Topman

1. CUSTOMER PROFILE
“DEFINITIVE TOPMAN CUSTOMER IS HARD TO PIN DOWN: IT’S A
PRETTY DIVERSE CROWD”

3. TOPMAN APPEAL TO A LARGE VARIETY OF CONSUMER TYPES DUE TO THEIR SUBTANTIAL PRODUCT RANGE AND
VARIATION IN PRICES, ESPECIALLY ONLINE AND IN THEIR FLAGSHIP STORES. THE BRAND STATES THAT THEIR TARGET
CONSUMER ARE BETWEEN 16 – 25 YEARS OLD, ALSO KNOWN AS GENERATION Y. GENERATION Y ARE THE GROUP OF
PEOPLE BORN BETWEEN THE 1980’S – 2000. THIS GENERATION HAVE COME TO EXPECT TOP NOTCH CUSTOMER SERVICE
SUCH AS FREE SHIPPING AND EASY – TO – NAVIGATE WEBSITES, AND THERE DRAWN TO LIFESTYLE BRANDS THAT HELP
DEFINE AND PROJECT WHO THEY ARE. (MONEY.US.NEWS. 2010). THIS HAS EMERGED THROUGH THEM BEING A RATHER
SELFISH GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, IMMERSED IN REALITY TV AND DESPERATE FOR THEIR OWN FIVE MINUTES OF FAME.
HOWEVER, GENERATION Y ARE FUELING TO INCREASE IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND ARE PUSHING FOR BOUNDARIES IN
MARKETING AND BRANDING TO BE MORE ADVANCED THAN EVER. WITH THEIR LOVE FOR MOBILE DEVICES, INCLUDING
SMART PHONES ARE TABLETS, THEY ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS CONNECTED.
CONSUMER SEGMENTATION

4. STUDENTS
THE FIRST TYPE OF CONSUMER IS THE MALE STUDENTS. WITH A LOT OF PEER PRESSURE AND THEIR INCREASING
INTEREST IN ‘PERSONAL STYLE’. THEY BEGIN TO LOOK AT BLOGS, MUSICIANS, MAGAZINES AND SPORTING TALENTS AS A
STARTING POINT FOR DEVELOPING THERE OWN SENSE OF STYLE. THEY RANGE FROM 16 – 22, AND THE OLDER THEY ARE
THE MORE THEY PAY AN INTEREST IN FASHION. THE ‘TYPICAL STUDENTS’ USUALLY LOCATED IN BIG TOWN AND CITIES IN
THE UK, STUDENTS LOVE TOPMAN FOR THEIR FAIRLY PRICED, TREND LED BASICS, INCLUDING T- SHIRTS, CHINOS, JEANS
AND HOODIES. THE DIFFICULTY WITH STUDENTS IS THAT THE MAJORITY ARE INTERESTED IN FITTING INTO THE CROWD
AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE WEARING SIMILAR APPAREL TO THEIR PEERS. WHEN LOOKING AROUND A BUSY
UNIVERSITY, IT IS EASY TO SPOT A NUMBER OF MALES WEARING THE SAME KIND OF OUTFITS AND BEING ABLE TO
IDENTIFY THE CLOTHING AS BEING FROM TOPMAN. WITH THE NOTION OF BEING A STUDENT NORMALLY GOING HAND
IN HAND WITH A LACK OF DISPOSABLE INCOME; WHAT MONEY THEY DO SPEND ON CLOTHING THEY WILL SPEND ON
THE HIGH STREET AS DESIGNER AND LUXURY PRICES ARE NOT AN OPTION. MANY STUDENTS DO HAVE A PART TIME JOB
TO HELP GET THROUGH THE COSTS OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY; THESE STUDENTS COULD FEEL THEY HAVE MORE
MONEY TO SPEND ON CLOTHING. TOPMAN IN PARTICULAR HOLD STUDENT 20% OFF EVENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF
EACH STUDY TERM, AS THIS IS WHEN LOADS OF LOANS AND GRANTS ARE ISSUED TO STUDENTS AND THIS WILL ENTICE
THEM TO SPENDING IT. STUDENTS ARE LIKELY TO INTERACT WITH A BRAND LIKE TOPMAN NOT ONLY IN A PHYSICAL
FORM IN A SHOP, BUT ALSO OVER THE INTERNET, THROUGH APPS AND ON TV. ALL YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAYS
GENERATION HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP AROUND TECHNOLOGY SO FIND THEM AT EASE WITH IT. WHEN APPROACHED BY
BRANDS ONLINE THEY FIND IT EASY TO CONNECT WITH THEM.

