4 Suggestions to Fix Abercrombie & Fitch
By Amy Bruining
I can still smell the fragrance as if it were yesterday. The powerful and overwhelming aroma is a woodsy cologne mixed with floral and warm vanilla perfume. It is a scent strong enough to leave a memory embedded in my brain, even though I haven’t entered an Abercrombie & Fitch store in quite some time. I can walk through a mall and know that the retailer is not far away, because the distinctive scent travels well beyond the doors, hoping to lure shoppers.
Targeted young shoppers are influenced by the feeds they scroll through on Facebook and Instagram. No longer is television advertising the sole proprietor of back-to-school shopping.
When I was in middle school and high school, my friends and I spent weekends wandering through the mall, and we often ended up at this retail store that defined our millennial teen wardrobe. A&F relayed how we should exude authentic “American” style. For instance, the epitome of a cool kid wore jeans low and frayed, with tightly fitted T-shirts displaying the iconic moose figure. This exclusive, preppy style allowed A&F to remain a powerhouse brand until 2013, when overall sales fell 10 percent during the fiscal year.
In recent years, though, the retail chain has watched brand power decline and overall sales take a dramatic hit. Sales executives and analysts have tried to understand what went wrong. Yet it’s clear that A&F and its sister brand, Hollister, have received scrutiny and criticism for narrow style offerings and continued nonconformity.
While other long-standing brands, like Gap and Old Navy, learned how to gain a competitive advantage, A&F has slowly faded from the current retail radar of teens to 20-somethings. Would a brand revival salvage the retailer’s image and sales? Perhaps. Here are some suggestions that A&F might find useful to regain the attention of those teens and 20-somethings.
Redefine “Model” Behavior
Growing up in a conservative Midwest community, I was aware of consistent criticism and negative reviews of what were considered inappropriate ad campaigns. Male models were shirtless, emphasizing sculpted abs and rugged good looks. Females were not far from the same, often shown with barely there tops and short denim cutoffs. Models used in photographs and storefront ads resembled Greek gods and goddesses, making it difficult for the average teen boy or girl to relate. (Taylor Swift and Channing Tatum can partially credit their rise to fame to their modeling days in such campaigns.)
Fantasy and sex appeal certainly play a role in advertising. However, A&F’s marketing strategy of offering one-size-too-small that doesn’t fit all has resulted in shoppers leaving empty-handed.
While other retailers have embraced plus-size models, A&F continues to cater clothing to the curveless.
A&F definitely promoted what it offered, but a sales decline may have been avoided if the size chart did not stop at 10. The “every” woman — even if she’s a teen girl — is not a size 2, and up until recently, plus sizes were nowhere to be found within the brand. While other retailers have embraced plus-size models, A&F continues to cater clothing to the curveless. In 2013, CEO Mike Jeffries offered only a feeble Facebook apology in response to a U.K. blogger who went public with her own “Attractive & Fat” campaign.
Learn from your target audience, especially when it is crying out to you. Make clothes intended for young women of all shapes and sizes. Incorporate the “every” woman into your ad campaigns. In doing so, you make the consumer feel like she’s a part of your brand’s story, and not attempting to live out a hypersexual fantasy.
Bigger, Brighter, Better
With the departure of Jeffries and the hiring of new president Christos Angelides, there is hope for reinvention. In a recent interview with Columbus Business First, the new leader expressed interest in revamping the dim and dark atmosphere the store is famous for.
Surveys and sales show that younger consumers are drawn to the bright, expansive environments provided by stores like H&M and Forever 21. The Columbus Business First account of the interview with Angelides reported that the brand wants to assess this theory by “experimenting with the in-store experience and testing different types of music, different volume levels, new lighting, different layouts and even whether clothes should be hanging on racks or folded on tables.”
Last spring, the stores removed shutters and turned up the lights. Angelides said this was due in part to “leaving no stone unturned.” Perhaps shoppers will note these small but significant changes and become intrigued.
Stylish Social Media Engagements
What is the best way to draw a consumer in the social media era? Social engagement.
Targeted young shoppers are influenced by Facebook and Instagram feeds. No longer is television advertising the sole proprietor of back-to-school shopping. Even Google says its image searches for “school outfit” have soared during the past three years, and they rose 76 percent this past July.
The epitome of a cool kid wore jeans low and frayed, with tightly fitted T-shirts displaying the iconic moose figure.
In a recent conversation, my 14-year-old cousin expressed excitement about shopping at American Eagle. The store is strong in its consumer engagement via Instagram, and advertised a free outfit to a lucky Instagrammer who used the special hashtag #AEOSTYLE.
Retailers like American Eagle and Madewell also feature fashion bloggers on their websites and Instagram accounts. It’s an optimal way for consumers to visualize an outfit, and it offers a direct link to where to buy it. While A&F’s Instagram account has images optimized with hashtags, incorporating blogging fashionistas also would be beneficial.
Ditch the Logo, Go for BOGO
Perhaps the greatest rebranding tactic can evolve from the removal of both brand name and the infamous moose. Stores are seeing a shift in consumer behavior, with shoppers eyeing trends over brands. It’s the reason for the success of stores like H&M and Forever 21.
The New Yorker recently published an article explaining how sales at these retailers are skyrocketing because of their commitment to “copying fashions from the runway and selling them cheaply.’’
Along with offering the latest looks in high fashion for less, these retail brands know the power of a promotional sale. The clothes are trendy, always changing in stock and often sold as buy one, get one.
A&F has rarely incorporated major discounts or promotional sales. Jeffries didn’t think this was necessary and believed brand sophistication would be enough to keep consumers coming back. Angelides hopes to change this.
In a March interview with Columbus Business First, Fran Horowitz, brand president for Hollister, said she and Angelides are working to strike “the right balance between logo clothes and non-logo clothes and working on a good/better/best pricing structure with a good opening price point for shoppers.”
Rebranding an established label is no easy task, especially when it involves preconceived notions held by a majority of its targeted consumers. However, change can bring great success, and success in the world of retail always involves trial and error. A&F appears to have a great opportunity. As Angelides stated, “I’m sure we’ve made some mistakes as well as success and we’re quite open about that. We don’t know what those mistakes are or what those successes are but either way we will react quickly.”
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