Kiss and Tell

STRIKE A POSE 04 August 2011

It was 8 years ago, flicking through the music channels that I remember seeing my first pair of skinnies. Whilst Kelis was fully focussed on enticing us all with her Milkshake recipe, all I was looking at were her jeans. Sleek, figure hugging and a welcome change from the ‘boot cut’ look, I was hooked- as were a generation of females (and more recently, males). Fashion and clothes influence a large portion of society and (as we found out from our previous fashion study) much of the Kiss audience in particular. So in order to catch up on our listeners’ fashionable views for 2011, we probed them a little on their spending and buying habits…

2-3 times a month. That’s how often 34% of our listeners succumb to shopping temptation and part with their money; and they are not alone. Mintel, a market research firm who analyse and predict media trends, have found that almost 4 in 10 (37%) of women aged 16-24 buy new clothes on a weekly basis; this is more than double the national average. Obviously to keep up with the constant demand for fresh and new clothing, fashion brands ensure that they have a high and speedy turnover of stock in their stores to maintain shoppers’ interest and ensure their return. As Joanna Knights uncovered, in the recession listeners were shunning the idea of instant gratification when it came to buying clothes and were instead opting to purchase well made, slightly more expensive  pieces that would stand the test of time. A year and a half on however, it seems like this careful attitude to spending has seen a slight lapse amongst our listeners and a greater need to keep up with the current trends has emerged. According to TGI, 825,000 Kiss listeners like to keep up with the current trends and 1.5 million agree that it is important to look well dressed. These statistics accurately back up our survey results where 36% of our listeners say they are ‘interested in fashion and like to stay reasonably on trend’ and only 3% believe they ‘really couldn’t care less about what they are wearing or fashion trends’.  A love of current trends is made clear upon the answering of our survey question ‘Which was the best decade for fashion?’ where the present day rules supreme with a resounding 32% of Kiss listeners rating it their most favoured fashionable period. The 1960s came in second with 16% of the votes and the 1950s appeared in third place with 11%.

Instead of investing in quality garments, listeners are seeking out sales and special offers in search of a few bargain pieces. This activity makes it easy to understand the perceived drop in their spending habits with almost half (48%) of our Kiss listeners declaring that they are ‘spending less on clothes, shoes and accessories than this time last year’. Also, as coupons and vouchers are readily available for a wide variety of shops and brands it is little wonder consumers are making the most of these offers. When we asked our listeners why they were most tempted to buy when out shopping, the top 3 scoring answers all revolved around price with 78% voting for ‘Sales’, 47% saying they like a special offer and 46% confirming they seek out certain coupons that may be on offer for their chosen retailer. ‘New trends’ comes in at 4th place with 43% identifying the fast paced world of fashion as an immediate lure to buy and thus stay ‘in vogue’.

Our listeners also revealed, when questioned about who inspires them style-wise, that they are much more heavily influenced by individuals they see on the street rather than their friends and family or celebrities. 60% of our listeners cited ‘what I see people wearing when out and about’ as a major source of creativity when putting together their own outfits. Just over half of all the Kiss listeners who completed this survey believe themselves to be their own inspiration and picked ‘Me, myself and I!’ in response to the same question. This self-confidence is a theme that cropped up in our fashion article from last February when we asked our listeners to pick their style type, listeners refused to be pigeonholed and responded by saying, ‘I am a mixture of everything and couldn’t possibly be labelled!’

It would seem that although we are still in the recession, its shocking edge has started to wear off and listeners are beginning to change their spending habits accordingly. With the wide availability of coupons and vouchers becoming common place and many stores offering deals on certain items, consumers are being encouraged to spend again, albeit in short bursts. For Kiss listeners this method appears to be working as these little bargains appear too much to resist; but why should they? If the economy is to turn around, it needs a little encouragement from the spenders. Oh, and there’s not a lot retail therapy can’t fix…