Group Members: Dani Eckerty, Mary Lutz, Angela Verveka, Kenzie Waldrop

November 29, 2021

Client: Stephanie Williams - Boutique Owner

normal@apricotlaneusa.com, Office: 309-585-2337

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 Table of Contents

Cover Page……………………………………………………………………………...…1

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………….....2

Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………….3

Problem Definition………………………………………………………………………...6

Research Objectives and Hypothesis……………………………………………………...7

Research Methodology…………………………………………………………………....9

Secondary Research Outcomes……………………………………………………….….11

Data Analysis & Results…………………………………………………………....……13

Amendments and Recommendations…………………………………………………….40

Conclusions and Recommendations……………………………………………………..41

Exhibits/Appendices……………………………………………………………………..43

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..44

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 Executive Summary
Apricot Lane Normal is a fashion retail boutique local to Normal, Illinois. They
provide a large variety of clothing items, jewelry pieces, and other small accessories in
store. While working with Apricot Lane Normal during the past three months, our
research was geared towards the problem that Apricot Lane owner, Stephanie Williams,
defined as struggling to cater to an older demographic of women while simultaneously
staying relevant in the eyes of college aged women. Based on the problem discovered, we
decided to focus on the following objectives;
● To identify the current market of Apricot Lane in the Bloomington-Normal region.
● To explore ideas to improve customer communication efforts in order to satisfy
consumer wants and needs.
● To examine specific factors that influence customer spending at Apricot Lane.
● To find ideas to cater to an older demographic of the age range of 25-45 years old
while still keeping the marketing efforts relevant to college aged consumers.
● Identify Apricot Lane’s most desired consumer products and use innovative
thinking to create new trends or styles that satisfy consumer needs.
Our research began with Apricot Lane Normal owner, Stephanie Williams. When
conducting exploratory research with Stephanie, we wanted to not only discover what
problem she wanted us to solve, but also what their current demographic of shoppers
looked like as well as what their mission statement was. By determining the current
demographic that the boutique reaches, we were able to look in our research to determine
if she did have the current market defined as well as ways in which to solve her problem
of wanting to expand the boutiques market further into the realm of 25-49 year old
women. Exploratory research was very important for us to conduct in order to make sure
that our project objectives aligned with the outcome that the owner wanted to see at the
end.
Our research continued with our descriptive methods that we used which were
conducting a survey and focus group. This research provided us with a background to
analyze data and make decisions which was a crucial step to providing Stephanie with
recommendations for her small business, Apricot Lane. We conducted our survey from
October 27th until November 15th of 2021. Our target for the survey was women ages
18-49 as we wanted to determine both a college-aged demographic's feelings towards
Apricot Lane as well as the older demographic that the problem was surrounding. We had
146 responses from primarily women which fit well with our client since Apricot Lane is
a women's clothing store. Our survey takers' ages ranged from 17 to 64 which gave us a
wider scope than we initially intended for our target for the survey. Around 60% of our

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demographic were not college students and around 40% were which gave us great
insights for both age levels. Our survey demographic also covered individuals with
college salaries ranging from $0-$20,000 to $100,000+. Respondents were also allowed
to opt out of this question as we understood some people may not want to give this
information so our results for estimated income may be skewed lower due to this reason.
Another form of descriptive research that we were able to utilize was a focus
group. For our focus group we found a group of 10 women in Normal as well as close
surrounding cities such as Peoria. We found our participants through an ISU Family
Facebook page that allowed us to get 7 women who were in the demographic of 25-49.
We used a student Facebook page to get 3 students to participate in our group as well.
Our focus group data mainly revolved around how to attract an older, more mature crowd
to Apricot Lane. We asked questions to lead the conversation in the direction of how well
the store currently caters to women in the age range of 25-49. The main finding was that
the older demographic did not think the clothing at the boutique was catered towards their
interests or needs. A suggestion our participants came up with for the boutique would be
to have a section of business casual or professional clothes that a mature demographic
could browse for work clothes. Another topic that came up was that many women who
did not live near the store were unsure of what exactly Apricot Lane was and if they even
had items that the prospective customers would be interested in. Many of the college
aged participants of our focus group expressed interest in the store and found the clothing
items to be fashionable, however, the store’s pricing was high for them. If Apricot Lane is
interested in keeping those college customers, one solution could be running special sales
for college students or having a student discount at checkout.
Through our research we were able to find that in order to appeal to the older
demographic that Apricot Lane owner Stephanie wants to reach she should continue to
promote her business on Facebook as this was the more popular social media platform for
respondents ages 25-49. Respondents of this age also want to see more business casual
clothing offered in stores. The data showed that many women who were not of college
age do not agree that Apricot Lane caters to a wide variety of ages. Our data also found
that many college aged students do not want to pay steep prices for clothing as they spend
statistically less per month than the older demographic.
In order to keep Apricot Lane Normal relevant to college age students while also
catering towards a 25-49 year old demographic of women, our suggestions are as follows;
Install a business casual line of clothing into the store. Offering business casual clothing
could expand the customer demographic to more women ages 25-49 as well as allow
Apricot Lane to be in competition for these customers with stores like White House
Black Market and Von Maur, bringing more revenue annually. Another suggestion we

