GREEN HOUSE on Green Street
Elizabeth Paladeau Taylor Justin Vivid Ma Jillian Beck
table of contents
SWOT Analysis: ASOS
pg.
3
Consumer Analysis
pg.
5
Marketing: Product, Place, Promotion, & Price
pg.
7
pg.
8
Location
pg.
10
Store Design
pg.
11
pg.
14
pg.
16
pg.
18
pg.
20
pg.
24
Merchandise Mix & Pricing
Retail Space
Outdoor Space
Artist Playlist
Promotion Credits
2
SWOT Analysis: ASOS has made sure to provide as many portals as possible, such as an iPhone and iPad app as well as a Facebook shop. ASOS is also continuously improving their technology for better service. They incorporate other outlets such as Polyvore and Pintrest that may appeal to their demographic.
ASOS strongly believes in involving their target
market, which is a key strength. They have a blog, “Fashion Finder,” where their customers can get involved, posting pictures of themselves in ASOS merchandise and interacting with other customers (1). Also, due to the fact that they
ASOS is a global online retailer of fast fashion
are strictly online, ASOS is able to maintain contact with
based out of the United Kingdom. Offering over 50,000 branded and privately owned fashion and beauty products, ASOS’ target market is men and women ages 16 to 34 with a
(1)
mind for fashion. Established in 2000, ASOS now has seven different websites globally in five different languages.
ASOS’ primary strength is its wide range of
merchandise. It offers both men’s and women’s fashion as well as accessories and shoes. It also has a marketplace consisting of independent and vintage labels where the customer can both buy and sell from. ASOS also offers designer clothing proving it to have a wide price range as well. This is a double-edged sword because despite the fact that all of these products are available to their customers, it can be hard to navigate through them. This means that ASOS is appealing to a wide range of people, however that can cause confusion in terms of their exact target customer. For example, a customer in their late teens who is interested in a $35 dress may not be interested in a $2000 necklace.
Another important strength for ASOS is its
availability as a purely online retailer. As the third most visited fashion website in the world they are able to ship to 190 countries from its UK distribution center. With the age of technology continuing to grow exponentially, the accessibility of the Internet only increases. This being said, there is still a small population who do not have regular Internet access, and ASOS’ lack of brick-and-mortar locations might serve as a disadvantage. However, ASOS
previous customers through email because once you have purchased from the website, they have your email on file. ASOS also has its own private label, which separates it from its competition because it’s a product that is unique to them in combination with the thousands of other brands that they offer, which may or may not be available elsewhere. Another strength of having a purely online retailer is the elimination of loss prevention, other than internal theft.
A weakness of being an online retailer is the fact
that customers are unable to try on the merchandise before they purchase it, which results in a high rate of returns. Also with such a wide range of products and brands there 3
is a broad range of sizes, which can cause discrepancies. There are also differences in sizes between the different countries’ websites making it more difficult for shoppers to find the right fit. With its extensive range of products ASOS boasts 1500 new items weekly. This means that there are plenty of products for customers to choose from, but it can result in the over-saturation of the marketplace. Seeing as it is strictly an online retailer this means that customers have to specifically search out ASOS, and it is harder to “stumble upon” than a traditional brick-andmortar, making promotion imperative. An online retailer is also more difficult to merchandise than a brick-and-mortar one because customers can’t get a physical vibe from the space and are just left looking at pictures on a screen.
While ASOS has the opportunity to expand to brick-
and-mortar locations, this may not be the most cohesive direction for the company. With such a strong place in the online marketplace, a brick-and-mortar location might distract customers from their original goal. This being said, a pop-up store might be a good way to direct customers to the website and gain more publicity seeing as promotion is a huge opportunity for ASOS. More advertisements, especially online, are necessary if ASOS wishes to expand
4
their brand.
against
Product expansion is another opportunity for the
system crashes, however
company. They already have an excessive product offering
this is a threat that
in the apparel category, however further growth of their
will
beauty products and development of a lifestyle section
territory.
including home décor and athletic equipment would
changing climate of the
increase profits and interest in the brand. The booming
economy is a constant
fashion industry in Asia provides a new territory for ASOS
potential threat because
to expand to which would further their target market. In
customers’
order to promote apparel that they already have, designer
income that is often
and celebrity collaborations and endorsements could
spent on clothes is one
create more interest and demand for their product.
of the first things to be
cut out of a tight budget.
