Ch. 17 - Personal Selling and Sales Management

You walk into a Forever 21 store and you are greeted by a sales associate: 
"Hi, welcome to Forever 21. Today we are having all basic tanks and tees on sale at two for $5." Nothing feels better than to walk into a store with sales because lets face it, we all walk into a store with a budget. Although Forever 21 offers low-cost products (compare to their competitors), a trustworthy ad and/or publicity campaign can increase for sales. 

Forever 21 does not advertise on television but they heavily focus on trying to promote their products through social media. As mention previously, Forever 21 updates new products on their Facebook page. Forever 21 is most popular for their iconic grand openings. In order to keep up with these events, their Facebook page will keep you informed every day. Upcoming events include:

March 28th, 2015: Potsdamer Platz Arkaden in Berlin, Germany
April 2nd, 2015: Lucua in Osaka-shi, Osaka, Japan
April 4th, 2015: Schadowstraße 69, 40212, Düsseldorf

Last December,  the new Forever 21 Holiday 2014 campaign increased their sales by using featured recording artist Iggy Azalea and Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young. In the new ad, Iggy rocks an emerald green, shiny dress and her boyfriend Nick sported a handsome white suit and black tie. In this campaign, F21 included collections such as: The party shop, the gift shop, holiday deals, and New Year's Eve dress collection. Forever 21 understands that their young customers are mostly influenced and inspired by celebrities, especially those in the music industry area.  
Another recent campaign that was recently launch in January 2015, was the Forever 21 Activewear campaign. In this campaign Forever 21 "highlights new high-tech features as well as on-trend designs, with key theme ‘Fit. Function. Fashion.’ " To celebrate the Activewear collection, Forever 21 partnered with Australian fitness bloggers and personal trainers, Felicia Oreb and Diana Johnson of Base Body Babes Pty Ltd. With these remarkable women, Forever 21 customers were invited to participate in the Fitness Challenge and were given the chance to win one of five new active looks by posting a photo on Instagram. The Fitness Challenge went abroad on social media networks, and lasted for a month.

A great advantage customers have is they can sign up for exclusive promo codes and coupons at Forever 21. Once a customer has registered, they will receive daily emails from
Forever 21 with information on what's on sale, or the new arrivals. Some coupons are limited on the amount of purchase you make, others are unlimited and the coupon can be used without minimum value. The same concept goes with shipping and handling. 

Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Forever 21 inspires women every day by making them feel beautiful and confident. What's their secret? It's not so much of a secret because advertising plays a huge role to attract their target markets.

The biggest way Forever 21 advertises is through social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are promoting products from the company. The Forever 21 Facebook page is consisted of trendy new products, interactive experiences, upcoming events, and so much more. Their page has over 10 million likes (including mine), from different parts of the world. Every day Forever 21 posts a set of 20 photos based one a certain theme with many different styles worn by models. By constantly posting new trendy clothing, women are more likely to start shopping online, especially now that the new spring collection is available.
From Facebook, consumers are linked to Forever 21's website and blog. Their blog mostly offers information on contests, Instagram challenges, and fashion music videos.
Their website is well-known for its sales promotion; offering free shipping with purchases, coupons/discounts, and sweepstakes. The use of online coupons helps the company lure new customers and demonstrates successful feedback for the market.

Creating events is a unique and entertaining way to attract customers. Some upcoming events include:

• March 21st, 2015- F21 Grand Opening in Mexico*
• March 26th, 2015- F21 Grand Opening in Germany and Israel*

*The first 300 people will receive a gift card with a certain amount of money for free! 

• #F21Festival is a contest in which the grand prize winner will win two V.I.P. tickets to Weekend 2 of the Festival, two round-trip flights + hotel room for 3 nights/4 days, and an entire closet filled with the newest arrivals from the F21 Festival Spring collection from clothing to shoes, bags, and accessories!*

*Based on F21 blog

Forever 21 also advertises on magazines such as Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. Forever 21 has a magazine in their company which consists of the latest styles and looks, and its appearance has bold colors in order to attract the customers attention.

Ch. 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing

It wasn't until I was 14 years old, when I found out the existence of Forever 21 Inc. Consumers like myself spend quite some time searching for a retail store in which they can become a loyal customer. Seeing the store itself is much more different than actually knowing the company's marketing distribution and retailing strategies.

Forever 21 drives their costumers by selling its entire collection online. As more customers embrace online shopping, an increasing number of retailers will start to use multiple distribution channels. Forever 21 is aware of its competitors, and the use of multiple distribution may lead to cannibalization (one channel takes sales away from another). To break it down even further, the company specifically uses the level of selective distribution. Selective distribution involves a producer using limited number of outlets in a geographical area to sell products. A great advantage for Forever 21 is that they can choose the most appropriate or best performing outlets on them. It's also the best way for consumers to shop around because they have a preference for a particular brand
or price and will search out the outlets that supply.

Extreme Left – Do Won Chang (CEO of Forever 21) and Third From Left – Sidharth Malhotra at the Launch of Forever 21 Store in Saket, New Delhi.

