7A- Testing the Hypothesis pt. 1
1. Women, and young women or teens, are unable to walk into a store that specifically carries a variety of fitness apparel made solely for females. With majority of athletic clothing brands online, and the increasing popularity of athelesure, its difficult to constantly be ordering online and having to return or exchange items because the sizing isn't right, rather than just walk into a store and buy it.
2. Again this opportunity would be a retail store that carries a variety of fitness clothing brands, specifically those uniquely online and not just Nike or Adidas. It would include all types of fitness apparel like shoes and accessories, all targeted towards women.
The Who: Women interested in buying fitness apparel
The What: There are no stores that carry a variety of popular fitness apparel brands marketed specifically towards women
The Why: Majority of the popular brands are online, so it is probably difficult to get ahold of multiple different brands to try and carry them in a retail store, and thus no stores like this exist.
3.
Testing the Who: My who specifically looked at women interested in buying fitness apparel, but this could branch out women who might otherwise not have bought fitness apparel because they didn't know of these online brands. This need could also be shown through men who want to buy fitness apparel for their wives/girlfriends but don't want to buy online.
Testing the What: There are certain popular brands that are carried in stores such as Dick's Sporting Goods or Macy's. Typically these brands are Nike, Under Armor, Reebok, etc. and they don't always have the more fashionable, unique clothing options. Lululemon is also a common brand that has retail stores. Maybe in areas with a Lululemon and similar stores this need doesn't exist. For all I know there is only one store that sells online fitness brands called B3, and they are stationed in Canada. The need may be limited if stores such as this already exist in an area.
Testing the Why: I personally do a lot of shopping online, and most of what I buy is fitness apparel. It gets frustrating though, that despite following the sizing guides, or even when I have multiple pieces of clothing from a brand, some sizes don't fit right. Then you have to go through the process of returning the item, often paying for shipping yourself, waiting for a return, only to try and reorder the item and your correct size be sold out. If there was a store that carried all the different fitness apparel brands, it would be much easier and much more enjoyable to walk in, try it on, and go home with it. I think all women that shop in this market have this why, and can relate to this need. I also think having a store like this could be really motivating to women and them interested in starting their fitness journey.
4. I chose to interview someone who buys their fitness apparel online, a retail manager, someone I saw shopping in the store, an older women interested in fitness apparel, a mall manager
(have reached out to B3, and online fitness apparel company's)
Interview 1: For this interview, I spoke to one of my friends at the gym that I know shops at a lot of the same clothing brands I do. I asked where she got most of her fitness apparel and why. She said buys majority of her clothing online, because the brands she likes the most aren't carried in stores, and there's a lot more variety online. I asked her when was the last time she bought fitness apparel in person and what it was. The last thing she bought was probably a few months ago. She said that she mostly only buys shoes in person, but even know will try them on in person then order online because they don't carry the style she wants in stores. I then asked to explain some of the complications she's had with online shopping. She has had multiple sizing issues, which has lead her to even keeping something that didn't fit right because she didn't want to deal having to return it. She also mentioned the shipping aspect, she has even had a package get lost and had to contact the company, for which she got a refund because the items sold old. The other issue she had was things selling out very quickly online, and not being able to purchase items she wanted for months. Overall she said that she would love to have a retail store that carried a cute variety of all of her favorite brands, and if she had the option to buy in person she would do that instead of online.
Interview 2: The second person I spoke to was someone who has years of retail experience, specifically in women's fashion. I first asked her about how the online market has effected in person shopping. She said it has definitely effected the amount of in person shopping. One thing she's notices is a lot of people will come in with a specific item in mind, but not be able to find something similar enough to the item, and end up ordering it online. She even admitted that she does a lot of her shopping online herself. A lot of times in person shopping is done when someone needs something soon, and doesn't really have the time or want to wait for shipping. She admits she likes the ease of online shopping, just adding something into your cart from at home and getting it a few days later. She doesn't typically have issues with sizing, but she's also very fimialr with clothing and how certain items will fit. I mentioned to her what this idea was and she loved it. She said that from a business standpoint, this is a great opportunity for those online stores, because they get an in person presence, with out having to worry about finding and paying for a location. She also mentioned how popular the "As Seen on TV" store was, and how this was similar because it allowed people to actually see and feel the products that they had even been able to see online.
Interview 3: The third person I interviewed was someone shopping in a store. The first thing I asked her was what she was shopping for and if she had a specific item in mind. She said she came in for shoes and was just browsing at the clothing. I asked if she had found anything, and she said no to both the clothes and shoes. She said she does typically prefer to do shopping for certain clothing items in person, however athletic wear she often bought online. She didn't really see an issue with it and did prefer the process of online shopping, as she didn't have a vehicle and a set way to go drive around and go into stores. She did however, mention that she liked the idea and would probably enjoy the store.