Threats to ASOS as a whole would be its placement
hackers
come
with The
and
the ever-
disposable
in the highly saturated fast-fashion fashion market with
competitors such as Zara, Topshop, and H&M who either
and wide product range has a powerful place in the
have or are developing online sections to their brick-and-
online market. This being said there is always room for
mortar locations, and Shopbop and Nastygal who are also
improvement, and narrowing down their product selection
purely online retailers. These companies are geared towards
might create a more focused brand image. A pop-up store
a similar customer and provide a similar product, however
located at an annual music festival, such as Lollapalooza,
ASOS has a wider range. As an online retailer online
would be a beneficial promotional tool. It could be used
security will always be a threat, especially when credit card
to highlight certain products from the ASOS private label,
information is involved. ASOS actively tries to safeguard
draw in customers, and direct them back to the website.
Overall ASOS, with its strong customer base
consumer analysis
In order to narrow down the wide merchandise that
important thing when deciding where to purchase from, so
ASOS offers, we are going to focus our pop-up store on the
this will also weigh in heavily for our consumer’s patronage
ASOS private label, carrying both clothing and accessories
buying motives. In terms of driving emotional buying
that will be in the range of $10-$120. Also, in order to keep
motives, our consumer is more likely to buy a product
up with current trends and the green movement, we will
that she feels is on trend, even if it is a bit more expensive
theme our pop-up store in an eco-chic manner, titling
than a relatively basic item. In terms of our pop-up store
it “ASOS Green House” after both the vendor street at
at Lollapalooza, convenience is going to be a large factor,
Lollapalooza and hinting at the eco-friendly nature of our
meaning that the placement of our store is very important
line.
because we are not a main attraction, so purchases need to
The target customer for this line is a young woman
be able to be made quickly and efficiently so festival goers
ages 18-22 who lives in the Chicago metropolitan area and
can get back to the music.
considers herself trend savvy. Through a survey sent out
to women in this age range we found that about half of
because of the wide variety of music artists that are present.
them considered themselves to be aware of fashion trends.
Through an interview with a past attendee, we concluded
Considering VALS personality types this customer is a
that there are people with a more “hippie” vibe that would
mixture of an “Experiencer” and a “Thinker,” being both
be there for artists like Florence and the Machine, The Black
educated and concerned about the environment as well as
Keys, Passion Pit, etc. There are also people with a “raver”
being young, fun, and keeping up with upcoming events.
vibe who would be there for artists like Avicii, Kaskade, and
The target consumer for Lollapalooza is broader
This consumer is open to new ideas and looks for value in the products she purchases. As an “Experiencer” this consumer also spends a lot of her income on entertainment and fashion merchandise as well as socializing with her peers.
Our ASOS “Green House” consumer is a college
student studying Illustration at Columbia College in Chicago. She has a part time job at a local boutique making between $5,000-$6,000 a year and lives in an apartment with a roommate, but she is primarily supported by her parents. She has a relatively small disposable income and spends around $200 a month on clothes. We were able to deduce this from our survey through which we found that almost half of the participants spent between $50-$200 a month on clothes and the other half spend between $200$500.
A rational buying motive for this consumer is
price because she is a shopper on a budget. We found that roughly a quarter of survey participants said that price was a big contributing factor when they consider purchases. More than half considered customer service to be the most 5
Justice. Lollapalooza was started by Perry Ferrell, former
of the mud festival goers were disappointed about their
lead singer of Jane’s Addiction, so it originated as a Rock
expensive apparel getting damaged, which is one reason
Festival. This year it is attempting to go back to those roots
why we have decided to keep the price point low. Based
with bands like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Black Sabbath,
on this information we have decided to include in our
and Jack White, which will attract those with a “rocker”
product offering cropped tops, tank tops, and other light
vibe. With our Green House line we will focus more on
cut-and-sew knits with a “Green House” logo on them as
people with a “hippie” vibe that also have a more trendy,
well as swimsuits, shorts, sundresses, sandals, jewelry, and accessories such as sunglasses, water bottles, and sunhats. In keeping with our green theme and in order to protect merchandise from the elements we will provide a reusable drawstring backpack with all purchases.
