Proposed Strategies

My Proposals from my market research to improve the brand strategies go high street retailer Topshop are as follows:

There is a few proposals that can be taken from this research for how the brand can improve their business capacity as a whole, the main focus for the proposal is online presence and creating a broader reach online and physically through social media and the brands presence in the digital age.

Through research and from just generally comparing Topshop to its competitors, the brand needs to re think and create a more secure aesthetic on the internet. Action needs to be taken, not a complete rebrand as the brand is clearly successful to be where it is, but just have a more clear view of the way they want to be perceived, rather than changing the look every month or even just going too plain and simple which has been the case in the past. They need to pick up on something eye catching as a constant throughout advertising and promotion, such as a constant colour scheme, or a recurring visual. A proposition of a few example ideas for their instagram have been included, showing the range through the four seasons of the year. Having a constant theme or colour is shown to be an effective social media marketing strategy shown by Pretty Little Thing using pink and the visual of money, and through urban outfitters using a retro vibe to its visuals, Topshop needs something people associate with its name rather than just being a clothes shop, they need a more clear image, which through this proposal suggests will come through social media. Another aspect of this proposal is changing the content they post, as shown they clearly have a favourite type of model and lifestyle they want to promote, which is a good business plan to have in mind the type of customer you want, for them city lifestyle is successful to a point, however using the same almost carbon copy models and influencers to promote themselves makes people who don’t fit into that category feel as though this big city life they promote is unreachable because they don't see people who may be bigger or from a different race or even people with different abilities, they create the image of perfection through skinny models, stone buildings and perfect lattes. Taking initiative and using a broader range of models creates a feel of inclusivity for the brand, growing the audience reach and maybe keeping some customers who may feel the need to look to brands who promote body positivity and self love from straying and seeing that Topshop can be an inclusive brand despite controversy in the past with models and mannequins used. High street competitor River Island has taken big steps to inclusivity being the first high street brand to use models with disabilities such as down syndrome throughout their advertising and in store visuals. Online competitor Pretty Little Thing have also taken initiative in this area, recently launching the campaign #everyBODYinPLT in which they hope to promote ‘Girl Power’ and show support for females in all aspects of life, the campaign is meant to promote female strength and positivity, the campaign includes models with alopecia, cancer survivors, hijab wearing women, women in wheelchairs and even transgender models, all banding together to promote female self love and support of international Women’s day.

Online stores really have a tight grip on the fashion industry at the moment, with fast fashion being the most popular it’s ever been. There is often worry with buying online that the product might not fit or be what it says, stores such as missguided get around this barrier that comes with online retail by including video footage of the models showing how the item moves with the body alongside pictures, this takes away some of the worry that the product might not be what you think. Topshop could benefit from having a feature like this on their website as more and more people in this age turn to online shopping rather than going to their local high street, 19% asked in a Mintel report said they strongly agree that it is more convenient to online shop and 30% agreed, and although Topshop has the option to try the clothes on in store those who would rather shop from home might take more comfort in being able to see the product more clearly, with Topshop not offering this feature shoppers might search for a different URL to for more assurance. This could be a beneficial addition to the website as Topshop is a secure brand and is known for its great quality clothes, something a lot of its online only competitors sometimes struggle with, adding this could tip Topshop’s online shop over the edge of competitors in this aspect as shoppers would know they are getting quality with the Topshop label and also know exactly what they are ordering.

Collaborations have been done many times before where a high end brand creates a range with a high street brand, usually being sell out ranges, Luxury Brand Moncler used collaborations with designers and other high end brands to grow its success, the brand was already a successful name collaborating with big names in the past such as Pharrell Williams, however they launched a new quick pace business plan called ‘Genius’ in which they let designers loose to design whatever they choose with the rough outline of their iconic puffer jacket, set to bring out 8 launches each year by different designers each time, their collaboration with valentino last year being popular for both brands. With Topshop still being one of the leading high street names in its demographic this would be a great business move in terms of profit and audience reach, collaborating with a brand such as Burberry or Valentino would bring the brand to a higher end audience, making those who might usually only shop high end more aware of the brand and create a new branch of consumer, this collab also giving those who shop regularly at Topshop and might not usually be able to afford high end of luxury brands the chance to own something with a high end label, this desire to own something with a luxury name attached could bring in a lot of attention to the range and also bring attention back to Topshop with the media acknowledgment this would bring.

As well as thinking from a business perspective with these proposals there is also the environment to consider, Topshop has never had a predominantly sustainable business plan being a mainly fast fashion brand, however they have made a few attempts over the years to be more environmentally conscious from reducing waste and water usage in stores to their ‘Reclaim to Wear’ range which ended in 2014. It is proposed to bring back a similar scheme, Topshop has endless sales however not every item is guaranteed to be sold hence turn into waste products, 85% of Textile waste gets sent to landfill according to The Business of Fashion and with some micro fibres in clothing is not biodegradable meaning this waste has a permanent effect on the environment. The brand could take this waste and use it to create a whole new range of clothing, this could bring in a new audience to topshop as well as benefiting the environment, those who choose to only shop second hand or at more ethically focussed brands would be considered by this range, 32% of people asked in a survey made comments saying they think ethically when shopping or chose to shop in charity and vintage shops for sustainability. This range could bring in this audience increasing footfall in stores, this will also benefit the brand reducing the costs of labour and manufacturing of new materials as this step is cut out when the fabrics are already created, meaning the range could be sold at a lower price while still bringing in a decent profit for the company.