Retail Analysis

The store I observed was the Hollister at the Crossroads mall. Their target demographic is teenagers to college students.

Hollister goes for the surf shop/on the beach type appeal. They have lots of plants, and tiki hut-ish wooden structures. Semi-clothed mannequins flank the entrances. They play music that is both too loud (for me) and not very good (also my opinion but seriously). The layout of the merchandise is actually good. When you walk in the helpful "Dudes" and "Bettys" sign tells the Dudes and Bettys which way to walk. They have basic fashion groupings so the consumers get basic tips, without being told what to buy. One interesting thing was that the only guy's jeans that were actually reachable where the ones smaller than a 32 waist. I'm 6'1 and I had to do work to reach the 33s and forget about the 36s. I guess we know how Hollister feels about fatties. Besides some on the floor, the store basically had no lighting. It was weird because you couldn't actually see the clothes. I noticed one customer, finding a shirt of interest, try it on in a mirror, but there is no way she could actually know what it looks like! The cashier area was pretty standard, way back in the 4th zone. There were some conveniently located chairs for me to chill in for a while. The store was quite potent throughout, but there wasn't much of a change in scent from the Dudes to the Bettys. That was a little odd.

The shop reflects a laid back, casual image; who cares, its only fashion could be their motto. There was live feed from a beach in California, which to me, is a little creepy. The dark shopping environment is reflective of the who cares? appeal Hollister has done so well.

The customers seemed basically to just wander aimlessly, usually walking to the back of the store, then working their way back, to make sure they didn't miss any particularly "nice" clothes. My favorite part of the stores design was the very clear gender lines. Men's and women's clothes were completely separated, leaving no confusion.