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have would be to offer a student discount of 10% with a student ID to continue to stay
relevant with college students as they want to spend less per month on clothing. This
would allow Apricot Lane to slightly increase it’s prices to draw in the older, working
demographic, while also catering to college students on a budget. Our last suggestion
would be to alter social media postings with Instagram and TikTok catering towards
college fashion and finds, and Facebook including more 25-49 year old fashion finds like
the newly installed business casual line as well as pieces that cater to an older audience.
This would allow Apricot Lane to demonstrate that it can cater to a college age
demographic as well as the new target market of 25-49 year old women. By separating
social media, the older demographic may start to associate the boutique with their age
range. In conclusion, Apricot Lane Normal can make a few small changes to their store
and promotions and in turn see an increase in their new target demographic.

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 Problem Definition

The research study on Apricot Lane was conducted in order to provide an answer
and solution to the problem of the current target market of Apricot Lane at the
Bloomington-Normal location. The problem statement at hand is the limited age range
that Apricot Lane currently markets to. Since this region is highly concentrated around
college aged students, the owner and client of this project wanted to find out consumer
needs for the age range of 25-45 years old. This was the problem being studied because
the market is currently geared toward college aged consumers at the ages of 18-23 years
old, so solutions were sought out to bring in the market of an older age range for a more
broad consumer range.
Through this study and marketing research effort, we set out to determine the
demographic features of Apricot Lane in Normal and how to use these features to analyze
the pricing of clothing and accessories that the store sells. Also, demographic features of
the boutique were used to figure out how to use their location on campus and the
population of the Bloomington-Normal region to their advantage. To define the problem
at hand, the current target market of Apricot Lane Normal had to be determined. After
determining the target market, the need for expanding needs and wants to the older age
division was seen.
The current target market was very inclusive to college aged students. This also
reflected on the styles and trends that the boutique provided. This is a problem because it
limited the amount of consumers their products were attracting to. The products in the
boutique were geared toward the ages 18-23. Although this is beneficial in relation to
close proximity to Illinois State University, the boutique was missing out on the age
range of 25-45 years old. This is an important age range to market toward because on
average they have a higher annual salary and generally have more money to spend on
items at the boutique compared to college aged individuals.
The information pursued to solve this problem was in order to attract more
consumers to the boutique and help Apricot Lane expand their market in the
Bloomington-Normal region. The solutions to the problem at hand can be used by the
owner to grow her market and satisfy consumer wants and needs of more than one age
demographic. The exploratory research conducted through surveys helped to gain insight
on how well Apricot Lane delivered to women of different ages, as well as how satisfied
they were with the current clothing and apparel being sold. Knowing the problem at hand
enabled our group to survey the desired age groups and consumers that will help benefit
the market growth at Apricot Lane in Bloomington Normal.

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 Research Objectives and Hypothesis

Research Objectives:
● To identify the target market of Apricot Lane in the Bloomington-Normal region.
● To explore ideas to improve customer communication efforts in order to satisfy
consumer wants and needs.
● To examine specific factors that influence customer spending at Apricot Lane.
● To find ideas to cater to an older demographic of the age range of 25-45 years old
while still keeping the marketing efforts relevant to college aged consumers.
● Identify Apricot Lane’s most desired consumer products and use innovative
thinking to create new trends or styles that satisfy consumer needs.
Hypothesis:
● By increasing weekly Facebook only social media posts by 2, Apricot Lane will
reach 25% more 25-45 year olds.
○ This hypothesis focuses on building brand awareness to clientele from 25
years of age to 45 years of age. A lot of this demographic primarily uses
Facebook as a social media communication tool rather than Instagram.
Most of the postings that are going up on Facebook are linked through
Apricot Lane’s Instagram which lack the information that this older
demographic would want to see in order to stop into the store or make a
purchase. We believe with an increased emphasis on Facebook we can
increase Apricot Lane’s following by at least 25%, primarily targeting
25-45 year old women.
● Adding a customer satisfaction survey QR in store and a link on social media will
allow Apricot Lane to see if their current inventory and advertising are satisfying
their demographic wants and needs.
○ Customer Satisfaction is something that Apricot Lane strives for. We are
determined to create a survey that not only portrays the current satisfaction
level of customers, but also includes room for suggestions for products,
aspects of the store/shopping experience, etc. Current customer satisfaction
will show how good of a job Apricot Lane is doing with their current
demographic of primarily college aged women as well as what they need to
improve on for not only this demographic but their new target demographic
of 25-45 year old women. This survey will include qualitative data and
quantitative data that we will present to management.
● Reaching out to parent-teacher organizations in the Bloomington-Normal area at
various elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, to promote private

