THE MARKET :

1-   Some information about the “prêt à porter” market in France

France is the 4^th hub of prêt à porter consumption!

In 2010, the feminine prêt à porter re-finds a stability after 2 years of economic crisis and decrease of sells  of  -3,2% to and represents 11,6 K€. But the production costs are increasing with the inflation of the cotton price and could affect again the market in 2011…nevertheless the feminine prêt à porter keep staying the main segment of the clothing market.

The market is more and more cluttered and the competition is aggressive. In addition there is the threat of the Chinese groups which have flooded the occidental market with low prices. Finally the distribution way are changing with e-commerce which comes up and take a market share of 10% and so retailers are stepping  back.

So companies in this sector need to reinforce their strategy and find new solution to differentiate their brand from the others.

                            2- Market trends and consumer changes

First of all, we can observe that leggings, dresses and top are doing better than the other categories of product on this market.

Another trend is the Family Relationship as marketing tool: Many companies in the fashion industry not only sell product but also a special universe. This is this universe which consumers will identify to.

Besides, another change is that Today daughter and mother relationship is better than yesterday. Whereas before it was more about conflict, today it’s more about fusion. So shopping together is a pleasure moment and the concept of Comptoir des Cotonniers matches to this change.

Finally, the consumer are changing more and more their way to buy and use more and more the e- commerce. By the way, with this new way of consumption, the customers ‘purchases are more resonated due to the crisis and respond better to their immediate needs. They also tend to look for a “responsible” purchase, ethics purchase…

   3-    The consumers's purchase motivations of the “prêt à porter » and of  Comptoir des Cotonniers ::

Consumer of fashion clothes are motivated by:

-          The price

-          The pleasure moment

-          The experience

-           A collection which change regularly

-          Hedonist need: to make pleasure to itself

-          Olbative need: make pleasure to anyone

-          Self expression: appearance.

The consumers are less loyal in a brand in general and tend to switch of brand often. So brands need to adapt their strategy to the new evolution of the consumption. However Comptoir des Cotonniers have succeed in keeping their customer loyal. The consumer of Comptoir des Cotonniers, thanks to their strategy and their specific target and universe of the mother and daughter are loyal but sensitive to give up anytime if their the brand doesn’t keep their attention to the changes (such as attractive prices demand…)

The mother-daughter campaign of comptoir des cotonniers ! 

This campaign matchs with the stragegy of the brand to demonstrate that mother and daughter can do shopping together. It represents a moment of complicity and affection. This campaign is elegant, simple and the message is really clear and easy to understand. 

The interesting think with this campaign, is that comptoir des cotonniers does not advertise in priority for the clothes but more for the experience of doing shopping, for a moment of sharing between mother and daughter.

However with this campaign, the main risk is that people could also think that mother and daughter wear the main clothes. And who like to wear the same clothes than his mother?

BRAND POSITIONNING :

The products created by Comptoir des Cotonniers are designed to people betwween middle and up market. The medium price of an article is 105€.

The target : Their core target is women between 20 and 40 years old, and more specially Mother and Daughter !

They play on emotion because they want to underline the importance of the relation between a daughter with her mother. So when you buy a product at Comptoir des Cotonniers you share a moment of a complicity with your mother or with your daughter.

The strengh of Comptoir des Cotonniers is that they never renew an article from one year to the next, which allows them to avoid weariness from the customers. So a customer never finds the same article every year in a shop. This does not mean that what he bought before is not in the trend anymore! Comptoir des cotonniers takes care to create some clothes which are in the trend but which are also easy to wear again the next year.

Nevertheless, Comptoir des cotonniers have to face with some brand like Zara or H&M which offer products at more reasonnable prices. So people can go to these shops to buy some "basics" for example. This is the main risk for Comptoir des cotonniers.

Nature of product

Comptoir des cotonniers offers some clothes mainly for women. The strengh of this bran is that they offer classic and sober products. This allows for people to wear the same clothes the year after. Even if they want to create classic clothes, they also take care about fashion ! Indeed the product is not confirmed as long as they dis not see the fashion show of creators in order to be sure to be un the trend.

Comptoir des cotonniers sells its products in small boutiques in midtown or in malls, which allows them to attract more people.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY:

Between basics and other trendy clothes with an timeless touch, Comptoir des Cotonniers displays a city collection. Comptoir des Cotonniers have succeed in becoming an essential of shopping and trends in 10 years. The all integrated in the society, with their innovative concept targeting “mother/daughter”.

In fact, their communication is not based on the fact that the brand believes that mother and daughter can buy the same style of clothes but based on the concept that mother and daughter can do and have a pleasure moment in doing shopping together in the same shop where they can find clothes for both according to their tastes. Comptoir des Cotonniers wants to reinforce and axes their communication in the proximity/ complicity and family spirit when girl and mother are doing shopping. By the way, the collection displays 70% of basics and 30% of pure fashion with never taking risks with any excess in terms of fashion style of their collection (never vulgar, never shocking but only simple, wise but innovative clothes).

Al in all, the communication of Comptoir des Cotonniers is based on an emotional spirit (as all their marketing based on affective marketing), always warm, true, authentic and familial. This is what it makes Comptoir des Cotonniers a unique concept and its adding value.

Just for info: Comptoir des cotonnier work with advertising agency as BETC luxe for their comminication campaigns. So their communication is decentralised.

Please don’t hesitate to react! It could be very interesting to share our ideas J

Comptoir des cottoniers... A family history !

Tony Elicha decided to create this brand with the support of his wife in 1995. Today Comptoir des cotonniers is one of the famous brands in France .

Family became the suceed concept ! Thanks to Tony Elicha's wife who had the idea to develop the brand strategy around the couple : mother and daughter.

In this blog you will see an analyze of the strategy of comptoir des cotonnier. Its strenghts ans its weaknesses... Their place on this market.

So please join our blog and don't hesitate to react !