CONSUMERS DEMAND MORE FOR LESS

According to Brand Keys Consulting Company apparel brands are “losing traction on the slippery slope of customer loyalty as consumers grow more demanding.”

Adults rated apparel as the least satisfying category among three dozen products and services. Consumers say apparel companies are less able to give them what they want than airlines, long-distance providers, car rental companies, mobile phones and wireless providers.

“The depth of the slide in the ability to satisfy people is due to consumers’ high expectations and brands’ lack of ability to differentiate. This contributes to an opening for the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world,” said Robert Passikoff, president of marketing for consultant Brand Keys.

Shoppers are increasingly less loyal to specific brands and switch from one brand to another, rather than staying true to a favorite - for reasons of price and style, according to the survey. Their expectations are based on quality materials/well constructed, fits well, price/availability and style.

The list was led by Ralph Lauren, Chanel Polo, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Perry Ellis, Gap, Teri Jon, Elie Tahari, Levi’s, Marc Jacobs, Lacoste and Izod.

”With the proliferation of apparel offering a good value — and at widely ranging prices — it’s growing more difficult for shoppers to decide how much a particular piece of clothing is worth to them,” said Marshal Cohen, analyst at NPD Group. As a result, Cohen said, shopping for apparel can be a frustrating experience, “unless [people] have a good idea of what they want and where to go to get it.”

It’s not so easy anymore for people to tell the difference, he said, between “designer jeans at $200 and product that looks unbelievably the same at Target for $29.99.”