In conclusion, we found that the majority of survey
participants were not aware of ASOS. Therefore, a pop-up shop is a valuable marketing tool to promote the company, and Lollapalooza serves as the perfect venue as a common meeting place for our target market.
Lollapalooza 2011
fashion conscious attitude.
We
believe
that
the
target
consumers
of
Lollapalooza and the ASOS Green House brand correspond because of the “Experiencer” traits that makes the ASOS consumers outgoing and fun seeking, which would drive them to attend an event like this. The age range of the ASOS Green House consumer is also consistent with the age range most present at the festival. Through our interview
Lollapalooza 2011
we found that most people attending were 17-23 years old. Also, the fact that the vendors are located on Green Street and the festival is located in a park is conducive to a green message.
Using the information that
we gathered from our interview, we found that the weather conditions and style of the festival will influence our
product
offering
the
most.
Through our interview and research we found that the weather during the time the festival is held is very hot, humid, and often times rainy (which means mud). We also found out that the majority of women wear bathing suits, cropped tops, and high-waisted cut-offs as well as the handful of oddballs in costumes. We found that because 6
Lollapalooza 2011
marketing: product, place, promotion & price
ASOS is known in the marketplace for being an
our consumer draws them to music events such as this one.
online retailer with a wide range of products. This serves
as a strength and a weakness because they are providing
the most accessible. ASOS formulates trend reports for each
a wide variety of products for consumers to choose from,
season in order to generate sales and draw attention to their
but it also makes it hard for them to navigate. In order to
private label, so we will create a report for the merchandise
narrow down the wide merchandise that ASOS offers, we
that will be carried in the pop-up so that consumers can also
are going to focus our pop-up store on the ASOS private
purchase the merchandise at home. We will also create a
label, carrying both clothing and accessories that will be in
promotional video about the collection for the festival and
the range of $10-$120. We are also planning on creating a
post it on the website as well as all of ASOS’ corresponding
theme for our pop-up so as to narrow the merchandise even
blogs. We can also promote the trend and the pop-up itself
more. We will title the pop-up store and corresponding trend
on the home screen of the website. In terms of the graphic
As for promotion, online outlets are the easiest and
report “Green House” and carry eco-chic
t-shirts and crop tops that we will sell, we
merchandise that are both appropriate for
wish to create a contest where consumers
festival goers and promote an eco-friendly
can design the graphic that will go on the
message. The price point will remain
t-shirt, incorporating Lollapalooza, ASOS,
low so as keep in touch with the target
and the green theme into the design.
market because through research we
The winner will receive tickets to the
found that on average our target market
festival and a $500 gift card to ASOS in
spends about $200 a month on clothes.
addition to their design being used on the
This will also keep people from worrying
merchandise. Lollapalooza also wishes to
about damaging their new merchandise
promote more environmentally friendly
during the festival. We have decided to include in our
means of transportation to and from the vendor locations
product offering cropped tops, tank tops, and other light
and Grant Park. As a promotion tool we will collaborate
cut-and-sew knits with a “Green House” logo on them as
with the festival to provide rentable bikes for festival
well as swimsuits, shorts, sundresses, sandals, jewelry, and
goers to get around. They can both rent and return the
accessories such as sunglasses, water bottles, and sunhats.
bikes at the pop-up store and use them for up to 24 hours.
We will also provide a reusable drawstring backpack with
This corresponds with our green message and will help to
all purchases to keep with our green theme.