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shopping events will allow Apricot Lane to increase 25-45 year old purchases by
at least 20%.
○ While Facebook will allow Apricot Lane to increase their following and
awareness of the shop, reaching out to various PTOs in the
Bloomington-Normal area will allow purchases to increase. Our idea
behind this is to bring customers into the store who fall under the 25-45
year old demographic. By getting these women into the store, the chances
of a purchase increase and we hope this will reflect in an overall purchasing
increase of 20% for the store. Women who are on PTO boards may have a
higher income level which correlates well to Apricot Lane’s introduction of
clothing with a bit higher price points, I.E. Free People collection.

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 Research Methodology

Throughout our research, we implemented several different types of both

qualitative and quantitative research. Through our survey, we were able to gather data
from both of those categories to help us further grasp how the demographic in
Bloomington-Normal responds to Apricot Lane, as well as a wider demographic of
Illinois. With the use of qualitative research, we provided a number of questions
regarding topics to help us better understand the demographic. We focused on exploring
different ideas and opinions by allowing respondents to answer with the choice best
suited to them. The advantages to this qualitative research include getting an overall
better understanding of consumers, gaining insight into what works for Apricot Lane and
also what does not work, and overall gaining a new perspective into what Apricot Lane
can change in order to better serve their customers. Some disadvantages to our qualitative
research include response bias and too broad of responses. Some people tend to skip
through surveys, pick answers that are not extremely accurate to them personally, or
blatantly lie throughout it. Since we are unaware of how honest and accurate each
respondent was throughout their answers, we could have data that is not very accurate.
Not only did we work using qualitative research, but also quantitative as well.
Since the survey allowed us to gain better insight on the Bloomington-Normal
demographic, we were also able to see just exactly how many people responded and what
they put. Throughout each question, we gathered data regarding how many people put
what, and were able to access answers to previous questions to gather more data
regarding each consumer. The advantages of this data are that we have specific numbers
stating who put what answer. These answers all helped us gain better perspectives as to
what the average consumers’ life, work, and personal preferences are. The disadvantages
to this data were once again response bias and too broad of answers. Some respondents
could have picked answers that were not incredibly accurate, and therefore, made some
of the data inaccurate. We also could have included more answer choices, so that the
respondents could answer as accurately as possible.
The data we collected was relevant to mostly those residing in the
Bloomington-Normal area. We started conducting our survey on October 27, 2021 until
November 15, 2021. We had 146 responses from the demographic we intended to reach.
The ages within this demographic ranged from 17-64, about 60% were not college
students while 40% were. We also implemented a focus group of 10 women that we
found through an ISU Family Facebook page. This focus group included three college
students and seven women in between the ages of 25-49. For the most part, the

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respondents of the survey were very helpful in our research for Apricot Lane. There were
only a few respondents who started the survey and did not finish, as well as leave blanks
throughout the questions. Overall, we were able to gather a lot of data to help Apricot
Lane figure out a good balance between catering to college students and catering to an
older demographic of women.

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 Secondary Research Outcomes

