Evaluate methods of communication for good customer relations.
On ASOS’ social media channels, predominantly Twitter, the brand makes a conscious effort to interact with customers who tweet them. For example by replying to their tweets, liking them or retweeting them. This is time consuming as ASOS receives a lot of engagement on all social media channels. However, the fact that ASOS trys to interact with multiple customers daily shows how much they value them and want them to continue to shop at ASOS. It clearly pays off as customers are constantly praising the customer services teams and ASOS in general for their good work.
The screen shots from ASOS Twitter are just a few examples of where ASOS has replied directly to positive feedback and general posts they have been tagged in. One drawback of being so active on Twitter is that it will become more and more difficult for ASOS to keep up with tweets from customers resulting in them perhaps having to hire more staff to manage the social media profiles. Although this will be costly for the brand it has proven to be more that worth it, especially when the target market of the brand is heavily involved with social media.
Another form of communication which ASOS uses to build good customer relations would be on Instagram, the #asseenonme campaign has encouraged nearly 500,000 people to share their ASOS looks. This creates a positive relationship between ASOS and the customer because customers are featured on the ASOS Instagram, giving them exposure at a high level. An aspect of this campaign that could be seen as a negative, would be customers criticising ASOS for only featuring a selection of images (e.g the ones that look the best) from customers rather than all of them. However, on the website #asseenonme gallery there are instructions for how to take a good picture that will have the best chance of being featured.
Not only are ASOS good at communicating via social media, their website customer care page is very informative and easy to navigate. This is an advantage not only for the customers but also for ASOS as the more customers can find out without having to ring or email, the less extra work the company has to deal with. Although it is indirect, the detailed customer care page is a brilliant way that ASOS communicates important and relevant information to its customers. Customers can tell from the web page that a lot of thought has gone into it and that ASOS have tried to be as helpful and informative as possible. This makes customers feel more secure when they order from ASOS because they know that if anything goes wrong they will be able to address the issue with ease and resolve it. The direct methods of communication are highlighted on the care page; they offer live chat on the website, a link to their Twitter, Facebook and Facebook messenger. This is essential incase the customer can’t find what they are looking for on the page and wants to take things further. One thing I think ASOS could improve on would be adding a customer services phone number so that people who would rather speak to someone properly have the option to do so.
When ASOS has special deals and discounts available they always inform their customers whether it be on social media or email, so they get a chance to shop the offers, for example ’20% off streetwear’. This builds a good relationship with customers as ASOS are offering them a good deal where they can save money. Another similar method would be the 15% off email on your birthday. Making the customer feel individually valued leading to them buying into the brand and strengthening the good brand image of ASOS. Something that ASOS need to be careful of is controlling the amount of emails going to customers, if they send too many and bombard them it is highly likely that customers will unsubscribe from their mailing list due to overkill.
Evaluate an organisations complaints policy and procedures.
On the ASOS website there is a terms and conditions page with a drop down menu where customers can find out more about complaints. The website states that complaints can be made via email, Facebook, Twitter @ASOS_HeretoHelp or finally by post. I think the most successful and relevant way to complain for customers today would be via Twitter, contacting the @ASOS_HeretoHelp account. As I mentioned in the Visual report ASOS has a Twitter account called @ASOS_HeretoHelp where customers can get in touch if they have any queries. This is an effective method because if there are any complaints or difficulties they are dealt with discreetly away from the main ASOS Twitter account. ASOS are extremely efficient when it comes to dealing with complaints on Twitter and usually reply instantly, this is good as it shows customers they are on the ball and trying to help as quickly as they can. One can only assume that the same approach applies to the email and post complaints. The only negative side of this method would be that some customers might not be aware of the @ASOS_HeretoHelp account and continue to try and contact the main ASOS account. Queries can easily be redirected to the help account but this is something ASOS should consider making more clear.
If complaints cannot be resolved with the ASOS customer care team then there are further steps that can be taken which are stated on the ASOS website. There is a link to the Retail Ombudsman which is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution Provider, along with an address and an email address. This is important as sometimes it is out of ASOS’ hands and complaints need to be dealt with more seriously. Overall I think that ASOS’ complaint policy and procedures are effective and helpful, however I think it should be made more obvious on the website so that customers can find out how to complain more easily.
Evaluate the retention strategies used by different organisations.
