Midterm: Well Known Product 2

 

Consumers:

H&M likes to reach out to different types of diverse people because “The H&M Group employs over 94,000 people and there are approximately 2,500 stores spread over 40 markets in Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.” (http://www.hm.com/us/) This shows that if they hire people from all over the world, then this brand can be for anyone that enjoys high quality, fashionable clothing at a low price. Since they sell kids, women and men’s clothing they have a much bigger target market. Their consumers are people who mainly love the UK style, urban fashion, who are fashion forward and love to shop.

“Each store should also be an inspiring experience, which appeals to the wider public. And everyone should feel comfortable stepping in for a visit, whatever their background.” (http://www.hm.com/us/)

Competitors:

H&M’s competitors are Zara, Topshop, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Gap. These stores are their competitors because they sell to both men and women, they almost have the same style of  clothing and their price ranges are very similar.

In the Market:

“H&M has expanded substantially in recent years. Today almost 2,500 stores are spread across 44 markets. The H&M Group includes H&M and H&M Home as well as COS, Monki, Weekday and Cheap Monday – independent brands that express their own sense of fashion.” (http://www.hm.com/us/) H&M sells women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing, shoes, accessories, handbags and cosmetics. “Online shopping is currently available in 18 European countries and will open in the US at the end of 2012. ” (http://www.hm.com/us/) H&M also has a strong social media presence such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube that draws customers in to get them to be interactive and informed.

Cultivating the Community:

H&M does many things to give back to the communities and the world. They do things such as working to create cleaner water, be organic, raise charities for AIDS, donate clothes to charities and support hunger relief. Being socially responsible is an important thing especially for a big brand. It makes the brand image look much better it shows that the company cares.

 “Rinse-washing denim garments to achieve a desired finish is a waterintensive process. We work with our suppliers to apply better techniques, reducing this water use.”

“An important part of our community investment work is to provide support in times of crisis. In cases of major catastrophes, H&M makes direct contributions to emergency relief efforts and humanitarian aid. In addition to this we regularly donate clothes to selected partner organisations.”

“H&M's commitment to organic cotton began as part of our environmental efforts – in 2004 we began including small amounts of certified organic cotton into certain children’s garments. In 2010 we became the number one user of organic cotton worldwide, according to Textile Exchange`s Global Market Report on Sustainable Textiles.” (http://www.hm.com/us/)