Believe it or not, there was a time when moms actually bought most of their kids’ clothes. All by themselves.
Sometimes – and you should prepare yourself for a shock here – they even picked out what their offspring would wear to school on any given day, and laid it out for them the night before.
We are not making up any of this.
Needless to say, those days are long gone. Today, Mom has less and less influence over what her kids wear. Indeed, some fashion retailers have begun bypassing her altogether, and going after youngsters directly.
Lingerie retailer La Senza, a division of Dorval, Que.-based Suzy Shier, is one of them.
On April 17, at Toronto’s Eaton Centre, the company opened its first La Senza Girl store, a retail concept targeting girls aged 8-14. According to Karine Wascher, La Senza’s vice-president, marketing, there are plans to open at least seven more locations across the country by fall.
La Senza Girl, which offers everything from denim and cargo pants to sleepwear, shoes and cosmetics, is the retailer’s first foray into the increasingly lucrative tween market.
Wascher says La Senza had been looking to extend its brand for some time, and saw young girls as a viable target, having already built a solid reputation with their mothers.
‘The La Senza brand is very well known on the Canadian retail scene,’ she says. ‘We did some research into new markets, which showed that the tween market was a very exciting new market. We felt that we were well-equipped to address this market, with the expertise and experience that we have.’
Wascher describes La Senza Girl’s target as intelligent young girls who demonstrate an interest in the world around them, are comfortable with technology such as the Internet, and – of course – are very much into current fashion trends.
‘There’s a certain maturity with that age, and our marketing strategy really targets that,’ Wascher says. ‘We’re not talking down to them.’
While the La Senza Girl product line-up reflects the maturity level of the target group, Wascher says they have taken care to ensure that their offerings won’t offend Mom’s sensibilities.
‘Parents have to be comfortable as well,’ she says. ‘A mother has to be comfortable that what her daughter wants to buy is appropriate.’
Before opening the first La Senza Girl store, the retailer conducted numerous focus groups, and even followed focus group members on shopping trips to get a better sense of their tastes and preferences.
The concept was also tested out in 12 existing La Senza locations. Wascher says the positive response to the sleepwear and other products in the La Senza Girl line clearly demonstrated the potential for success.
‘Now we have taken the next step, with a stand-alone store that is only for [girls],’ she says. ‘This is their playground.’
All merchandising and presentation in-store will reflect the lifestyle young girls aspire to, Wascher says. The stores will also feature an interactive station where young shoppers can log on to the La Senza Girl Web site (www.lasenzagirl.com) to play games, participate in quizzes and check out information about the store’s offerings.
La Senza Girl will be relying heavily on its Web presence to promote the store. Partnerships are also in place with a number of complementary brands – among them Snapple, HMV, Kernels, Dep and Bain de Soleil – which should open the door for various cross-promotions.
As for traditional advertising, Wascher says that’s on the back burner for the time being.
‘It’s still a very young brand, and there’s only one store,’ Wascher says. ‘From a budgetary point of view, I don’t think [we] can account for that. But certainly once things are up and running, we will look into it.’
Also in this report:
– Fantasy, control key to youth promos p.25
– Spotlight on…Advertising to Kids p.27
– Social messages best couched in kids’ words: If you want to get through to youngsters, you’ve got to speak their language, say the experts p.31
– Reebok scores with high-school tournament p.34