The retention marketing strategies which ASOS uses are tailored specifically to the customers and relevant to the brand in terms of where ASOS sits in the market. As I mentioned previously in the visual report, the most recent strategy ASOS has implemented to keep customers coming back to shop would be the ASOS A-List. A-List is a loyalty programme that enables customers to earn while they shop, for example for every 100 pound spent over a period of time, customers will earn a 5 pound ASOS voucher. Points can be collected up and over time the more the customer buys the more rewards they will be entitled to. This is a fun and new way to give customers the incentive to return and shop at ASOS. It is also good that customers are automatically enrolled once they place an order making it easy to sign up to even if you weren't aware of it. One downside to the ASOS A-List would be that the vouchers earned by customers are only valid for 6 months, so for example if there is nothing on ASOS you want to buy the voucher will go to waste. However, having the voucher will encourage customers to look and buy products that they may not have necessarily had their eye on before.
Missguided is another brand which successfully encourages customers come back and shop on a regular basis. Every week Missguided has different offers and deals available on their website, for example ‘Free Next Day Delivery - code: FREEND Hurry Ends 10pm’ this sort of offer is especially effective on the days running up to the weekend when their customers are likely to want to have a new dress for an occasion for example. The time limit on the offer is also a clever strategy because it puts pressure on the customers to buy something that night. The offers are boldly advertised on the Missguided website but also on Instagram. If customers have the Missguided app on their mobiles then offers like the above will come through as notifications. This is beneficial as the customers who receive the notifications have already shown an interest in the brand by downloading the app. It is therefore a very direct strategy that is targeting the right audience. A disadvantage of the multiple offers that Missguided promotes would be that often like the example above they have a time limit so lots of customers will miss out which could have a negative effect on the brand image. However, new offers are promoted so frequently so if a customer misses one they will be sure to catch another the following week.
Evaluate the risks to implementation of a marketing plan
Market planning is analysing one or more market places in order to determine how a business can compete in them. This can potentially enhance sales and increase the chance of meeting the businesses objective.
Whilst conducting a market plan for #ASOSmovement we have used our SWOT analysis. We need to ensure that were targeting the right market so that consumers understand and relate to our aim and objective. We conducted a survey and have used the results to determine who we targeted and how to promote the campaign.
We also need to consider the recent trends and regulations- what are the current trends in technology? Social media? Fitness? If you don’t stick to the recent trends and regulations problems may occur. A recent example being the Pepsi advert with Kendall Jenner- this campaign was taken down by Pepsi because it caused too much controversy and didn’t relate to the current social climate.
Tracking the success of our campaign is essential, not tracking the success or failure of our marketing plan/strategies could cause a reduction in sales or the campaign to fail resulting is loss of invested time, money and customers.
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Evaluate the implementation of a marketing plan
Our campaign #ASOSmovement is going to be promoted across nearly all social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Utilising these digital channels will reduce marketing costs yet still reach a wide target market.
PR events are also a must when promoting our campaign we will host fitness classes in order for customers to ‘get active’. Cookery classes will also be available as eating healthy/having a balanced diet is another element related to mental and physical health.
Encouraging brand ambassadors to promote the campaign will engage with our target market and reach a wider audience resulting in further awareness and an increase in sales.
Marketing solely over social media will have positives and negatives. Whilst targeting a wide audience you cannot always reach specific audiences organically. Traditional marketing including TV and Radio ads are a good form of advertising as you can monopolise prime time viewing meaning a huge percentage of your market will see the campaign. This is very costly and if it isn’t done correctly ROI isn’t met.
We will stick to our marketing plan in order to meet our aims and objectives which will hopefully increase brand awareness and overall Activewear sales.
Evaluate a multi-channel approach to digital marketing
It is important to cover multiple channels when launching a digital campaign as there are so many platforms that people use. Because there are so many channels, the public can afford to be picky with what they like to use and what they don't, meaning that ASOS have to have an online presence across as many platforms as they can.
ASOS currently have accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube. However they cannot use the same methods across these platforms due to different audiences using them. ASOS must tailor their digital approach to all their channels to deliver the correct message to their customers.
Generally they use YouTube for lookbooks, how-to style videos and collaborations with fashion influencers. These videos are great for adding content to the ASOS brand and subscribers can like, comment and share their favourite videos and possibly even recreate the look.
With Instagram, ASOS use it to post pictures of their brand ambassadors and also to showcase their new product lines. Because of Instagram's visual ability, it is a great way to show off new lines and also have their website link in the bio so customers can shop straight from the page.
They also have two Twitter accounts- one for uploading product links, and another for customer service. The customer service account is called the @Asos_Here_to_help and customers can contact ASOS via this separate account to get advice or solutions to their issues and questions. It's a very clever method as by having the separate account, it means that customers will not be exposed to any negative tweets on the main ASOS account. ASOS also make it a priority to retweet any positive tweets about the brand. This is because they want everyone to see how well the operate as a company and create a comparison against other competitors.
