CUSTOMER PROFILE

“DEFINITIVE TOPMAN CUSTOMER IS HARD TO PIN DOWN: IT’S A PRETTY DIVERSE CROWD”

TOPMAN APPEAL TO A LARGE VARIETY OF CONSUMER TYPES DUE TO THEIR SUBTANTIAL PRODUCT RANGE AND VARIATION IN PRICES, ESPECIALLY ONLINE AND IN THEIR FLAGSHIP STORES. THE BRAND STATES THAT THEIR TARGET CONSUMER ARE BETWEEN 16 – 25 YEARS OLD, ALSO KNOWN AS GENERATION Y. GENERATION Y ARE THE GROUP OF PEOPLE BORN BETWEEN THE 1980’S – 2000. THIS GENERATION HAVE COME TO EXPECT TOP NOTCH CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCH AS FREE SHIPPING AND EASY – TO – NAVIGATE WEBSITES, AND THERE DRAWN TO LIFESTYLE BRANDS THAT HELP DEFINE AND PROJECT WHO THEY ARE. (MONEY.US.NEWS. 2010). THIS HAS EMERGED THROUGH THEM BEING A RATHER SELFISH GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, IMMERSED IN REALITY TV AND DESPERATE FOR THEIR OWN FIVE MINUTES OF FAME. HOWEVER, GENERATION Y ARE FUELING TO INCREASE IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND ARE PUSHING FOR BOUNDARIES IN MARKETING AND BRANDING TO BE MORE ADVANCED THAN EVER. WITH THEIR LOVE FOR MOBILE DEVICES, INCLUDING SMART PHONES ARE TABLETS, THEY ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS CONNECTED.

CONSUMER SEGMENTATION

STUDENTS

THE FIRST TYPE OF CONSUMER IS THE MALE STUDENTS. WITH A LOT OF PEER PRESSURE AND THEIR INCREASING INTEREST IN ‘PERSONAL STYLE’. THEY BEGIN TO LOOK AT BLOGS, MUSICIANS, MAGAZINES AND SPORTING TALENTS AS A STARTING POINT FOR DEVELOPING THERE OWN SENSE OF STYLE. THEY RANGE FROM 16 – 22, AND THE OLDER THEY ARE THE MORE THEY PAY AN INTEREST IN FASHION. THE ‘TYPICAL STUDENTS’ USUALLY LOCATED IN BIG TOWN AND CITIES IN THE UK, STUDENTS LOVE TOPMAN FOR THEIR FAIRLY PRICED, TREND LED BASICS, INCLUDING T- SHIRTS, CHINOS, JEANS AND HOODIES. THE DIFFICULTY WITH STUDENTS IS THAT THE MAJORITY ARE INTERESTED IN FITTING INTO THE CROWD AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE WEARING SIMILAR APPAREL TO THEIR PEERS. WHEN LOOKING AROUND A BUSY UNIVERSITY, IT IS EASY TO SPOT A NUMBER OF MALES WEARING THE SAME KIND OF OUTFITS AND BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CLOTHING AS BEING FROM TOPMAN. WITH THE NOTION OF BEING A STUDENT NORMALLY GOING HAND IN HAND WITH A LACK OF DISPOSABLE INCOME; WHAT MONEY THEY DO SPEND ON CLOTHING THEY WILL SPEND ON THE HIGH STREET AS DESIGNER AND LUXURY PRICES ARE NOT AN OPTION. MANY STUDENTS DO HAVE A PART TIME JOB TO HELP GET THROUGH THE COSTS OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY; THESE STUDENTS COULD FEEL THEY HAVE MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON CLOTHING. TOPMAN IN PARTICULAR HOLD STUDENT 20% OFF EVENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH STUDY TERM, AS THIS IS WHEN LOADS OF LOANS AND GRANTS ARE ISSUED TO STUDENTS AND THIS WILL ENTICE THEM TO SPENDING IT. STUDENTS ARE LIKELY TO INTERACT WITH A BRAND LIKE TOPMAN NOT ONLY IN A PHYSICAL FORM IN A SHOP, BUT ALSO OVER THE INTERNET, THROUGH APPS AND ON TV. ALL YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAYS GENERATION HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP AROUND TECHNOLOGY SO FIND THEM AT EASE WITH IT. WHEN APPROACHED BY BRANDS ONLINE THEY FIND IT EASY TO CONNECT WITH THEM.

