How ASOS Communicates Online
An effective online presence is crucial for the success of a business in the world we live in today, affecting its visibility, its customer relations, and allowing for cheaper marketing strategies. Established in 2000, ASOS was at the forefront of fashion e-commerce and its ever-evolving online communications strategy has contributed to its growth, increasing sales and revenue and winning the company multiple awards.
At the core of ASOS’s success is their understanding of the importance that social media has in the lives of their demographic (twenty-something fashion lovers), with the company even measuring their achievement on the number of followers they have on social media. In this post I’ll introduce my favourite strategies used by ASOS and suggest ways in which I believe communications in the area of customer care could improve.
#AsSeenOnMe
ASOS run accounts across every major social network, engaging both existing and potential customers with regular posts and interactive commenting. They also run inclusive campaigns, such as ‘#AsSeenOnMe’ (launched in 2014); which has created a community of ASOS customers across multiple social networks and accumulates on the ASOS website with the use of Olapic.
Simply by uploading their image to Instagram and tagging it #asseenonme, customers have their personal looks (including pieces sold by ASOS) showcased on the website. This gives the brand an association of community and personality by giving users the ability to engage with other customers and with the brand itself, whilst simultaneously the campaign provides free advertising for ASOS products across social networks.
ASOS Stylists
The representation of ASOS as a community of independent, creative individuals is continued with the presence of the stylists. A group of 25 people of different gender, age, ethnicity and size each have their own profile on the ASOS website, with an edit of their current favourite pieces, as well as links to their social media profiles.
This aspect of the communications strategy is effective because products are advertised to consumers in an appealingly personal way. The social media accounts of the stylists are not obvious advertisements, because not every post is related to ASOS and products from other brands are often shown. Instead, ASOS is communicating to consumers how easily it can harmonize with different lifestyles through the use of real people. As a member of ASOS’s demographic I can advocate that I’m more likely to purchase an item I’ve seen styled by someone I have a connection with, rather than an item shown on a characterless model. The existence of the ASOS stylists is to encourage consumers to establish a personal communication with the stylist, and therefore the brand.
Customer Care
Although ASOS excels with its online communications strategy in the areas of customer engagement and marketing, an area which could be improved on in the future is customer care. Currently this operates through Facebook, a dedicated Twitter account, and email. Although this system is not ineffective, I believe the implementation of:
- a live chat service (demonstrated here) and/or
- a chatbot to answer FAQ’s (used by start-up Revolut)
would provide customers with quicker answers to their queries, or (using the chatbot) instant answers to basic questions without the need to search through webpages or wait for replies. These tools would not only enhance customer experience, but also ensure that ASOS remains as a market leader in online communications.