Global relationships with India and for China are very important to the company. As of 2013, Forever
21 plans to invest $50 million in the Indian market over the next few years to expand its retail operations. Do Won Chang, the Korean founder and chief executive of Forever 21 Inc., sees the population of both India and China, as a huge opportunity to target market. The company expects to add 35 stores in India over the next five years. With new stores still opening, Forever 21 is seeing more than 500 large retail stores across the globe. 

If you haven't noticed, I myself am a dedicated customer at Forever 21 Inc. In my neighborhood, I have the option of going to two different store locations: Queens Center Mall, or The Shops at Atlas Park. My personal favorite store location is at Atlas Park. The store is more appealing and noticeable to the naked eye because of its surrounding environment: clean, elegant, safe, and engaging. On the other hand, the store located at Queens Center is not very appealing due to it's commercial location. The surrounding environment is always crowded, and locating the store can be confusing due to the way the mall was designed.

Forever 21 Inc., Atlas Park Mall

The exterior of the store always grabs the attention individuals. The store is conceived of a glass façade; passengers experience a subtle environment by day and a Times-Square vibe appearance by night. Once I'm side, I am bombarded with so much clothes, that you don't know where to start. Since the store has a rectangular shape with two floors, I would usually start from the left side and go clockwise, and repeat on the lower level. Forever 21 is unique with it's styles and updated clothing. Just by looking from the exterior, one can already tell if the new seasonal clothing are in. Sometimes a sales associate will greet the customers with discount coupons; making the shopping experience more exciting. There is no specific uniform code in the store. Each employee is allowed to wear whatever expresses their individuality. This motivates the customers to feel comfortable in what they want to buy.

If a customer is looking for inspiration, mannequins are located throughout the entire store with the latest styles. If a customer is still having trouble, one could always ask a sales associate to help them find what they're looking for. Better yet, the fitting rooms are the best place to ask for advice. Once a customer is about to purchase at the registrar, the sales associate always asks if everything went well today. Also, they are quick to inform that we have thirty days to either exchange or receive store credit for the purchase item. 

Forever 21 Inc., Times Square

If you're not satisfied with your local store locator, there's always the one at Times Square (Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets). In 2010, the company opened its flagship store right across the street from the MTV headquarters. The store is huge, consisting of four floors, over 90,000 sq. ft., and 151 dressing rooms. The local stores close at 10 p.m., but if you're looking for a last minute party outfit, Times Square F21 is open until 2 a.m. daily. Forever 21 is always known for its bright and loud atmosphere. The music always gives the customers that adrenaline to stay focus and motivated to keep shopping. Walking into the store in Times Square, is like walking into a mall, but it's not a mall. Wide open spaces, different kinds of flooring, different kinds of wall paintings, and random huge objects including mannequins. 

Shop at Forever 21 and I guarantee you'll come back for more.

Look at the population of both India and China, it’s huge... and... young too. This is a big opportunity,”

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/HaomL7OBqYV53vFnCDfOfK/Forever-21-plans-investing-50-mn-in-India-to-expand-retail.html?utm_source=copy

Do Won Chang, the Korean founder and chief executive of Forever 21 Inc.

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/HaomL7OBqYV53vFnCDfOfK/Forever-21-plans-investing-50-mn-in-India-to-expand-retail.html?utm_source=copy

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

Mignon McLaughlin, an American journalist, once said, “Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets.” 

Consumers are probably the pickiest group of people aside from a child who doesn't want to eat their vegetables.  Therefore, retail companies must focus on how to make their customers feel satisfy during and after their decision-making process.

Forever 21's target market are women from ages 18-34, and it's a difficult task to keep up with their taste. Most women shop for more wants than for more needs, which is why they're considered to be shopaholics. Shopping online is the easiest way to buy products, and while surfing Forever 21's website, consumers tend to look over reviews prior to purchasing products. Customers want to know if the product they love is worth buying. Nobody likes reading bad reviews, however they must look at the alternatives; What other product can I buy that is similar to the one I wanted?

Walking into the store, customers will usually be in groups (family/friends) because they help each other make decisions on what to buy. The opinion of family/friends helps customers feel content in what they choose to buy. Another way of communicating in a store is a face-to-face conversation with a salesperson. Customers immediately depend on a salesperson because they know more about the products in the store and what is more likely recommended for their taste.

Retail stores are always updating their products due to seasonal changes and/or new trends. Forever 21 must present different kinds of clothing collections in a way that the consumer will appreciate and be willing to try it on in a fitting before buying it. Even though most women go inside the fitting rooms, Forever 21 does not despise transgender women:

 "In most stores, there aren’t women’s or men’s fitting rooms, the fitting rooms are for both men and women. If someone’s transgender, yeah that’s totally fine, yeah it’s totally… there’s no preference. If someone wants to try on clothes you can try them on. There’s no discrimination against anybody.”

Shopping at Forever 21 always becomes a personal journey for friends and family. It is a consumer's personal decision to choose to go to Forever 21 rather than H&M. The environment, the staff, the affordable prices, and, unique styles are what encourages consumers to express their individuality by making the right choice. The most popular place consumers love to express their individuality is on Youtube. In their videos, consumers will create a bunch of hauls- a shopping spree of  purchased products.