CONSUMER PROFILE: STUDENT

STUDENTS• Do you shop at Topman? YES

• Where do you shop? RIVER ISLAND, TOPMAN, H&M

• How much money do you spend on clothing a month? £50

• Where do you like to eat? NANDOS, PIZZA HUT

• Where are your favourite bars? THE HOBBIT, OCEANA

• What is your fridge staple item? CHEESE, COKE

• Which musician/artists do you like? COLDPLAY, KOL, THE KILLERS, MICHAEL BUBLE

• How do you purchase your music? DOWNLOAD

• Which TV shows do you watch? FAMILY GUY, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, 8 OUT OG 10 CATS

• What magazines and Newspapers do you prefer? DAILY MAIL, THE SUN

• What social media do you use? FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM

• Do you have a smart phone? YES

• What apps do you use? TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, BUS APP, SKY SPORTS

• What other technologies do you own? MACBOOK PRO, IPAD, XBOX ONE

• Where do you get your hair cut? MICKY’S BARBERS

• How do you travel? TRAIN, BUS

• Who do you live with? FLATMATES

• What is your occupation? FULL TIME STUDENT

MALE SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT STUDENT

SCHOOL BOYS

ANOTHER SEGMENT OF CONSUMER THAT TOPMAN ATTRACT ARE THE UP AND COMING YOUNG PEOPLE. AGED AROUND 13 – 16, THEY ARE USUALLY JUST BEGINNING TO BECOME INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY DRESS LIKE AND BEGINNING TO FIND THAT THEY CHOOSE THEIR OWN CLOTHING INSTEAD OF RELYING HEAVILY ON THEIR PARENTS. THIS AGE GROUP TEND TO HAVE A VERY SMALL MONTHLY ALLOWANCE FROM THEIR PARENTS, OR A VERY LOW PAID LOCAL SATURDAY JOB, RESULTING IN A LOW DISPOSABLE INCOME. THE RANGES OF TOPMAN MERCHANDISE THESE CONSUMERS TEND TO PURCHASE WOULD BE THE VERY BASICS, ACCESSORIES AND UNDERWEAR. AT THIS AGE, BOYS BEGIN TO GO INTO THEIR LOCAL TOWN TO GO SHOPING TOGETHER AND THEY ARE VERY INFLUENCED BY WINDOW DISPLAYS AND WHAT EVER IS DEEMED AS ‘COOL’ . THIS IS WHERE TOPMAN ENCOURAGE THEIR CONSUMERS BY PUTTING ON DJ’S AND ENSURING TOPMAN ACTS AS A PLACE TO HANG OUT. SCHOOL BOYS HAVE AN INTEREST FOR SPORTS, XBOX AND OTHER GAMING DEVICES AND HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. THEY ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN TECHNOLOGY AS MOST YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DUAL OR EVEN TRIPLE SCREENING ON A REGULAR BASIS. WITH ACCESS TO THEIR OWN PERSONAL COMPUTER AS WELL AS SMART PHONE AND TV, THEY ARE ACCESSING THE MEDIA IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS. THIS IS WHERE THEY SOURCE THEIR INSPIRATION AND SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON BRANDS OVER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES TO THEIR OTHER PEERS.

