Figure 1.
Shola Forbes
6
Figure 2.
3 1
Brand story & Research.
5 2 Demographic.
Psychographic.
Geographic.
7 Behavioural.
Meet Alex.
Contents Consumer Profile
Figure 3.
Brand Story. Born of the revolutionary mind of Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, Kenzo was established in Paris in 1970 and contested the couture saturated market (LVMH, no date). Kenzo’s collections are renowned for their eccentric prints and cultural influences through the collaboration of “opposite elements that melt together to create something unexpected and beautiful” (Walker, 2010). From fragrance to clothing collections, the LVMH member continues to offer “luxuriant and versatile” collections, currently headed by artistic directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (LVMH, no date). Following their appointment, the duo repositioned the brand’s vision to appeal to a younger audience using "a remix of streetwise shapes, vivid jungle prints, and inspiration from farflung locales." (Business of Fashion, no date). With the aid of online articles and books, I conducted in-store observations in Leeds and London, an online survey which was completed by 31 respondents and interviews with store staff members and four purchasing customers (see appendices A - F for research findings). 1
Demographic Figure 4.
In accordance with the contemporary vision of Kenzo, the consumer base is mainly 20-34 single females and males, who belong to Generation Y (Paul, 2001). Research also revealed that consumers falling into the 35-44 cohort (see appendices A and B) frequently purchase not only for themselves but also for their young children. Their occupations tend to be education and technology based, from students, business professionals and managerial related jobs, reflecting the generational characteristic of being better educated and techno literate compared to Generation X (Merril 1999, Neuborne and Kerwin 1999; Morton 2001; Farris et al. 2002).
Considering the pricing architecture, their incomes range from £25,000 to £49,000 annually, hence a disposable income permitting purchases from Kenzo. Although the brand falls within the luxury market, the Kenzo consumer's social class ranges from middle to upper class. In order to not conform to the elitist perception attached to luxury brands (Fury, 2015), the co-directors introduced ‘affordable luxury products’, ranging from thirty to three thousand pounds (Fury, 2015). This unique selling point makes the brand accessible and attractive to a younger cohort compared to its competitors. 2
Geographic
Figure 5.
Urban living is a common characteristic of the Kenzo consumer, directly correlating to the city location of a majority of the stores. They live a fastpaced lifestyle, relying on ease of access to stores on their commute to or from work or within their daily routines. Researching in London (see appendix A) clarified why for the Kenzo consumer, urban living not only influences their patterns of repeat purchase due to ease of access and location, but also explains their purchasing power due to the higher cost of living in city areas.
Affordability of living in urban areas relies on a high salary job, giving them the ability to afford the costs of city life. Hence relating to Kenzo consumers having an income permitting the ability to afford premium prices, as well as managing consumption orientated purchasing habits (O'Donnel, 2006; Fernandez, 2009).
Figure 6.
3
Figure 6.
2
3
5 Figure 7.
Demographic
1
4
Geographic 6
4
The Kenzo consumer tends to have a medium-user relationship with the brand. Even though they express strong brand loyalty, they tend to only shop in the store 2-3 times a month (see appendix B), due to the reliability of the garment quality justifying the fact that they do not have to complete repeat purchases of specific Figure 8. items. Instead they focus on purchasing new collections released by the brand. They are also considerably less price sensitive, due to having a comfortable awareness and acceptance of the premium prices. To the Kenzo consumer shopping at designer stores is important, 70% of respondents agree to the statement (see With the reputation of a luxury brand, appendix C). They value designer they expect the garments to be of high clothing, often sharing photographs of quality, have interesting aesthetic their purchases on social media, which design, easily washable and longevity, can be attributed to growing up "in a with many interviewees ‘strongly materialistic- orientated society" agreeing’ that the garments are value (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2003). for their money (see appendix C). They tend to follow cognitive consumer Figure 9. behaviour traits, which they make intrapersonal decisions in regards to needs and motivations when purchasing (Foxall, 1990 p.18). Meaning that they make conscious decision to complete repeat purchases, which can be accredited to Kenzo having a positive brand reputation (see appendix C). 5
Figure 10.
