Decoding Luxury Consumers’ Fashion Choices

Unity Marketing plans a special investigation into affluent customers’ fashion choices so stores and brands can plan with confidence

Stevens, PA; February 26, 2013 --  As anyone can tell you, choosing an outfit can be a challenging task:  Shall it be jeans today, or a professional dress?  For men, is it business casual khakis or a pin-stripped suit? Sensible shoes or sky-high stilettos?  Loafers or lace-up oxford?  And what of the choice of handbag, briefcase, watch, or jewelry? 

In fact, the choice of one’s outfit is determined by many things, including plans for the day,  one’s professional position, gender, age, and income.  And for the store stocking for the affluent consumer – or the brand planning a future line – these variables are even more important because the affluent is the consumer who spends the most on his or her fashion choices.  For fashion brands and their retailing partners it is critically important to predict, understand, and respond to the needs and desires of the high-spending, affluent customer.   Yet they are all a part of understanding consumer behavior, and this understanding is at the heart of successful purchasing, marketing, and merchandising decisions.

Companies can sponsor exclusive questions for a new luxury consumer fashion survey

In the upcoming 1Q2013 Luxury Tracking quarterly survey, Unity Marketing will sort through the confusion surrounding customer choices when buying luxury fashion items, giving clarity to a complex retail area.  Fashion marketers and retailers can participate in this important investigation into the mindset and purchase behavior of 1,200+ affluent luxury consumers by adding exclusive questions and guiding the research objectives.  Click this link to learn more about how to participate as a sponsor. 

Unity Marketing’s survey that will delve into these aspects of affluents’ fashion purchases and behavior:

• Fashion choices for 2013 – Will they be buying new dress/business clothes?  New casual fashions?  Handbags, shoes, briefcases?  Are jewelry and watch items on their shopping lists?
• Where will they shop – What is their destination of choice for fashion – online, department store, luxury-branded boutique, independent fashion specialty store, fashion boutique chain?
• What attracts them most about their favorite destination – price, service, brands, style/design, fashion-forward view, classic styling, sizing, sales, discounts, loyalty reward programs, etc.?
• How much will they spend – Will they spend more this year than last, less or same?  What influences their budgeting for fashion?
• When will they shop – Change of seasons only or as needed or regularly/routinely or only during sales events?
• What fashion and store brands do they prefer – From a carefully vetted list of fashion brands and stores, the luxury consumers will rate their favorite brands
• What makes those fashion and store brands their favorite – Each consumer will be asked to rate one of their favorite fashion and store brands according to key values.  This will enable Unity Marketing to evaluate all brands according to a standard value scale to find which are luxury consumers favorite fashion and store brands.

Affluent men’s and women’s fashion choices to be analyzed

One of the most important features of the survey analysis is the division of data by both respondent gender and age.  The survey will be divided by gender, with men and women answering a customized set of questions.  Also the sample will be divided by age, between young (44 years and under) and mature (45 years and older) segments.    The results:  Marketers can focus on their specific customer, be it the young male shopper or the more mature female shopper.   

Your company can participate as a sponsor in this special investigation to answer the important questions you have about the affluent consumer

This special trend report will tell you who is buying, what items they are purchasing, what brands attract them most, and what their motivations are.  Your organization will understand the needs and wants of your most highly-prized customers – the affluent – in order to improve the effectiveness of marketing, branding and business strategies.
 
Unity Marketing’s ability to analyze and report on this data means that you will have the information you need to confidently make purchasing and merchandising decisions with your specific target customer in mind. 

To learn more about sponsoring this research initiative, click this link.