High-‐End Retailer:
What year did the company start? Bloomingdales began in the 1860s by two brothers, Joseph and Lyman. They opened up their first shop in the Lower East Side of New York and were one of the first in the area to specialize in more than one Fashion.
How many stores do they operate? 51 stores, including one in Dubai
Are all the stores carbon copies of the same model? No, due to space restrictions not all stores are the same.
Where is the flagship located?
New York City: 59th Street and Lexington Avenue 1000 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022
What type of merchandise do they sell?
Bloomingdale’s sells apparel, handbags, cosmetics, beauty products, fragrances, shoes, jewelry and accessories for both men and women. They also sell apparel for children, and have a wide variety of home goods, ranging from kitchen appliances to bedding, luggage, accessories and more!
What services do they provide?
-‐Loyallist is Bloomindales customer reward program to earn points on all purchases done either in-‐store or online -‐Bloomingdale’s charge card -‐Personal Shoppers that pre shop for their clients and offer a private viewing of the merchandise -‐Corporate Services helps businesses with holiday gifts, thank you gifts, anniversary gifts, gift wrapping etc. -‐Coat and package check for guest -‐Hotel Package delivery -‐Translators and directories in nine languages -‐Jewelry repair -‐Gift wrapping -‐Gift cards -‐Gift registry -‐Travel professional services -‐Interior design service/consultations
What is the overall look of the store’s façade?
The Bloomingdale’s location I visited is located at 900 N Michigan Ave. The name ‘Bloomingdale’s’ in big gold letters is displayed on the entryway of the 900 Shops, a shopping mall on Michigan Ave. The entrance I entered through was on E Walton Street. It had a silver and gold marquee in which I walked under to access the door. The marquee had the name Bloomingdale’s on all three exposed edges for people to see as they walk by. Bold and fancy silver and gold outdoor lighting were visible around the entire 900 building. Other lighting was found underneath the marquee I walked below. The windows on
the Walton side of Bloomies were straight front windows with open backs so I could see both the merchandise on display (which were MCM bags on tiers of shelves) as well as the other items being sold inside Bloomingdale’s.
What is your initial impression based upon the store’s appearance?
The store’s appearance looks clean and polished. Its neutral color foundation with accents of silver and gold present a sense of luxury. The font used to spell the department stores name is rounded and playful, which makes it feel more inviting that Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Ave. The glass windows are big and open so it draws people to see more of what is inside. I had the impression that the store was ‘fancy’ but approachable.
What is the aesthetic of the interior? Please include details of the store’s layout, fixturing, color palette, etc.
The interior was much different than the exterior. The color palette of this location’s inside was what first caught my eye. When I walked in through the revolving doors, I was in the handbag and accessory department. The handbags, accessories and displays were very colorful, including the bright pink ribbons handing from floor to ceiling to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month. Immediately my eye was drawn to the black and white glamorous tiled flooring. It gave the store a very bold image. The walls and ceiling were a crisp, clean, white or beige. All of the fixtures on all 6 floors of the store looked expensive and brand new. All of the displays and fixtures were kept perfectly neat, as if nothing had ever been touched. Many Fixtures were abstract or artfully done. One example of this is the white shoe mural in the women’s shoe parlor on the third floor. It extends from floor to ceiling, and has shapes cut out shapes, so one can see through to the other side. Many displays were opaque, either glass or plastic with black accents, such a borders, legs, or handles. The floors and tabletops all shined as if they were just cleaned. The music was subtle and relaxing.
How do the exterior and interior of the store relate to one another?
The exterior and interior of Bloomingdale’s share some similarities. The one common trait they share is luxury. The outside of the building is well kept, clean, well lit, and decorated with fancy molding. The inside is also luxurious in appearance, but has much more color compared to the neutral façade. The interior is styled and merchandised very strategically, with eye-‐catching displays, bold props/objects and exciting designs, where as the outside is very dull and subdued in comparison.
How do the aesthetics convey the type of merchandise offered?
The aesthetics of the store convey that Bloomingdale’s carries merchandise that is expensive, luxurious, fashionable, playful and unique.
What type of decorations, graphics, and ‘lifestyle’ elements are in the store?
I mentioned a few of these above. The decorations and lifestyle elements in the store are the fancy tables, fixtures, and flooring. It made it feel like I was inside of the Kardashian’s or another wealthy fashionable family’s home.
