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Drool Now, Spend Later
When Sacha Vega, left, and Liz Gipson shop, they often browse at high-priced stores but don't buy anything, spending at stores more in their price range.
(By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
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Liz tries on the Marc Jacobs designs she loves for their funky-but-feminine detailing.
"It's that you just like to look at the clothes, even if you might not be able to have them for awhile,'' she says. "It's fun to wish.''
Sacha concurs. It's her first trip to Cusp. "When I walked in, I was a little intimidated.'' But, she said, the sales staff was very friendly.
Among the teens shopping in our project that day, only nine said they'd bought anything in the past six months from Coach, the high-priced leather retailer. But that doesn't mean they don't like to handle the goods. On the shopping survey, Coach ranked as one of the most-loved stores.
Zhang observed that teens won't think something is better just because it costs more. "There are expensive stores that teenagers don't care about," she said. "To get them, it has to be relevant to them -- something that fits into their lifestyle and their way of wanting to express themselves.''
High-end stores interested in courting younger buyers might lure them by introducing items near their price range, Zhang said. But the store must maintain its status, she said, and cited the experience of Tiffany & Co.
In the 1990s, Tiffany had great success attracting younger customers by introducing a line of silver jewelry more reasonably priced than its traditional offerings. But the line became so popular that the retailer grew concerned -- it didn't want too many kids walking around in Tiffany jewelry. The company phased in different lines at higher prices, Zhang said, in an effort to retrieve its image.
Back in Tysons Corner, Liz and Sacha are in Nordstrom -- which, being a department store, is able to fit into both the browse and buy categories. The affordable Brass Plum department with its $22 T-shirts is right next to t.b.d., where jeans can go for $100-plus. It's a smart layout if the goal is attracting younger buyers and getting them interested in the higher-priced lines. The girls, aware of the difference, toggle seamlessly between the two sections.
In t.b.d., Liz plucks a floral '60s-inspired dress from French Connection off a rack and disappears into the dressing room. She loves the style but knows going in that the three-figure price tag makes buying it unlikely. Sacha selects a few items from both departments before joining Liz.
They emerge empty-handed but content. And likely to come back.
