University of North Texas
What Comes Around Goes Around
Pooja Amin, Daniel Sanchez-Roldan, Kelsey Brandon, Kayla Tyzio, Emily Wiley
Creating Consumer Experiences SMHM 3950 Section 002
Spring 2011
Introduction
Our company, What Comes Around Goes Around, would be located in
Denton, Texas in a previously owned building at the heart of the Denton
Square. This is a renewal-based company where we remake already-made
garments, and then resell them to our customers. Our target market is
college-aged, environmentally friendly students. The company would be
primarily based on working towards being green, as well as being
convenient and affordable for our target market. The clothing sold would
essentially be recycled, and not chemically treated.
Mission Statement
The purpose of this company would be to bring something more
inexpensive and creative closer to the customer. Being able to bring in a
previously owned item and turn it into a completely different garment is
well-suited to the shopping-savvy college student today. Since many
students are now beginning to become more ecologically aware, it is
important to offer this opportunity to the budget-concerned consumer.
There are not many businesses out there that offer these types of products
and services all-in-one, and this could be greatly beneficial to this new
type of retail service from the average college-aged consumer.
Products and Services
Since What Comes Around Goes Around is all about recycling and
reusing, products that we offer will be made from reused fabric, which
could come from a variety of different sources such as curtains, tops,
bottoms, dresses, etc. Most of our clothing will be recreated by our
specialized team of seamstresses. Once we find the gently used
clothing, we will deconstruct it and then reconstruct it into a new style.
We want to take old clothing and create a new fashion statement. This
unique service would be offered to the public. If individuals get tired
of their clothes, but don’t want it to go into a landfill or to goodwill,
they can simply bring their garments in and we will reconstruct them
into a garment they would be interested in for a small fee. Considering
the age of our target market, we do our best to keep the cost very
affordable. Compared to the prices of green and organic clothing, our
prices will be much more reasonably priced.
The boutique will offer a location inside the store for donations.
Each time a customer drops off donations they get points on their rewards
card. This rewards card will be used to receive a percentage off of our
services or products in the store. Any donated clothing that will not be
remade into a garment will be used to construct reusable shopping bags.
What Comes Around Goes Around will also host monthly “Clothing
Swap” parties. At these parties, customers will bring there gently used
clothes and for each item they bring they get to take that many home.
While this event is going on we will offer beverages, snacks, and coupons.
Our business is not exactly a resale shop, but closer to a green boutique.
We provide a lot more opportunities to become and stay green.
Target Market
The target market we are going to be focusing on will consist of
primarily green conscious, college-aged students. This target market will
have a need to have a creative outlet in which they can express their
individuality through their clothing. These college aged consumers will
enjoy helping the environment but will also have a side of them that longs
for creative fashion. The age range will be based between ages 18 and 30.
Because our market is college-aged students we offer affordable outlets
which will be located close to the university; this allows for excellent
convenience to shop our products.
Our company is a revolutionary idea that will penetrate the fashion
scene on an eco-friendly and creative level. Because our company is using
recycled clothing and bags we will be able to keep our prices at a
minimum while maximizing the profits. College aged students generally
have a limited income which does not always allow for them to express
themselves in the fashionable way they would like. We offer an excellent
way for them to express themselves without being placed in a financial
bind.
Consumer Experience Provided
What Comes Around Goes Around will offer both utilitarian and hedonic
consumer experiences. College students can not readily afford new clothes on
a regular basis, and tend to live off of whatever they have. Our boutique offers
to revamp their old clothing, which can even serve as simply fixing or
transforming a garment that was not necessarily wearable anymore. This
serves as the utilitarian consumer experience.
The hedonic consumer experience will be provided through the remaking
of old clothes that are still wearable but not in style anymore, and making
them into what the consumer is looking for. This will provide the consumers
with stylish clothing that had been transformed from their old clothing, giving
them the outlet to express their individuality without putting them under
financially.
Both the utilitarian and hedonic experiences will be provided through the
interior and exterior aesthetics. Since the boutique will be located in the
square, it is going to be located in a refurbished building surrounded by the
Old Opera House and the Town Hall, providing a vintage aesthetic, while also
being surrounded by the likes of the other trendy boutiques in the area. Simply
being located in a refurbished building fits in with our boutique’s image of
remaking the old. The interior aesthetics include trendy lighting and
decorating, along with music provided by local bands and singers. The store
will be using refurbished furniture and have the clothes hung creatively
throughout the store in order to provide a rejuvenating experience. There will
be specific areas in the boutique for donating items and for working with
consumers to redesign their old clothes. Through these aesthetics, the
consumer will receive both hedonic and utilitarian experiences.
The quality of our goods and services will be to the utmost importance to us
and to the associates of the boutique. We will have experienced seamstresses
to remake the clothing in a way that will last the consumers a very long time,
as well as associates that will do their best to ensure the customer is happy
with their experience. What Comes Around Goes Around will be a service
that will be unique to any other clothing store and will provide products of
unmistakable quality.
Bibliography
Kim, Y.-K., Sullivan, P., & Cardona Forney, J. (2007). Experiential Retailing: Concepts
and Strategies That Sell. New York: Fairchild Publications, Inc.