Overall throughout our secondary research, we have concluded that most of the
sources we provided have been very beneficial to our research and data. Our first source
from Business News Daily was beneficial because it helped us gain better perspectives on
our target market. It discussed different ways to reach your target market, ways to be
better than competitors, and how to get more business by forming collaborations. They
also discussed how to implement a stronger digital marketing plan to reach consumers
and connect with them. Our second resource came from JWC Media and discussed
another Apricot Lane location in Glenview. This article discussed Apricot Lane’s clothing
selection and how it is affordable and ranges from many different styles. This article was
very relevant before our survey was finished, but since our data concluded that
consumers believe prices are too high and there is not enough range in style, I do not
think this article is accurate to the Normal store location.
The third source came from “The Future of Customer Engagement and
Experience.” This article was useful because it discussed different small business trends
and how to navigate new e-commerce channels. It provided a plethora of information that
could help pave the way for small businesses to increase their consumers and get the
most out of their business. The fourth source came from ThriveHive, and discussed how
to market to an older demographic. This article discusses that in order to reach an older
target market, you should require “that your key messages be clear and easy to
understand,” (Gyant). Among that, businesses must gain an understanding of the older
demographics’ desires, as well as give assurance throughout the whole process. The fifth
secondary resource comes from the Industry Research Reports. This article discusses
different small businesses and how their markets are performing. Since the markets listed
in the article are not very relevant to boutiques/clothing stores, it is not very useful. It
discusses and compares smaller markets that focus on different industries other than retail
clothing stores.
The sixth secondary resource was from the website called The Blueprint. This
article discusses different key marketing tactics for small businesses. They talk about a
matter of things regarding marketing goals, customer and market insights, ROI, and
different ways one can market a small business. Since Apricot Lane is a small business,
this article is useful for our research. The seventh secondary resource was taken from a
blog called Vend. They discuss different retail marketing strategies to help get more
customers. They listed 10 different tips and tactics to help expand your market and target
a bigger consumer audience. Because they focus on ways to improve a retail store's target

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market, this article is also useful. The eighth source was pulled from VisitBN, which is a
website that includes information about events and different things happening in
Bloomington-Normal. This source could be helpful, but it does not have too much
specific information about Apricot Lane, more-so Bloomington-Normal in general. It
could be a good tool for those researching the area where they could get an idea of
Apricot Lane and any events they might be having.
The ninth secondary resource from Forbes website talks about how a business can
personalize their product. Since our research in general was about how Apricot Lane can
reach an older demographic, while also staying on trend with those who are younger and
attend Illinois State University, this article is not too useful. Apricot Lane could learn
how to personalize products to stay original, but that is not the focus of our data and
research. The final article was pulled from Power Reviews website and discussed
different types of survey questions to ask consumers. There were dozens of different
possible questions that would allow us to get information from consumers regarding what
they are like and what they like in general. Overall, all of our secondary sources were
beneficial to some extent whether it be learning ways to increase your market size or how
to focus on expanding your market to an older demographic.
We conducted our research to reach those who live within the
Bloomington-Normal demographic area. We did have a couple people who lived
elsewhere, but for the most part all of our respondents were from this area. Some of these
people live in Bloomington-Normal year round with their families, while others are only
here during the school year to attend Illinois State University. The population of Normal
is estimated to be 52,736 people. There is an average of about 10% of people living in
Normal that are above the age of 65. 81.8% of these people are white, while 10.7% are
Black, and 4.3% are Asian. The median household income was estimated to be about
$58,111, and 24.6% of these persons are considered to be in poverty. The estimated
population for Bloomington is 78,680 people. There is an estimated 12.6% of persons 65
or older living in Bloomington. 77.7% of these people are white, while 10.4% are Black,
and 8% are Asian. The median household income was estimated to be about $67,507, and
12.6% of these people are considered to be in poverty.

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 Data Analysis and Results
Demographics:
#1: Annual Income

This graph shows the relationship between annual income and the amount of people in
those income ranges from the individuals who took the survey. The Y-axis shows the
number of people who are in each income category and you can see that the lowest option
on the survey was the most selected answer. The X-axis is the amount of income made
annually and the most selected answer was the #0-$20,000 annually option. This shows
us that out of all of the people who took this survey many are most likely college students
or younger adults who do not have a lot of disposable income available to them.

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 #2: Age Ranges

This bar graph represents the ages of the individuals who took our survey about Apricot
Lane. This will help the owner of the store price clothing items accordingly, as well as
order different fashion trends for the customers based on their age range. From this graph
we can see that currently the majority of individuals who took the survey range from
18-21 years old. There is also another small rise from 50-52 year olds as well.

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 #3: Gender

With Apricot Lane being a boutique offering women’s clothing it is not unusual to see
this large of a gap between males and females with our survey. Although the survey was
open to everyone, our description described the location and merchandise the store has to
offer and many males probably did not take the survey because it does not apply to them.
With this being said the owners of Apricot Lane can take the feedback given in this
survey seriously because it is coming primarily from their store’s target audience.

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 #4: College Students and Geographic Areas

This graph illustrates the relationship between individuals that are college students and
what period of time they reside in Bloomington-Normal Illinois. The majority of people
who took our survey and are college students only live in the area during the school year,
with a few staying year round. On the other hand, individuals who are not college
students may not live in the area either. Based on this information Apricot Lane can base
marketing strategies off of their desired age ranges and geographic locations.