5. CONSUMER PROFILE: STUDENT

6. STUDENTS
• Do you shop at Topman? YES
• Where do you shop? RIVER ISLAND, TOPMAN, H&M
• How much money do you spend on clothing a month? £50
• Where do you like to eat? NANDOS, PIZZA HUT
• Where are your favourite bars? THE HOBBIT, OCEANA
• What is your fridge staple item? CHEESE, COKE
• Which musician/artists do you like? COLDPLAY, KOL, THE
KILLERS, MICHAEL BUBLE
• How do you purchase your music? DOWNLOAD
• Which TV shows do you watch? FAMILY GUY, A LEAGUE OF
THEIR OWN, 8 OUT OG 10 CATS
• What magazines and Newspapers do you prefer? DAILY
MAIL, THE SUN
• What social media do you use? FACEBOOK, TWITTER,
INSTAGRAM
• Do you have a smart phone? YES
• What apps do you use? TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, BUS APP,
SKY SPORTS
• What other technologies do you own? MACBOOK PRO,
IPAD, XBOX ONE
• Where do you get your hair cut? MICKY’S BARBERS
• How do you travel? TRAIN, BUS
• Who do you live with? FLATMATES
• What is your occupation? FULL TIME STUDENT
MALE SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT STUDENT

7. SCHOOL BOYS
ANOTHER SEGMENT OF CONSUMER THAT TOPMAN ATTRACT ARE THE UP AND COMING YOUNG PEOPLE. AGED
AROUND 13 – 16, THEY ARE USUALLY JUST BEGINNING TO BECOME INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY DRESS LIKE AND
BEGINNING TO FIND THAT THEY CHOOSE THEIR OWN CLOTHING INSTEAD OF RELYING HEAVILY ON THEIR PARENTS.
THIS AGE GROUP TEND TO HAVE A VERY SMALL MONTHLY ALLOWANCE FROM THEIR PARENTS, OR A VERY LOW PAID
LOCAL SATURDAY JOB, RESULTING IN A LOW DISPOSABLE INCOME. THE RANGES OF TOPMAN MERCHANDISE THESE
CONSUMERS TEND TO PURCHASE WOULD BE THE VERY BASICS, ACCESSORIES AND UNDERWEAR. AT THIS AGE, BOYS
BEGIN TO GO INTO THEIR LOCAL TOWN TO GO SHOPING TOGETHER AND THEY ARE VERY INFLUENCED BY WINDOW
DISPLAYS AND WHAT EVER IS DEEMED AS ‘COOL’ . THIS IS WHERE TOPMAN ENCOURAGE THEIR CONSUMERS BY
PUTTING ON DJ’S AND ENSURING TOPMAN ACTS AS A PLACE TO HANG OUT. SCHOOL BOYS HAVE AN INTEREST FOR
SPORTS, XBOX AND OTHER GAMING DEVICES AND HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. THEY ARE PARTICULARLY
INTERESTED IN TECHNOLOGY AS MOST YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DUAL OR EVEN TRIPLE SCREENING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WITH ACCESS TO THEIR OWN PERSONAL COMPUTER AS WELL AS SMART PHONE AND TV, THEY ARE ACCESSING THE
MEDIA IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS. THIS IS WHERE THEY SOURCE THEIR INSPIRATION AND SHARE THEIR
THOUGHTS ON BRANDS OVER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES TO THEIR OTHER PEERS.