promote the pop-up store as people are biking around. We
In terms of placement, the ASOS pop-up store
will also hire street style photographers to go around and
will be located at Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
photograph people who they think are dressed stylishly and
We will place it on Green Street along with the other
within our target market. They will be given a Polaroid that
vendors within Grant Park. We feel that only one pop-up
will serve as both a souvenir and a 10% off coupon at the
store is necessary and a central Green Street location will
pop-up. This eliminates any littering that might be caused
attract both our target market and create a true shopping
by classic methods of passing out coupons. These strategies
experience. Lollapalooza corresponds with our target
for promotion, placement, product, and price will set apart
consumer because of the age range of the people that
our pop-up shop and increase the awareness of the ASOS
attend and the type of event it is; the fun-loving aspect of
brand. 7
merchandise mix & pricing
(2)
8
(3)
These are examples of the types of eco-friendly products we will be featuring in our pop-up shop as well as the “Green House” shop on the ASOS website. Item (2) is an example of a product that will have the winner’s logo from the contest (further explained on pg. 20). The green box corresponds to where the winner’s logo will be placed. The merchandise and price points in Image (3) are what we will include in the rest of our product mix; this includes crop tops, shorts, t-shirts, dresses, swimsuits, and accessories such as sunglasses, headbands, and shoes, which are eco-friendly of course. The “Glossary,” located to the left, explains a few common sustainability terms corresponding to a symbol, which will be located next to the product name so customers will know exactly how it is eco-friendly. 9
location
We are going to open our pop-up store at the Lollapalooza music
festival in Chicago, which takes place in Grant Park. The store will be located in the vendor section of the park, North Green Street, and positioned next to the Google+ stage. Through our research we determined that this stage is one of the most popular at the festival and generates a lot of traffic. Green Street offers the opportunity for increased awareness of ASOS through new promotional tactics and the experience of a physical store for customers to shop in. The area also features a Farmer’s Market as well as an Art Market, which is something that our target consumer would be interested in. Eco-friendly and Fair Trade merchandise is the focus of Green Street vendors, which is one reason why it is a promising location for our ASOS pop-up featuring an eco-conscious line.
The pop-up shop will function as an important promotional tool
for ASOS as well as being a physical retail space for customers to shop in. In addition to the space for merchandise on the first floor, there will be a lounge area with a bar on the roof of the shop. It will be an open-air area for customers to hang out and relax, and there will be a small garden to reinforce the “green” mission. Bike racks will line either side of the popup shop to give customers convenient access to rent or return bikes. In addition to the merchandise, the design of the store will also incorporate environmentally friendly materials and practices so that the pop-up shop will stay true to the green initiative inside and out.
10
Store Design SOUTH END
NORTH END When planning the store layout, we wanted the
The rest of the merchandise will be placed on suspension
ground floor to house all of the merchandise that our
racks around the perimeter of the store, ordering it from
customers will browse through. We put the entrances on
lower-priced merchandise to more expensive items toward
either side of the store to create easier access for more
the cashiers. Shoes and other accessories will be placed
potential customers. We predict there to be more traffic
near the fitting room for last minute styling and impulse
coming through the north side door because of the Google+
purchases while customers try on merchandise. There is
stage, so we decided to place our t-shirts and Lolla tees as
a spiral staircase near the back of the store to access the
well as impulse items there for maximum exposure. Our
rooftop garden where we will host our VIP parties during
promotional items will be placed in the center for easy access.
the festival weekend. The rooftop will have a lounge area
11
(4)
and a DJ for customers to have fun and experience ASOS (6). The garden will also tie in our eco-friendly
message
while
adding to the comfortable atmosphere.
The exterior walls will
be made of double-panelled glass as well as reclaimed wood around the fitting area (4-5). The rooftop will have solar panels to generate solar energy for our pop-up shop and a generator as a backup. The (5)
flooring
will
be
cork
throughout the interior, and bamboo will create the walls around the fitting rooms (7-8). We will be using ceiling fans as well as low-energy lightbulbs throughout
the
store
to
save on electricity. All of the furniture and fixtures will be made of acrylic for easy set up and removal (9).
There will be an overall
calming green and neutral color scheme throughout the store. There is going to be a (6)
virtual wall wrapped around the exterior of the pop-up shop, which will also cover the fitting room walls and cashier (4). When you hold your smart phone up to the wall, it will recognize the image and link you to the same product on the ASOS website. No QR code is necessary. This will engage our customers through technology and social media, which is very popular with our target market. Our promotional material will play on the TVs behind the cashiers counter (10).
