Clothing Retailers Focus on Fashion Causing Them To Loose Sales

Fashionabilty in the past has played a large part in a 'ragtraders' overall success or failure. The most profitable retailers were those who stocked the best brands and had the latest fashions. This combined with some good retail store merchandising and you were on your way. Although still a critically important factor, this approach isn't proving as reliable as it once did. Today's clothing retailers need to redefine the way they look at their business if they are going to be successful.

According to Shannon Curtis from Profitable Clothing Retailer "The market leaders in the future will be those that are marketing driven with a deep understanding of who their core customer is, and what it is that motivates them. The retail marketing function needs to set the clear strategic direction for all buying and fashion merchandising decisions. Having a marketing first approach ensures that ranges are tightly aligned to the retailers core customer.

Fashion retailing in many areas is still dragging the chain with respect to marketing. The current environment dictates that retailers have a customer first, marketing centric orientation towards their business. The age has now passed where a business can have a product first approach. This was fine 40 years ago when competition and choice was not nearly as fierce. Today's retailers need a fresh approach if they are to be here tomorrow.

Here are 5 tips to help you develop a better marketing focus in your business.

1. Develop a clear and detailed understanding of who your ideal target market is.

2. Regularly take the time to speak with them, conduct research, hang out where they hang out, read
what they read. This will ensure your store and range is relevant.

3. Communicate this to your team so as they are under no illusions as to who your store and range has
to appeal to.

4. Be brave enough to exclude any merchandise that does not fit with your market. No matter how
good an opportunity it may appear.

5. Invite some of the more influential peer leaders of your target group to sit on a customer advisory board.

Discover further ways to improve your marketing by signing up for your FREE Marketing Super
Course at www.profitableclothingretailer.com

Shannon Curtis is the principle of Profitable Clothing Retailer, a specialist marketing consultancy to the retail clothing industry. He can be contacted on +61 (0) 3 5245 7107 or by email shannon@profitableclothingretailer.com

CONTACT: Shannon Curtis
Contact Phone: +61 (0) 3 5245 7107
Mobile: 0425 762 482
Contact email: shannon@profitableclothingretailer.com

This release was published on openPR.