Activewear has taken a bite out of the denim market, but the jeans industry isn’t singing the blues – they’re fighting back with innovative treatments and marketing tactics that are capturing a new customer. From print to digital, the opportunities to reach and appeal to today’s denim consumer and find your target market are plentiful. The experts at Women’s Marketing, Inc. share their insights on how to find your ideal consumer and grow your brand.
Personalized Marketing
Research shows that brand loyalty among denim consumers is strong – so creating a personal connection with your customer is key. The core jeans consumer, women aged 18-34, is likely to get style ideas and fashion inspiration from magazines and social media. Brands can capitalize on this insight by promoting themselves in personalized ways – for example; multi-media advertising campaigns that include opportunities for consumers to connect with the brand through social platforms and innovative events will engage consumers and raise your brand awareness. On the retail level, providing in-store denim experts to assist consumers, particularly women, in finding the right fit and style, could drive shoppers to add to their jeans collection. Focusing on reaching the consumer in their preferred media and adding personalized service is your brand’s best bet to capture the hearts and wallets of denim buyers and find your target market.
Jeans are the New Suits
Two trends, the casualization of the workplace and the blurring between work and leisure, have been a boon to the denim industry. Consumers are snapping up jeans in dark denim styles that can be worn to work or play, or both. This trend towards more interchangeable wardrobes has prompted fashion magazines to devote entire issues, typically in August, to denim styling and seasonal trends. Both emerging and established brands are wise to be well represented in denim-focused magazine issues.
Innovation in Fit, Fabric, and Design
The denim industry is aware that it needs to continue to offer something new to continue the conversation with the consumer. Brands are offering more fit options to embrace a more diverse audience and appeal to a variety body types. Innovations in fabric technology are also a key selling point – four-way stretch, softer cottons, and unique features such as Uniqlo’s Heat Teach, anti-odor, and windproof lines are intriguing consumers – so much so that they’re reporting sales growth of 120% in their denim category alone. Seasonal trends continue to drive fashion-focused female consumers to buy, particularly in the luxury market. According to Vogue and InStyle, expect to see wider legs, shorter hems, and 70’s inspired styles such as frayed hems, patched, and decorated denim.
Target a New Consumer
Tapping into the Hispanic and African American markets may provide a new opportunity for denim brands. Hispanic and African American consumers report purchasing denim more frequently, are more brand conscious, and are comfortable at a higher price-point than White consumers. Despite their buying power, very few jeans companies are using ethnic models in their advertising. African American and Hispanic customers are drawn to advertising that speaks to them on a cultural and personal level. Their receptivity to advertising and desire be represented in the media makes them a strong target for marketers.
Need guidance in finding your target market? Reach out to the experts at Women’s Marketing, Inc.
Sources: Mintel, editd.com, WWD, Vogue, InStyle
Comments