What was your experience in the store? Both visually and customer-service oriented. Visually, my experience was great! I loved the black and white floors, the gorgeous and expensive well-‐arranged merchandise, the cleanliness, and the overall feel of wealth and excitement within the stores walls. The customer service on the other hand frightened me. They were all dressed in black and appeared ‘un-‐ approachable’. I felt as if I was being watched, followed, and judged by my every move, as well as stereotyped by what I was wearing. I felt very uncomfortable taking pictures inside the store, as well as looking closely at their products. When I was in the shoe parlor, one gentleman asked if I needed help and proceeded to look me up and down with a look of disappointment. He was the only one who approached me the whole time I was inside the store.
Does the website support what you saw in the store? Explain.
Yes, the website has many of the same items I saw in the store, though I find it easier to access all the items online because I can explore all items in a fast, organized manner without judgment. The webpage also looks very similar to the interior of the store with its strong use of black and white, with playful hints of color, or bold images.
What was on their homepage? How does that compare to what you saw in store windows or prominent locations on the floor?
On Bloomingdale’s homepage is a search bar of all the categories of merchandise they offer. Below the search bar are images of a female model featuring Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2014 Collection. Below these images is a photograph of a man dressed in fall attire on the streets of New York. Under him are featured fall shoes, an advertisement about National Handbag Day and an about supporting the fight against breast cancer. The only similarity between what I saw on their homepage and what was in the store window or prominent on the floor, was breast cancer awareness. In the store they had banners, long hanging pink ribbons, and informational text printed on the flooring.
What is the aesthetic of the website? How does it compare with the brick-and-mortar store?
The aesthetic of the website is comfort, luxury, and accessibility. The website is laid out very simply and is easy to search and find what one is looking for by separating everything into categories. The images provide a luxurious feel, and explain how merchandise is intended to be worn or used. The brick-‐and-‐ mortar location also display luxury and have merchandise separated by floors and by category. The only difference is that in the store one can feel/touch and try on merchandise, where as online one looses this quality. One down side to the brick-‐and-‐mortar store is having too many options. There is so much to look at that one could easily become distracted or overwhelmed while shopping and loose sight of what they came for.
What was your experience on the website? Was it easy to navigate? User-Friendly?
My experience of the website was great. It was very user friendly and had great information for research purposed. I also really enjoyed the images they had and liked how many diverse categories they have available for customers to search through.
What type of social media presence did you find? On what sites are they actively present?
Describe their ‘personality’ on these sites.
On Facebook Bloomingdales posts pictures of current trends, photos of their store, models, products, quotes etc. Their personality is youthful, artsy and informative. They also invite interaction with their followers, by offering chances to win gift cards to their store!
On Bloomingdales Twitter, the goal is to inform followers about up coming events, new arrivals, and the most
current fashion trends. Their personality is a fashion expert. On Pinterest the posts are mostly of women’s apparel and accessories. Their personality is rich and well dressed. Lastly, Bloomingdale’s Instagram features daily posts of quotes, fashion drawings, fashion icons, models, destinations, runway shows, parties, food, and more. This seems to be their most diverse platform in the variety of information they share.
Are their social media presence, in-store and web presence cohesive? Explain.
For the most part all three avenues are cohesive. Their presence and overall message they portray in each outlet is that fashion and luxury is a lifestyle. They make products look fun, desirable, and luxurious.
Do they seem to be targeting the same customer through each outlet? No. Their social media presence is targeting a younger, fashion forward, tech-‐ savy audience mostly female, whereas their in-‐store presence is for an older, wealthy male or female. Bloomingdales web presence is universal and targets all customers.
Would you like to work for this company? In what regard? Yes! I would like to be apart of the buying or visual merchandising team. They have a great collection of merchandise and it is always visually appealing Low-End Retailer:
What year did the company start? The first Target was founded in 1902 by George Dayton and was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. How many stores do they operate? Over 1,780 stores in the Untied States, and 133 stores in Canada Are all the stores carbon copies of the same model? No. Not all Targets are the same, due to location and space restrictions the layouts are not carbon copies of one another. Some Targets offer groceries and are called ‘Super Target’. Where is the flagship located? -‐Minneapolis, Minn. -‐Mississauga, Ontario -‐Bangalore, India What type of merchandise do they sell? Almost anything! They have a wide range in products that they sell. From Clothing, shoes, & jewelry, to grocery, household & pet products, Target has become a destination for a one-‐stop-‐shop. The full list of their product categories are shown to the right: What services do they provide? -‐Free shipping on Orders over $50.00 -‐Target pharmacy -‐Target clinic -‐Target optical What is the overall look of the store’s façade? The location I visited was 4466 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL. It appears to be a newer store, as the façade is clean and modern. The exterior of the store is a tan brick, with the large illuminated Target logo sign in red. There are no window displays, only tinted windows and glass advertisement display panels near the entrance. The entry way has a glass revolving door, as well as several other push-‐to-‐open glass doors, all aligned in a crescent shape to create an interesting entry way.
