Chapter 4 - Pearson

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dia76827_ch04.qxd 11/29/04 7:55 PM Page 82 82 SECTION I Introduction to Fashion Retailing The teenage market is extremely important for trendy fashion merchandise. (David Young-Wolff/PhotoEdit) Young Middle-Aged. This group includes those with the highest incomes. Many are top-level corporate executives, businesses owners or professionals. Their incomes and lifestyles make them the prime target for the fashion retailers. They patronize prestigious specialty and department stores and make significant purchases from fashion catalogs and online because their time for in-store shopping is often limited. Well-tailored quality designer brands such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and DKNY are directed at this audience, where price is a less important factor in their selections. Companies such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and a host of upscale fashion boutiques cater to young middle-aged patrons and their fashion needs. Older Middle-Aged. The people in this group are often of two types. One is still career oriented and requires fashions that are important to their everyday professional lives. They are often in the market for quality merchandise at upper-level price points. Since their careers often involve social obligations as well, they buy fashionable occasional clothing and accessories. The other segment of this group has retired and spends more time in leisure activities such as travel and recreation. These people still want fashion items but often prefer sportswear because they spend their time playing tennis or golf. Consequently, manufacturers of traditional sportswear offer collections tailored to these interests. Ralph Lauren, for example, features a line of golf clothing that is available at pro shops and department stores. The retired segment has more time to spend shopping, so they often prefer to make their purchases in department stores. They generally do not use the Internet. Elderly. The elderly market is not typically as important for fashion retailers. The elderly are usually more concerned with health and other personal problems than they are about fashion. Their purchases are usually for functional merchandise, often lower priced and more conservative in nature. There are, however, a growing number of people in this classification who spend more time on vacations, and cruises are very popular. For those occasions they buy evening wear. Collectively, they are considered to be “difficult” shoppers because many live on fixed incomes and cannot be moved from their preconceived ideas about “proper” fashion. Table 4.2 summarizes the six age classifications as studied by the U.S. Department of Commerce, with their age ranges, their fashion needs, and the typical retailers they patronize.
dia76827_ch04.qxd 11/29/04 7:55 PM Page 83 CHAPTER 4 The Fashion Consumer: Identification and Analysis 83 Except for a relatively small number, the elderly are not devotees of fashion merchandise. (Ken Karp, <strong>Pearson</strong> Education/PH College) TABLE 4.2 Age Group Segments Classification Age Range Fashion Needs Retail Patronage Children Teenagers Young adults Young middle-aged Older middle-aged Elderly Under 13 13–19 20–34 35–49 50–64 65 and over Younger portion opts for “character” clothing; older group prefers dress of television stars Trendy merchandise Sportswear, career dress, leisure apparel Upscale fashion apparel and accessories, designer labels Still working: career clothing, afterhours apparel. Retired: sportswear Functional clothing and accessories GapKids, Baby Gap, Limited Too Express, Wet Seal, Abercrombie & Fitch; on-line Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, The Gap; on-line Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, fashion designer boutiques; catalogs and on-line Department stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s; catalogs Discounter such as Target and Wal-Mart; catalogs OCCUPATIONS Today’s consumer marketplace is quite different from that of the past. Women, for instance, have made the transition from homemakers to business executives and professionals and have joined the ranks of the male members of society as viable players in the workplace. As a combined group, they are an extremely important segment of the population for fashion retailers. However, a major portion of those employed work in blue-collar jobs. While female office workers and nonoffice workers both have clothing needs, their requirements are quite different. The former segment is interested in a wide assortment of suits, accessories, and other fashion merchandise. The latter’s needs are more basic and functional, and except for special occasions, they have little interest in fashion merchandise.
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Chapter 4 - Pearson

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