Interview 4: This person owns an online fitness apparel store, a smaller one than the ones intended for this store. The first question I asked was why online versus an in person store, and their response was the cost. She is able to run the businesses out of her home, and doesn't have to worry about the cost of an in person store. She also says it provides a test market to see how people respond to her product, versus investing into a full store without knowing how people are going to respond to her product. This helped determine what sizes and colors she needs for inventory. I also asked how she came up with this idea, and her response was she wanted items that were unique and different. She didn't want to have items you could just walk into any store and get, she wanted something much more unique and creative that was still functional. She actually started this by embellishing her own basic gym wear, and it evolved into this.
Interview 5: The final person I interviewed the manager at LuluLemon in a strip mall. I asked her to just break down how leasing this kind of space worked, as its similar to what I have in mind for this business. She said they had signed a 5 year lease, and pay a set amount per square foot of the building. The utilities are included, but they are responsible for their own alarms, wifi, and banking. Because LuluLemon is a corporation, they do follow all of the standards for the entire company. I asked her about the hours and she said that they can determine their own hours, however the strip mall they are located in has specific limitations on how early and late they can be open, so they have to stay within those. I then asked her about the foot traffic in the store, and how busy she felt it was. She said like any store, at 1 o'clock on a Wednesday they aren't very busy, however the store is one of the only LuluLemon stores in that area, so it is pretty popular. Plenty of people do come in everyday and buy things. She did also mention that customers can order online and pick up in store, and all though that is not the most popular option it does still happen. I asked if she thought people in her area prefer to go into the store and shop or do it online, and her opinion was that LuluLemon is such an expensive brand, that a lot of people want to come in and see the product. That being said, people that are familiar with Lulu probably do more shopping online, however the store does often carry a lot of items that might not be available online anymore
5. Something I learned about this opportunity was the fact that a lot of people tend to go in and try stuff on, but buy the actual item online. This could be a threat, as buying online wouldn't help this business because they are reselling from the company. I also learned from the professionals in this industry that running a retail store can be expensive, for a company such as LuluLemon that has millions of dollars to rely on, they can afford a store not making money. For this business, you can't. It's sole income would be from the store, so it's important to keep that in mind.
2. Again this opportunity would be a retail store that carries a variety of fitness clothing brands, specifically those uniquely online and not just Nike or Adidas. It would include all types of fitness apparel like shoes and accessories, all targeted towards women.
The Who: Women interested in buying fitness apparel
The What: There are no stores that carry a variety of popular fitness apparel brands marketed specifically towards women
The Why: Majority of the popular brands are online, so it is probably difficult to get ahold of multiple different brands to try and carry them in a retail store, and thus no stores like this exist.
3.
Testing the Who: My who specifically looked at women interested in buying fitness apparel, but this could branch out women who might otherwise not have bought fitness apparel because they didn't know of these online brands. This need could also be shown through men who want to buy fitness apparel for their wives/girlfriends but don't want to buy online.
Testing the What: There are certain popular brands that are carried in stores such as Dick's Sporting Goods or Macy's. Typically these brands are Nike, Under Armor, Reebok, etc. and they don't always have the more fashionable, unique clothing options. Lululemon is also a common brand that has retail stores. Maybe in areas with a Lululemon and similar stores this need doesn't exist. For all I know there is only one store that sells online fitness brands called B3, and they are stationed in Canada. The need may be limited if stores such as this already exist in an area.
Testing the Why: I personally do a lot of shopping online, and most of what I buy is fitness apparel. It gets frustrating though, that despite following the sizing guides, or even when I have multiple pieces of clothing from a brand, some sizes don't fit right. Then you have to go through the process of returning the item, often paying for shipping yourself, waiting for a return, only to try and reorder the item and your correct size be sold out. If there was a store that carried all the different fitness apparel brands, it would be much easier and much more enjoyable to walk in, try it on, and go home with it. I think all women that shop in this market have this why, and can relate to this need. I also think having a store like this could be really motivating to women and them interested in starting their fitness journey.
4. I chose to interview someone who buys their fitness apparel online, a retail manager, someone I saw shopping in the store, an older women interested in fitness apparel, a mall manager
(have reached out to B3, and online fitness apparel company's)
Interview 1: For this interview, I spoke to one of my friends at the gym that I know shops at a lot of the same clothing brands I do. I asked where she got most of her fitness apparel and why. She said buys majority of her clothing online, because the brands she likes the most aren't carried in stores, and there's a lot more variety online. I asked her when was the last time she bought fitness apparel in person and what it was. The last thing she bought was probably a few months ago. She said that she mostly only buys shoes in person, but even know will try them on in person then order online because they don't carry the style she wants in stores. I then asked to explain some of the complications she's had with online shopping. She has had multiple sizing issues, which has lead her to even keeping something that didn't fit right because she didn't want to deal having to return it. She also mentioned the shipping aspect, she has even had a package get lost and had to contact the company, for which she got a refund because the items sold old. The other issue she had was things selling out very quickly online, and not being able to purchase items she wanted for months. Overall she said that she would love to have a retail store that carried a cute variety of all of her favorite brands, and if she had the option to buy in person she would do that instead of online.