CONSUMER PROFILE: SCHOOL BOYS

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

WHETHER OR NOT THIS CONSUMER HAS GONE TO UNIVERSITY, THEY ARE NOW WORKING PROFESSIONALS, SUSTAINING A FULL TIME JOB. THEY ARE AROUND 20 – 26 AND USE TOPMAN TO BUY BOTH WORK CLOTHES AND APPAREL FOR NIGHTS OUT AND WEEKENDS. WITH TOPMANS TREND LED WORK RANGE, A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL CAN FEEL LIKE THEY ARE RETAINING THEIR YOUTH WHILST WORKING A 9 – 5 JOB. ALTHOUGH THIS CONSUMER WILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO PAY FOR IF THEY HAVE MOVED OUT OF HOME AND INTO A CITY, THEIR INCOME WILL LEAD THEM TO HAVE MORE MONEY TO PLAY WITH AS WELL. THEY MAY FIND THEMSELVES TREATING THEMSELVES TO NEW OUTFITS FOR NIGHTS OUT. HOWEVER, THIS TYPE OF CONSUMER MAY BEGIN TO BE ATTRACTED TO LONG LASTING, QUALITY, LUXURY ITEMS AND BRANDS. THE FLAGSHIP AND ONLINE COLLECTIONS INVOLVING UP AND COMING DESIGNERS AND BOUTIQUE BRANDS ARE SUDDENLY ATTRACTIVE TO THIS CONSUMER. FOR EXAMPLE THE JAMES LONG FOR TOPMAN COLLECTION, WHICH IS A SERIES OF REASONABLY PRICED DESIGNER KNITWEAR THAT IS MADE IN BRITAIN, WOULD ATTRACT THE YOUNG PROFFESSIONALS. IT WOULD BE DEEMED AS A REWARD FOR HARD WORK AND A REASONABLE WAY OF SPENDING DISPOSABLE INCOME. THIS SEGMENTATION OF THE CONSUMER WOULD MOST LIKELY SHOP ONLINE AS THEY ARE WORKING THROUGHOUT THE WEEK DURING THE TOPMAN OPENING HOURS.

CONSUMER PROFILE:YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

METROSEXUALS

TOPMAN HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES WITH A NEW TYPE OF YOUNG MALE TO ATTRACT. THE HETRO SEXUAL MALE WITH AN UNASHAMED INTEREST IN SHOPPING, FASHION, FITNESS AND PERSONAL GROOMING, IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY USED AND ACCEPTED TO DEFINE MALE BEHAVIOUR. CONSUMER AGE RANGE IS 16 – 24, AS THIS TYPE OF CONSUMER IS CROPPING UP ACROSS ALL CIRCLES. WITH AN INTEREST IN SPORTING AND PARTICIPATING IN GYM ACTIVITIES, THEY ARE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THEIR BODY AND IT IS OFTEN REFLECTED IN WHAT THEY EAT. GROOMING PRODUCTS ARE ALMOST AS IMPORTANT AS APPAREL AS THEY ARE INTERESTED IN A FULL IMAGE. THEY PARTICIPATE IN ‘LADS HOLIDAYS’ REGULARLY AND USE VACATIONS AS A WAY OF DISPLAYING THEIR NEW CLOTHING. REGARDLESS OF THEIR INCOME, WHETHER IT BE STUDENT OR FULL TIME OCCUPATION, THEY SPEND A LARGE PROPORTION OF WHAT THEY HAVE ON GARMENTS AND GROOMING.

CONSUMER PROFILE: METROSEXUALS

BRAND ETHOS: THE BRAND ETHOS IS TO CREATE AN OFFEREING OF CONTEMPORARY MEN’S BASICS DESIGNED IN HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS THAT CAN BE WORN SEASON AFTER SEASON.

THE COMPETITION:TOPMAN COMPETES PRIMARILY ON ITS ABILITY TO BRING HIGHER END FASHION TO CONSUMERS ON A MASS LEVEL. ALTHOUGH TOPMAN MAY NOT BE THE MOST AFFORDABLE RETAILER, IT IS THE MOST STYLISH OF ITS DIRECT COMPETITORS. ONE OF THE RETAILER’S MOST NOTABLE DIRECT COMPETITORS IS URBAN OUTFITTERS