Customer Profile

Customer Profile: Who is Ann Taylor's Target Customer?

Ann Taylor's target customer is clearly a woman in her early 30's to mid 40's judging by the merchandise in the store. The store is tailored for conservative dressing women who like to look nice and classy but still be in style and fashionable at the same time. The clothing in the store is fairly basic and traditional so it is not extremely fashion forward, but it is very much elegant and in style. Women who shop a lot in this store most likely care about their appearance and want to buy nice things, and are willing to pay higher prices for their clothing. A lot of the clothing in Ann Taylor stores are good quality and professional. Many working women would shop here because they could buy nice looking professional garments that were in style, but still appropriate for the office or at a meeting. A lot of mothers shop at this store because the clothing selection is modest without looking too old or distasteful. This store appeals to middle aged women because it doesn't make them look older or even their age because it is well tailored and cute. Some of the clothing even appeals to younger adults as well because I absolutley love this store, and it is my favorite place to buy dresses and shirts because you can find a lot of cute things that paired with the right accessories are even young looking and fun.

Usually when I think of Ann Taylor I think of an establiched woman or mom who is in her thirties, has money to go shopping, is conservative, classy, cares about fashion, is educated, and probably is a member of the Ccountry Club. The average run of the mill woman will most likely not shop here because the clothes are very classy and professional, and can be fairly exspensive. The store itself represents a sense of elegance because it is not a place you'd go to buy jeans and a t-shirt, even the sales associates dress nice and professional. A lot of professional women would shop here, or even housewives who have a lot of money to spend and wnat to look nice. This store is geared for a traditional woman and many of the women I see shopping at Ann Taylor or who wear their clothes are fairly well off, usually higher middle class and up. Probably people who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, or their wives shop here because that is the kind of target market they are trying to attract. Ann Taylor is aimed at women who are successful or want to appear that way and want to be respected. These women know this is a nice brand and are fashion contious enough that they know what to wear and how much they need to spend to achieve this look. Ann Taylor has a lot of formal and cocktail dresses along with things you could wear to work or church or somewhere you need to dress up. This store is geared for women who have places to go, who want to portray an image of being important, but care about their appearance and perception and like looking sophisticated. A lot of the clothing in this store reminds me of a modern version of what Jackie Kennedy or Audrey Hepburn would wear, and that's what I love about it.



Social Trends That Reatilers are not Targeting:

As far as having a variety of stores to shop at and having different places to shop I'd say retailers are doing a fairly good job, but sometimes it is hard for them to expand their inventory or change how they do things. Our society is essentially based on vanity and unless you are young, slim, and beautiful it is often hard to find the essential things that you need. Many designers make apparel geared for young, thin people because that is what our society tells us is acceptable so if you do not fit perfectly into the Victoria's Secret or GQ ideal then you may not always find clothing that is fashionable and affordable. A lot of men and women do not know what types of garments look good for their body type and do not have a wide selection of choices, so thye often tend to settle for thnings thta are either too little or too big. So if you do want to look nice and care about fashion then it can be hard for some people to find the right sizes in things they want to buy. Apparel is not like accessories where there is a one size fits all persona. Reatilers need to realize that not everyone is the same size or the same body type. I personally do not have trouble finding things that are my size and are cute, but I know a lot of people do and it can be very hard for them if they are not the perfect size 2.

They also need to make clothing that will fit shorter men because they have a petitie section for women but not a short section for men. I know this is a problem because my dad is short and always has problem finding pants that fit in the waist and are not too long, even then he usually has to get them himmed too. Designers need to work on making comfortable shoes for women that are cute and fashionable because half the shoes I own hurt my feet and I end up wearing the same 3 pair all the time. They should also make cute sports wear for girls because all they really have now are traditional sweat shirts and pants and unless they are in cute colors or have a fun saying they are pretty dull and drabe. The reatil industry should expand on women's swimwear because they do not have many choices so unless you are young and have a cute figure most things don't look good on you. A lot of adult and older women don't want to wear traditonal old lady bathing suits but don't look good in sting bikini's either so there needs to be more fashion forward choices that are both age appropriate and fun. I also don't think they haven't totally capitalized on fashion forward clothing for pregnant women because there's only like 3 stores that sell half way decent stuff and it is exspensive and most women don't want to invest a lot of money in clothes they won't wear very long.