Interview 2: The second person I spoke to was someone who has years of retail experience, specifically in women's fashion. I first asked her about how the online market has effected in person shopping. She said it has definitely effected the amount of in person shopping. One thing she's notices is a lot of people will come in with a specific item in mind, but not be able to find something similar enough to the item, and end up ordering it online. She even admitted that she does a lot of her shopping online herself. A lot of times in person shopping is done when someone needs something soon, and doesn't really have the time or want to wait for shipping. She admits she likes the ease of online shopping, just adding something into your cart from at home and getting it a few days later. She doesn't typically have issues with sizing, but she's also very fimialr with clothing and how certain items will fit. I mentioned to her what this idea was and she loved it. She said that from a business standpoint, this is a great opportunity for those online stores, because they get an in person presence, with out having to worry about finding and paying for a location. She also mentioned how popular the "As Seen on TV" store was, and how this was similar because it allowed people to actually see and feel the products that they had even been able to see online.
Interview 3: The third person I interviewed was someone shopping in a store. The first thing I asked her was what she was shopping for and if she had a specific item in mind. She said she came in for shoes and was just browsing at the clothing. I asked if she had found anything, and she said no to both the clothes and shoes. She said she does typically prefer to do shopping for certain clothing items in person, however athletic wear she often bought online. She didn't really see an issue with it and did prefer the process of online shopping, as she didn't have a vehicle and a set way to go drive around and go into stores. She did however, mention that she liked the idea and would probably enjoy the store.
Interview 4: This person owns an online fitness apparel store, a smaller one than the ones intended for this store. The first question I asked was why online versus an in person store, and their response was the cost. She is able to run the businesses out of her home, and doesn't have to worry about the cost of an in person store. She also says it provides a test market to see how people respond to her product, versus investing into a full store without knowing how people are going to respond to her product. This helped determine what sizes and colors she needs for inventory. I also asked how she came up with this idea, and her response was she wanted items that were unique and different. She didn't want to have items you could just walk into any store and get, she wanted something much more unique and creative that was still functional. She actually started this by embellishing her own basic gym wear, and it evolved into this.
Interview 5: The final person I interviewed the manager at LuluLemon in a strip mall. I asked her to just break down how leasing this kind of space worked, as its similar to what I have in mind for this business. She said they had signed a 5 year lease, and pay a set amount per square foot of the building. The utilities are included, but they are responsible for their own alarms, wifi, and banking. Because LuluLemon is a corporation, they do follow all of the standards for the entire company. I asked her about the hours and she said that they can determine their own hours, however the strip mall they are located in has specific limitations on how early and late they can be open, so they have to stay within those. I then asked her about the foot traffic in the store, and how busy she felt it was. She said like any store, at 1 o'clock on a Wednesday they aren't very busy, however the store is one of the only LuluLemon stores in that area, so it is pretty popular. Plenty of people do come in everyday and buy things. She did also mention that customers can order online and pick up in store, and all though that is not the most popular option it does still happen. I asked if she thought people in her area prefer to go into the store and shop or do it online, and her opinion was that LuluLemon is such an expensive brand, that a lot of people want to come in and see the product. That being said, people that are familiar with Lulu probably do more shopping online, however the store does often carry a lot of items that might not be available online anymore
5. Something I learned about this opportunity was the fact that a lot of people tend to go in and try stuff on, but buy the actual item online. This could be a threat, as buying online wouldn't help this business because they are reselling from the company. I also learned from the professionals in this industry that running a retail store can be expensive, for a company such as LuluLemon that has millions of dollars to rely on, they can afford a store not making money. For this business, you can't. It's sole income would be from the store, so it's important to keep that in mind.
Hi Maddi. I really like your opportunity and I feel as though this is a genius idea. I am completely aware of the fact that there are no mega stores that offer a wide variety of women's fitness apparel under one roof. I believe that your idea to have one of these would reach a huge market. I often have this issue and it sucks having to order online or visit multiple stores in order to satisfy my needs. With the implementation of your opportunity, I believe that the community as a whole would benefit, as would girls like us who like various fitness brands but don't like the hassle of searching for it all.
ReplyDeleteHi Maddi,
ReplyDeleteNow that you point it out-- I cant think of any brick-and-morter store that sells only female athletic clothing. I would say Lululemon definitely started the trend of high quality, "pretty", "athleisure" that women love. However, they have a pretty deep men's line too. A bunch of new companies have taken off since the rise of Lululemon popularity, but these companies are geared towards women. Im particular thinking of the company Fabletics. But this is a 100% online store, so I definitely see room for a female company to penetrate the market by making a physical store.
Hey Maddi!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see your opportunity and could also definitely see how a business based on targeting this issue could succeed. Even as a guy, I understand the struggle of buying clothes online. Finding the right size, place, and company to buy from is sometimes the most difficult thing ever. Having one place that has everything you need would be the most convenient thing ever and I can totally see this opportunity in every day life.