Shopping in your bed

UO has become popular to a realm of different people because of their easy to use website. This video displays how their innovation and quickly changing inventory helps circulate large revenue for the company. It also explains how with their partnership with baynote they have created a more easy to use website the suggests items for costumers that they wouldn't already think of buying, therefore circulating more revenue. The video is informative (but the voice over is a little peppy brace yourself).

Social Media is helping you

Social Networking is key in any business. Though this method has just became popular, it's cheap easy and businesses are thriving because of it. Twitter is free, and perfect to reach an age demgraphic from young teen to tech savvy middle age adults. Youtube is also free! Posting creative content about your business is an easy way to gain a following.

Blogs, and websites such as this are also easy ways to lure in a company's expecting customers, and have them easily share it on their facebook wall, or twitter feed. Fan groups on facebook, pictures constantly posted on instagram, it's creating a name and face for a bussiness. Really it's just all about presenting their product in a good light through social media, and if a business accomplishes that gives them a leg up on the competition with spending little to no money on marketing! And yes blogs, and websites can be more expensive but with premade code websites like tumblr no need for you to hire someone to write out your website code for you. The internet is full of non costing-advertisement opportunities, companies just have to aware enough to find them, use them, and become intovative. Social media, and the internet in general is how businesses, especially clothing companies stay alive in any economic market. With out social media companys like Urban Outfitters might become irrelevant and non-existent.

The Game of Luck

I've done countless research on how businesses become sucessful, and they all use charts and scales, and of course large economic terms on why out of some mathmatical equation a business was launched. Websites and creditable sources have pretty much told me that businesses meticulously plan how they start a business like they are plotting a huge scheme to make the public crave their products. I have a different theory. Maybe part of the game is just luck. That these companys are just enetering the market at the right time. Yes, some companys do have marketing teams to carfully plan their arrival in our competitive and aggressive consumer market, but other times it's a small business that finds a little luck on their side.

The Urban Outfitter frandchise consists of mutiple components- Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Anthropologie. And yes they are very sucessful businesses now. I think starting out the owners just had a stream of luck in their hands, that young consumers had money at the time, and the business was good so they were starting to gain a following. It all relates to if something catches on as a trend, whatever it might be- a store, a movement, some sort of good deed that the public classifies as important, it's all the same. The ecological movement helped produce a whole realm of new products to be made. Companies that were already making green products found themselves in a luck stricken daze. The Urban Outfitters Franchise was produced right around the existence of the hipster movement- a subculture of young people who want to be independent in the way they dress, their music taste, political stance, and everything of the sort. Because of this, UO Franchised thrived, and as the trend showed up to the general public the "Hipster Trend" became extremely popular and regular consumers wanted to dress this way, to stay looking trending and individualized.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that companys can say they can foresee the future, the stock market, and incoming trends, but it's really just a guessing game. Rather than maticulously prepare for your infant company's arrival into this world maybe just say hey, why don't I have some faith?

Advantageous to be a larger or smaller company?

Urban outfitters is a large chain store, but in it's humble begins it was a smaller store with less generic clothing and products. While large companies can offer broader selections of clothing and have advantages in purchasing, marketing and distribution, smaller stores can compete by offering more unique merchandise, targeting a specific demographic, providing superior customer service, or serving a local market. Some could say Urban Outfitter lost their small town college vibe, not necessarily selling out but creating a company more profitable. The store has done a fairly good job with have more creative pieces produced and distributed, but obviously beforehand their store offered one of a kind pieces which customers enjoyed picking up, and added to the laid-back feel. That it was almost a 2nd hand store, but more trendy. Now, the brand reaches a larger demographic from regular everyday folk, to overtly trendy fashion moguls. Nevertheless the brand continues to grow, but would it have more appeal if the stores were limited to one or few? More demand?  

Is controversy a good thing?

Urban Outfitters has been known for having risky and controversial clothing, and products. Since there beginning they have had that 'too cool' attitude and not really caring about going 'too far'. Some sayings on their products, are thought provoking, but offends different types of people. Is being controversial a good thing?

According to the week.com controversy has never left this franchise. In April 2012 they released a t-shirt with stars of David throughout with the word f*ck crudely displayed across the front. This outraged the Jewish community, and other communities alike. Then in summer of 2010 The UO franchise released a shirt that blatantly said 'Eat Less'. This shirt was displayed on a vascular model on their website. Quickly UO got a massive load of complaints and pulled the shirt from online, but these are just a few example. With all this controversy over the history of the store, they still have become more known and created more revenue. In the last year they have been taking even more risky business choices, to provoke emotions, so more people know who they are as a franchise. Maybe being infamous is positive. According to the dividendchannel.com, the franchise from Oct. 26 2011- Oct. 26 2012 market has grown at a steady rate and sales have been going upward.

Is being infamous and controversial positive to a business' exposure?

http://www.dividendchannel.com/history/?a=chart&period=1yp&ticker=URBN&title=1+Year+Growth+Comparison

What intrigues you to walk into a store?!

What attracts a customer? A Macy's or Lord and Taylor appeals to an older demographic and succeeds in the sense that people from a more of mature age bracket are more inclined to walk in and shop. But how do stores like Urban Outfitters find a demographic and figure out locations? Success of a store, or a chain of stores sometimes solely comes down to how they present themselves to the public and where they are located.

From the beginning the two co-owners of the store, Richard Hayne and Scott Belaire, realized creating a relaxed and more 'loft like' creative experience would help target their wanted 18-30 year old demographic. With cheaper prices then higher end stores they created an environment that college students, and young Americans could relate to and end up shopping in. They accomplished a look which helped lead to their success later on. Co-inciting with the image of the store- their location was key. Starting off in college towns, it helped them make a name for themselves, reaching the consumers they were targeting. Then, later on adding stores in more urban and metropolitan areas they still kept UO's target audience; a place were young people thrived.

Location, location, location. By adding UO stores in hip and bustling areas, they not only gained customers, but kept business going. By keeping their stores in more Metropolitan environments they were less likely to get criticized for their some of their 'controversial material and clothing' that let's say would be inappropriate in a more condensed conservative area.

According to http://smallbusiness.chron.com/clothing-store-marketing-plan-21115.html

It is important to a business to have:

-A quality threehold market plan
-Quality content and straight forward vision
-Strong Foundation

But what else creates an intriguing business?

historical information from: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/urban-outfitters-inc-history/

How did Urban Outfitters become successful?

I am interested in looking at how this company recruited brands, and how they received enough money to start a store and then expand into national, and international known store. Also how the founder Richard Hayne took sole custody of this brand, and how it lasted in the horrendous world wide economy, when the clothes they sell are a middle to upper price range. I know a little enough that their stores are always bustling, but how?