Consumer Perception

Consumer Perception

The world of marketing is an ever-changing one. Not simply because consumers' desires change, but also because today marketers have more means than ever to reach potential customers. The Internet has made aspects of marketing much simpler and cheaper. We can now literally reach over a billion people world-wide. For multinational companies, this is a good means to create a connection with the people in each country they operate in. The following will examine the website of Victoria's Secret, as well as the "size does matter" epidemic in the United States.

One of the things that the Victoria's Secret website does very well is provide potential consumers with opportunities for additional exposure. On the home screen, the banner on the top has several links including: "Catalogue Quick Order" "Sign Up For Email" "Customer Service" "Your Account" "Shopping Bag". The links to catalogue order and email are both direct ways of showing the customer some of the things you have to offer. Below this section are the categories of products, which include: Bras, Panties, Sleepwear, Clothing, Shoes, Swim, Beauty, and Sale. By having these sections, it makes it very easy for potential consumers to navigate the site and discover some of what the company has to offer.

Internet has certain limitations when it comes to sensory stimulus. We cannot smell things, we cannot taste them, and we cannot feel them. In some cases we can see and hear them, but in most we can only see things on the Internet. That is what makes the marketing slightly trickier. One of the things that the Victoria's Secret website does is it has big pictures of girls. When advertising a sale, they typically use the color red for the writing. Currently, there are four major pictures on the home page. The main one has a link to the "Spring Sale and Specials" and the three below are advertising the Ipex Bra, Swim 2006, and Perfume. We can see from the site that the most obvious technique used for attracting and holding consumers' attention is the pictures.

If we take a step back, it is easy to see that this website is all about women. It is tailored to be to their liking and that works for them. It is not meant to be a website that men go to. It is easy to navigate, so it would not be a problem for men, however it is focused on the female consumers (for obvious reasons).

In the case of Victoria's Secret, since it is such a well-known brand and its stores are everywhere, its website does not suffer the same disadvantages that other smaller companies may suffer. The reason for this is because most of the website's visitors are previous customers who know what they want and what fits them. In terms of perfume and body care products, most of the women have already smelled all of them in stores and know what they smell like. For smaller companies, e-tailing can be much more difficult. People do not necessarily have the chance to try on what they are buying from the Internet, however most online stores allow for returns. This eases the consumers' apprehensions about buying something online that does not fit or that they do not like. When it comes to the selling of perfume or cosmetics, companies can offer free samples that would be sent to the person inquiring. This may be somewhat costly, however it is also a good way of reducing stress on the consumer.

Foreigners visiting America are typically amazed with the bigness of everything here. Our highways are as wide as eight lanes in some places! At McDonalds in France, the large drink is 20 oz. Here in America, the smallest drink besides a children's drink is 20 oz. The Big Gulp at 7-11 is 32 oz and it is not even the biggest. Movies like "Super-Size Me" brought to the attention of people the unhealthiness of fast food, which the average American eats a lot of each week.

Fascination with bigness is inherent in American culture. We want to be the most powerful, loudest and richest, country in the world. We always want to be on top. When you are on top you are confident and proud. SUVs today are as much of status vehicles as are sports cars. A Supercharged Range Rover will set you back $100,000, just about the same as a Mercedes SL-500 roadster or a Porsche 911. Both are symbols of status,