STUDENT ASSESSMENT FORM
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Student Registration Numbers:
2913550
Tutor’s Name:
Keri Davies
Module
Code:
MKTP024
80-100%
70-79%
60-69%
50-59%
40-49%
30-39%
Criteria (that meets the module learning outcomes)
0-29%
Grade Descriptors
Explains the potential path-to-purchase for the chosen persona & good
Identifies the key touchpoints which will be the subject of the assignment
Utilizes a range of academic and business literature to investigate the issues
that will arise for consumers and retailers around those key touchpoints
Demonstrates an ability to apply research to a specific commercial situation
Shows an ability to communicate the results clearly and coherently
Provides a clear and complete list of the references used in the assignment
General Comments
Markers Signature
Mark
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Theoretical and practical issues that may arise for a young woman (25-35 years) when buying a wedding
dress
Introduction
The current essay explains the factors that millennial consider before purchasing a wedding dress.
Social media is one of the major factors that have been identified as influencing a millennial decision to
purchase a product. Other than social media, the essay has explained the influence of family, friends, and time
when one is deciding to buy a product. The experience for many brides during the process of searching and
identifying the perfect wedding dress has been associated with deep emotions.
A lot of focus has been placed on the budget and where to shop the wedding dresses, taking into
consideration that most millennial admire high-quality items even when the budget is limited. Therefore, brides
have increased their interactions with brands, designers as well as family or friends to question and discuss
matters concerning the wedding gown they would like to purchase. The essay also explains two main issues
(price, time required to customize dresses) that may affect the consumer and how the brand can address them.
Journey map for the customer to buy the product
Below is a visual presentation of the journey of buying a wedding dress
The Internet has been recognized as the major resource influencing millennial decisions to make
purchases (Patil, 2020). According to SivaKumar & Gunasekaran (2017), millennials are educated and have
technologically perceptive skills since they use their smartphones to collect information about a product before
making any purchasing decision. Millennials consider technology as cheaper, fast, and convenient when
shopping online. Besides, it is easier to compare prices for different products. Therefore, the internet will allow
brides to identify the wedding dresses they want and obtain detailed information about them. The brides will
also communicate and interact with providers of wedding resources. Therefore, millennials consider the internet
as important in the overall process during the purchase of the product.
To choose a wedding dress, the customer should have a budget. The customer needs to know how much
she can afford to spend to avoid falling in love with dresses she cannot afford (Rossol & Lapolla, 2019).
Thereafter, she will need to pay a deposit for the dress ordered. In many cases, the deposits require the customer
to pay half the cost of the product. It is also important to enquire if there are the least expensive options and
later work their way up to more expensive options.
Besides budget, the theme and location of the wedding matter. For instance, if the wedding is taking
place at the church, the dress should be made in a design that is not too revealing. If the location is known, it is
also important to consider the accessories to wear before choosing the wedding dress. For instance, if the bride
has the accessories ready, she should carry them along to ensure that they work together with the dress that has
been chosen (Radojka & Filipović, 2017).
However, issues such as not finding the desired dressing chosen may affect the journey. Unlike most
brides who prefer white gowns because of traditions or other factors, millennials opt for a gown with other
colors such as pale pink, nude and taupe. Apart from wedding dresses with different colors, Hur et al (2017)
state that most millennial are after dresses that are re-wearable, durable and affordable. Therefore, the bride
may identify the dress she wants but it may take time to find a dress builder with the necessary skills to make
the dress. After establishing the desired dress, the customer then establishes different retailers to compare price.
The comparison can be conducted from both online and physical stores. The customer then makes a purchase
from the retailer who meets their budget and agrees upon delivery means.
Issues influencing the customer journey
Three main issues that influence the decisions customers make include price, peer recommendations,
personality, and self-concept, and time were taken to make the dress. A wedding dress is one of the clothing
that defines a special day. In most cases, a lot of money is used and time is spent to identify the perfect wedding
dress. Ordun (2015) explains that the prices of the dresses vary depending on several factors. Individual
customizations are one of the factors that affect the price of the product. Besides, the designer makes the dress
depending on the style, alterations, and extras one needs that affect the final price of the wedding dress. The
factors indicate the average price that the wedding dress is likely to cost taking into account that there will be
general costs incurred when shopping for the wedding dress.
According to SivaKumar & Gunasekaran (2017), when a millennial wants to make purchases online,
she is likely to consider the recommendations from the peers for reasons such as distrust of brands. They simply
want to know the opinions that their peers have towards a certain product. For instance, people (family or
friends) who look at gowns available and decide what is best for them instead of deciding what is best for the
bride usually accompany the bride. In other instances, the bride’s interest may align with the interest of the
people accompanying her to select the gown (Ordun, 2015). About peer recommendations, a bride should have
a strong personality and self-concept, which is relevant in influencing the customer journey to purchase a
wedding dress.
