PESTLE

Shared Media

- Reposts, shares, comments and likes on ASOS’ social media posts.

- Clothing hauls uploaded to various channels like Youtube, TikTok and IGTV.

Owned Media

- Campaigns and photoshoots organised by ASOS

- Use generated content that ASOS reposts

POLITICAL

- Brexit uncertainty: Consumers could face higher costs and reduced availability of stock since 80% of UK retailers import products from the EU. If brands were to create digital clothing lines, there would be no issue with importing products and paying tax as everything is digital.

- UK digital services tax: the government has introduced a 2% tax on revenues of search engines, social media services and marketplaces which secure value from UK users. This affects multinational enterprises such as ASOS since the company obtains it’s customer base through engagement and interaction digital

ECONOMICAL

- Impact of COVID-19: consumers have been online shopping more frequently due to offline stores shutting because of the pandemic.

- The global market for online fashion is worth £220 billion and is expected to grow with £870 billion in value by 2023.

- Volatility in exchange rates making international trade and investment decisions more difficult. There’s more risk to lose money within a business because of the change in the exchange rate.

SOCIAL T

- Shopping on social media has become easier eg. Instagram’s feature ‘Shop’ which advertises stores and small businesses tailored to the individuals’ wants and needs.

- E-commerce has become more inclusive to stay relevant and profitable. ASOS has made several changes like changing ‘beauty’ for ‘face+body’ as well as promoting genderless fashion and using ‘real life’ models on the website with stretch marks, freckles and cellulite rather than unrealistic models.

- Society has been increasingly more active on social media, with 4.3billion monthly active users totaling more than 53% of the total global population using social media since the start of 2021.

ECHNOLOGICAL

- Technological advancements have boomed in online retailers like ASOS through technology like virtual Fit Assistants and Zeekit collaborating with the brand to dress models digitally throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This means the virtual fitting room and digital clothing range could be a success with the brand as they are looking to expand more with technology to satisfy customers’ needs.

- Computer programs and 3D animation have been more popular within marketing strategies to engage with the customer more. Brands such as Fenty Skin and festivals like Lost Horizon have partnered with AR and VR technology companies to provide virtual experiences that customers can enjoy from the comfort of their own home.

- AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been continuing to produce analytics and advertisements for targeted audiences at a rapid speed. The technology has been collecting data and observing customers as well as economic trends to develop marketing further.

LEGAL E

- Phishing attacks have been an effective and minimalinvestment strategy for criminals to gain access to people’s data and credentials, making it a huge cybersecurity threat within companies.

- Security of customer data has been a bigger concern for companies, with 84% of customers stating that they are more loyal to businesses with strong security controls. ASOS is 100% committed to protecting their customers’ privacy and data eg. allowing customers who no longer want to be a customer to contact the Customer Care Team to close their account.

NVIRONMENTAL

- Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers have been more aware of sustainability and the effects overconsumption can have on the environment. This means the digital clothing range could be a success with more people understanding why this is helpful can help overconsumption.

- The fashion industry has strict legal laws related to protecting the environment since it’s one of the biggest pollutants in the world, meaning ASOS has been focusing on it’s business model to attain social value whilst decreasing environmental impact. ASOS’s biggest environmental impact is from the shipment of products that release carbon emissions as well packaging waste and factories. ASOS has stated in their 2020 annual report that their main aims are reducing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy sources. The brand also makes the best effort to use recyclable packaging. - 23,500 tonnes of waste is generated at festivals annually, with 68% of the waste going to landfills. This makes the ASOS Virtual Festival more environmentally friendly since it’s all digital.

Timeline

11 weeks before launch: Start the designing and producing of the digital clothing range

4 weeks before launch: Social media promotion for the launch of the festival and digital clothing range begins 12 weeks before launch: Start the production of the virtual festival

10 weeks before launch: Place orders for PR packaged for influencers

3 weeks before launch: Press release is sent to recipients

2 weeks before launch: PR packages are sent to influencers

16th July 2022: Launch of the competition on Instagram is posted followed by the hashtag #ASOSVirtualFestival 16th July 2022: Launch of the festival and digital clothing range

18th July 2022: Virtual festival ends