Recession Marketing: Making Frugalistas Out Of Big Buyers

Posted on | June 17, 2008 |

Cheap is chic. For our fashion-conscious female readers, it may now mean spending less to look good. At SheFinds.com, weâ€™re looking at the recession as an opportunity to gain a more loyal readership: Women want advice about how to look put-together and stylish on a budget, which some readers may see as a tougher task than choosing high-end ensembles straight from the pages of a fashion magazine.

The “frugalista” is a sophisticated bargain hunter. She isnâ€™t a new kind of shopper, but she is garnering a new level of attention in these budget-conscious months. When even women who can afford to buy clothes that reach into the range of thousands of dollars per item are shopping at consignment shops, we know our readers are looking for more ways to save. But they donâ€™t have time to compare the virtues of all 57 blouses at Forever 21.

We want to help these women make the most of their more limited disposable income â€“ a strategy that seems to be working for industries across the board. Weâ€™re trying to do this in three main ways:

1. Identify less expensive options readers can afford â€“ for us, this means products from sites like Forever 21 and Old Navy.

2. Introduce readers to new purchasing options that offer price cuts as an incentive to buy, like designer discount sites Rue La La and Gilt Groupe.

3. Feature products that are categorically less expensive, but are associated with luxury. For SheFinds, these are often cosmetics like lipstick â€“ even the highest end products top out at about $40.

By shifting more focus towards these products and acknowledging consumersâ€™ efforts to scale down on spending, we hope to drive sales along with increasing reader interest and loyalty.

Comments

3 Responses to “Recession Marketing: Making Frugalistas Out Of Big Buyers”

Make Friends With Your Shoppersâ€¦Especially When They’re Spending Less
July 1st, 2008 @ 7:28 am

[...] to tighten their proverbial belts this year. What else is new, you say. We already know about the frugalista. But the study also found that consumers predicted their offline spending would drop more [...]
countingthepennies
July 14th, 2008 @ 6:47 am

We have just started a web site at
http://www.countingthepennies.com. Whilst we take our own efforts at frugal living seriously, we also want to show a more light hearted & fun approach. We want to get as many like minded people involved, to help each other out - hope we hear from you
When the Going Gets Tough…We Buy Shoes Online
August 12th, 2008 @ 6:37 am

[...] know it might seem odd to keep insisting that the nationâ€™s current economy means great opportunities for e-tailers and online marketersâ€¦but the evidence just keeps piling [...]