eTailing Strategies within the Intimate Apparel Market

The study was initiated by the recent growth of intimate apparel companies operating either solely on the internet, or as part of a distribution channel strategy. To date, little research exists on the lingerie industry in general and specifically on consumer’s propensity to purchase online. The marketing discipline of eTailing is in its infancy and is considered a challenging arena in understanding the successful construction of an aesthetic and functional site for consumers.

The research uses a case-study approach looking at three successful intimate apparel companies, Victoria’s Secret, Figleaves and Agent Provocateur. The companies’ retail websites were analysed from the research design criteria of functionality, experiential content and aesthetics. A matrix was created to compare and contrast the overall results for ‘goal orientated’ and ‘experiential seeker’ consumers. Initial discussion covers the limited literature on lingerie, but additionally brings in theories of retail experiential marketing, which have not previously been empirically researched for online retail companies.

The methodology chosen is a multidisciplined qualitative approach involving stakeholders and industry experts. This includes in-depth interviews with personnel from the three companies: a sample group of PG students visiting the three sites who recorded their findings, a fashion web designer, IT/business consultant and my initial research with applied semiotic analysis. The combined findings contributed new knowledge to the intimate apparel industry and a new eTailing best practice model.

The initial research was utilised for a CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Postgraduate Diploma case study in December 2005. The research was then expanded as a full academic paper for the Annual Academy of Marketing Conference, July 2006. The conference is a major academic platform for practitioners and those in marketing education, with all papers being double-blind refereed before presentation and publication.