8. CONSUMER PROFILE: SCHOOL BOYS

9. YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
WHETHER OR NOT THIS CONSUMER HAS GONE TO UNIVERSITY, THEY ARE NOW WORKING PROFESSIONALS,
SUSTAINING A FULL TIME JOB. THEY ARE AROUND 20 – 26 AND USE TOPMAN TO BUY BOTH WORK CLOTHES AND
APPAREL FOR NIGHTS OUT AND WEEKENDS. WITH TOPMANS TREND LED WORK RANGE, A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
CAN FEEL LIKE THEY ARE RETAINING THEIR YOUTH WHILST WORKING A 9 – 5 JOB. ALTHOUGH THIS CONSUMER WILL
HAVE A LOT MORE TO PAY FOR IF THEY HAVE MOVED OUT OF HOME AND INTO A CITY, THEIR INCOME WILL LEAD
THEM TO HAVE MORE MONEY TO PLAY WITH AS WELL. THEY MAY FIND THEMSELVES TREATING THEMSELVES TO NEW
OUTFITS FOR NIGHTS OUT. HOWEVER, THIS TYPE OF CONSUMER MAY BEGIN TO BE ATTRACTED TO LONG LASTING,
QUALITY, LUXURY ITEMS AND BRANDS. THE FLAGSHIP AND ONLINE COLLECTIONS INVOLVING UP AND COMING
DESIGNERS AND BOUTIQUE BRANDS ARE SUDDENLY ATTRACTIVE TO THIS CONSUMER. FOR EXAMPLE THE JAMES
LONG FOR TOPMAN COLLECTION, WHICH IS A SERIES OF REASONABLY PRICED DESIGNER KNITWEAR THAT IS MADE IN
BRITAIN, WOULD ATTRACT THE YOUNG PROFFESSIONALS. IT WOULD BE DEEMED AS A REWARD FOR HARD WORK
AND A REASONABLE WAY OF SPENDING DISPOSABLE INCOME. THIS SEGMENTATION OF THE CONSUMER WOULD
MOST LIKELY SHOP ONLINE AS THEY ARE WORKING THROUGHOUT THE WEEK DURING THE TOPMAN OPENING
HOURS.

10. CONSUMER PROFILE:YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS

11. METROSEXUALS
TOPMAN HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES WITH A NEW TYPE OF YOUNG MALE TO ATTRACT. THE HETRO SEXUAL MALE
WITH AN UNASHAMED INTEREST IN SHOPPING, FASHION, FITNESS AND PERSONAL GROOMING, IS BECOMING
INCREASINGLY USED AND ACCEPTED TO DEFINE MALE BEHAVIOUR. CONSUMER AGE RANGE IS 16 – 24, AS THIS TYPE
OF CONSUMER IS CROPPING UP ACROSS ALL CIRCLES. WITH AN INTEREST IN SPORTING AND PARTICIPATING IN GYM
ACTIVITIES, THEY ARE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THEIR BODY AND IT IS OFTEN REFLECTED IN WHAT THEY EAT. GROOMING
PRODUCTS ARE ALMOST AS IMPORTANT AS APPAREL AS THEY ARE INTERESTED IN A FULL IMAGE. THEY PARTICIPATE
IN ‘LADS HOLIDAYS’ REGULARLY AND USE VACATIONS AS A WAY OF DISPLAYING THEIR NEW CLOTHING. REGARDLESS
OF THEIR INCOME, WHETHER IT BE STUDENT OR FULL TIME OCCUPATION, THEY SPEND A LARGE PROPORTION OF
WHAT THEY HAVE ON GARMENTS AND GROOMING.

12. CONSUMER PROFILE: METROSEXUALS

13. BRAND ETHOS:
THE BRAND ETHOS IS TO CREATE AN OFFEREING OF CONTEMPORARY MEN’S BASICS DESIGNED IN HIGH
QUALITY MATERIALS THAT CAN BE WORN SEASON AFTER SEASON.
THE COMPETITION:
TOPMAN COMPETES PRIMARILY ON ITS ABILITY TO BRING HIGHER END FASHION TO CONSUMERS ON A
MASS LEVEL. ALTHOUGH TOPMAN MAY NOT BE THE MOST AFFORDABLE RETAILER, IT IS THE MOST
STYLISH OF ITS DIRECT COMPETITORS. ONE OF THE RETAILER’S MOST NOTABLE DIRECT COMPETITORS IS
URBAN OUTFITTERS