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Individual Survey Question Analysis:
#1: Age and Most used Social Media Platform

This chart shows the relationship between the ages of consumers and what social media
platform they use the most. This will benefit the store by being able to use different apps
for different age groups, if they are trying to reach middle aged women Facebook is a
better choice for advertisements and livestreams. If the store is trying to reach younger,
college-aged adults using Instagram and TikTok are better choices for messages.This
information can also be used to gain more customers of the desired age range by
promoting the store more on the platform that age group uses most.

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 #2: Have Residents Heard of Apricot Lane

This graph shows the amount of people that live in the Bloomington-Normal area either
part time or full time and whether or not they have heard about Apricot Lane. Almost
everyone that took the survey and lives in the area full-time has at least heard of the
boutique before, which shows locals are aware the store exists but may not be fully aware
of what they offer. Similarly, the amount of people that live in the area part time (mostly
college students) are also aware of the store. The main difference comes in when there
are individuals who do not live in this area, it becomes split between those who have
heard of the store and those who are unaware of what the store is.

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 #3: Most Checked Social Media and Followers

This graph shows the relationship between the social media apps that survey takers check
the most throughout their day, and whether or not they are already following Apricot
Lane on those apps. Facebook is the most frequently checked app but a large amount of
people were not following the boutique at the time of this survey. The most followers in
this graph come from Instagram, which from the previous graph is the younger age
group. For instagram it is about an even split between being the most checked and having
already followed the boutique.

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 #4 Have you ever been to an Apricot Lane shopping event

One common question is how many people in the area have been to one of Apricot
Lane’s shopping events? This graph shows the number of people who live in the
Bloomington-Normal area and whether they live here year round or only part of the year,
it also shows the number of people who have been to a shopping event. From this graph
you can see the majority of people who took this survey do not live in the area and have
not been to an event. Based on this information Apricot Lane in the future could do more
online events and offer more online interactions to reach a more distant audience.

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 #5 How did you first hear about Apricot Lane

This graph illustrates the relationship between whether or not respondents are college
students or adults and the method of marketing used when they first heard of the store.
The majority of the respondents for this chart are not college students, showing more of
an older, mature crowd. Out of the individuals who are not college students, the most
popular way of hearing about the store is through social media with the other category
and friends/family closely following. Out of the individuals who are college students, the
biggest way they heard about Apricot Lane was through friends/family. This information
can be useful for the store because different methods of reaching out would be used for
whichever demographic they are trying to cater to.

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 #6 Pricing

Pricing can be an important factor when trying to attract different demographics of

customers, whether you want higher income older individuals, or younger college aged
kids with less income to spend. This graph shows whether the respondent is a college
student or not and whether pricing of clothing is an important factor for them. More
respondents from this survey are not college students and say that pricing is only
somewhat important for them, showing they may be willing to pay higher costs for
quality clothing. On the other hand, college kids are very concerned with the pricing of
clothing items and may not be willing to pay a higher amount for the clothing.

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 #7 Estimated Income

This graph shows more detail over the estimated incomes of survey respondents. The
Y-axis represents how many people have a certain level of income while the X-axis
shows the amount of income that is made. On the X-axis the numbers 1.00-8.00 show an
increase of income from lowest to highest while 9.00 means the respondent chose not to
answer this question. Most of the respondents chose the lowest income option showing a
lower range of what those customers might be willing to pay for an item. On the other
hand the second highest number of respondents answered the question with 8.00 which is
the highest income option. This group of respondents may be willing to pay higher prices
for the items Apricot Lane has to offer.

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 #8 Are respondents happy with pricing

This graph shows the relationship between the amount of income a respondent makes and
if they are happy with Apricot Lane in-store pricing. This graph is similar to the other
two income based graphs because the highest two answers for income are the smallest
and the largest amounts. The respondents who have lower incomes are less satisfied with
the price of goods in the store. However, the individuals with larger incomes show that
they are only somewhat satisfied with the store’s pricing.

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Multiple Regression:
#1 How much money do you desire to spend on clothing

In this multiple regression test, it shows that only one of our independent variables is related to
our dependent variable of “How much money per month would you desire to spend on
clothing/apparel?”. The independent variable that is related is “Are you a college student?”. This
variable had a Sig. value of .005 which allowed us to reject that hypothesis that these two
variables were significantly different at a 95% level of confidence. It also had a value of .704
signifying a strong relationship with the dependent variable, meaning that whether or not a
respondent is a college student will have an effect on their answer to “How much money per
month would you desire to spend on clothing/apparel?”. We would also reject the independent
variable of “How often do you shop for non-necessities?” due to its Sig. value of <.001. It does,

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however, have a moderate inverse relationship showing a -.553. The last independent variable
“What is your estimated annual income?” we would accept that these are statistically different at
a 95% level of confidence due to it’s Sig.value of .155. We can also see through the R-Square
that 17% of the data is explained through the dependent variable.

