Editorial Writing

Telegraph:Why No One Can Compete With ASOS 

“ …and it looks like there is no stopping the online men's and women's fashion retailer - which has become the one-stop fashion hub for 15-25 year-olds (and above). The core of ASOS's offering - which initially started out by copying items seen on celebrities (ASOS is an acronym for 'As Seen on Screen') - has evolved into more trend-led collections geared to the mid-market. Its strength lies in stocking high street brands like Oasis and River Island alongside its in-house reasonably-priced yet fashion-forward label, as well as a plethora of hidden gems from niche brands hand-picked by a team of global scouts. This results in 40,000 products online across 850 brands at any one time, with 1500 new products added on to the site every week."

The Guardian: ASOS Exceeds City Expectations with 41% Rise in Christmas Sales

“ Asos, the online clothing retailer favoured by Michele Obama, Nicole Scherzinger and Fearne Cotton, has smashed City expectations by reporting a 41% rise in Christmas sales.

The company, which was founded in 2000 by Nick Robertson, a great-grandson of the tailor Austin Reed, reported December sales of £78m. Sales in the UK rose by 34% compared to the same month a year earlier, while international sales jumped 47%.

Robertson, a former ad man, started up Asos (which stands for As Seen On Screen) when he heard that 25,000 viewers had rung the producers of Friends desperate to find out how they could buy items featured on the show. He said the good figures were "not a new story – we've been going 14 years and always doing well".

Robertson said the company had done exceptionally well last month by listening to its customers and cutting the prices of its own-brand clothing. "We acknowledged that prices had probably crept up, while our customers are getting poorer," he said. The company's own-brand clothing now accounts for 50% of total sales, he added.”

 

WWD:US Sales Boost ASOS Growth in Q2

“Nick Robertson, the company’s chief executive officer, told WWD that the U.S. customers are favoring Asos own-brand product over the designer  brands.


“There are a couple of reasons for that. We’re not yet geared up to sell all of our brands in the U.S., and I think that our U.S. customers hear about Asos, they land on the site, and they literally just go ahead and buy the Asos-branded product,” he said.


He added that Asos is also tweaking its product offer for the U.S. market. “In European terms, we’re viewed as very fashionable, so I think we might need to edit the range slightly for the U.S. market.”

 “He said the company, which is quoted on the London Stock Exchange, was on track to achieve sales of 750 million pounds, or $1.13 billion at current exchange, and profits of 51 million pounds, or $77 million, in the 12-month period.”

WWD: 3 Questions for ASOS Aisling McKeefry

Asos.com is on the rise — and so is its shoe collection. With seven international sites, the London-based e-tailer continues to expand its in-house and branded footwear offerings.

“Over the last two-and-a-half years, we’ve seen Asos footwear grow from a very small collection that was based around going-out shoes like high heels and platforms,” said the site’s senior footwear designer, Aisling McKeefry, whose team now produces 350 to 500 styles per season.  “We’ve nurtured it and pushed boundaries and discovered we have quite a few customers out there.”

Asos’ on-trend pumps, boots, sneakers and sandals retail for less than $200, but the site also sells more than 50 footwear labels, including Sam Edelman, Frye and Opening Ceremony. Variety is key to Asos’ success, explained McKeefry.

“We have a global customer who always wants new and interesting things,” the designer said. “Our customer likes to go on our page every day and doesn’t want to see the same shoes. They want constant newness.”