9 Zara store hacks that leave shoppers with an uncontrollable urge to buy

Zara is the largest clothing retailer in the world. The empire’s founder, Spanish Amancio Ortega, started with a store that sold cheap pieces inspired by designer items from big brands. And today, his company’s annual revenue hits the billion dollar mark. And it’s us, the consumers, who guarantee Zara all that money. Have you ever stopped to think about what makes people repeatedly buy clothes from this brand?

O awesome.club analyzed the strategy of brand marketing and found several tricks that serve to win the customer.

In Zara clothing stores, items are positioned according to price. At the entrance are the most expensive ones, in the hope that the consumer will “fall in love” with them at first sight. The brand’s intention is to make you not reach the area of ​​cheaper clothes. Zara bets on our impulsive behavior: you see it, you want it and you buy it.

For shoppers looking for something more affordable, there is the back part of the store. There, are the basic pieces and clothes with discounts. But until you get there, you’ll have to overcome the urge to buy a dress, a bag and also shoes from the new collection.

Zara stores do not have sectors in the most traditional sense of the word. Shoes, wallets and accessories are all in one place. The customer doesn’t have to think about which shoe will match that outfit. The store professionals already thought of it for him.

Of course, this has a practical side: the person saves time and receives guidance amidst the sea of ​​trends. But it’s also a very clever trick: the buyer’s logic is disabled, since everything has been decided by him. He just needs to pay.

Zara spends a paltry 0.3% of its revenue on advertising: deliberately, the brand prefers not to disclose how cool, stylish and comfortable it is. We are not talking about a mistake made by the company’s marketing department, but about a carefully thought out strategy to conquer the market.

Zara invests heavily in catalogs and… in shop windows. This gives the consumer a feeling of exclusivity. It’s as if the quality of the clothing speaks for itself, and needs no publicity. After all, Balenciaga and Versace don’t advertise on TV either, and yet people see them as high-end brands.

The same trick is applied by Zara: you go to the store to buy something that your colleague/friend/neighbor doesn’t have. Exclusive clothing at fair prices. Of course this exclusivity is imaginary, Zara simply plays on people’s need to buy something special, and consumers love that.

Zara would never open a store near a Walmart or some small store. The brand is very careful when defining the location of its establishments. The points of sale are only open in large shopping malls or on main avenues in large cities.

Note carefully: almost always, there is a high-end store near Zara. Obviously, in these stores the clothes are beautiful and elegant, but very expensive. Zara, on the other hand, wants to convey the message to customers: “Our clothes are also beautiful and elegant”. Only the prices are lower. In other words, Zara tries to make you feel as stylish as people who spend fortunes on clothes.

In fact, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge helped give the brand a more aristocratic look. Prince William’s wife is a big fan of the Spanish brand, so much so that the day after her wedding, she wore a simple blue dress from the brand. And needless to say, the piece disappeared from store shelves practically immediately.

400 designers work on the new collections

Zara’s strategy is fast and fad. The brand has changed our attitude towards clothing. Now, there’s nothing special about shopping: you buy a piece and a short time later you get rid of it, like stale bread or expired cookies.

While other brands are in the process of trying to guess the trends of future seasons, Zara launches several new collections. Such trends change once every two months, and the brand satisfies its customers with a new batch of items. If something considered “fashionable” appears on the catwalks, on the streets of cities or on the skin of celebrities, you can be sure that it will soon appear in Zara stores.

But therein lies the main disadvantage for the consumer: customers are “addicted” to fast fashion. Zara produces 450 million pieces a year, and anyone will find something they like among them. We’ve been led to believe that new clothes make us happy and stylish. And if that doesn’t work, we can always go back to the store and buy something new.

Zara clothes travel farther than any frequent flyer. And that’s because what doesn’t sell well in one store is taken to another. Skirts, pants and shirts travel the world: clothes from Europe can reach stores in Latin America, for example.

But if a particular model is a total failure, it ends up being recycled. Thus, some details of the stranded piece gain a second life. Zara knows how to save and doesn’t throw away unsold clothes.

Yes, Zara creates artificial scarcity. The brand makes customers think that if they don’t buy a certain piece, they will never see it available again. That means that jacket you saw in the store 10 days ago could disappear from the shelves and never reappear.

It’s as if a hamster awakens inside each consumer: the person thinks he needs to stock up for the future. And the brain immediately receives the impulse: “Buy urgently”. Impulsive purchases are great for the seller, but disastrous for the consumer. And that ends up generating remorse for the wasted money.

Before the sale season begins (usually July, August, December, January and February), Zara tries to sell as many pieces as possible at “full” prices. The stores are flooded with clothes from previous collections, and it is even difficult to find newer models. The pieces of the new collections have identification tags, while the others are considered “old clothes”. After a few days, these pieces will sell for much lower prices. Wait a while to get a better deal and not throw money away.

A Zara consultant does not recommend that you buy pieces from past collections just before the sales season.

Test shop at Zara headquarters

Zara has stores where no customers enter. The pilot stores are hidden in the brand’s Spanish headquarters. If you’ve been to chain stores in different countries, you may have noticed that the indoor environment is almost the same. A team of 30 architects analyze every detail: the color of the lamps and even the texture of the floor covering, which affect the behavior of customers.

In test shops, they carry out evaluations to define the ideal height of hangers, the size of the mannequins and the position of the cashiers. Everything for you to relax and buy more.

We found tips from network employees who shared inside information. Now, you’ll also know how to save money when shopping at Zara if you still can’t resist the brand’s charms.

As with most clothing stores, sales at Zara also take place 3 times a year: at the end of summer, before the New Year and at the end of winter. Discount season’s lowest prices are available in the third week of clearance. In the first week, the discount is between 20 and 25%, in the second, between 40 and 50%, and at the end of the third week, prices are reduced to between 70 and 75%. Buy the most exclusive pieces at Zara and save the most basic clothes in other stores. According to frequent shoppers, basic fabrics and jeans at Zara are not of such good quality. It’s best not to buy shoes from the new collection right away. During sales, they will return to stores with 50% off. The stores are replenished on Mondays: the possibilities of buying cheap and quality clothes are greater at the beginning of the week. The lowest prices of the Zara chain are in stores in Portugal and Spain — many pieces are produced in these places. Are you planning to visit any of these countries? Bring an extra suitcase to bring your groceries!

We know that it is often difficult to resist impulsive purchases. But the information in this post made us think: do we really need one more pair of pants or one more dress?

Leave your comment telling what strategies you adopt when buying clothes!