#2 Does Apricot Lane Keep up with Fashion Trends

For this example of multiple regression we can see that both independent variables are related to
the dependent variable “Do you agree that Apricot Lane Normal keeps up to date with the latest
fashion trends?”. For the first independent variable “Are you currently following Apricot Lane
Normal on social media?” We reject the null hypothesis that these two variables are statistically

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different at a 95% level of confidence due to it’s Sig. value of <.001. It does, however, show a
somewhat weak relationship with a value of .410. Our second independent variable “What social
media platform do you check the most?” we would also reject the null hypothesis due to it’s Sig.
Value of <.001. It also has a weak relationship with a value of .213. We can also see that 16.6%
of the data can be explained through our dependent variable.

Chi-square output tables:

The graphs listed below regarding Chi-Square test results are relating to whether the consumer
keeps up with fashion trends, if they are a college student, if they have ever been to an Apricot
Lane shopping event, and if they would recommend Apricot Lane to others. The first Chi-Square
test has a significance value of .023. Since the value is lower than 0.05, there is a statistically
significant relationship between whether or not the consumer keeps up with fashion trends and if
they are a college student or not. The second Chi-Square test has a significance value of .204.
Since the value is higher than 0.05, we can assume that there is no statistically significant
relationship between whether or not the consumer has been to an Apricot Lane shopping event
and if they would recommend Apricot Lane to others.

For the first Cross Tabulation chart regarding if the consumer keeps up with fashion trends and if
they are a college student or not, the results varied slightly. For example, 18 college students said
they keep up with fashion trends, while the expected count was 12.9. The data was projected a
little lower than the actual count, but not by much. On the other hand, 28 college students said
they keep up with fashion trends, while the expected count was 27. The expected count and the
actual count were only one number off. For the most part the data was projected slightly
accurately, if not very accurately. We can take away that being a college student and keeping up
with fashion trends are significantly related.

For the second Cross Tabulation chart regarding if the consumer has ever been to an Apricot
Lane shopping event and if they would recommend Apricot Lane to others, the results also
varied slightly. For example, 11 people who have been to a shopping event said they would
recommend Apricot Lane to others while the expected count was 7.9. The projected amount was
roughly three numbers below the actual count. On the other hand, 49 people who have not been
to a shopping event said they would recommend Apricot Lane to others, while the expected
count was 52.1. Overall, the data was projected pretty similarly to the actual count. We can take
away that attending a shopping event and recommending Apricot Lane to others are not
significantly related.

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#1 Fashion Trends and College Students

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#2 Apricot Lane Shopping Events

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Hypothesis testing results:

The graphs relating to hypothesis testing are in relation to customers' belief about a diverse range
of clothing, that Apricot Lane keeps up to date with the latest fashion trends, and if they are
inclusive in their products. For the first graph, the test is being conducted on whether consumers
believe Apricot Lane offers a diverse range of clothing. The test value is 1.7 in this data set.
Based on the significance value, we can accept the hypothesis that Apricot Lane offers a diverse
range of clothing.

The next graph relates to the research question, “Do you agree with the follow statement: Apricot
Lane works to make sure women of all ages are offered flattering, timeless, and fun clothing
accessories that are high quality and affordable.” In this sample statistic, the test value used was
1. Based off of the one sided p and two sided p significance values of <0.001, we reject the idea
that Apricot Lane works to make sure women of all ages are offered flattering, timeless, and fun
clothing accessories that are high quality and affordable.

Our next data graph shows the relationship between consumers believing that Apricot Lane
Normal keeps up with the latest fashion trends. In this test, our test value used was 1, similar to
the previous graph. According to our p values both one sided and two sided, we reject the idea
that Apricot Lane in Normal keeps up with the latest fashion trends. Because of this significance,
we can assume that consumers in the Bloomington-Normal area do not see Apricot Lane as
current in fashion aspect.

#1 Diverse Range of Clothing

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31
Basic difference test results:
#1 Have You Ever Been Inside Apricot Lane

#2 Are You A College Student Satisfied With Prices

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 #3 Are There Age Restrictions on Clothing at Apricot Lane

The first basic difference test graph refers to the research question, “Have you ever been inside
the Apricot Lane Boutique in Normal?”, and “Are you a college student?”. In this graph, the
factors being studied are if they are a college student, and if so, if they have been in the boutique
or not. Specifically to this group, the hypothesis is that there is no definite difference between the
two groups of college students and non college students. Since the significance levels of this
graph are between 0.001 and 0.002, we reject the idea. These two groups are statistically
different at a 95% confidence interval because of the 0.000 value. We can conclude that there is
little to no support for our null hypothesis at a 95% level of confidence that there is no difference
between these two groups. We must reject the hypothesis and accept that these two are
statistically different at a 95% level of confidence.

