P2/M1 Lacoste

The second of the two retailers I have chosen, Lacoste, is a global designer clothing company founded by René Lacoste and André Gillier in Troyes, France in 1933. Little did they know back then that their brand would go on to be ranked in the top 100 global brands consistently year after year. According to the GBIN (Global Brand Identification Number) the retailer was ranked 8th in the Fashion Brands Ranked by Digital IQ Score in 2012. For more information click here!

So what gives Lacoste its' amazing reputation and recognised standing in the market? I believe that it's down to three key factors: branding, quality and purpose. People generally associate Lacoste with vibrant colours and their famous crocodile logo. This is because they have successfully established their brand so different aspects to their image or products have become familiar to the public. René Lacoste enjoyed sports and was known for acting like a crocodile on the tennis court (hence the logo). Originally his clothes were designed to be worn on the tennis court and withstood the heat. Based on this the clothing ranges were designed with tennis players and sportsmen s lifestyle in mind. Since then the brand has significantly developed with various different ranges being added to aim at a wider audience to make more revenue.

I personally love how Lacoste visually merchandise their products! Their window displays seem to reflect the colourful, classy yet simple design of their products. I find their window displays eye-catching and encouraging for the customer to enter the store. Once inside the store the clothing ranges are completely colour co-ordinated and organised (demonstrated by image taken inside one of their outlets).

 For example, you are likely to find their red polo's all together, folded with maybe one of the shirts on full display, followed by the orange shirts followed up and then yellow shirts and so on.. Some of their products (such as sunglasses or watches) are even locked in a clear glass cabinet for customers to view only and then request a sales assistant if they want to buy one. This is an indication of the type of customer Lacoste expects to visit their store. When working as a sales assistant at JD Sports I was required to do a stock count of the Lacoste items to ensure the numbers added up correctly and none had been stolen. This implies that their high value products are out of certain customers' price range.

The retailer's target market is typically image conscious and has enough disposable income to be able to afford designer labels. For financial reasons, I don't of buy clothes from Lacoste but would possibly treat myself to a t-shirt or pair of sunglasses as maybe a 'one-off luxury purchase'. I also find that their products appeal far more to the male population. As previously stated, Rene Lacoste initially designed his clothes with sportsmen in mind so it comes as no real surprise that I, a young 'girly girl', am not a regular shopper.

Although Lacoste has many retailing outlets located across the UK, their stores tend to have a very high level of customer service, making the shopping experience rather special for the customer. I can only assume that their staff are well trained as they are well presented, act polite/friendly and have a lot of knowledge on the goods in-store- of which they are willing to share with customers in need of assistance. Despite Lacoste promoting their products to a younger market, they aim to those who are higher up the socio-economic as they have that extra bit of cash to spend! People who are high in the socio-economic often will be working full-time to earn that money. Therefore Lacoste have addressed the issue by opening their store late so people can visit after work. They also have a website open 24/7 allowing customers to make an online transaction wherever.
The opening hours for Lacoste, Highcross Leicester, are shown below:

MONDAY          -   9:30AM   -  8:00PM

TUESDAY        -   9:30AM   -  8:00PM

WEDNESDAY -   9:30AM   -  8:00PM

THURSDAY     -   9:30AM   -  8:00PM

FRIDAY             -   9:30AM   -  8:00PM

SATURDAY      -   9:00AM   -  7:00PM

SUNDAY           -   11:00AM -  5:00PM

These times are exactly the same as River Island. This isn't a coincidence. Although these retailers have scheduled opening hours to fit their target market's needs, they correspond with other retailing stores as they are in the same location. In this instance most stores in Highcross are the same as people tend to look around more than one store, especially when visiting a shopping centre like Highcross! It would be silly if Lacoste were to open at 7am if the surrounding stores weren't open until 9am.

