Marketing Strategy Of Zara And How The Fashion Brand Became Successful With Minimal Advertising

For every fashion lover out there, Zara means a lot. It is that brand that redefines fashion and quality in apparel industry. There are umpteen of people, including me, who get excited seeing a ‘Zara Sale’ message pop up on my mobile screen. Now, the discussion we are having here is; how did Zara become so big? Do you ever see a brand commercial of Zara on TV? Or billboards? Seldom, isn’t it?

Founded by Amancio Ortega in 1975, Zara is unlike any other fashion brand. It doesn’t rely on going overboard with its marketing strategy and singing laurels about itself. Also, Zara never invests in high-end billboards and digital influences like other brands. They also refrain from doing social media influencing, which even bigger brands like Puma, Adidas, Louis Vuitton are seen practicing.

Conclusively, Zara is one such brand that believes in the ideology of ‘Less is More’. With the monetary value of $13 billion, they spend a very small portion (0.3%) of their revenue on advertising.

Well, that’s not it. There is a well-devised marketing strategy by which Zara became a go-to brand for many fashion lovers. Here’s how we have decoded it.

1. Creating scarcity of products

Unlike other brands, Zara doesn’t produce many copies of a single design. It creates a sense of scarcity in the mind of their shoppers. This compels the customers to make a buying decision quickly thinking it might go out of stock soon.

2. Novelty in designs

Zara is never repetitive in its designs. They bring new patterns and colour combinations in their apparel. Bringing new designs throughout the years ensures enough footfalls in their showrooms. Thus, more purchases.

3. They take feedback seriously

Imagine a brand selling products exactly how their customers want. That is Zara for you. Instead of thrusting their opinions on your buying decisions, they create fashion that is designed by none other than their customers. Employees at Zara stores are told very seriously to note down every feedback that customers give. The online platforms regularly analyse these feedback and the brand comes up with exactly what their customers want. Smart, isn’t it?

4. Location of Zara stores

Most of the luxury brands tend to keep their stores exclusively near to people with high-end choices. In the national capital of India, you can see the prominence of so many designer houses in South Delhi and the reason is obvious. However, Zara begs to differ. They locate their stores in city centres where all types of audience can approach them.

Zara increases its expenditures on physical locations by 6-8% every year. In 2011 itself, the company purchased some prime real estate on Fifth Avenue for a whopping price of $324 million. Speaking about this strategy, a marketing consultant Masoud Golsorkhi says, “The retail strategy for luxury brands is to try to keep as far away from the likes of Zara. Zara’s strategy is to get as close to them as possible.”

Zara has over 2,000 stores worldwide and their products are also available on nearly 40 online stores. It reflects that more places your brand is present; greater will be your brand presence and recognition. For example, even if you go an entire year without seeing McDonald’s commercial, you will be eating frequently at their diners.

It seems like the marketing strategy is working out among its loyal customer base.

Also read: 6 Popular Brands That Never Advertised And Yet Are Ridiculously Successful