Ralph Lauren Retail Analysis Taylor Hall 26 Feb. 2015
What year did the company start? How many stores do they operate? • In 1967, Lauren began designing men’s neckties under the brand “polo and sold them to large department stores. However, it wasn’t until June 11, 1997 that the company went public under the symbol RL. • Currently there are 10 flagship stores located throughout the world, but Lauren’s various brands can be found in department stores, as wells as in factory stores. Are all the stores carbon copies of the same model? • No, since each store was inspired by something different they all have different looks. Where is the flagship located? • The Chicago flagship is located at 750 North Michigan Avenue. What type of merchandise do they sell? What services do they provide? • Ralph Lauren sells menswear (Polo Ralph Lauren, Purple Label, Black Label, RRL, RLX), boy’s wear, women’s collections (Ralph Lauren Collection, Black Label, Blue Label), shoes and handbags, jewelry, ralph Lauren Home, as well as girl’s collection and baby collection. The store also contains a watch salon. • Adjacent to the store is RL, Ralph Lauren’s first restaurant. What is the overall look of the store’s façade? What is the exterior of the building? What is your first impression? • The store’s façade is very stately. It is grand and gives off wealth. • The exterior of the building is three rows of windows with four window displays on the ground level. • My first impression of the store was that it was upscale, but it did not feel cold. What is the aesthetic of the interior? Consider store layout, fixtures, color palette, lighting, etc. What is your initial impression based upon the store’s appearance? • The interior felt like a country club. It is opulent and rich. The lower two levels were accented with mahogany, while the third floor was painted white. • The store is laid out with multiple rooms, almost like a department store, with each room housing a different collection. The first two floors of the store are dedicated to men’s wear while the third floor is the women’s collections and the forth floor has Ralph Lauren home and children’s wear. • The lighting of the men’s floors is dim in comparison to the bright light of the women’s floor. The color palette ranges from dark, deep blue, green and mahogany to bright white. • My initial impression of the interior was the same as the exterior: it felt upscale and luxurious.
Do the exterior and the interior relate to each other? • Yes, both the exterior and the interior felt luxurious and upscale. How do the aesthetics convey the type of merchandise offered? • The luxury of the store reflects the luxury of the clothing. The clothing is upscale and gives off a feeling of wealth. What props, graphics, and images are in the store? • The store is decorated with polo gear, paintings of horses, chandeliers, plush carpet and rugs as well as mannequins places throughout the flagship. What was your experience in the store? Both visually and consumer-‐service oriented? • Visually my experience was very pleasing. The luxury of both the store and the clothing was appealing to the eye. I received excellent customer service at Ralph Lauren. I was greeted the moment I walked in and immediately was asked if I needed help with anything.
Website
Does the website support what you saw in store? • Yes, the clothing on the website is the same as the clothing I saw in the store. What was on their home page? How does it compare to what you saw in store windows or prominent locations on the floor? • The home page contained graphics and a brief description of the new collection, as well as a trend for this season. • The home page matches up pretty well with what I saw in the store. I saw winter wear in the store as well as some of their spring items starting to emerge. The home page also making that transition from winter to spring. What is the aesthetic of the website? How does it compare to the brick-‐and-‐mortar store? • The website was sleeker than the store. Its main color is white with touches of navy. However, the photos that are throughout the site convey the luxury of the store. What was your experience with the website? Was it easy to navigate? User-‐ friendly? • The website was easy to navigate and the tabs at the top of the page make it east to find what you are looking for. The site also has nice touches like a style guide, magazine, and a virtual tour through all of the flagship stores.
Social Media
What type of social media presence did you find? On what sites are they actively present? • Ralph Lauren is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Wanelo. The store is updating its social media all the time, sometimes even multiple times throughout the day, to keep consumers up-‐to-‐date with Ralph Lauren. Describe their “personality” on these sites. • Their personality is classic, chic, and fresh. Ralph Lauren is the on-‐trend, all-‐ American cool girl and boy. Are their social media presence, in-‐store and web presence cohesive? • Yes, all three market the brand in a luxurious, chic way and they show the same clothing. Are they targeting the same customers through each channel? • Yes, all three are successful at targeting the up-‐scale man and woman.
Conclusion
Ralph Lauren markets both online through social media as well as through their website in order to draw consumers into their store. It is clear that the company tries to keep all forms of marketing cohesive not only with the flagship store but with the whole brand in general. David Lauren, Executive VP of Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications for Ralph Lauren stated, “We don't just sell clothes: we sell a dream and a lifestyle. When you shop in our stores and online, you’re inspired by this dream and lifestyle and want access into that world.” This is what I expected of Ralph Lauren because when I think of the brand, yachts and country clubs are what come to mind. What surprised me was how well Ralph Lauren was able to cohesively market the company on all platforms. The aesthetic was the same, the color palette was the same, and even the pictures and clothing were the same. Ralph Lauren does an excellent job of not only marketing their clothing, but also the lifestyle that goes along with it.