wear them all the time. I also think that they are good value for money. I love the quality from Cos – the clothes last me ages which is something I think is important. I absolutely hate Primark. Yeah its cheap but the clothes last about a week before they look worn out. Personally I would rather spend a little bit more if the quality is better. However, saying that I do love a good find in vintage shops such as Cow and Wilder. Are you loyal to these brands only or do you shop around? Well most of my clothes are from them places, but then I do shop around. If I see something I like then I will buy it no matter what brand it is from as long as the quality is good like I mentioned before. I always find myself going back to these brands though as I always find things that I like, without fail. I think there is room for more bands such as Cos, as I find it quite hard sometimes to get the minimal clothing that I love so much especially in this country for a decent price. European countries have a lot more variety in terms of this. When I went to Copenhagen recently I was in absolute heaven. What influences your purchase decisions? I follow a lot of bloggers on Instagram. So if I see something I like that they are wearing I will find out where it is from. Also when there is discount. I can never say no to discount. I always end up buying things for the sake of it because I don’t want to miss out so I almost panic buy. Like when there are student shopping nights I go a bit crazy What is a typical day for you? I get up and usually check all my social media. I am a bit obsessed! Then I will always catch up on fashion related news. I usually look on Dazed and Confused digital and look at stuff like the Business of Fashion and Womenswear daily. I always like to find out cool and weird things so I often look on sites such as Buzzfeed as well. I go in to university and try and get a bit of work done. I spend ages trawling through Pinterest for inspiration, this takes up at least an hour. I will usually go out for a drink most nights, usually to Spankys or the Orange Tree. If I am going on a night out then its always Market bar or Stealth when there’s a good DJ on. What would make you try a new brand? Usually if I hear friends speak about it. Or else if I see it in a magazine. I get the Asos magazine sent to me in the post, so I always have a look in that and come across new brands that I then go on to research on the internet. Like I said before, when there is discount available that would definitely make me try a new brand. How often do you go shopping? Probably twice a week, but I don’t always purchase this often. I like to see what’s new in the shops and keep up on current trends, so sometimes I just have a walk around. I probably online browse at least four times a week though I am a bit obsessed with this. What magazines do you read? ID, Love, Tank, Dazed and Confused, Wallpaper Do you interact with brands on social media? Yes I follow brands Instagram accounts, but that is it really as I prefer to see pictures of new clothes rather than listen to them tweet about pointless stuff I don’t really care about. I often find out new things about brands via instagram or bloggers that will tag brands in posts. Do you consider yourself to be creative/have creative interests? Yes and No. I love going to exhibitions to do with fashion or design. I go to the design museum whenever there is something new on. I recently went to the Paul Smith exhibition which I really enjoyed. I also study a creative course, so of course that gives me a bit of a creative head. The things I like doing in my spare time also link to creativity I suppose seeing as they are often based around design or fashion.

Appendix 10 - Interview with consumer

An interview with

declan What are your favourite brands and why? Nike SB is my favourite brand. I like it because of the casual style of it I also like Urban Outfitters because they always have a range of clothing in there which is good as it is all under the same roof. I like that they have a vintage section in store as well. Are you loyal to these brands only or do you shop around? I’m not really loyal to any brands I wouldn’t say. I shop around from vintage shops to high street shops like Topman. It depends what I am after. My style isn’t really distinct so I can usually get things from a variety of different brands. What influences your purchase decisions? If I see friends or other people wearing something in the street that I like then I would often try to find something similar. What is a typical day for you? I get up, get the tube in to work which is by Old Street. I always go out for lunch somewhere nice, this is the highlight of my day. I go to the Breakfast club a lot or else I will get sushi from Wasabi. If not I will grab a Pret. When I am in the office, I spend hours trawling sites such as Trend hunter, Cool hunter. I also read a load of magazines, both online and offline. I love going on Hypebeast, that is a favourite of mine. I am also a keen social media user so I spend a lot of time checking this throughout the day. After work I usually go for a drink in Shoreditch, usually Cargo or else I go to the local pub around the corner from me. I always go in for the weekly quiz night with a big group of us ,which is always a laugh. Some days I go straight home and just watch TV and have dinner but usually it will be to go for a drink or food. What would make you try a new brand? If I read about it in a magazine and I like the look of it then I will go online to see what they have to offer. Also I follow quite a lot of DJ’s on Instagram and Twitter, and if I see them wearing brands that look cool I might have a little look. Word of mouth is a big thing as well – if friends tell me about a cool brand I would always be willing to try it out How often do you go shopping? Actual shopping? I would say once every few weeks. I hate going to the shops. Although there are certain shops that I don’t mind, like Offspring, then I am in heaven. Shopping can be such a tedious task, so don’t go that often, and when I do it will be to shops that aren’t too busy and have a nice and friendly in store environment. A lot of the time I will look online though, but I usually prefer to then go in store to purchase is case it doesn’t fit, returns are the biggest hassle and waste of time. Do you interact with brands on social media? Yes I use twitter to follow brands. I use it more to comment on brands rather than make purchases. If I have received really good service or products from a brand then I will always tweet about it! What magazines do you read? I read GQ and Hypebeast mainly Would you consider yourself to be creative/have creative interests I work in a creative industry yes, but how do you really define creativity? I think that’s quite a hard one. I am interested in art and design and fashion and I suppose I do have a creative eye, you have to in the job that I do. But there are different types of creativity. I do enjoy doing things that are to do with the creative industries in my spare time so in this sense I would say yes

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Appendix 11 - In depth interview with consumer

