asos
A STUDY ON THE RETAILER'S SUCCESS STORY
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>> How does Asos rely on digital strategies to grow
& help the brand awareness ? <<
“More than just an online retailer,
we want to be as synonymous to fashion for twenty-somethings
as Google is to search and Facebook is to social networking.“
asos
a study on the pure-player success
Asos was born when people started to get an easy access to the Internet.
It was then a new market, ready to be conquered - almost freely.
The only rival was Urban Outfitters, which today knows a great success too.
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In 1999, the two founders of Asos, Quentin Griffiths and Nick Robertson
(non-executive director), got the idea of the brand.
The concept was to launch an online business where people could find clothes or accessories worn by celebrities.
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The website « As Seen On Screen » was launched in June 2000.
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Very quickly, people in intern have started using the term « ASOS »,
which is an abbreviation for « As Seen On Screen ».
They realized that the name of website itself should actually be shortened.
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In 2002, « ASOS » started to be used on the website.
Mail adresses changed for @asos.com
and the marketing team used ASOS rather than As Seen On Screen.
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In July 2002, the brand paid for ads on the Pepsi Chart Show on the radio
(in the United Kingdom) under the name Asos.
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The first time the brand used the Asos logo instead of the As Seen On Screen logo was Septembre 2002.
how 'as seen on screen'
was born
"2 000 NEW PRODUCTS ARE ADDED PER WEEK.
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OUR GOAL IS THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING THAT INSPIRES OUR CUSTOMERS."
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GAËLE WUILMET
General Manager @ ASOS France
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Asos is an online retailer that ships fashion and beauty items worldwide. 50 000 branded products are for sale on the website. In addition, the retailer has launched its own collections : feminine and masculine prêt-à-porter,
shoes, accesories, jewelry and cosmetics.
Asos offers its very own take on fashion :
fashion should always be in a perpetual replenishment.
The brand, leader in "fast-fashion", has a diverse range of products and prices on display.
From the start, Quentin Griffiths and Nick Robertson have gambled on the fact that clothing fantasies can actually build a business. When viewers only dreamt of dresses worn by celebrities on their TV-screens, the two decided to offer a copy-cat on their website.
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Nathalie Gennerat,
a member of the "Observatoire Économique de l'Institut Français de la Mode", analyses this matter :
" Anglo-Saxon customers are very receptive
to this way of functioning, to this need of finding
sources of inspiration and to be able to obtain
the coveted object as soon as possible."
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16 to 34 years old fashionistas are Asos core target.
The brand has build a community for fashion enthousiasts who are always seeking new products and up-coming trends but without the hefty price tag - Asos has now become a synonym for affordable prices.
Asos' team of stylists works in a former cigarettes fabric in Camden (London). Models spotted in the streets are spotlighted by the brand.
They strike the pose in one of the nine studios in Asos headquarters.
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Each day, the team realizes an utter tour de force to make sure the brand offers both well-known brands, Asos' own pieces and young designers pieces. This is probably where Asos draws its strength from.
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The brand seems to perfectly reflect the need and want of its target. In return, the target makes Asos the leader among online retailers.
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Yannick Franc, consultant for Kurt Salmon :
« With more than 900 brands, their own collections, and dozens of ranges for pregnant women, for women of small size or more curvy, Asos is both very universal and very specialized for market niches, which gives it a certain exhaustiveness that is quite unrivaled on the market ».
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This remark shows how the two founders want to catch their rivals off-guards by always adapting their offer to please each and every one they target.
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To stay coherent with its target, Asos understands that speaking the same langage is mandatory. Thus, the British retailer bets on digital innovations.
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For exemple :
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sponsored posts on Facebook after one scrolled down the Asos website
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Asos uses formats that people already know & love on social media, such as Halloween makeup tutorials on YouTube.
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a Facebook ad that looked a lot like a Snapchat-format video
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The content posted resorts to elements from pop culture trends (which generate engagement from the brand's followers), such as animals, emojis, gifs, or pop singers like Beyoncé.
With this strategy, Asos gains a lot of « likes » on each post.
ASOS' AMBITION IS "TO BECOME THE WORLD'S
NO. 1 ONLINE FASHION DESTINATION FOR 20 SOMETHINGS".
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Their strategy is made explicit on their website. To make sure clients are loyal to the brand, Asos focuses on :
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"GREAT FASHION, GREAT PRICE"
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"ENGAGING CONTENT AND EXPERIENCE"
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"AWESOME ON MOBILE"
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"BEST-IN-CLASS SERVICES
Mondays are not part of our vocabulary.
Shopping is always a good idea.
Glitter make-up is always a good idea !
#OutfitInspiration Your travel outfit by @haileybaldwin
Little faux fur unicorns to pimp your couch look.
