They’re experts in fashion and observation and are taught how to pay attention to what customers are saying and doing to reflect what moves the brand needs to make next. When a customer says she loves (or hates) an article, this gets reported back to headquarters, and communicated to in-house designers, who apply the feedback to future work.Īnd its store managers are far from minimum-wage employees. It Monitors And Responds To Customers’ Feedback Image: PhotospinĪsking for customer feedback is more than lip service at Zara. The brand has grown overall sales by around 50% in five years to $17.5 billion. And to appease its teen and 20something demographic, the store prides itself on getting new designs in stores within 2 weeks.īut does this strategy really work? You be the judge. Rather than setting fashion trends, Zara rides the wave of what’s currently hot and established to provide affordable copycat versions of high-end brands. But rather than spend the money on R&D to be first to market, Zara takes a completely different approach: fast fashion.

Many retailers use the strategy of trying to be fashion innovators, to be trendsetters, and to capture early adopters. Be Fast, Not First – Zara’s a Fashion Copycat Image: Zara How does Zara maintain such financial success and popularity without spending big on marketing and advertising? Read on to find out the brand’s secrets. Retail is a cutthroat industry, with competitors constantly amping up their ad spend while slashing prices in an effort to attract customers.Īnd yet Zara, with more than 6,500 stores and a growing presence online has managed to thrive without going this traditional route.

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