>>03 Market research

Market research was carried out in both Dundee, Scotland and Coleraine, Northern Ireland to obtain a wider set of results.

Dundee, Scotland

Coleraine, Northern Ireland

The market research consisted of the same 5 questions in both locations.  They were as follows:

1. What do you value most in a clothes shop?
2. What attracts you to a store?
3. If you were looking to buy basic garments i.e. a white vest top where would you go?
4. What do you think of Peacocks as a store?
5. How do you rate Peacocks against New Look?

Results:

The majority of the public said that they would value the experience of a store the most.  Many others also emphasised the importance of the quality of the clothes and the value for money.  In Coleraine main street one women stated, ''Once I've had a good experience with a store I tend to visit that store every single time I'm in town''.

When asking the public what attracts them to a store they mentioned window displays and promotions.  A lady of about 60 years of age in Coleraine main street stated, ''If I'm not familiar with a store (especially when I visit bigger, busier cities) I tend to go by the window display alone to see if I spot anything I like before going into the shop!''

According to our market research, basic garments tend to be bought from Gap, New Look, Primark or Next.  This question allowed us to identify the main competitors for Peacocks, although it's important to note that not one person mentioned Peacocks as a place to purchase basic garments.

I was rather surprised with the responses from question 4.  Some people mentioned that they thought the quality of Peacocks clothing was good, others called it 'trashy' and some people said they had never been in a Peacocks store in their life.  A mother and her 2 daughters in Dundee main street stated, ''The local store is so uninviting, so we would much rather go elsewhere.''

How did people rate Peacocks against New Look!? -well someone did say that they thought New Look was 200% better...(but I guess New Look is doing well for themselves after they were rebranded and repositioned about 10 years ago!)  Some people were able to identify that the quality of the clothing was similar in both stores, however they mentioned that the clothes in Peacocks are not presented as well as in New Look -one women even described Peacocks as a 'jumble sale'.

Peacocks is obviously not anyones favourite clothes shop.  No one tends to rely on it, not even for basic clothing items.  The most positive thing we obtained about Peacocks from the market research was that the quality of the clothes were similar to that of New Look -even if they weren't presented as well .  This at least gives us something to work with.