ASOS is a contemporary online shopping platform from the United Kingdom (UK) that aims to be a one-stop fashion destination for consumers in their 20s. Starting out as AsSeenOnScreen Holdings PLC and AsSeenOnScreen Limited, they won the Best Trendsetter Award  by the Sunday Times and shortened their name to ASOS, for easier identification.

In order to create a convenient and enjoyable shopping experience for their customers, ASOS developed a 4-pronged approach:

1. Great Fashion, Great Price
2. Awesome on Mobile
3. Best-In-Class Service
4. Engaging Content and Experience

The current approach has successfully increased customer loyalty and customer spending, but ASOS continues to reach out to the global target audience of the 20-somethings, through their social media strategies, which include:

• Impression Management through Customer Service
• Social Media Marketing through Stylists’ Recommendations
• Hashtag Campaign

Impression Management: Customer Service

ASOS manages its original social media platforms separately from its customer service, by creating a Twitter account called @ASOS_HeretoHelp to form an impression on its customers that it takes a strong stance on providing efficient and effective customer service platform.

Social Media Marketing: Stylists’ Recommendations

ASOS also has multiple stylists from all over the globe, who have their own ASOS stylist Instagram accounts to create fashion inspiration for existing and potential customers, which directs customers to their website to check out those items that have been recommended by their favourite stylists.

Hashtag Campaign

Playing on its original name, AsSeenOnScreen, ASOS has a hashtag campaign with the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe, that creates a fashion community for all ASOS fans and fashion enthusiasts. This also allows for an increase in interactivity and 2-way communication between ASOS and its fans, and among the fans.

However, after some social media analysis, the proposal was made by leveraging on the strengths of ASOS’ social media use, and improving the weaknesses of that. In the midst of all the rising of competing online fashion retailers, ASOS has to secure its market share and expand it to ensure its stability in the future.

Research Question:

How can ASOS expand its customer base through the use of social media platforms?

Strategies:

Integrated Marketing Communication will be the strategy used as a whole to achieve the objectives of obtaining more brand awareness in the long run. This will be a multi-phased and multi-platform strategy.

1. Expansion into the Cosmetic Market
2. Reaching Out to Like-minded Fashion Enthusiasts
3. Expansion into Celebrities’ Fanbase

Phase 1:

The campaign will be a collaboration with NYX Cosmetics, one of the curated beauty brands, to create trending makeup looks, while ASOS creates matching outfits to suit the looks. Fans of both ASOS and NYX Cosmetics will hashtag #ASOSlovesNYX when they recreate the same looks and post them on Instagram. The post with the most likes will then get a year’s worth of make up from NYX Cosmetics and £800 worth of store credit vouchers from ASOS. To join the hashtag contest, fans must be followers of both ASOS and NYX Cosmetics, thus increasing the following of both companies’ Instagram. Behind-the-scenes actions will also be posted on Facebook to further spread the campaign.

Phase 2:

Phase 2 utilises Facebook to spread ASOS’ lookbook campaign. Every first week of the month, three different fashion styles (i.e. minimalist, rocker chic, preppy, etc.) will be released in albums of curated look books to the public on Facebook. Consumers will vote for their favourite styles by ‘liking’ their favourite style’s album. After a week of voting, the style of the most ‘liked’ album will then become the curated style of the month and ASOS will bring in more clothes and accessories under the winning style category, and create a special editorial to provide more fashion inspiration to consumers.

Phase 3:

The third phase is a collaboration with Ariana Grande for the brands that she personally prefers out of all that are listed on ASOS, to strategically tap on her popularity. This collaboration emulates the annual New York and Paris Fashion Weeks’ attempts to substantially increase in global engagement by having an exclusive life story week. There will also be an exclusive life story that ASOS staff and Grande herself can contribute to behind-the-scenes actions, such as the styling process and the photo shoot, which will help tap on her fanbase and reach out to more potential customers.

Thank you everyone for reading this and have a great summer! 🙂

Vernice