Clickstream Analysis

While browsing online for shoes at Nordstrom.com, aldoshoes.com, and victorassecret.com I noticed that after I had clicked on a few pairs of shoes the websites began making suggestions as to other products I might also be interested in. On the side and bottom bars of the webpages appeared headlines like "we think you'd also love" and "you might also like" above linked pictures of styles similar to the products I had previously clicked on.

This is an example of click-stream analysis. These websites were monitoring my movement around their sites and keeping track of the products I had shown interest in (by clicking on them to view their details); and subsequently "suggesting" products that they had already established might appeal to a consumer with my tastes.

Using clickstream analysis techniques allows these websites to measure consumer demand and monitor where shoppers are entering and exiting their pages.

Customer Questionaire

Last weekend I made a purchase at Old Navy and with my receipt I received an invitation to take part in an online consumer survey; which I chose to do. The survey began with some basic questions to establish which store location I had visited, at what time time of day, and which sales representative rang me up. It then progressed into more in-depth questions about how I felt about my experience at the store, what product categories I shopped for and purchased from, what I thought would help to improve the store and customers' shopping experience, and new product lines I would like to see at Old Navy.

This questionaire is an example of primary data collection using cross-sectional design descriptive research. Old Navy has decided to conduct primary research in order to answer specific questions they have about shoppers' experience in their stores and opinion about the brand. Further, they have decided to use cross-sectional design descriptive research, surveying a large number of consumers at one point in time, to answer these questions.

The Old Navy questionaire was moderately to completely structured. Most of the questions were to be answered on a point scale, while some questions were built off of answers of previous questions and were to be answered in the survey taker's own words.

Mission Statements

"We offer a tightly curated selection of clothing from both young and established designers, available for purchase online. Our goal is to source the strongest artists and thinkers in the fashion world today. We edit the collections to represent our aesthetic, consistently choosing pieces that are timeless, versatile, and well crafted."

This is the mission statement of Totokaelo, a small, privately-owned designer boutique based in downtown Seattle, WA. It states, in clear terms, the business' s purpose and goals. It is neither too broad (leaving the reader unsure about what Totokaelo's purpose is) nor too narrow (focusing on only a few specific designers or product lines). A consumer who reads Totokaelo's mission statement immediately understands what type of business they are, what they are selling, and their approach toward their products. A clear, well formulated mission statement is important for Totokaelo in communicating to their consumers who they are as a company.

Celebrity Product Lines

Celebrity product lines are appearing more frequently and becoming increasingly popular. Purchasing products from these lines gives consumers the feeling of association with a desired group and/or image and makes them feel connected to their favorite celebrities. A celebrity associated product can satisfy higher level needs like belongingness and self-esteem.

Celebrities have been endorsing products for decades, but today's celebrity product lines are different in that they are developed specifically for (and targeted at) the particular celebrity's largest audience and fan base. For example, Miley Cyrus teamed up with Walmart to create a clothing and accessories like targeted at pre-teen and teenage girls, which is the audience Cyrus reaches with her music.

Celebrity product lines are an excellent example of new era marketing; they are targeted at a very specific market segment and they sell an image and a lifestyle to consumers.