"The one stop online shopping website for on trend, affordable fashion. Fresh new styles added everyday meaning you can access the latest key pieces for less. Shop our range of catwalk & celebrity inspired looks and stand out in style this season with PrettyLittleThing.com"
PrettyLittleThing.com (PLT) is an online fashion retailer. Providing their customers with affordable runway inspired fashion, offering an alternative to the high street. PLT snuck into the market in 2011. Competing against similar online fashion retailers; Missguided, Boohoo.com and ASOS, with the same target audience.
To be successful in the online environment and stand out from similar competition, PLT must have strong digital presence in this expanding sector. Social media is a necessity for the fashion brand as it’s a way to engage and interact with their target market.
STRENGTHS
· Target Market – PRETTYLITTLETHING are targeted at fashion focused individuals at very affordable prices within a young (18-25) female demographic
· The 18-25 demographic – the choice of models are young and their communication style on their website and social media channels target students and those wanting affordable prices.
· Social media channels – In this very competitive industry it is almost vital to be active on social media to engage with the market, this is what every fashion brand is doing. PLT have a good twitter page with over 29,000 followers, 98,000 followers on their Instagram page and 307,000 likes on the Facebook page. These are three main social media channels that they use to capture their target market, gain new followers and brand recognition, as it’s practically a free way to advertise.
WEAKNESSES
Negative feedback – When looking on PLT’s Facebook page it is clear to see their negative posts, which could jeopardise the gain of new customers, and customers trust especially, as they are online only and so the in-store experience cannot be had.
OPPORTUNITIES
· Introducing small labels - If PLT introduced different lines and small boutiques onto their website this would gain more interest and attract more customers who buy from these smaller labels. It would be a great opportunity for both PLT and the smaller boutiques - selling their clothes on fashion based platforms and PLT will create better brand recognition and a small commission too. ASOS do this extremely well with the ‘ASOS Marketplace’ which allows smaller boutiques or individuals to showcase their pieces through the website. In order for this opportunity to be a success the online retailer would have to ensure enough buyers would be interested in using this service. PLT would need to grow first so that they have a lot of customers this would interest. They could advertise it through their social media and do previews introducing a few boutiques at a time.
THREATS
· Global Competition - Internet selling opens up the site to a large worldwide customer base, as they can order from anywhere in the world and have it shipped right to their doorstep. However, it also means there is a high amount of possible competitors which can start in any country and take away the local custom.
To be successful in the online environment and stand out from similar competition, PLT must have strong digital presence in this expanding sector. Social media is a necessity for the fashion brand as it’s a way to engage and interact with their target market.
STRENGTHS
· Target Market – PRETTYLITTLETHING are targeted at fashion focused individuals at very affordable prices within a young (18-25) female demographic
· The 18-25 demographic – the choice of models are young and their communication style on their website and social media channels target students and those wanting affordable prices.
· Social media channels – In this very competitive industry it is almost vital to be active on social media to engage with the market, this is what every fashion brand is doing. PLT have a good twitter page with over 29,000 followers, 98,000 followers on their Instagram page and 307,000 likes on the Facebook page. These are three main social media channels that they use to capture their target market, gain new followers and brand recognition, as it’s practically a free way to advertise.
WEAKNESSES
Negative feedback – When looking on PLT’s Facebook page it is clear to see their negative posts, which could jeopardise the gain of new customers, and customers trust especially, as they are online only and so the in-store experience cannot be had.
OPPORTUNITIES
· Introducing small labels - If PLT introduced different lines and small boutiques onto their website this would gain more interest and attract more customers who buy from these smaller labels. It would be a great opportunity for both PLT and the smaller boutiques - selling their clothes on fashion based platforms and PLT will create better brand recognition and a small commission too. ASOS do this extremely well with the ‘ASOS Marketplace’ which allows smaller boutiques or individuals to showcase their pieces through the website. In order for this opportunity to be a success the online retailer would have to ensure enough buyers would be interested in using this service. PLT would need to grow first so that they have a lot of customers this would interest. They could advertise it through their social media and do previews introducing a few boutiques at a time.
THREATS
· Global Competition - Internet selling opens up the site to a large worldwide customer base, as they can order from anywhere in the world and have it shipped right to their doorstep. However, it also means there is a high amount of possible competitors which can start in any country and take away the local custom.