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Urban Outfitters seems to be a fashionable brand in retailing, but it wasn't until recently that I learned about Anthropologie. If you haven't heard, seen, or been in an Anthropologie store, you are missing an experience, I kid you not.
After visiting the store, I found some figures that surprised me. Here's one that really left an impression: the typical Anthropologie customer spends 80 minutes in the store per visit. Eighty -- that's 1 hour, 20 minutes on just one trip. How much time do you think the average shopper spends at other retailers? Fifteen minutes. That's an incredible number that should describe a bit about the feel of the stores.
Anthropologie was formed to capitalize on patrons of the Urban Outfitters chain who outgrew UA's fashions. As such, the target consumer for Anthropologie clothing is a 30 to 40'ish professional woman with high discretionary income. Not a bad market to target!
Ask ten women what they think of Anthropologie and you'll likely get . . . one opinion! Almost unanimously, women love the store, but aren't too fond of the prices. Granted, they are high, but for good reason. Anthropologie is extremely selective and exclusive with their clothing lines, and just about all of the clothing you find in a retail location is a limited edition run. Heck, they even have a good selection of one-of-a-kind items!
These items tend to fly off of the shelves, leaving mismatched items here and there, but that leads to an opportunity for shoppers: namely, sales racks. There are a bunch of discounted items if you're not averse searching, which I'm sure is partly responsible the average length of stay.
What impresses me the most about Anthropologie clothes is the distinctive styling. Their fashions include a lot of floral prints, laces, and delicate details, but look classy and sophisticated at the same time. The feeling that I get is that it's a clothing line for successful women who aren't compelled to reveal half of their bodies to look attractive. Home run, I'd say.
For anyone really looking for a bargain, you can find discount Anthropologie clothing online – not through the official store, but through other outlets. I can't imagine that this stuff is 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 appealing!
Here's the bottom line: if you haven't yet stepped foot in an Anthropologie store, find out if there's one near you. It really is a great shopping experience. But beware of the prices!
Smruti Evans runs the discount Gucci bags web store and maintains several popular weblogs, including the Discount Designer Clothing blog.
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