Wednesday 17 November 2010

real world_vs_the virtual.


In todays seminar we discussed the difference between the marketing style of a shops display and the style of their website. A store that particularly stood out was Urban Outfitters. Their store has been       
described as "eclectic, creative and busy". This shows a vast difference to the style of their website which is simple and sleek. I feel this may be because of the different audience's they are trying to capture. Inside their store,           especially the Oxford Street branch, the shops have become almost a cult tourist spot as they are few and far between throughout the rest of the UK. This results in packed and stuffy shopping experiences, often due to excitable youngsters around the ages of 15-16. 



The website however, comes across a lot more professional and simple. The clean layout allows for simple and fast browsing, which is the type of experience many online shoppers desire. The basic listed items on the left are a far cry form the "jumble-sale" feel that can often be found whilst shopping in store. 

The same can also be said for Acne. I find the display inside their shop classic and smart. They have a few pieces of art on each floor but overall the interior of the shop is structural and dynamic. This, once again, is very different to the home page of their global website. Pastel colour schemes and soft designs on the homepage to me are very different from the typical Acne branch.
This begins to make us question whether the customers in-store are the same as those who shop online? With such different consumer experiences between virtual and in-store shopping, the marketing department of these two sources must be catering for a different audience. Who those audiences are I am yet to find out..