INTERNATIONAL RETAILING
Nasty Gal
Nasty Gal is an online destination for fashion focused girls with experimental style. Since being founded in 2006 it has become the largest retail start up in the United States. This report proposes to open a large scale flagship store in the Birmingham, United Kingdom. This would be the first store opening outside of the US for the brand. Birmingham city centre is currently undergoing a number of developments which will lead to an influx of consumers to the city.
Having a flagship store is the ultimate brand statement. It is an opportunity for a retailer to show off. With the prestige that come with a flagship store, an opening can now make the news, draw crowds and provide a retail organisation with an opportunity to turn an ordinary expansion into an event, creating excitement for the company and the customer. A new flagship store opening can be used to instantly create a powerful brand presence in a new location. This flagship store can act as an image focusing agent, and Nasty Gal can position itself as a beacon of California style in the UK with industrial chic fixtures and retro neon signage recreating the two Los Angeles stores. Merchandise assortment will range from high to low prices fashions. Racks of vintage finds from luxury fashion designers will be positioned alongside a selection of international, local and Nasty Gal products.
Key international objectives form this are to access a new customer base, develop new skills and knowledge in internationalisation and to establish a brand presence in the UK and European market.
1. Social Networking
Staying active on social media will help Nasty Gal to ensure that they stay present and relevant in their customers minds. Social media followers of Nasty Gal should be seeing something new from Nasty Gal every day.Nasty Gal can interact with their fan followers on social media, capitalising on their fashionable customer base by featuring actual customers on the social networking sites. Instead of spending money on extensive marketing, Nasty Gal can let their customers do it for them, by encouraging followers to comment, reblog and trend hashtags on social media. Rewarding fans who do this by giving them a repost or providing discounts from future purchases will encourage customer loyalty and increase engagement. Customer awareness is no longer solely dependent on company generated marketing and as consumers are now more influenced by each other.
Nasty Gal can use their social media to highlight fans and feature bloggers and celebrities wearing Nasty Gal items. Posting sneak peaks, in store behind the scenes and tutorials will help Nasty Gal to keep followers interested and constantly checking for updates. Using these other products, services and creative ideas that link to Nasty Gal is a good way to mix up social media strategy. This would also encourage customers to use Nasty Gal as an industry resource, becoming a fashion reference point.
2. In Store Experience
The store concept is focusing on the experience given to customers. “The experience economy” demonstrates how customers are progressively more inclined to value events and experiences over owning a product. This customer involvement is used to provoke a reaction and create a notion of co-creation between retailers and customers. The idea of personalisation is a source of customer loyalty and competitive advantage. A well run e-commerce business can have many benefits of reach, costs and inventory but cannot replace the “wow” factor of walking through the doors of a flagship store, trying on the products, and meeting other “Nasty Gals”. Nasty Gal should focus on their fun attitude to create a unique selling point, ensuring they stand out from competitors. The new store should draw inspiration from the current stores fun and interactive attitude towards shopping, engaging customers with a magazine corner, vinyl records, tongue-in-cheek comedic signage, and encourage instore selfies with the technology for customers to take pictures more professionally.
3. PR Strategy – Bloggers, Events etc.
Nasty Gal should continue to deviate from traditional marketing tactics and continue to be creative in their marketing strategy. Bloggers and Tweeters who are either fans or who have a business relationship with the company can maintain a healthy image.
Companies can hire bloggers to promote their brand and products. These bloggers can then be gifted items or invited to an in store event, in turn they then share their experience with a brand to their followers via social media. These posts are not obvious advertisements, as posts are often not indicated to have been sponsored in any way, but bloggers are often given items for free by retailers hoping they will post about them. Often these bloggers have thousands of followers, so it is an easy and direct way of Nasty Gal promoting their products to fashion enthusiasts in the UK.
Nasty Gal should continue to use innovative marketing methods to attract the modern consumer. Social media will play a big part in this and followers should be kept engages by interacting with the brand. Paying attention to the in store experience and increasing interactivity wherever possible will leave customers feeling positive. An effective PR strategy will show Nasty Gal as a positive, fun retailer to fashion followers. It is key that customers feel like part of the brand. Increasing the use of customer relationship management would allow Nasty Gal to deliver a higher level of customer service and develop customer relationships.