Parallel to co-creative director Humberto Leon’s idea of the Kenzo consumer who is “…youthful in spirit and very confident…” (Walker, 2013), the consumer pays little attention to conforming to dressing in accordance to social norms or standards. Away from work they are comfortable in experimenting with fashion, adopting a style that is bright, bold and vibrant (see appendix D). They are fashion conscious and keen in anticipating seasonal collections produced by fashion brands. They are particularly interested in fashion brands who incorporate cultural and ethnic influences within their designs. The loyal consumer who falls into the 3544 cohort are also fashion conscience and take pride in their children’s style.
Figure 12.
Figure 11.
Even though they have an interest in designer brands, they also frequent high-street stores such as Zara, H&M and Karen Millen, suggesting that they also enjoy purchasing from fast-fashion brands. Socialising is an important factor for the consumer, who often spend evenings catching up with friends and going to bars. They enjoying listening to chart music and new songs recommended by apps such as Spotify (see appendix C) and their disposable income supports their passion for going to festivals and travelling.
6
Figure 13.
I am a medium user of Kenzo.
X A look into the Kenzo consumer
Age: 26 Gender: Female Occupation: Finance Yearly income: ÂŁ25,000 - ÂŁ50,000 Relationship status: Single Area you live in: Urban
I spend around 200-300 pounds in store. I shop at Kenzo because the patterns and design are exciting & unique and are wearable with my more simple monochrome clothes. Good quality clothing, longevity and not being ruined when washed is important. I strongly agree that Kenzo is good value for money. In my spare time I'm usually socialising with friends after work or listening to music on Spotify. My style is simplistic with statement pieces.
7
Figure 14.
Psychographic
2
Behavioural
1
3
4 4 6
5 5
8
Appendix:
35-44 6%
Male 42%
18-24 43%
Female 58%
25-34 51%
Married 25% Single 45%
Relationship 30%
£50,00 - £74,000 19%
£0 - £24,999 29%
Countryside 13%
Suburban 29% £25,00 - £49,999 52%
Urban 58%
Appendix:
Appendix:
No 30%
Formal 32%
Yes 70%
Brand Rep. 19%
Price 16%
Quality 29% Aesthetic/Design 36%
Casual 68%
Appendix:
Appendix:
Appendix:
Figure 1.
Shola Forbes
Figure 2.
Context 1. The Originals story Figure 3.
&Research 2. Demographic 3. Geographic 4. Psychographic 5.Behavioural 7. Meet Jordan and Reflection
Figure 4.
The Originals Story. Established in 1925, sportswear conglomerate Adidas is the second largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe (Adidas-Group, no date). Described as “a truly global sports brand” where “everything [they] do is rooted in sports” and is inclusive of both gender and age (Adidas-Group, no date). Adidas offers a range of collections from athletic clothing to casual streetwear, as well as diffusion lines like the Y-3 collection, in collaboration with established fashion designers (Adidas, no date).
Figure 5.
Research I conducted in-store observations in Leeds and London, an online survey completed by 39 respondents and interviews with store staff members and four purchasing customers (see appendices A - F for research findings). To aid my research I also utilised books, journal articles and the Adidas annual report.
1
Figure 6.
In order to produce a focused consumer profile, my research focused on the Adidas Originals consumer. The Originals consumer is predominately single males and females between 18 to 24 (see appendix A), of the generation Y cohort (Paul, 2001). Corresponding to their age, their occupations range from student, retail and business related jobs with annual incomes ranging from ÂŁ0 - ÂŁ24,999.
Figure 7.
Considering their lower disposable income, Adidas Originals price architecture compensates for this. Since Generation Y consumers are increasingly goal orientated, they justify spending their disposable income by adopting consumption techniques that are rational and based on cognitively orientated benefits (Colucci and Scarpi, 2013). 2
2
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
The Adidas Originals consumer typically lives in an urban city or suburban environment (see appendix A). Whether it is commuting to work, university or during their spare time, they live an active life style, which corresponds to the Originals casual styling. Cultural awareness and diversity is prevalent in cities and equally important to the Adidas Original consumer. The inclusion and collaboration of a diverse gender and ethnic range of designers and musicians reflects why the Adidas Originals consumer remains loyal to the brand (see appendix D). 3
Psychographic Figure 10.
