Modello Volume 1 | Page 33

Burberry and Zara are two very different retailers. When it comes to high end, Burberry is one of the most well-known traditional English brands and was founded in 1856. Zara on the other hand, is on the other end of the spectrum and is one of the most up and coming high street store this year. Both companies cater for a range of customers but communicate with these customers in very different ways.

Burberry is a public limited company with a share capital and turns over on average, £2,514,700,000 per year. A large way that Burberry communicates with their customers is through using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Facebook is used for live streaming cat walks and fittings, sophisticated visuals are posted on Instagram and most user interaction is done through Twitter. Burberry’s highest social media following is on Facebook with over 18 million likes and over 84,000 visits. They share videos, photos and events. Although they are more popular on Facebook, they're most active platform is Twitter, posting on average 5 times a day. Using social media to communicate with customers means that their receivers are constantly able to see the company and the activity that is going on due to growth in popularity of social media.

Zara is very different to Burberry, founded in 1974 and turning over £8.6 billion a year, it is one of the newest and most profitable high street stores. Like Burberry, it also uses social media to communicate with its customers. Using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram it communicates to an audience aged 18-30. Unlike Burberry, Zara uses social media in its most simplistic form. Instagram is their most used platform communicating with customers who are of the age that would use it. On Instagram, Zara upload photos that clearly demonstrate the product and the model styling this product; using a lot of white backgrounds or backgrounds that reflect the season of the clothes. This theme of simplicity is reflected within their Twitter too. Compared to Burberry, Zara use a ‘light’ strategy encouraging love for the brand rather than purchase consideration. Burberry are more successful in encouraging sales through social media and this is where a lot of the profit comes from, however Zara are not as successful in this and take more profit just from advertising product within their store.

Visual Merchandising is the most successful way in which any retailer can communicate with their audience. The display in a window can speak a thousand words and turn a passerby into a buyer. Burberry’s window displays are always very chic. They are either extravagant or simplistic which lets the product speak for itself. Being a British based company, most of Burberry’s visual merchandising links back to its heritage. For example, one of its latest windows includes landmarks from London such as Big Ben and The London Eye. Burberry wants to infiltrate to their target audience that their brand is about tradition and heritage and their product reflects that. Burberry is known for being British and we know this because of how the company presents itself, it's a clear direct message.

Zara’s visual merchandising is also very important to their brand. The simplicity on the social media platforms if mirrored throughout their window displays. Using white backgrounds, white mannequins and simple props such a metal boxes, frames or white platforms, the message of classicality is communicated to their target audience. Although their windows are not as complex or as extravagant as Burberry’s, Zara's are still influential in the way of interacting with their customers.

Communication with customers is important for both brands in order to sell their product and to increase their profit. Zara and Burberry do this in similar ways such as through social media but the way in which they present their individual brands differ. Burberry wants to demonstrate their brands message of tradition and heritage whereas Zara want to be individual and modern and do this through the simplicity of their brand.

Zara or Burberry-Who's customer are you?