This report was written by the Millennial team of the

Associate Degree of Fashion and Textile Merchandising, RMIT

University, 2016.

Jess Bosnic s3502779

Tameeka Chewe s3503128
Chim Tin Wai (Tina) s3258814
Miranda Crouch s3501772
Pauline Kimberley s3529777
Laura Leanza s3559786
Erin Marzano s3529877

Market Research Report 2016 1

Executive Summary

This report provides an analysis of Miss Shops target market in relation to their
buying habits, product preferences and personal interests, based on our findings
from primary data (in the format of a questionnaire designed by our team) and
secondary data.

Methods that we have used to analyse and process our data include the use of
several functions on Microsoft Excel as well as comparisons with secondary sources.
Our team has cross-referenced particular questions to gain a further understanding
from the respondents.

Our findings and analysis addresses opportunities in order for Miss Shop to
overcome weaknesses our team have identified, as well as in response to the brief
our team received from Myer at the beginning of this year. Our aim is to provide
insights in order to increase store traffic, improve the visual merchandising and in-
store experience, develop an effective pricing structure, and provide opportunities to
distinguish Miss Shop from other brands.

In relation to these factors, our recommendations include:

Offering free shipping on the Miss Shop website, rather than solely focusing
on Click & Collect

Creating and/or hosting events or programs to increase foot traffic while

improving the in-store experience

Invest in more sophisticated customer service

Adjusting the marketing for each social media platform in response to the age
of consumers using each platform

Initiate collaboration with a relatable role model

However, this report also recognises the fact that our findings were limited in some
regards, primarily due to some responses being deemed invalid as they did not meet
the requirements of the questions asked.

Market Research Report 2016 2

Table of Contents
1. Demographics ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 The qualifier question; (Q1) Which age bracket do you belong to? Please tick one. .... 5

2. Shopping Preferences Part 1 (How) ................................................................................. 6

2.1 (Q3) Do you shop online for clothing? Please tick one. (Q4) If yes, which platform do
you use the most to shop online for clothing? Please tick one. ........................................... 6
2.2 (Q5) How do you mainly shop for clothing? Please tick one. ........................................ 7
2.3 (Q6) Who do you go clothes shopping with the most? Please tick one......................... 9
2.4 (Q7) When do you prefer to go in-store clothes shopping? Please tick one box in each
row. ...................................................................................................................................... 9

3. Shopping Preferences Part 2 (What) ............................................................................. 11

3.1 (Q8) What is important to you in a retail store? Please rank using a 1 - 5 scale. ........ 11
3.2 (Q9) Please rank the following stores on a 1 to 5 scale, in terms of affordability and in-
store experience. (Table format) ....................................................................................... 12
3.3 (Q16) Do you have any other comments in regards to retail shopping? (Open ended)
........................................................................................................................................... 13

4. Product Preferences .......................................................................................................... 16

4.1 (Q10) How often do you shop at the following international retailers in Australia?
Please rate each store on a 1 to 5 scale. .......................................................................... 16
4.2 (Q11A) You need to buy a basic t-shirt, what is your priority? Please tick one. .......... 18
4.3 (Q11B) What is the maximum price youre willing to pay for this t-shirt? Please tick
one..................................................................................................................................... 19
4.4 (Q11C) How often would you buy this item? (Open ended) ........................................ 20

5. Personal Interests ............................................................................................................. 21

5.1 (Q2) Which social media platform do you use the most? Please tick one................... 21
5.2 (Q12) Where do you look for fashion inspiration the most? Please tick one. .............. 23
5.3 (Q13) Who is your favourite fashion icon? (Open ended) ........................................... 24
5.4 (Q14) Which item best describes your personal style? Please tick one. ..................... 25
5.5 (Q15) What is the one annual event that you can't miss? (Open Ended) ................... 27

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 28

References ............................................................................................................................ 29

Appendix ............................................................................................................................... 31

Market Research Report 2016 3

Introduction

The following market research report is based on the results from 274 administered
questionnaires answered by female consumers aged 14-25 - the target market of
Myer Miss Shop's 'Essentials' range. The report is aimed to obtain information
regarding the brief in relation to buying habits, preferences and interests of this
market. Particularly referring to the Essentials range we state in specific questions
within the report a 'basic' item which we interpret, along with consumers, as staple
wardrobe items. Our team believes this report can provide a clear image of who Miss
Shop's consumers really are and what they are looking for from fashion retailers. As
the culture of fast-fashion is growing rapidly alongside the shift from brick-and-mortar
stores to online shopping, it is important for Miss Shop to be able to effectively
engage with consumers through multiple channels.

However, our team acknowledge that there are limitations to this report. Not all of the
administered questionnaires were fully answered or were incorrectly answered in
some areas resulting in invalid responses. Due to this, we have stated throughout
the report the valid sample size used for each question as marked by n=.

The report will display the findings of responses to 16 questions from the
questionnaire our team designed, broken into 5 sections: demographics, shopping
preferences (how), shopping preferences (what), product preferences and personal
interests.

Market Research Report 2016 4

1. Demographics
Our team identified the target market of Miss Shop, with the questionnaire broken
into specific age groups. Gathering findings from different age divisions helps draw
parallels and focus throughout the survey.

1.1 The qualifier question; (Q1) Which age bracket do you belong to? Please
tick one.
n=274
Age and gender have been used as a qualifier question for the survey. This directly
reflects to Miss Shops target market as specified in the brief; female, aimed at 15 to
25 year olds (Generation Y and Generation Z). Within this target market, age has
been broken down into four age brackets. 14 year olds were included in the survey
as by the time SS16/17 is in stores, these respondents will be entering the target
market. Refer to figure 1.

Age of Respondents

19% 21%
14-16
17-19
20-22
28% 23-25
32%

Figure 1: Age of respondents

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