The second basic difference test graph is in relation to the questions of, “Are you a college
student?” and “Are you satisfied with the prices offered in the store?”. Based on the results from
the data, these two groups are statistically different because college students tend to drift toward
cheaper clothing or other alternatives. Based on the two tailed significance values of 0.001, the
groups relating to college student status and price satisfaction are different. This means that at a
95% confidence interval there is no statistical difference. We must reject the hypothesis and
accept the fact that these two are statistically different at a 95% level of confidence.

The last basic difference test represents the relation between the research questions, “Do you
believe the clothing offered at Apricot Lane Normal is limited to a specific age?” and “Are you a
college student?”. These two groups are similar and depend on each other. The p values of 0.276

33
and 0.532 are correlated. The average of these two values is around 0.3. Although this is
considered a weaker correlation, they are still correlated. Based off of this, we accept the fact that
these two factors are similar. At a 95% confidence interval, we accept the hypothesis and the fact
that college student status and age specific clothing are similar and directly related.

Anova:
#1 What Age Range Does Apricot Lane Cater Toward

For this ANOVA test we analyzed what age range the respondent believed that Apricot Lane
catered to most alongside the whether or not they agreed with Apricot Lane’s mission statement.
Our null hypothesis was that there are no statistically significant differences between the age
range that people thought Apricot Lane catered to and whether or not they agreed with the
mission statement. Choice number 2 for the dependent variable did not agree with Apricot
Lane’s mission statement which had a Sig. value of .051. Since it was .001 over the reject range
of .000 to .05 we must accept the null hypothesis. We also accept the null hypothesis for those
who agree with the mission statement. This means there is no statistically significant difference
in agreeing with the mission statement and what age range the respondent thinks the boutique
caters to most. The Duncan tests fall within .37 of each other except the 3.67 shown by 18 and
below for disagreeing with the statement. We believe this is why the Sig. value for choice 2 is so
close to the reject range. According to the data, a 1.17 difference is not statistically significant
which is why we must accept the null hypothesis.

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 #2 Diverse Clothing Selection and High Quality Merchandise

For this ANOVA test we analyzed whether or not the respondent believed that Apricot Lane
offers a diverse range of clothing alongside whether or not they agreed with the statement “I
shop at local boutiques due to the higher quality of merchandise.” Our null hypothesis was that
there are no statistically significant differences between whether or not the respondent believed
Apricot Lane offered a diverse range of clothing and if they agreed with the statement. The Sig.
value between groups was .120 meaning as well as the Sig. value for the Homogenous Subsets
being .224, meaning that we must accept the hypothesis that there are no statistically significant
differences between groups. Examining the Duncan table Yes, No, and Somewhat all are with
.44, aligning with our decision to accept the hypothesis since there is not a statistically
significant difference shown in the data.

35
Summary:
Tests Summary Conclusion Recommendations

Individual Survey The results among each These consumers use Lower prices to be more
Question Analysis of the individual survey different forms of social affordable for students
questions varied. There media, but the most
was a large spectrum of used ones were Offer sales and discounts
questions that covered a Instagram and TikTok
different amount of for younger consumers Post more content on
demographics. These and Facebook for older TikTok
results helped give a consumers. Most
better perspective of college students heard Create rewards programs
who are the consumers about Apricot Lane or incentives
of Apricot Lane. from friends and
family, and those who Post more content on
live in Facebook
Bloomington-Normal
know of Apricot Lane
more than those who do
not.

Multiple Regression The results among the The first multiple Continue to post more
Output many tests differed due regression test showed content on TikTok.
to different variables a strong relationship
used throughout the between how much Promote social media
multiple regression money per month a platforms in store to
tests. respondent would create awareness.
desire to spend on
clothes and whether or Separate lower priced
not they were a college pieces from higher priced
student. This makes pieces in store.
sense due to college
students making Create rewards programs
statistically less money or incentives.
than adults. The second
test found weak Offer student discounts
relationships between with ID.
agreeing that Apricot
Lane stays up to date Continue to promote
with current trends and relevant fashion trends in
whether or not the store through social
respondent followed the media and window

36
 boutique on social advertising.
media, as well as what
social media platform
they preferred.