An interview with

sean

What are your favourite brands and why? Norse Projects, I like that not many people know about it as well Are you loyal to these brands only or do you shop around? Not particularly, I will always shop around. I like brands that are less well known, so when ever I am in new cities I will have a look at whats new What influences your purchase decisions? Price is a major influencer. Also quality, I really hate clothing that is rubbish quality. What is a typical day for you? I usuallt get up pretty late, then go in to university (not that I am in a lot!) I watch a lot of Breaking Bad. Then I will usually go in to town to get out of the house and have a wonder round. It all depends really, sometimes I will go out for lunch as I’m not very good at cooking anything. I usually go to Homemade, it is the most amazing cafe ever. I probably go out a few nights a week, my favourite place would have to be Dogma or Bodega, I go there quite a lot even if its just for a few quiet drinks. What would make you try a new brand? Word of mouth probably. Or if I am out shopping and I sumble across a shop that looks really cool How often do you go shopping? Once every few weeks. I am on a student budget so can’t go as much as I would like to, but I spend loads of time looking online for clothes and hoping somehow I can magic some money up What magazines do you read? I don’t really read many magazines, I prefer to read books Do you interact with brands on social media? Yeah, only independant brands though rather than mainstream ones. I also follow a lot of brands that are in different countries as they always have really cool and exclusive stuff. I randomly stumble across pages all the time that I like the look of so end up following. Its annoying when you cant buy the products in this country though. Do you consider yourself to be creative or have creative interests? Not particularly. I have creative interests such as photography, I am a really big fan of this. Also when I go abroad I was always do the typical cultural activities like visiting museums and art galleries, so if you would call that creative?

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Appendix 12 - Consumer shopping observation Standing outside competitor shops Zara, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. This was carried out to find out how consumers shopped - in groups or alone. It also found out what people were planning on doing after, in order to validate the idea of a concept store that would keep people in it for longer periods of time.

53%

Appendix 12 - Festival Survey This was to validate the idea of partnering with a festival in the UK Questions asked: Have you been to a festival in the past year? If so, how many? What Festival was it? Would you be interested in a swap shop service at a festival where you could take old clothes and exchange them for new ones?

68%

32%

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Appendix 13 - Email conversation with Sarah Long

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festival research

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Appendix 14 - PEST analysis

Political

economical

Governmental policies of importing and shipping stock in to the UK Adressing political issues as a brand

Consumers in the UK have disposable income – Mintel report shows that people are willing to spend money on clothing accessories. “ Exchange rate is a factor to consider UK interest rates are currently at a record low Minimum wage rates are increasing Rising prices for cotton could be a worry for clothing retailers

social WGSN TREND We discover our own utopias in the day-to-day, searching for fantasy, escape and adventure on our doorsteps and desktops.

Technological

Innovation and technology used in store Social media has become vitally important to target younger consumers Internet based sales are a big opportunity Mintel Clothing Retailing 2013 shows the growing importance of social media in fashion, with over one fifth of Facebook users who have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months ‘liking’ a clothing brand or retailer on the social networking site.

environmental According to a mintel report, half of women state that ethical treatment of workers who make/manufacture clothing influences their choice of retailer

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Appendix 15 - Interior design inspiration

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Appendix 16 - photoshoot inspiration

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posters on walls word of mouth

photoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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Appendix 17 - Report layout inspiration

more visual inspiration

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Appendix 18 Ethics forms

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Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design CONSENT FORM Please read and confirm your consent to being interviewed for this project by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing and dating this form

1. I confirm that the purpose of the project has been explained to me, that I have been given information about it in writing, and that I have had the opportunity to ask questions about the research 2. I understand that my participation is voluntary, and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason and without any implications for my legal rights 3. I give permission for the interview to be recorded by research staff, on the understanding that the tape will be destroyed at the end of the project 4. I agree to take part in this project

___________________ __________ __________________ Name of respondent Date Signature For office use only Name of researcher taking consent …………………………………………. Date ……………………………………… Signature

159

Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design CONSENT FORM

Please read and confirm your consent to being interviewed for this project by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing and dating this form

3. I give permission for the interview to be recorded by research staff, on the understanding that the tape will be destroyed at the end of the project 4. I agree to take part in this project

__________________ Name of respondent Date Signature

Name of researcher taking consent …………………………………………. Date ………………………………………

Signature

Signature CONSENT FORM Please read and confirm your consent to being interviewed for this project by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing and dating this form 1. I confirm that the purpose of the project has been explained to me, that I have been given information about it in writing, and that I have had the opportunity to ask questions about the research 2. I understand that my participation is voluntary, and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason and without any implications for my legal rights 3. I give permission for the interview to be recorded by research staff, on the understanding that the tape will be destroyed at the end of the project 4. I agree to take part in this project __________________ Name of respondent Date Signature

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Name of researcher taking consent …………………………………………. Date ……………………………………… Signature

at I ty

Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design CONSENT FORM

Please read and confirm your consent to being interviewed for this project by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing and dating this form

3. I give permission for the interview to be recorded by research staff, on the understanding that the tape will be destroyed at the end of the project 4. I agree to take part in this project

___________________ __________ __________________ Name of respondent Date Signature

Name of researcher taking consent …………………………………………. Date ………………………………………

Signature

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Appendix 19 - Tutorial Record Sheets

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

162

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

163

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

164

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

165

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

166

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

167

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

168

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Independent Research Project

Tutorial Record Sheet 2013/14 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 2 Ref. no: FASH30002 Date: Name :

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session:

Tasks for next session:

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

169