Looking Fit

Urban Outfitters seems to be a fashionable name in retailing, but it wasn’t until just a few days ago that I was introduced to Anthropologie. If you haven’t heard, seen, or been in an Anthropologie retail store, you are missing an experience, I kid you not.

After returning from the store, I dug up some numbers that surprised me. Here’s one that really left an impression: the average Anthropologie shopper spends eighty minutes in the store per trip. Eighty — that’s an hour and twenty minutes on each trip. How much time do you think the average customer spends at other retailers? Fifteen minutes. That’s an incredible figure that should describe a bit about the feel of the stores.

Anthropologie was founded to capitalize on patrons of the Urban Outfitters store who outgrew UA’s fashions. As such, the target consumer for Anthropologie clothing is a 30 to 40′ish sophisticated woman with high discretionary income. Not a bad niche to target!

Ask ten women how they feel about Anthropologie and you’ll likely hear . . . one opinion! Almost unanimously, people love the store, but aren’t crazy about the prices. Granted, they are steep, but there’s a reason. Anthropologie is extremely selective and exclusive with their clothing lines, and just about everything you find in a retail location is limited edition. Heck, they even have some one-of-a-kind items!

These items tend to sell out very quickly, leaving mismatched items scattered about, but that leads to an opportunity for buyers: namely, sales racks. There are quite a few sale items if you’re not against searching, which I’m sure is responsible in part for the average length of stay.

What I like most about Anthropologie clothes is the distinctive styling. Their fashions include a lot of floral prints, appliques, and velvets, but look classy and sexy at the same time. The impression that I get is that it’s a clothing line for successful women who don’t feel that they have to reveal half of their bodies to look sexy. Home run, I’d say.

If you’re really looking for a deal, you can find discount Anthropologie clothing online – not through the Anthropologie store, but through other retailers. I can’t imagine that these items are wholesale, and with the high turnover in clothing, I don’t think it’s made up of last season’s items either, but the price is right!

Here’s the bottom line: if you haven’t yet stepped foot in an Anthropologie store, determine if there’s one near you. It really is a great shopping experience. But beware of the prices!

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