12
(7)
(9)
(8)
(10)
13
RETAIL SPACE
14
15
OUTDOOR SPACE
16
17
PLAYLIST
Above is an example of the playlist that the live DJ will play from the outdoor space. It will play
in the store as well as stream online for online customers to access. We chose all Lollapalooza artists with an electronic base to create an upbeat mood for shoppers. We tried to include a wide variety of genres in order to appeal to everyone’s tastes while still remaining focused. 18
19
Promotion
For the ASOS pop-up shop at Lollapalooza, we will be
Lollapalooza
using several different channels of promotional material to
and
create a buzz. ASOS currently doesn’t use a lot of advertising
Street.
to promote their website, so for this temporary space we
will
really wanted to get the word out about the company
advertising
and use it as an opportunity to gain more awareness and
the
(11)
(18)
Green We start contest
online when tickets for the festival go on sale, and the winner will be announced a month before the festival. In addition to winning tickets to the festival and a $500 ASOS shopping spree, the winner’s logo will be used on ASOS t-shirts and some other products that will be featured at the popup (see pg. 9 for products). We will still use our official ASOS-Lollapalooza logo for other branding purposes and merchandise separate from the contest (12).
The pop-up site will have three bike racks that will
serve a functional purpose as well as promotional. The racks will spell out “ASOS GREEN HOUSE” and hold at potential customers. First, we are going to use a promotional video that will inform the viewer about the brand and gain a sense of what ASOS is about (11). The music will be from artists featured at Lollapalooza to reinforce the location of
the
pop-up
shop (see pg. 18). There will also be a logo contest for
people
to
enter, which will allow our target market
to
get
involved with the brand.
Anyone
can
go
and
submit
design
online a
they’ve
done themselves that incorporates ASOS 20
with
(12)
(13)
photographer will wear an ASOS Lollapalooza t-shirt with
(14)
a QR code leading the person to the Instaprint site, which will show their image with the necessary hashtags to receive their discount. It will also link the ASOS Instagram to Facebook and Twitter, allowing for ultimate fashion festival exposure on several social media sites. The person being photographed can use their 10% coupon online or in-store up to 10 days after the event. They will be tagged in Instagram under the hashtags #10%GreenHouse least a hundred bikes with little ASOS flags on the back (1314). Festival goers can use these bikes all over the park to get around in an eco-friendly manner all while promoting the store. Another creative way we will involve the crowd while drawing in customers is to have
#Lollapalooza. For those who are not photographed by the street phototgrapher but would still like an Instaprint picture, they can use the hashtag #ASOS GreenStreet #Lollapalooza to receive the photo at the Instaprint booth located at the store by hashtagging the event name,
street photographers walk around the park and snap photos of fashionably dressed festival goers. The photographer will take the attendee’s picture via Instagram and turn it into a coupon by using Instaprint
(15)
(15). We will have two Instaprint machines located in the store behind the cashiers counter. Those photographed by the ASOS Green House photographer will automatically receive 10% off. The street 21
(16)
which
will
then
print the attendee’s photo through the machine. This will engage customers via
technology,
which
is
the
foundation of the brand, and will be easy to operate and manage. be
We
will
using
our
advertisement (16) to promote the
(17)
pop-up shop, which will be on the ASOS website and our Facebook page (19) as well as on banner ads that will show up on other sites, such as fashion blogs (18). The ad promotes the ASOS pop-up shop at Lollapalooza and its green initiative. We will also have a smaller ad on Facebook that will show on the right hand side of the webpage to advertise our Green House merchandise (21). A similar ad will be shown on the Lollapalooza website so people planning to go to the festival will know about our shop before they actually get to the festival (20). As the last part of our promotion, we are going to have a Trend Report that will pop up on the homepage of the ASOS website and allow customers to go directly to the Green House merchandise and stay right on trend 22
(18)
(19)
(20)
(17). Our target customer uses technology and social media on a regular basis, so this is a valuable means of communication. With all of these promotional tools, ASOS will widen its consumer base and establish a more prominent presence than it currently has.
(21) 23
credits
Google Earth Google Images Googe Sketch Up Adobe After Effects Asos.com Lollapalooza.com Facebook.com carolinesmode.com/stockholmstreetstyle/ Steven bolt, Senior Animation, Promotional video: Pre Visual Animator Taylor Justin, Image Editor
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