My chosen business falls under the textile industry. The name of the store is Zara which was founded in 2003 with its headquarters in Spain. It has over 380 stores spread in 36 countries (Tungate 40). It deals with general merchandise of a wide variety of clothes and beauty products which it sells largely in retail.
Various brands are found in the store such as Alexander Wang, ASH, Rebecca Taylor, Reg bone and Very Trendy among others (Bessant and Joseph 295). It also provides some beauty services such as hairdressing for both men and women. It is situated in an affluent neighborhood where almost all the families belong to the middle class (Hanan 42).
The mission of the store is to enable people save money so that they can live better while its vision is to be a leader in the textile industry. Its overall strategy is to sell its goods and services at relatively low prices as compared to others, but sell large volumes of goods and services within a short period of time (Badía 180).
In terms of marketing, the store heavily relies on the electronic media and the internet because most of the customers have access to either the electronic media or the internet. It also has in place an online shopping platform where customers can log in and shop online (Plunkett 3).
A typical customer is the one who frequents the store. Since the store deals with general retail merchandise, the age bracket of the typical customer is 25-45 years. This age bracket is typical of a customer who goes to the store to do general shopping and get some beauty services. The gender of the customer is female because mostly, it is women who combine shopping with other activities such as hairdressing. The business is located in an urban environment and therefore the typical customer is an urban dweller.
In terms of lifestyle, the typical customer has a good paying job most likely a management position either in a private or public corporation. The customer probably has held other jobs before but her current job is better than the previous ones. This customer is well educated and holds at least a first degree and may even hold a masters degree especially in a management field.
In terms of leisure, the customer likes partying around with colleagues or workmates, who in most cases are male. Sometimes she may go to play golf and some other times she may spend her leisure time in a gym to lose some weight since she does not walk because she owns a car or two and has employed a driver.
When she is at the house, she can spend her leisure time watching the latest movie which she has heard her colleagues talk about. She may also spend her leisure at the house reading that important book or an online article which she hopes would improve her performance at the workplace. At other times, she can simply stay at the house watching TV programs.
The typical customer is probably single but has a child or two. Her financial and social status does not allow her to get married because she believes that being in a relationship is boring. Her children go to the best schools around. She also has several workers in her posh home, which is equipped with all manner of luxuries including a CCTV.
At times, she visits her former friends so as to spend some good time with them. She might also be supporting her relatives to pursue education or assist them secure a job. In other words, she has strong family ties despite her affluence. She also belongs to a strong network of friends drawn from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Her income ranges between $ 7000-10000 per month. This probably enabled her to secure a mortgage to build the posh home she is staying in. She also owns a fleet of taxis which she has employed people to operate. The income from the business is used for household expenditure such as buying food, paying utility bills and the employees. She may also be the owner of that famous club in the neighborhood where she usually meets her friends over the weekend for some meetings or leisure.
The typical customer attaches high value to education and hard work because she believes that education and hard work have contributed to her success thus far. She is also a believer in a certain faith and that is why she attends a service at the nearby church every Sunday.
Being a woman and an educated one for that matter, she values beauty. As a result, her wardrobe is almost full with all manner of clothes especially those which come as fashions. She has two types of dress codes; official and casual. She also values family cohesion and that is why she loves her family dearly. She believes that belonging to social networks is very important because such networks can be of help at times when she may have financial difficulties.
Works Cited
Badía, Enrique. Zara and her Sisters: The Story of the World’s Largest Clothing Retailer, Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.
Bessant, John, and Joseph , Tidd. Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chichester (England) ; Hoboken (NJ) : J. Wiley, 2008. Print.
Hanan, Ali . Color Match for Home Interiors, Mies, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2004. Print.
Plunkett , Jack. Plunkett’s Retail Industry Almanac 2009: The Only Comprehensive Guide to the Retail Industry, Houston, Tex. : Plunkett Research Ltd., 2008. Print.
Tungate , Mark . Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara, London ; Philadelphia : Kogan, 2012. Print.