What is your initial impression based upon the store’s appearance? My first impression is that it looks new and nicely built. It looks welcoming with the unique entrance, and the color red makes me happy/excited!
What is the aesthetic of the interior? Please include details of the store’s layout, fixturing, color palette, etc. The inside is nothing glamorous, yet it is not un-‐desirable like Walmart or other discount stores. Most seasons, or holidays there are creative signage displaying that season’s theme near the entryway of the store. Once inside, one can observe the floors are white with occasional scratches or tire marks from the shopping carts. Some sections of the store have grey carpeting, for example the shoe, clothing and accessory sections. The store is comprised of mostly isles of products divided into categories. In this particular store there are two levels, men’s, electronics, bedding, kitchen, toys, books, and more are on the upper level, and the women’s clothing, cosmetics, food, pet supplies, shoes and more are on the first floor. The fixturing is very basic. It is mostly white shelving units, bright florescent lights and red signing throughout the store. How do the exterior and interior of the store relate to one another? The exterior and interior of the store relate to one another because they are both basic and appeal to all types of consumers. The outside and inside are both welcoming and allow people to relate the products inside to their own lives at home. How do the aesthetics convey the type of merchandise offered? The aesthetic of Target conveys that the merchandise they offer is simple, creative and affordable. What type of decorations, graphics, and lifestyle elements are in the store? The decorations and graphics are minimal other than their signage in the front of the store, and on certain isle end-‐caps. The lifestyle elements in the store are artsy, fashionable, creative, stylish items at low costs.
What was your experience in the store? Both visually and customer-service oriented. My experience in Target is always great. My boyfriend and I visit this location almost once a week. We always look forward to our trip there because we know we can find what we need, as well as find items at affordable prices to add to our wardrobes, home décor, dog toy collection, pantry, or office. This particular experience was a typical visit. I always check out all sections in the store, if time permits, to see what is new, even if I don’t need anything. This trip new merchandise had been put out, Halloween decorations were for sale, and the store was not too busy. The service is typically helpful and nice. They are not intimidating nor are they rude. Does the website support what you saw in the store? Explain. Yes, the website just like the store is very straightforward and has lots of options to choose from. What was on their homepage? How does that compare to what you saw in store windows or prominent locations on the floor? The homepage featured a Bed & Bath Sale, Halloween Costumes, featured coupons and the IPhone 6. The only item I was not aware that was on sale in store was the bedding and bathroom décor.
What is the aesthetic of the website? How does it compare with the brick-and-mortar store? The aesthetic of the website is very similar to the brick-‐and-‐mortar store. It is simple and straightforward. The websites colors are the same as the Target store, Red and white. The website mentions all sales it is currently having, and is very easy to find products one is looking for, just like in the store. The aesthetic shows a wide variety of quality products for people of all types and all ages at affordable prices. What was your experience on the website? Was it easy to navigate? User-Friendly? The website was very user friendly. I personally like the brick-‐and-‐mortar location better because it think it is more creative. I also like to view the products face to face. One downside I have noticed about the webpage is in the kitchen dinning ware department. I found a plate in store that I wanted more of, and online they only offer it in a set with bowls and multiple sizes of the plate, when I just want to purchase the item separately and not in a pre-‐ pack. What type of social media presence did you find? On what sites are they actively present?
Describe their ‘personality’ on these sites. On Facebook Target posts about new movies, professionally photographed products, fun photo shoots/ advertisements, toys and more. Their personality is fun, creative, innovative, and youthful.
On YouTube Target has all of its video or televised advertisement. Their personality is creative, informative, contagious, happy, role models. Target’s Instagram page is my favorite of their social media platforms. Their caption is “Where products come to play”. All of the images and video clips are bright colors, artistically captured, funny, creative, inspiring, and playful.
