Young Women as the Primary Audience of H&M
H&M’s target market is very broad because of their extensive product portfolio. Their primary target audience is women between 20 and 34, who are on the market for trendy fashion at a low price. These women are up-to-date, trendy and fashionable consumers. They see shopping as a social activity either to treat themselves, fulfill their emotional distress or out of necessity. Besides, they prefer to shop at affordable retailers for trendy items and are willing to spend more on high-quality essential items. These women are frequent shoppers who tend to buy more than one items at a time and is likely to buy clothes without trying them on. They concern with their appearance and tend to follow the latest fashion trends. Moreover, they could be inspired by a celebrity such as famous singers (Beyonce, Lana Del Rey) and models (Miranda Ker).
Consumers are increasing their interest in fashion and thus shop frequently with the availability of media, celebrity looks and catwalk styles according to the Barnes and Lea-Greenwood (2010). However, these customers will visit the online shops instead of going to store to buy their clothes due to the hustle lifestyles nowadays. (Aliina Neep, 2016)
H&M's Second Target Market
The secondary target audience is women aged between 35 and 45 who may come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. They mainly buy basic H&M items such as T-shirts and jeans and tend to shop alone. They are price-conscious which they only will shop when they need a particular item. These women adopt a business casual style or an elegantly casual style. They are influenced by celebrities such as Madonna and Gisele Bundchen as well as their friends and co-workers.
Another secondary target audience is teenagers or women aged between 12 and 19 who tends to buy only one item at the time as most of them are still students. They usually walk into the stores accompanied by friends, and they have a fashionable casual style. According to The Fashion Law, fast fashion is the practice of rapidly translating high fashion design trends into low-priced garments and accessories. It is assumed that they are targeted towards college and recently graduated student who want inexpensive and trendy clothing because of their limited financial resources. They tend to research particular products online before buying from the store, or they will order clothes from online shops. These targeted group will profoundly be influenced by celebrities such as Katy Perry and designers of the brands H&M partners with like Alexander McQueen, Lanvin and Balmain. (Tanapa Poshyananda, 2016)
