Customer Profiling: Australian stores she visits...

In terms of the Australian stores my customer prefers, they include Collette Dinnigan, Zimmermann and Marnie Skillings. She likes to dress in a feminine and elegant manner, and is often drawn to designers who create garments which are particularly suitable for the evening. Collette Dinnigan provides this eveningwear elegance, while Zimmermann and Marnie Skillings are favourites for her daywear wardrobe.

Above: Inside Collette Dinnigan's Woollahra Boutique.

She is enchanted by Collette Dinnigan's exquisite silks and laces, and  bead encrusted gowns which are described to be 'qunitessentially feminine pieces...one-of-a-kind, elegant and absolutely timeless' (Broadsheet Melbourne 2012) 

Above: Runway image from Zimmermann's Spring/Summer 2011-2012 Collection.

She loves Zimmermann's use of luxurious silks and beautiful digital prints which are often paired with softer, more muted tones. 

Above: Inside Marnie Skilling's Paddington Boutique.

Marnie Skillings remains one of her favourite designers for daywear through her use of whimsical colours and soft, romantic designs.

References

2012, Collette Dinnigan, Broadsheet Melbourne, Melbourne, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://broadsheet-au.dyndns.org/melbourne/fashion/directory/shop/collette-dinnigan>

2012, Sydney's Shopping Hotspots, InStyle Magazine Australia, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.instylemag.com.au/Article/Fashion/Latest-News/Sydneys-shopping-hot-spots>

Customer Profiling: Online stores she visits...

The online stores my customer visits in order to purchase international designer labels include Net-a-porter, Shopbop and ASOS.


Net-a-porter has my customer's loyalty due to the impeccable quality of the service. 'The box is what gets them. The black and sturdy box, wrapped in grosgrain ribbon...Every purchase comes dressed as a gift - that's the secret of the success of Net-a-porter' (Wiseman 2010). My customer really appreciates the attention to detail the company provides and the way they carefully package every purchase. She is drawn to quality and Net-a-porter delivers this. 


Shopbop is another of her favourite online retailers as she can find many different designer labels so conveniently - over 2000 in fact. This retailer was established in the US in March of 2000 with the headquarters located in Madison. 


ASOS, while considered to be at a significantly lower price point, is another online retailer my customer regularly frequents. She particularly likes this site for designer accessories, but she also likes it for basics. She appreciates the fact that shipping to Australia is free and that if she ever needs to return something, returns are also without cost. 


She enjoys the convenience of shopping online and often peruses virtual shops in lunchbreaks and when in transit, although she still enjoys the social aspect of shopping with friends. She also often uses online stores to research potential purchases before then going out and finding exactly what she's looking for in a retail store. 


References
Wiseman, E., 2010, One-click wonder: The rise of Net-a-porter, The Observer, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/natalie-massenet-net-a-porter-internet-fashion>
2010, Shopbop, Business Insider, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/shopbop>
2012, About ASOS, ASOS, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.asos.com/infopages/pgeaboutus.aspx>

Customer Profiling: Publications she reads...

My target customer prefers garments which are elegant, sophisticated and which will stand the test of time. Thus, the publications she chooses to read possess similar characteristics: they are firmly established and remain as relevant today as they were when they first hit the shelves. While she is happy to read online publications, she always prefers to have a tangible edition to peruse in her valuable spare time. 

For these reasons, Vogue is undoubtedly one of her favourite publications and she purchases the new magazine without fail each month. 'Vogue...is the fashion benchmark for stylish women. It offers women the ultimate dream.' The magazine itself has been in circulation since 1892 in America and since 1916 in the United Kingdom (PRWeek 2009). Hence, my customer trusts this particular publication because it has proven itself to be worthy of her loyalty. 

Similarly, Harper's Bazaar is another favourite publication read by my target customer. This magazine has also been in circulation for a long time as it was first established in America in 1867. It is aimed at women with a higher income who have an eye for fashion and have both the resource and inclination to dress in a stylish manner. 

One of my target customer's other favourite publications is InStyle magazine which is also distributed monthly. InStyle states that its target audience is 'women aged 25-39 years' (InStyle 2012) which is essentially the same as my own target customer. The price points of garments advertised in InStyle are often significantly lower than those featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar which my customer appreciates, particularly when she is looking for more day-wear style pieces. She tends to look for eveningwear inspiration in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar more often than InStyle.

References

Davies, L., 2009, Why Vogue magazine remains at the top of the pile, PR Week, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/904692/Why-Vogue-magazine-remains-top-pile/
2012, About, InStyle Australia, Pacific Magazines, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.instylemag.com.au/about.asp>