Research by Rossol& Lapolla explains that brides have suffered emotional tension as well as physical
isolation since they often trust family or friends when making their decisions. Personality helps us understand
that everyone is different. Therefore, people should be open when making decisions or when encountering new
experiences. Research by Min et al (2016) explains that people purchase products to appreciate and get closer to
their ideal selves. Therefore, a bride should purchase a dress if it is beautiful and she feels comfortable wearing
it.
Another issue that influences the customer is the time taken to make the wedding dress. Following
research by Radojka & Filipović (2017), many made-to-order wedding dresses take more than six months to
create. The process of making the dress also involves fitting the dress around three times to allow for customer
alterations and ensure that the dress flatters with the body type. If the bride delays choosing a wedding dress
and she is on a tight timeline, she may have to incur many costs to get the dress made in time. If the budget
cannot fit, the bride may have to choose another dress that may not be appealing, as she desired.
How a marketer or retailer may deal with the issues identified
The impacts of social media on millennials who are making decisions to purchase wedding dresses have
significantly grown. Therefore, all designers, manufacturers, and retailers must identify more effective ways to
influence their customer's purchase decisions. One of the major impacts of social media is the ability to
generate word of mouth. According to Coles (2017), customers prefer the internet to commercial sources for
seeking advice and identifying specific products manufactured by a certain brand. Besides, millennials believe
that the internet offers a lot of valuable information. However, the greatest concerns are that the data shared
about wedding dresses should not only be community-driven but also driven by price and performance.
To connect well with the brides, wedding dress designers, retailers and manufactures should use social
medial not only for passing information but for creating means in which they can engage their customers in the
purchase decision process (Hur et al., 2017). For instance, a customer needs to understand how to evaluate the
price of a wedding dress. Therefore, if wedding dress designers decide to create videos to talk about how a
dress is constructed, they should consider adding content such as the essential construction elements and those
that are not so that the customer can have an estimate of the money to set aside. In addition, it is important that
designers, manufactures, and designers create apps on smartphones to connect the brides more to people who
can help and reassure them of the right decisions to make when shopping for wedding dresses (SivaKumar &
Gunasekaran, 2017).
Besides the issue of prices and mobile apps, an online mechanism is also relevant in minimizing the
time required to customize customer dresses. According to LEAH, the customers can interact with the dress
builder using a data-backed survey, which requires the customer to answer several questions. After answering
the questions, the customer gets to see a sketch of the fabrics and lengths that they have personally
recommended. If any changes need to be done, the customer is allowed to give her suggestions or even
browsing through customizations that she needs (Patil, 2020).
Therefore, the alterations are made in a short time and the bride will not be required to make many
fittings as compared to instances where brides travel to the shops to make fittings to identify if there are any
changes to be done. As a result, the bridal industry will be able to experience a good performance because of
their effectiveness in attracting customers. Besides, the industry will have a good idea of their customers'
expectations that gives a competitive advantage in the sector.
References
Coles, L. (2017). Social media for business: foolproof tips to help you promote your business or your brand.
John Wiley & Sons.
Hur, H. J., Lee, H. K., & Choo, H. J. (2017). Understanding usage intention in innovative mobile app service:
Comparison between millennial and mature consumers. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 353-361.
Ordun, G. (2015). Millennial (Gen Y) consumer behavior their shopping preferences and perceptual maps
associated with brand loyalty. Canadian Social Science, 11(4), 40-55.
Radojka, K., & Filipović, Z. (2017). Gender differences and consumer behavior of millennials. Acta Economica
Et Turistica, 3(1), 5-13.
SivaKumar, A., & Gunasekaran, A. (2017). An empirical study on the factors affecting online shopping
behavior of millennial consumers. Journal of Internet Commerce, 16(3), 219-230.
Min, S., Ceballos, L. M., & Yurchisin, J. (2016, November). Exploring Role Power within Bridal Gown
Selection Process. In International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings
(Vol. 73, No. 1). Iowa State University Digital Press.
Rossol, E., & Lapolla, K. (2019, December). Wine Dyed: Multi-wear Sustainable Wedding Dress. In
International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings (Vol. 76, No. 1). Iowa
State University Digital Press.
Patil, M. S. (2020, October). IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SOCIETY. In Global Research Conference
Forum (p. 100).