After taking my first Digital Marketing class from professor Nunzio, I have learnt a lot about recent market trend. Definitely, business has changed a lot in this decade. Multiple forces feed these changes, including Internet technologies as well as the rise of emerging economies such as China and India. Marketing evolution has begun.
Nowadays, most business has multiple platforms to serve their customers and acquire profit. Traditional business such as clothing industry has changed a lot by this trend. I use my favorite brand–American Eagle Outfitters to show this trend.
American Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing and outdoor accessories retailer. As we all know that the competition is fierce in this clothing market field. The company not only does business in traditional company-owned shops and mall-based stores, but also uses different tools to gain revenue.
The first platform, of course, is the traditional form stores. The company views the customers’ in-store experience as an important vehicle for communicating the image of brand. The second platform is the online website including social media. The shopping website of AEO is easily and comfortable used. You can also find link to its social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Customers can find promotion information in these social media of AEO. For example, whenever customers ask question to AEO in its Facebook homepage, the staffs will answer the question within thirty minutes. The third platform is the AEO app. I found a digital shift in the retail world as more retailers and shoppers than ever embrace smart phone apps to become other sell channels. Almost every big retailer, such as AEO, The North Face, Banana Republic, and even GNC has created a shopping app which can be down loaded in App Store. As a small conclusion, customers of America Eagle Outfitter can research products and make purchases using a combination of tools, including AEO app, online website platforms and physical stores. The company is using these platforms to promote sales as well as strengthen the customer’s tendency to stick with the AEO brand.
The AEO multiple sell tools are only single example of the marketing evolution. After I finish more classes and read more chapter of the text book, maybe I can have more self opinion about this great trend.
by Lingxiang Wen
Wen 