Talbots for Women

In our retailing class we are discussing how to understand our target market. The reason why retailers need to know their customers is simply because it will enable them to understand the customer’s needs, desires, and behaviors of shopping. The better you understand consumers, the better retailer you will become.

Our professor asked us to take one store and discuss their customer and identify an in-depth profile. She asked us to discuss the generation and what major trends and events affected them in the past and how does this influence them as customers.

I decided to pick Talbots because I have been an employee for about two years, and have experianced the high demand for women who are getting older. A lot of woman who shop at Talbots are 35+ years old. I strongly believe that these woman what to look classy yet very beautiful as their bodies change, because they are being influenced by society that woman should look as young as they possibly can. This might mean dying your hair the shade of natural color rather than any grays flying in the way, always putting some kind of formula on your face to keep wrinkles away, and possibly getting plastic surgery.

These women who shop at Talbots are usually mothers, aunts, grandmothers, a wife, a friend, business woman, or teacher to society. These women have been through so much. Weather is was raising a child, finding a job, losing a husband or mother or father, recovering from a divorce or trying to recover from cancer or some other type of operation these women have been through so much. And these events really affect a woman’s way to shop.

The events that might affect the customer’s behaviors of shopping: I have had a woman who just had a new born baby trying to find new clothes because she said she had nothing that fit her right. Also, I have had a mother shop for a mother of the bride dress. And there have also been the customers who just want to shop to impress, or going to a business interview and need a new outfit. There are also several women who have to go to some type of party, school event, or even a cook-out trying to find something cute yet very comfortable that has quality.

Economically, Talbots is a high end store for women who are classy. From doctor’s wives to singles that are living off of social security – it just shows that there is a high demand for woman’s clothing who are 35 and up.

Talbots offers a petit, misses (regular size), and plus size clothing for all woman. With my experience in the location that I work, there are a lot of White, African-American, and Asian woman who shop at Talbots. I have come across some Hispanics women but not as much.

Elizabeth