 These images represent the colourful brand and how they visually merchandise to attract customer attention :)

P2/M1 - River Island

The first of the two retailers I have chosen, River Island, is a tremendously well known store in the UK with approximately 300 retailing outlets located across the nation. Fairly recently RI has expanded overseas and also sell in countries including Ireland, Poland, Belgium and Russia. They specialise in producing and selling a variety of clothing ranges, footwear, and accessories for men, women and children. The majority of their sales however, come from the female demographic.

As part of that demographic I would agree that the organisation's marketing techniques are effective. I have found that each technique RI use to appeal to their target market has worked on me. For instance: they tend to target 16-25 year olds which are among the technological generation. Here RI have reached out to potential customers through the likes of social media and having their own website. Furthermore, apps are very current and constantly used by the younger generation on a daily basis. Again the retailer has picked up on this and created an app which allows the customer to browse, add products to their wish-list and make transactions wherever they may be through their mobile application!

Before even entering the store you are bedazzled by their eye-catching displays! To the left shows an example on how they have visually merchandised the window space to attract customers during the busy festive season. The 50% off sign is a pricing strategy which entices the customer to take a look at the products on sale and purchase discounted goods. As for the window display itself I find this is a great example on how RI's clothes are relevant with the latest fashion trends. Their clothes are appearing to be more and more quirky, which I absolutely ♥

When River Island first started in 1948 their clothing ranges were never really considered to be 'fashionable' or 'up-to-date' with the latest trends. Back then they tended to sell relatively cheap clothes which allowed people, with little disposable income, to buy their clothes from the retailer. However, over recent years this has dramatically changed. Nowadays RI are known for selling out-there and one-off clothing items. This means that their target market generally has a lot more disposable income to spend in stores. Recently for my birthday I was given a £25 voucher to spend at River Island. Although I was delighted with the gift, I probably won't be able to get much from the store for £25. The majority of my friends find the retailer expensive; yet when I spoke to my tutor and older relatives they saw RI as reasonably priced, non-expensive place to shop. This just goes to show how the organisation is becoming more upmarket. For RI this means having to possibly use more expensive materials in produce, keep a close eye to the latest media advertising techniques etc.

When entering the store there will always be at least half a dozen sales assistants present in the store replenishing stock, who are available to help if necessary. From my own past experiences I have found the staff helpful whether I need to: check stock availability; try on an item of clothing or make a purchase at the tills. Throughout all the outlets across the UK the modern, unique theme and layout is consistent. A couple of years ago RI completely redesigned all store layouts across the UK and, like many customers, I was impressed with the transformation. The way in which the products were displayed had changed; they installed a new brick effect on the walls and accessories, shoes and 'add ons' were hanging from the wall alongside items of clothing on display. This technique was introduced to encourage customers to buy a complete outfit as opposed to a jumper (for example) on its own. The retailer is cleverly getting their customer to visualise themselves not only wearing the jumper, but with a necklace or pair of ankle boots to accompany the jumper. Typically RI's target market can afford to purchase an outfit for just one occasion, which may include: a tee, jacket, skirt/trousers, jewellery, footwear etc.

These two images, taken from the 'Style Insider' on the official website, demonstrate how RI have used props and laid their clothes out in a certain way to draw attention






The opening hours for RI Highcross, Leicester are listed below:

Monday   -      09:30   -   20:00

Tuesday   -      09:30   -   20:00

Wednesday -   09:30   -   20:00

Thursday   -     09:30   -   20:00

Friday        -     09:30   -   20:00

Saturday   -      09:00   -   19:00

Sunday     -       11:00   -   17:00

The times above virtually agree with all other stores across the UK, although bank holidays may vary. Not only has the retailer based these hours on the outlet location (e.g. shopping centre surroundings), they have also considered their target market’s needs. RI’s typical customer will generally be working or be in day time education during weekdays. Here River Island has conveniently allowed the customer to browse their products in-store after they have finished work or, alternatively, shop there at the weekend. As a customer I do both :)