Molly Chmiel Kate Schaefer Visual Merchandising 22 February 2018 Tory Burch Brick and Mortar Location Tory Burch is a global fashion brand that launched in 2004 by CEO Tory Burch. The brand operates over 200 stores worldwide and is carried in over 3000 department and specialty stores. All Tory Burch stores are not carbon copies of each other. The Tory Burch store that I visited on Oak Street is much smaller and carries much less merchandise than the one I have visited in Oakbrook in the past. Tory Burch has two flagship stores, one located in Beverly Hills and the other in New York City. Tory Burch carries a large range of products including ready to wear, performance activewear, handbags, jewelry, shoes, home goods, fragrance and beauty products. The brand offers services to customers such as complimentary gift wrapping and personal styling. When I first walked up to the Tory Burch storefront, I fell in love with the exterior. I loved the combination of the stone color brick accented with brass which added a luxurious feeling. The signature Tory Burch orange door added a pop of color among the stone colored building. In the window, mannequins were displayed wearing the newest Resort 2018 collection. When inside, I instantly noticed that the overall store aesthetic is classic with bohemian aspects which matches with the preppy bohemian aesthetic of the merchandise being sold. The interior featured taupe colored walls and light colored wood flooring. All shelves and display cases were made of brass which went well with the brass accented exterior of the store.
The bohemian aspect of the brand was shown through the colorfully printed rugs in the store. The front of the store featured accessories including shoes, bags and jewelry and the back of the store featured sunglasses, clothing and more shoes. The muted colors of the walls and floors allowed for the colorful merchandise of this season to stand out. The muted colors also matched the stone exterior well. The lighting of the store was soft, mainly over the merchandise which highlighted it well. A chandelier was a main lighting source in the entrance of the store. The only props in the store were benches that merchandise was set on and trays that held accessories. The merchandise being sold currently is from the Tory Burch Resort collection for the upcoming spring season. The store is visually very pretty to look at and merchandise is displayed well. Sales associates at the store were attentive and knowledgeable on new product which added to the experience. Overall, the interior was clean, organized, easy to navigate, and fit the brand aesthetic well. Website The Tory Burch website fits well with the overall brand aesthetic. The website is classic and simple but features bohemian prints throughout the pages. Featured on the homepage is the Fall/Winter 2018 runway show, promotion for the new handbag style, and the spring lookbook. The merchandise sold is listed below these promotions and features merchandise that is currently sold in stores. Tory Burch also provides an app for customers which has the same layout as her website but in app form. Overall, the website relates to the brick and mortar store well through the aesthetic and clean design.
Social Media Tory Burch is active on various sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. On these sites, she has many followers. The use of these sites allow her to get products and news to a large number of people. The brands use of social media shows how current the brand is. The Tory Burch classic and bohemian aesthetic is consistent through the content these sites post. The same products are shown throughout each site which correlate with what is being sold in stores. Resort 2018 and spring styles are promoted. Tory Burch does a good job keeping each site consistent, simple, easy to navigate and maintain the bohemian feel. Conclusion Through the brand’s brick and mortar stores, website, and social media, Tory Burch markets her brand well. Branding is consistent throughout each which makes it pleasing for the customer. The products throughout each site and store is consistent which allows for one season of product to be focused on at a time. Since the brick and mortar store was so clean and organized, I did not expect anything less from the websites and social media accounts. Since Chicago is such a large market though, I did expect for this particular store to be larger than it was. I was surprised by the size and amount of merchandise held there.
Works Cited “Women's Clothing, Designer Shoes & Flats, Handbags & Accessories.” Tory Burch, www.toryburch.com/.