A TRIP TO OXFORD STREET

Last Tuesday my Fashion Marketing and Communication class ventured to the big smoke to look at fashion brands and their locations, it was cool to understand fashion clustering and to look at how fashion brands create a visual presence on the high street, OH and to shop a little of course (sorry student loan) did you know London has THREE Zara stores within walking distance from each other?! dreamy right!

Several Percy Pigs and a long coach journey later I arrived on Oxford Street ready to get lost in the wonderful land of John Lewis.

From a distance, the first thing I noticed was how John Lewis was situated right next to two of its major competitors, House Of Fraser & Debenhams... the second thing was how extremely summery London was looking for October, LOOK AT THAT BLUE SKY!

Connecting with generation Z - A window display outside the John Lewis Oxford Street store promoting the Apple watch series 4 which can be purchased in their Apple shop located on floor 5. 

"Here, we're more than employees - we're owners. That's why we're all called Partners. And that's why we all go above and beyond to offer quality products and outstanding service to the people who matter most - you, our customers. BECAUSE FOR US, IT'S PERSONAL." 

As soon as you enter the store, you're hit with John Lewis's mission statement which gives the customer a real sense of importance within a few seconds of arrival.

"Today we're matching a competitors promotion"

Everything John Lewis sells is already competitively priced with quality and value in mind. There is a dedicated team that monitors their high street competitors prices (I literally see you House Of Fraser) every day, even during sales, even online. John Lewis's Price Match is a nice homage to John Spedan Lewis consistently keeping fair pricing at the heart of the business.

The price range at John Lewis is generally between £20-£1000, I noticed they make their pricing smaller on their displays which puts the focus more on the product than on price.

Personal Styling on Floor 1 "We'll help you find looks that work, to create a wardrobe that's unique to you."

Experience is as important as the product to John Lewis, their stores are destinations for inspiration and enjoyment, as well as shopping. You can receive personal styling advice on Floor 1 of their Oxford Street store.

*Hums The Apprentice theme tune*

John Lewis is aware that millennials are changing the way we shop. Their focus on in-store experiences is partly driven by the expectations of younger shoppers in their twenties and thirties. Millennials value shared experiences and activities with friends, particularly when they can capture them in pictures or on video for social media. John Lewis has already tapped into appealing to this demographic by offering personalised denim jackets, free tattoo transfers, and in-store photo booths.

Millennials are twice as likely more to have a beauty treatment whilst shopping as more mature customers, 3x more likely to do another leisure activity when out shopping and 2x more likely to use their mobile phone to price compare.

The most popular gift experiences to be sold at John Lewis are glamping, afternoon tea & rural escapes for two.

Givenchy window display outside the John Lewis Flagship store on Oxford Street. 

It is important for John Lewis to keep their visual design of the shop and their window schemes up to the high street standard that is expected.

Every John Lewis has a consistent look and feel to them and it's vital that it's maintained. The general layout of the store is immaculate and the products are situated in ideal locations, I also noticed the product placement was usually in groupings or pairings.

I picked up a free copy of John Lewis's Autumn 2018 magazine, featuring the womenswear collection that "makes looking stylish look simple."