Facebook is used for lots of different things like customer service, posting videos, uploading product links and lots of information about the company. They also use it to post about any upcoming events
Snapchat is also a new platform that is becoming very popular amongst younger teens, therefore it is beneficial for ASOS to be present on it. ASOS use Snapchat for blogger takeovers and to introduce new products onto their websites. Snapchat is enhancing all the time and on the ASOS story, you can swipe up and it can take you straight to the ASOS site, making it an easy and accessible way to shop.
Although ASOS is present on these platforms, we will be mainly focussing on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for our campaign as we believe these platforms accompany our idea and target market best. Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform with a huge 1.86 million monthly users meaning it is vital to put our campaign across this channel. It will also accommodate for our older customers we will be targeting up to age 35. These older customers may not be on Instagram, therefore it is important to be on Facebook so they can still be aware of the line.
YouTube is best for video content such as posting our work out sessions and cookery classes. These are all important aspects of our campaign to portray the message we want to send out that anybody can be healthy.
And lastly Instagram as it is best suited to our main target market. It is also the best channel in terms of visual content so we will be posting images of our brand ambassadors in our activewear range and also we will be launching another account similar to the @AsSeenOnMe called @ASOSMOVEMENT and customers can post their own images and tag us and we can feature them on the page. It is a great way to have customers interact with the campaign and get them involved.
Alongside social media, we'll also promote on various other platforms including online ads on popular health blogger pages and also email marketing to those who regularly buy activewear from ASOS. Because ASOS features other brands on the website, it means we also have all the data, so even though this is ASOS' first activewear range, we are still aware through customers' order history of what they buy from other brands as they buy it through ASOS.
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Evaluate the suitability of digital marketing techniques to meet marketing objectives
Using digital techniques is very important to ASOS within marketing as they are an online brand meaning that marketing online is essential to attract their target market. It is very suitable for them to use these methods as most of ASOS’ target market are online and susceptible to things such as social media. It is estimated that people aged 16-24 typically spend up to 27 hours per week online, therefore it is a great way to reach them, especially as that age range fits within their target market. ASOS’ digital marketing techniques include social media, email marketing, online ads and using influencers/bloggers to promote.
Social media is a very important platform to use as 51% of ASOS sales are now purchased via a mobile phone. This fact shows that the typically ASOS customer is becoming more inclined to use their mobile to shop because that figure is increasing by the year. Therefore it is vital to be present on social media as it seems to be the most leading approach to customers buying into the brand. It is also free to promote on their social accounts so it keeps marketing costs down and they can put the money to better use elsewhere.
ASOS’ aims to reach out to 20-somethings and appeal to the fashion conscious and their marketing strategy is to be able to attract them, they also do this by using influencers. This is something that ASOS have particularly been working on recently and have put a lot of effort into establishing a good relationship with bloggers and influencers. They implement their marketing objectives by reaching out to the influencers and feature them on their social media accounts. In return for featuring them, the influencers may then showcase a few ASOS products and create a blog post, YouTube video or an Instagram post to promote the ASOS brand. By doing this, it reaches out to all the bloggers followers and it will lead to them becoming influenced to buy from ASOS to recreate the look.
ASOS also have to recognise and track their SMART objectives. When launching our new #ASOSMOVEMENT activewear range, we will be following SMART and use digital marketing methods to make sure we achieve these objectives.
Specific- The activewear range is very specific as it is meant mainly for one thing-working out. We will know exactly who to target through activewear order history and also by selecting specific platforms on which to market this.
Measurable- ASOS generally will measure their results online via analytics and insights. In a way this can be more informative than tracking sales numbers as it tells the marketing team the level of interest that they created as opposed to if it did or not.
Achievable- ASOS have never launched their own activewear range before so it will be a brand new challenge for them, whilst still be achievable. With the help of brand ambassadors to influence customers, stock will be very easy to sell as the campagin will be sending out a positive message.
Relevant- There is a big controversy within health lately and by addressing the problem, it is very relevant to current affairs. The message ASOS will be delivering will be a positive message that everyone can be healthy in their mind and body and with the awareness of mental health becoming bigger, it is very appropriate to current social issues. Using our brand ambassadors online will help promote this positive message
Time- We believe this is a great time to launch this campaign as it is coming up to summer, where some people may want to start working out more due to upcoming holidays. Activewear has also recently become exceedingly popular and people like to use it for various other duties alongside working out, so ASOS can be sure they will receive profits.
​By using online methods like the ones mentioned, ASOS can also add direct links to the products on their website through these marketing methods, which isn’t a possibility with traditional marketing. These techniques make it much easier and more convenient for customers to access and inevitably meet the most important objective, which is to sell products.
Evaluate different tools and channels for Social Media within a business
(see 'Social Media within a Business' page- click on the links to take you through)
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