Students demonstrate an app-titude for business
Three work experience students from schools and colleges in Essex and Suffolk have designed their own fashion ‘app’ aimed at image conscious female teenagers.
Lucy Smith, 17, Lauren Attwood, 15, and Holly Mercer, 14, spent two weeks cutting their corporate teeth at Feering-based Focus Integrated Marketing Communications, a creative agency which counts e2v, Camelot Group, Taylor Wimpey, Greene King, and the Co-operative amongst its clients.
After conducting market research using social media channels including Facebook and Twitter, the trio found a gap in the market for a fashion styling ‘app’ which suggests outfits based on the individual body statistics, age, budget and favourite high street shops of consumers.
Called ‘Off the Rack’, the ‘app’ would select the clothes which it believes appeal to the fashion tastes of the user. Once an item of clothing or outfit has been chosen, an online shopping basket would allow a purchase to be made immediately. The ability to upload a photograph to the ‘app’ means each user would also be able to see what their chosen outfit might look like on them.
Lucy Smith, a student at The Sixth Form College Colchester, said: “Our market research showed that consumers prefer online shopping because it saves time and there is more variety. By using Facebook and Twitter, we were able to quickly tap into our target market and find out exactly what sort of ‘app’ would be useful to them.”
Lauren Attwood, a student at New Hall School in Chelmsford, said: “The idea behind our ‘app’ was to offer a fun and hassle-free alternative to traipsing around town looking for that perfect outfit. By accessing clothes from the online stores of our target market’s favourite high street shops, ‘Off the Rack’ would then make outfit suggestions which are personalised to the individual body shape and shopping habits of each user.”
Holly Mercer, a student at Ipswich High School for Girls, said: “To provide an income stream, ‘Off the Rack’ would charge each retailer a small fee for every purchase referred through the ‘app’. Brands would also have the opportunity to sponsor ‘Off the Rack’, giving us further potential to generate revenue.”
James Mercer, Managing Director at Focus Integrated Marketing Communications, mentored the students during their two-week stint at the company. He said: “I was extremely impressed with the enthusiasm shown towards this task by Holly, Lauren and Lucy. Their approach to conduct market research through social media and decision to design a product for young, tech-savvy consumers shows us where the future is heading, for both marketing and retailing.”
