It's packed with quirky vintage boutiques and American style thrift stores, as well as high end brands. Coinciding this, there are some incredible restaurants, small coffee shops and awesome grimey bars and dingey nightclubs that just epitomise the existance of student culture in Bristol.
In a way, I suppose it reminds me of being in London - really busy but really peaceful, all the same!
And so, with an assignment requiring numerous competitive shop reports, I took this as an excuse to visit Bristol, comparing Urban Outfitters with Motel (and taking liberties on the shopping front, to analyse customer service, naturally.)
A small company started in the heart of Bristol and most recently causing commotion and establishing a household name through globalisation into Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most recently the US, Motel is quickly becoming the go to brand for conspicuously quirky musicians, fashionistas and celebrities alike.
A brand driven by uniqueness and diversity, they follow suit of American thrift stores, accentuating vintage colours, styles and well-crafted pieces in order to offer 18-25 year olds products that celebrate the female silhouette. They hold numerous outlets throughout the UK, operating only one standalone store in their native city of Bristol, of which they stock their complete range of house garments as well as their renewed and renovated vintage range, stocked rarely. However, most impressively, they are at current holding concessionary channels in both Topshop and House of Fraser. Motel are considered fashion adaptors and innovators, appealing to the more insistent customer who will always shop at Motel and are routed to the brand due to their extensive product offering and off the mark one off vintage pieces that cannot be seen anywhere else. They too are predictable in terms of social class due to their appeal to attract certain customer bases referring to students. It would therefore be effective in measuring parents on the social class strata as this medium is primarily the source of student income, thus attracting those of the lower middle class (C1) and skilled working class (C2) as well as the working class (D) due to their vintage products – though expensive, they are potentially reasonably priced compared to other vintage shops in and around the Bristol area. . Coinciding this their customers generally fall into primary reference groups due to their central location – their customer have day to day contact with the store and with the student population in Bristol located principally in the centre, they are regularly visited by them on timetable breaks, shopping trips etc. However, their customers also fall into a dissodative reference group due to their attraction towards unique and diversified products in comparison to other high street brands, thus wanting to make a statement by displaying their individuality. 
They too take a very distinguished approach when marketing the brand, and due to their lack of a bricks and mortar retail presence throughout the UK, in conjunction with Urban Outfitters, their specific target market also have to seek them out. However, as their standard clothing line is featured throughout a number of department and retail stores it is generally the vintage lines that are highly desirable thus attracting a very loyal customer base who value the exclusivity of the range. They rely on viral marketing as a means of advertising, through friends, personal experiences and most recently through Facebook and other social networking sites coinciding their blog, updating customers on new arrivals, student lock ins and regular promotions for élite customers, thus making them feel highly valued and important to the development of the brand. Their new international website (www.motelrocks.com) is a significant medium in their generation of sales and revenue as they allow customers to purchase both popular lines online as well as offering economical transportation and exclusive pieces. Coinciding this, their standard line products are often featured in an array of weekly and glossy magazine, attracting attention of both regular and new customers, thus potentially increasing brand awareness.
Key Looks and Merchandise
The Bristol store represents the brands noticeable individuality and independence in terms of the sense of style they display, all of which is clearly displayed in their garments. A womenswear brand, they compromise a mix and standard line and exclusive vintage lines of which are rarely seen, as previously mentioned, throughout the UK. In conjunction, they also offer a vast range of fashion accessories, establishing a fulfilment of desire for vintage head and neck scarves, as well as an eclectic mix of handbags from a long timeline. They renovate and recycle numerous products, offering a large product contribution in terms of vintage shoes, from sandals to farm boots, as well as laptop cases in extensive floral and beatnik leather designs.Though the store in predominantly vintage due to high desirability and exclusivity, their standard range stands out due to their key focus on print. In reference to seasonal analysis, their current focal point is on floral designs representing a take on fairy-tale femininity, featured heavily through their vast range of products in terms of wallflower print. They also undertake a perception on colour direction seen on Christopher Kanes’ catwalk in terms of vibrant neon and brights showcased in their cosmic and triangle dress representations. They have however, minimised their range this season, in regards to their basic and fashion products in relation to the minimalistic trend of which they have been influenced from, using silhouettes and fabrics to differentiate these products from fads, fashions, styles and basics. These trends have been implemented into their range for maximum impact on their customer base, thus attracting trend led individuals who have a provocation to be different and value individuality.
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