Last night, @VictoriasSecret's angels walked the runway at Le Grand Palais. Here are our fav' outfits, with Gigi, Bella, Alanna & Kendall
The brand's strategy is very smart in its ability to talk to its core target : the Millennials.
Asos is on every social platform.
[ inspiration ] #1
ASOS MAG
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"Asos Mag" is the magazine offered with each order & available online.
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Brand content proves the power of story-telling.
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More than styling pieces sold on Asos website, it aims at inspiring and putting on stage a lifestyle. The retailer builds a community for fashion enthusiasts : its own. Members have a certain lifestyle in common.
ASOS MAG is a media for trendy people - it is a reflection of the brand's community.
>> click to expand <<
[ inspiration ] #2
#AsSeenOnMe
The hashtag #asseenonme is buzzing on social media such as Instagram.
People (not influencers) wearing pieces from Asos can post their "outfit of the day" with the hashtag #asseenonme on their personal social media.
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​On the Asos website, those contents are gathered all together on a social wall. This brings brand awareness. It is also a way to inspire people, to show future buyers or hesitant buyers how to wear specific clothes sold on the Asos website.
[ inspiration ] #2
ASOS INSIDERS
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Asos knows how to capitalize on the power of prescription - it is the exact reason why the brand launched « Access All Asos » (also know as Asos Insiders), a relational program; but most importantly a unique program of recommendation on social media.
HARNESSING
BRAND ADVOCACY
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Asos Insiders is a program for digital influencers since oct. 2013.
When becoming a part of the Asos club, they become Asos ambassadors and receive gifts, are invited to Asos parties, they have access to exclusive contents, benefits of all kinds, etc. In exchange, they promote the brand through their social platforms - which is a real innovation !
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The risk for Asos stands in that members of the program are not forced to share contents on their social media. The exchange remains implicit.
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The program has three main aims, which are the followings :
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To spread brand awareness online...
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...while generating authentic recommandation (thanks to a personal touch)...
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...to make the brand go viral
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The program’s mechanics is based on the recruitment and the selection of members. Those members are selected according to their impact on social media and their natural and positive inclinaison for the brand.
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The brand wants to go further than the most famous bloggers, which is why it identifies those who have built a smaller audience but a very engaged one. They represent a real opportunity for brands who are seeking new money-making ways to develop their brand recommendation online and on a large scale.
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Let us introduce you the team
Follow your favorite insiders and shop their #OOTDs directly on Instagram !
WHAT DOES THIS PROGRAM SAY ABOUT ASOS' STRATEGY ?
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>> The personal engagement as the foundation of the relation between Asos and influencers
A customized welcome gift is sent to each member ; the gift is chosen according to the ambassador's own hobby or interest. To do so, the brand analyzes what the member posts on his/her social network. This approach has already generated an enormous and very positive engagement from the members. It is crucial to ensure the members' engagement from the start, as Asos planned to propose other contents for bloggers.
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>> A more exclusive engagement for selected ambassadors
A Swapshop was organized at Asos' headquarters to give the opportunity to some members to bring three articles with them and exchange them with other members or with Asos pieces.
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>> Broader opportunities offered to all members of "Access All Asos"
For example, the launch of the Asos x Puma collection enabled the retailer to offer its ambassadors an exclusive look.
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The pure-player rewards its fans by helping them developing their presence and audience on social media. On its very popular Facebook page, the brand reposts some of the content posted by "Access All Asos" members. Others members are offered to take control of the brand's Pinterest account for a week. This is just another way Asos encourages its ambassadors to take a great care for personal branding.
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THANKS MICHELLE !
Going viral : a great strategy
for the brand image
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Asos does not invest in huge advertising campaigns. The renown of the brand, which is unquestionable today, was built by going viral online.
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"They benefit from a great renown and, in each country, they have managed to rely on fashion prescribers/influencers whether they are bloggers, redactors-in-chief or actors."
Yannick Franc
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The latest brand ambassador was a great one : Michelle Obama. When Barack Obama announced his reelection, he tewweted a picture of him embracing his wife. She was wearing a dress from Asos. This picture has been the most retweeted in the history of the social network. This was a free and organic ad for the brand ! The result : the dress went out-of-stock in only a few minutes.
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Gaële Wuilmet is delighted :
"It wasn't plan, even though Michelle Obama likes our clothes a lot, and it was absolutely perfect for us"
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In fact, Asos is about to open a marketing office in Los Angeles, whose goal will be to multiply product placements with celebrities.
A "GLOBAL RACE"
- in the words of Asos itself -
Asos has launched specific websites to emerge on international markets : United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia. From its distribution center based in the United Kingdom, the brand ships to more than 190 other countries.
Today, the fast-fashion-oriented company occupies a leadership position as it is the number 1 online retailer. Thanks to its digital strategy and the management of online communications, the brand managed to be both innovative and successful. Asos is a precursor of online shopping.
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