MARKET RESEARCH REPORT

FOR TARGET
WOMENS WEAR
SPRING/SUMMER 2017

RMIT UNIVERSITY
ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN FASHION & TEXTILE MERCHANDISING: AD013
INDUSTRY RESEARCH: GRAP2443
Executive Summary

Target is an iconic Australian department store, whose purpose is to make fashion, style and

quality affordable for the whole family every day (Target, 2016). To find out more about

Targets existing and potential customers and enable the development of a relevant and

effective womens wear marketing strategy and product range, our group was given an

assignment brief that required the collection and interpretation of data from real-life

consumers. Primary research was conducted in the form of a survey (of which there were

251 valid responses), and secondary research conducted online using a variety of sources.

Limitations of this report include the sample size (when compared the market as a whole),

the spread of respondents being limited to only metropolitan regions in Victoria, and the

depth of questions (or lack thereof) asked in our survey. This report is an analysis of our

findings as well as suggested viable commercial opportunities for Target; the most

important of these are as follows:

The majority of revenue in the Australian fashion industry is generated by in-store

sales; however online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. We believe it is

imperative that Target keep their app and online store up-to-date with technological

advancements. Our findings show that women in the 50 69 year old age groups do

not like to shop online. We recommend Target updates their online store with a

catwalk view feature - not only to stay up-to-date but to potentially drive online

sales from older consumers.

Our findings suggest that Targets pricing strategy is accurate. Target needs to

maintain its promise of high quality at low prices as our respondents selected these

as the most important factors when purchasing clothes.

 In-store shopping still dominates the Australian market, therefore the in-store

experience is important to maintain. We believe Targets in-store services need to be

more heavily promoted in order for customers to embrace them.

In regards to designing a range, we believe a range of outfits that are able to be

dressed up or dressed down is essential for success. A marketing strategy in which

Target is presented as a lifestyle brand should accompany this range.

Proper utilisation of Targets Facebook profile is hugely important, as findings

indicated that friends and family are the largest influencers on consumers when it

comes to making purchases. Our group believe positive interaction between

friends/family and Target on social media may elevate its brand image in the minds

of consumers.

The importance of friends and family could be acknowledged by the launch of a

friendship campaign, in which friendship is celebrated through in-store

discounts/incentives for those shopping with their loved ones.

Research suggests Targets YouTube channel could be made more enticing through

integration of real customer reviews and videos featuring customers.

In order to elevate Targets image as a socially responsible brand, we propose Target

aligns itself with a particular charity or cause, long-term, to clearly demonstrate good

corporate values and ethics to its customers.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 5
2. CONSUMER PURCHASING HABITS .............................................................................. 6
2.1. Online Vs. In-Store Preferences For 30 49 Year Olds ............................................... 6
2.2. Online Vs. In-Store Preferences For 50 69 Year Olds ............................................... 8
3. CONSUMER PURCHASING DECISIONS ....................................................................... 10
4. OUTFIT PREFERENCES .............................................................................................. 16
5. CONSUMER LIFESTYLES ............................................................................................ 19
5.1. Lifestyles of Consumers aged 30 - 39 ....................................................................... 19
5.2. Lifestyles of Consumers aged 40 - 49 ....................................................................... 19
5.3. Lifestyles of Consumers aged 50 - 59 ....................................................................... 20
5.4. Lifestyles of Consumers aged 60 - 69 ....................................................................... 20
5.5. Recommendations ................................................................................................... 21
6. CONSUMER INFLUENCERS AND SOCIAL AWARENESS ................................................ 24
7. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 30
8. REFERENCE LIST ....................................................................................................... 31
9. APPENDICES ............................................................................................................ 35
1. Introduction

The purpose of this report is to provide an in-depth investigation and analysis into the needs

and wants of modern consumers of womens wear. This investigation has been conducted

on behalf of the Australian department store Target. It endeavours to provide new

information and recommendations that will be essential in the future for the development

of our Target Spring Celebration marketing strategy and subsequent womens wear range.

This report has been interpreted from the results of 251 valid surveys, comprised of sixteen

questions. Survey administration was conducted across major shopping districts, including

Chadstone and Northland Shopping Centres, Melbourne CBD as well as regional areas,

including but not limited to Gisborne, Victoria. According to Targets brief (2016), 47% of

their customers are mums and more than 85% of their customers are over the age of 25.

Target describes their customer base as the contemporary family with mum at the heart of

[their] brand. Using this as our base, we decided to administer our surveys to women

between the ages 30 - 69 to discover more about Targets existing customers, as well as

potential customers. Data was collated and analysed in detail and we have identified

potential marketing opportunities for Target and made commercial suggestions. This report

is divided into sections concerning social media and technology usage, decision making

processes, lifestyles and values and purchasing influencers. The sections are as follows:

Consumer Purchasing Habits (pertaining to questions 2, 3 and 4 on the survey), Consumer

Purchasing Decisions (questions 6, 7, 8, 9 & 16), Consumer Lifestyles (questions 5, 10 & 12)

and Consumer Influencers and Social Awareness (questions 11, 13 & 14).