Topshop and

Downtown Boston
A Statistical Analysis of the prospect of opening a Topshop
retail store in downtown Boston.
What is Topshop?

 Topshop is a chain of retail clothing

stores
 Mainly known for its women's clothing
 Operates in more than 20 countries.
 Separate men’s store called Topman that
was created in the late 1970s
 Owned by Arcadia Group
 Its primary sales come from clothing
and fashion accessories
 Also produces significant online sales .
What we need to know.
 More about consumer purchase decision

 If there is significant demand for a Topshop retail

store in downtown Boston
 How local consumers feel about European fashion
and products
 How the current consumer market feels about
shopping on a personal level
 Where do current consumers shop?

 How consumers feel about Topshop coming to

Boston
Presentation Points…
Significant Results

 Purchase Decisions
 Style
 Celebrity Endorsement
 Popularity
 European Roots

 Interesting Correlations in
Participants’ Responses regarding
Purchase Decisions
 Style and Celebrity
Endorsement
 Style and Topshop Support
 Celebrity Endorsement and
Popularity

 Consumer Behaviors/Attitudes
 Clothes and Social Status
 Topshop Support

What we did. Methodology…
 4 page Questionnaire (56 variables)

 Distributed to 27 participants

 Ranged in age from 18-24

 Emerson College taking Paul Hackett’s courses

Downside

We only tested a small sample that did not represent

the actual market population
Purchase Decisions

 Style
Celebrity Endorsement
Popularity
European Roots

Style as a Factor in Making a
Purchase Decision

 The majority of
participants
either agreed or
strongly agreed
that style was an
important factor
when making a
purchase
decision
 Only a small
percentage of
participants
disagree that
Celebrity Endorsement as a
Factor in Making a Purchase
Decision

 Majority of
participants
expressed that
celebrity
endorsement was
not important in
making a purchase
decision

 Marketing to Boston
consumers means
little or no
celebrity
Popularity as a Factor in Making a
Purchase Decision

 78% of participants
either agreed or
were neutral when
prompted about
popularity

 Only 19% of
participants
disagreed that
popularity was a
factor in making a
purchase decision
European Roots as a Factor in
Making A Purchase Decision

 No participants
disagree that
European roots
are not a factor
in making a
purchase

 Majority of
participants
agreed that
European Roots
are a factor in
making a
purchase
Review… Purchase Decision
Factors
Interesting Correlations in
Participants’ Responses regarding
Purchase Decisions

 Style and Celebrity Endorsement

 Style and Topshop Support

 Celebrity Endorsement and Popularity




Correlation between Style and
Celebrity Endorsement

 Majority of
participants who
either are Style
advocates or are
neutral on the
subject think
celebrity
endorsement is
not important
D e sp ite th e ta rg e t m a rke t
 Only 11% of b e in g style a d vo ca te s, it
participants a p p e a rs ce le b rity
thought celebrity e n d o rse m e n t is n o t n e ce ssa ry
endorsement was to m a rke t to p e o p le w h o a g re e
important AND w ith style
agreed that style
Correlations between Style and
Topshop Support from
Participants

 Strong correlation
between
agreement in
style and
positive opinions
towards bringing
Topshop to
Boston
 The majority of
T h e re w e re so m e
those who did
not think p a rticip a n ts w h o d id n o t
Topshop would a g re e w ith style b u t sa id
work in the To p sh o p w o u ld w o rk , a s
Boston, also did th e re w e re th o se w h o d id
not agree that a g re e w ith style th a t d id n o t
style is important th in k it w o u ld w o rk
Correlation Between Celebrity
Endorsement and Popularity

 The majority of
participants who
found celebrity
endorsement
neutral or
unimportant also
found popularity to
be a moderately
important factor in Celebrity Endorsement and
making a purchase
Bottom Line Popularity are both relatively
useless as marketing strategies
decision in the current market based on
statistical data.
…But data is inaccurate.
Consumer Behavior/Attitudes

 Clothes and Social Status

Topshop Support

Do you think Topshop will
be good in Boston?

 48% of participants
answered yes, with
26% both no and
undecided.

 There are some

interesting
correlations
between other
variables and this
one
Clothes as Signs of
Social Status

 82% of participants
responded that
clothes represent
social status some
of the time or
definitely do (all the
time)

 18% responded either

does not may
This information or be valuable for marketing purposes
regarding how to position
definitely does Topshop as a brand in the current
not
consumer market
It would mean that Topshop would have to be seen as clothes that
do not represent status in order to appeal to a wider audience
of potential consumers