The Originals consumer adopts a fashion-conscious style and awareness of the ideal image they want to present. Their fashion choices are influenced by fast-fashion and easily accessible garments, describing their style as casual, urban and retro. Nostalgia is also stylistically influential, correlating with the consumers describing the brand as classic, old school, authentic and trendy (see appendix E). Explaining why, they often look to past decades fashion trends in their everyday style. Celebrity culture is a substantially stylistically influential for the consumer and Adidas utilise this factor by closely collaborating with influencers such as Pharrell Williams (Gilliand, 2017). This “personal and direct involvement of influencers in the actual designing process� (Gilliand, 2017) is a unique selling point of the brand. Corresponding to their interest in fast-fashion, the Originals consumer shops at high-street stores such as Topman/Topshop, ASOS, Under Armour and main competitor Nike.
Figure 11.
Owing to their disposable income and budget consciousness, they enjoy going out to eat in casual dining restaurants, listening to chart or hip-hop music and watching sports such as football (see appendix F). To compensate for their interest in festivals, clubbing and concerts, they often must make monetary exceptions. Engaging with the consumer’s heavy social media usage, Adidas utilise these platforms in collaboration with celebrities and musicians to market and advertise to their target consumer.
4
Behavioural Figure 12.
Figure 13.
For the Originals consumer, their user relationship is product dependent. A medium-user relationship is established when shopping for footwear, due to higher cost and rejecting the necessity of re-purchasing the same style. Due to having a vast clothing product width, the consumer has a more frequent user relationship with these products, shopping instore on average 3-4 times a month. Their brand loyalty is strongly based on unique and creative interpretations of vintage styling, relating to their hedonic behaviour traits that focus on fun and personal choices (Babin et al. 1994, p.646), hence relating to their consumer loyalty (Babin et al 1994; Scarpi 2012). They value aesthetic design and brand reputation (see appendix D), correlating with the current logo focused trend currently adopted by mainstream fashion. Figure 14.
5
2
1
3
5 Figure 15.
4
6
6
Age: 19 Gender: Male Occupation: Student Yearly income: ÂŁ0-24,000 Relationship status: Relationship Area they live in: City Why they shop at Adidas: The designs are interesting even though they are often simplistic, I can match it with lots of my other clothes. Their clothes are also good quality and affordable. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time: Going out clubbing, watching sports, listening to music. Figure 16.
How would you describe your style: simple and casual. Do you usually shop online or in store: a combination of both, depends how quickly I need something..
My research highlighted the importance of contextually analysing the information collected. Interviewing a Kenzo staff member, revealed how geographical factors affected the results found, as Leeds is a university city a higher percentage of students purchased from the department. It is also important to consider how sample size can produce unanticipated issues. For example, having a lower sample size for Kenzo, the reliability of my data and segment findings were less dependable in comparison to my higher Adidas sample size, hence relying more on secondary data. 7
Appendix:
below 17 8% 45-54 16%
Male 38%
18-24 56%
35-44 13%
Female 62%
25-34 7%
Married 17%
Single 54%
£75,000- £99K 2% £50,00 - £74K 11% £25,00 - £49K 16%
Relationship 29%
Suburban 42%
£0 - £24K 71%
Urban 58%
Appendix: At the London Oxford street Adidas store I was granted consent to interview a member of staff. This enabled me to gain an enhanced understanding of the common Adidas customer, due to the staff members having an in-depth knowledge of their most typical customer
Appendix:
Appendix:
Brand Reputation 20%
Price 12% Quality 18%
£10 or less 7% £11-£30 15%
£51 or more 32% £31-£50 46%
Aesthetic/Design 49%
Both 8%
Athletic 28% Originals 64%
Appendix:
Appendix:
References
Kenzo Images
Kenzo Images
Adidas Images
Adidas Images
Word Count: 1681