STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

jacks435 · Kenneth Cole

RE: What happened to the Gap?

honey · Gucci

lynnie wrote:

i actually don't think Gap does a very good job marketing. They might have good commercials/advertising, but I really don't think its about that anymore, especially now that you can just fast forward through commercials. And even if they are doing a good job, when your competition is doing a better job- does good even matter? I think J. Crew was smart in sending out a catalog- it has helped define their aesthetic. Everything about the way they sell their product- store decor, font choice, tissue paper and receipt envelope, etc- is better than Gap or Banana Republic. Anthropologie is smart too with creating a good store environment- and they don't advertise at all. These stores are all basically competition- even if they are marketing slightly different target consumers. And honestly- i don't think quality varies all that much between any of them. I've seen good and bad at all the stores.
I think Old Navy is really doing well because they sell cute stuff and its cheap. I think the high/low thing is here to stay. You can buy all your clothes at medium Gap/Express price ranges and look presentable, or you can mix a few amazing designer pieces with cheaper pieces and look fabulous- yet it all averages out to cost the same in the end. So I think Gap is losing its fashion conscious customers, as well as losing those that just want good quality basics. Plus their sales are just RIDICULOUS, i know a ton of people that refuse to pay full price at Gap.
Also, somewhere along the way, "Gap" became synonymous (sp?) with plain, vanilla, blah--like another adjective for generic. They either need to make the best damn tshirts out there, or find a way to make their clothes special.

ita. there are always ups & downs in retail, but i think the biggest problem that the gap faces is that there has been a huge push in the industry towards branding, and the gap hasn't been able to brand itself in relation to its competitors. stores like anthro do an amazing job branding themselves, and making shopping an experience. the gap as a whole has overextended itself with br & old navy. i think both have distinct target customers, but in the process of branding br & old navy, the gap lost its way.

also i agree with the point on sales. i remember when mickey drexler took over j.crew one of the first things he did was reduce the typical markdown on sales. a few years ago the gap &U jcrew used to have similar sales policies and if you waited you could get stuff for dirt cheapd. it kind of sucked, but it's good for business, and now i know that if want something from jcrew it's best to suck it up and pay full price.