Ingenious ZARA Marketing: 9 Brand Tricks That Make Us Buy
'03.03.2022'
Source: ADME
Facts about the brand's marketing strategy and life hacks for profitable shopping collected ADME.
Zara is the world's largest clothing retailer. The founder of the empire, Amancio Ortega, at one time started with a store that sold cheap copies of designer items. And today the company's annual turnover is estimated at billions of dollars. And all this huge money for Zara is brought in by us, the customers. Have you ever thought about what makes people buy clothes of this brand again and again?
Bright Side analyzed the marketing strategy of this brand and found several tricks with which it hooks customers.
The most expensive things are located at the entrance - and you will fall into this hook
In Zara stores, clothes are hung with prices. The most expensive items are located at the entrance, with the expectation that the buyer will fall in love with them at first sight. The idea behind the brand is that you shouldn't get to the rows with inexpensive clothes. Zara relies on our impulsive behavior: see - want - buy.
For buyers who are looking for cheaper new items, the far part of the store is intended. Basic items and discounted clothing are located here. But by the time you get to the gallery, you will have time to want a dress, a handbag, and also shoes from the new collection.
Clothes, shoes and bags are specially positioned on top of each other
Zara stores do not have departments in the traditional sense of the word. Shoes, bags and accessories are located in one room. You don't need to think about which shoes to match. The store designers have already thought for you.
Of course, such a capsule is convenient: it saves time and helps navigate the sea of trends. But this is also a clever trick: the buyer's logic is turned off, because everything was decided for you. It remains only to pay.
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Zara has no ads, but it's not about saving
Zara spends a paltry 0,3% of its profits on advertising: the brand does not fundamentally talk about how cool, trendy and comfortable it is. However, this is not an oversight of the company's marketers, but a perfectly thought-out strategy to empty your wallet and conquer the market.
Zara invests its money in catalogs and ... display signs. And the buyer has a feeling of exclusivity. The quality of clothing seems to speak for itself and does not need advertising. Balenciaga and Versace don't play commercials on TV either, but people know it's premium.
Zara does the same trick: you go to the store to buy an item that your colleague / girlfriend / neighbor will not have. Exclusive clothes for modest money. Of course, this exclusivity is imaginary, it's just that Zara is playing cool with people's needs to buy something special, and customers don't mind.
The brand subconsciously influences you: makes you feel like part of the elite
Zara will never open a store next to Walmart, Auchan or Pyaterochka. The brand meticulously monitors the location of its boutiques. Points of sale open only in large shopping centers or on the main streets of metropolitan areas.
Take a closer look: there is almost always a luxury store next to Zara. The clothes there, of course, are stylish and beautiful, only very expensive. Zara is another matter - the neighborhood with ultra-fashionable boutiques as if informs the buyer: "Our clothes are stylish too." But the prices are lower here. That is, Zara makes us feel as stylish as the people who spend a fortune on clothes.
By the way, Kate Middleton helped the brand become a little more aristocratic. The Duchess is a longtime fan of Zara: on the second day after the wedding, Kate wore a simple blue dress from this brand, and, of course, it was immediately snapped up in stores.
Zara launches several new collections specially for the season
More than 400 designers are working on new collections.
Zara's strategy is fast, fast-paced fashion. The brand has changed the way we think about clothing. Now shopping is nothing special: you buy clothes and then get rid of them like stale bread or damp cookies.
While other brands are trying to guess the trends of future seasons, Zara has time to release several new collections. Every couple of months these trends change, the brand pleases customers with a new portion of outfits. If something fashionable has appeared on the catwalk, on city streets or on celebrities, rest assured: you will soon see it in the Zara store.
True, this is the main disadvantage: buyers are hooked on fast fashion. Zara produces 450 million pieces a year, and everyone will find something very necessary among them. We were made to think that new clothes would make us happy and stylish. Well, if it doesn't work out, then you can go back to the store and buy something new.
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You may be sold a thing that has not been bought in other parts of the world
Zara clothes travel more often than some people. And all because things unsold in one of the stores are being taken to another. Skirts, trousers and shirts easily travel the world: clothes from Europe may end up on Russian counters.
But if the model came out completely unsuccessful, then it is redone. So some of the details of failed outfits are given a second life. Zara knows how to save its money and does not throw away unsold items.
The brand creates artificial scarcity so you don't leave without a purchase
Yes, Zara creates artificial scarcity. The brand trained its customers on the principle “if you don't have time to buy a thing now, then you will never see it again”. This means that the jacket that you looked at in the store 10 days ago may disappear from the shelves and never appear again.
An inner hamster wakes up in the buyer: an urgent need to stock up on things for future use. And the brain immediately receives an impulse: "Buy it urgently." Impulsive purchases are beneficial for the seller, but destructive for the buyer. Eventually, most of us begin to regret the wasted money.
Sales are held according to a special scheme
Before the season of sales (usually July, August, December, January, February) Zara tries to sell as many items as possible at the regular price. The store is filled with clothes from previous collections, and newer models are difficult to find. The clothes from the new collections have identification tags, and the rest of the store's assortment is "old" clothes. In a couple of days it will be sold much cheaper. Wait a bit and you won't have to bite your elbows regretting wasted money.
A consultant at Zara does not recommend buying old collections right before the sale.
Test store at Zara headquarters
The brand has stores that ordinary people will never get to. The pilot stores are hidden in the bowels of the brand's Spanish headquarters. If you've visited Zara in different countries, you've probably noticed that the interior is about the same in them. A team of 30 architects thinks through all the little things: the color of the bulbs and even the texture of the flooring, which will positively influence the buyers.
In test stores, the height of the hangers, the height of the mannequins and the location of the checkout are empirically selected. And all so that you relax and make more purchases.
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The girl who worked at ZARA told how to buy clothes for a penny
We found tips from store employees who shared inside information. Now you, too, will know how to save money on purchases at Zara, if you still could not resist the charm of this brand.
As in most fashion stores, sales here take place 3 times a year: at the end of summer, before the New Year and at the end of winter.
The lowest prices in the season of discounts await you in the third week of sales. In the first week, the discount is 20-25%, in the second - 40-50%, but by the end of the third week, prices fall by 70-75%.
Shop for fashion items at Zara, but shop for wardrobe essentials elsewhere. According to experienced shoppers, basic jerseys and jeans are not of the best quality.
It is advisable not to buy shoes from the new collection immediately. During the sale, they will return with a 50% discount.
Stores replenish their stocks on Mondays: the chances of buying quality and inexpensive clothes are higher at the beginning of the week.
The lowest prices for Zara products are in Spain and Portugal (a significant part of things are sewn here). Going on a trip? Bring a spare shopping bag.
