Whether it is a newly minted lipstick, or a faithful brand of shoes, women sharing their favorite products with each other in the spirit of sisterhood is not a new concept. Sharing products and practices that allow women to feel their best allows for a bonding experience, and let’s people in on “a little secret”. Thus, it is no surprise that the continued growth of the athleisure trend comes with its’ own sisterhood of leggings clad ladies, eager to share their favorite finds. Everywhere you turn, real women are seen parading confidently in colorful leggings, artfully crafted tops and jackets, and bras that translate seamlessly from day to evening.
How Did Fabletics Gain Popularity?
This community of women, donning their Fabletics gear fearlessly, help to solidify the brand‘s strong presence at the top of the athleisure trend. With a strong mission statement, and a befitting celebrity co-founder, the everyday woman rounds out the sphere of influence that has allowed Fabletics to flourish as a brand at an impressive rate. Kate Hudson, co-founder of the brand, perfectly represents the Fabletics lifestyle; active, healthy, and confident. With constant involvement within the company, Hudson embodies the brand’s mission to encourage women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities to live a fulfilled existence. Starring in a large portion of the brand’s advertising and web presence, the perpetual California girl’s genuine love for the product that she creates creates a level of trust and authenticity for the brand.
This authenticity, brand consistency, and transparency, have all contributed to the brand‘s quick successes. Since the brand’s beginnings in 2013, Fabletics has grown its‘ reach to include international clientele, and has opened six brick-and-mortar shops within the US. While most consumer brands have witnessed the decline of retail operations, Fabletics has enjoyed the opposite results, and intends on continuing to build the presence of their brand within the brick-and-mortar structure. With such rapid growth, Fabletics proves that their strategies are working, and that their methodology of listening to customer feedback, and utilizing customer interaction to determine their next moves is a brilliant way to conduct business in today’s economy.
Using Technology For Better Business Practices
Paying close attention to the ways in which new technology can positively impact business, and Fabletics strategists utilize all collected data to understand what products are selling, the desires of their customer base, and the ways in which they can improve and grow. With every online review and comment serving essentially as an honest conversation about a product’s impact on a person’s life, Fabletics recognizes the importance and value of these snippets of genuine insight. Additionally, Fabletics utilizes this data collection to understand trends, and maintain appropriate inventory of their best selling products, essentially resolving potential issues before they even arise.
Creating an Online Community
As a company, Fabletics has created a community of loyal consumers who have been more than thrilled to act as brand ambassadors. With women sharing their honest opinions about the product, and showcasing the product in action throughout real life situations, Fabletics was able to successfully garner the unwavering trust of a consumer who values the general insight of a crowd. According to a BrightLocal study conducted annually, “84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation from someone they know, a stat that has increased every year the survey has been conducted.” With consumers putting so much stock in the reviews of their peers, Fabletics has expertly curated a front row presence for these reviews to essentially do their job.
By making customers’ reviews a large part of their marketing structure, Fabletics has perpetuated the concept of community driven marketing. With featured customer photos taking up prominent site space, as well as a generous social media following, Fabletics has managed to both engage customers, and build the confidence of first-time shoppers, most of whom turn into repeat customers. By maintaining customer engagement via such active presence, Fabletics continues to integrate into the lives of many women in a way that feels authentic, trustworthy, and everlasting.
A Culture of Transparency
With millions of satisfied customers, extensive customer service agents ready to tackle any concern, and transparent business practices ready for critique, Fabletics has opened the doors for customers, and critics alike, to judge the company for themselves. In fact, the Corporate Marketing Officer of parent company TechStyle Fashion Group, Shawn Gold, has previously told Huffington Post, “If we don’t know what people want, and we don’t truly listen to their tastes and circumstances, it is impossible to improve their lives. Ultimately everything we do is confirmed by the direct opinions of our customers in their own language.” While this type of transparent behavior is rarely seen in the business world, it goes a long way to dispel the general mistrust that the current generation feels comes with large companies, corporate entities, and advertising in general.
Long before the concept of the world wide web was even fathomable, women strengthened their communities, and shared their favorite products at hosted parties, through local door-to-door representatives for their favorite brands, and through telephone calls. While this practice was helpful on a smaller scale, it certainly didn’t carry the same global impact that it does now. With the internet connecting women globally, we are able to share our favorite products, shape and control the demand for certain product on a scale that demands action, and build the type of companies that we wish to engage in business with, all by simply voicing our opinions.
Kate Hudson co-founded this company as a means of providing stylish, yet affordable, athletic clothing for all women. Whether she knew it or not several years ago, her company has played a crucial part in the growing athleisure movement, and the transparent, consumer driven nature of the company has proven to be a model of success. Here’s to you, Fabletics!