Are their social media presence, in-store and web presence cohesive? Explain. Yes, they are all centered on selling ‘cool’ products to the everyday person at affordable prices. Though the social media presence is much more creative than the web presence or the in-‐store experience, because they are displaying their advertisements and photo shoots that may not be seen in stores. Do they seem to be targeting the same customer through each outlet? Yes, they have something for everyone, even pets! The social media sources may appeal to a younger audience or a more creative soul, but they still display products that people of all ages can relate to. Would you like to work for this company? In what regard? YES! I love Target, and would really like to explore this company further. I would love to be on the styling team for their social media sites and advertisements. It seems like such a fun creative environment, how could one not have fun doing this job?!
Comparison Survey
When comparing retailers, especially a high-‐end store verse a low-‐end store, one could conclude that the high-‐end store is better. When taking a deeper look into such stores and analyzing them on the same qualities and characteristics the results may be different than what someone would initially predict. After evaluating Bloomingdale’s and Target from their store’s façade, interior, and their web/social media presence I found that they each had pros and cons and that no store was ‘better’ than the other. The store I found to have the best-‐looking façade and interior was Bloomingdale’s. They have a sense of luxury in all three categories. Their building was well kept, and had grandiose fixtures both on the outside and inside of the building, whereas Target also had a nice entrance, but it was much for simple and budget conscious. The interior at Bloomingdale’s was much more elaborate, from their flooring to their merchandising, whereas Target’s interior was very basic, white and red. Each department store had its own parking ramp for customers to use, though at Bloomingdale’s they charge by the hour, and at Target parking is free. In terms of location and store model, they both are within walking distance from the ‘L’, but the Target I visited is further north whereas Bloomingdale’s is in the heart of downtown, on Michigan Ave. The store layout of Target was very simple and easy to understand with only two floors of merchandise, each labeled with their large red signage and friendly employees available for guidance. Bloomingdale’s on the other hand was much bigger, with six floors of merchandise, small signage near the escalators and lack of friendly staff to help. In this case the more attractive store would be Bloomingdale’s, and the store with the best accessibility would be Target. When looking at the two stores social media and web presence, they both do a great job staying uniform to their store’s aesthetic. Bloomingdale’s Instagram, Facebook, and website are all about fashion, glamour, and luxury. Target’s website is very budget friendly by offering coupons and deals. Their Instagram and Facebook are much more creative. They take products they sell and market them in an artistic and exciting ways for people of all ages and all financial backgrounds to relate to. The next category I used to compare each store is customer service. Bloomingdales offers an extensive list of services to its customers in comparison to Target. From personal shopping, gift-‐wrapping, hotel delivery and much more, this store looks amazing on paper. In the store, the employees were nicely dressed, head-‐to-‐toe in black, but were not easy to approach. My whole experience in the store was intimidating. I did not feel welcome, or comfortable taking pictures. I was not approached by any employees for a great deal of time, and I felt I was being closely watched or judged. At Target, the attire of their employees is not glamorous or fashionable; they wear khakis and a bright red t-‐shirt. They are easy to find, and never have made me feel uncomfortable asking questions or snapping pictures. Additionally, Target’s customer service desk is great, they take back any items one
has purchased even if the receipt cannot be found. For the everyday person, Target’s service is a better than Bloomingdale’s. Lastly, I choose a particular department at each store to compare. When looking at the shoe departments of both Bloomingdale’s and Target they were much different. At Bloomingdale’s the shoes were arranged by designer name on fancy displays with expensive price tags. If one wanted to try a shoe on, they must wait for assistance and an associate would grab the particular size requested from the back room. At Target all shoes and boots are budget friendly. Their shoes were lined up on shelving units, with boxes of each size found below the shoe on display for customers to help themselves to a size. At Bloomingdale’s all the shoes were high fashion and very attractive, whereas the shoes at Target range in attractiveness. At Bloomingdale’s the ‘Shoe Parlor’ was decorated with fancy fixtures, leather chairs, warm lighting, and tons of options to choose from. At Target, the atmosphere did not change from the rest of the store. Occasionally boxes of unwanted shoes were left on the floor, and the options of shoes to choose from were limited. At Bloomingdale’s employees are always visible and watching you closely, whereas at Target one might have to wait for assistance, but customers have the privacy to shop and try on as many shoes as they please. Lastly, the organization of the shoe department at Bloomingdale’s was much better kept than Target, where I found a section of sale shoes jammed into shelves with no visual attractiveness. ^Target^ Bloomingdale’s
In conclusion, Bloomingdales is the place to go if one is wealthy and fashion forward. Target is the place to go if one is on a budget or wants to save money, but enjoys creativity and strives to be fashionable. Each store has strengths and weaknesses, and they are both very different from one another, but it is important to learn about their competitors to ultimately make them the best store they can be!