Chi-Square Output The Chi-Square test The first test resulted in Continue to keep up with
results varied between proving that being a the latest fashion trends.
the two. The first test college student and
showed a statistically keeping up with fashion Advertise in creative,
significant relationship, trends are significantly relevant ways on social
while the second one related. On the other media.
did not. hand, for the second
test we can take away Create a TikTok account
that attending a to connect with more
shopping event and college kids.
recommending Apricot
Lane to others are not Post fashion inspiration
significantly related. from relevant
celebrities/influencers on
social media

Create interactive posts

and giveaways on social
media

Hypothesis Testing The Hypothesis Testing The first graph showed Create a larger range of
Results results varied among customers’ beliefs clothing selection
the three graphs. The about Apricot Lane
first test showed a having a diverse range Provide more clothes for
significant value of clothing. This test all ages
meaning the hypothesis value was 1.7, meaning
could be accepted. The they do offer a diverse Ask consumers what
next two did not show a range. The second clothes they would like to
significant value graph showed whether see
meaning the hypothesis Apricot Lane keeps up
could not be accepted. to date with the latest Look at competitors stock
fashion trends for all and compare
ages. This test value
was 1, meaning that Post “this or that”
Apricot Lane does not pictures on social media
provide fashion trends of different styles
for all ages. The last
graph shows the
relationship between
consumers believing
that Apricot Lane keeps
up with the latest
fashion trends. The test
value was 1, meaning
that consumers in the

37
 Bloomington-Normal
area do not think
Apricot Lane keeps up
with the latest trends.

Basic Difference Test The first two basic We can conclude that Promote around campus
difference tests resulted there is no significant more
in no correlation relationship between
between events. On the the consumer being Provide information
other hand, the last inside of Apricot Lane regarding what clothes
graph did result in a before, and if they are a Apricot Lane has to offer
slight correlation college student or not.
between events. The second graph Survey what prices seem
concluded in there most reasonable
being no significant
relationship between Create sales for college
being a college student students, so the price is
and being satisfied with more affordable
the prices in the store.
The last graph Provide an abundance of
concluded in a slight more inclusive clothing
significant correlation trends
between believing the
clothing offered at
Apricot Lane is limited
to a specific age and
being a college student.

ANOVA Testing Our null hypothesis for The first ANOVA test Continue using same
the first test was that had a Sig. value of mission statement
there is no statistically 0.051, which means we
significant difference must accept the null Offer a wider range of
between the age range hypothesis. This means clothing in business
that people thought there is no statistically casual wear
Apricot Lane catered to significant difference in
and whether or not they agreeing with the Promote boutique as a
agreed with the mission mission statement and small business in order to
statement. The second agreeing with the most attract customers that like
null hypothesis was that catered age range. The to shop local
there are no statistically second ANOVA test
significant differences had a Sig. value of Offer small business
between whether or not 0.120, which means we discounts for other
the respondent believed must also accept the owners of small
Apricot Lane offers a hypothesis that there businesses around
diverse range of are no statistically Normal, IL
clothing and if they significant differences
agreed with that between each group. Create interactive events
statement. for loyal customers

38
Focus Group Findings:
Our focus group data mainly revolves around how to attract an older, more mature crowd to Apricot Lane.
The main finding was that the older demographic did not think the clothing at the boutique was catered
towards their interests or needs. A suggestion for the boutique would be to have a section of business
casual or professional clothes that a mature demographic could browse for work clothes. Another topic
that came up was that many women who did not live near the store were unsure of what exactly Apricot
Lane was and if they even had items that the prospective customers would be interested in. Apricot Lane
could use some of the graphs listed above to see the correlation between age and social media to see what
platform their target market uses the most and promote the boutique heavily on that platform to bring in
more customers. Many of the college aged participants of our focus group expressed interest in the store
and found the clothing items to be fashionable, however, the store’s pricing was high for them. If Apricot
Lane is interested in keeping those college customers, one solution could be running special sales for
college students or having a student discount at checkout.

Amendments and Recommendations

After conducting our survey and collecting data one question that we did not
address fully was the number of respondents from the survey that are already customers
of Apricot Lane. This could require further research in the future from Apricot Lane by
having some kind of additional survey either at checkout or linked on social media for
customers to take and leave suggestions. Another aspect of our research that could
require future research is the additional clothing suggestions that we received from the
survey such as business casual and athletic clothing. While the respondents support the
idea of Apricot Lane having these types of apparel, the survey did not go into detail about
what kinds of clothing the customers would be interested in purchasing. More research
would need to be conducted in this category to define how much clothing variety
customers would expect in the store. As a group we recommend periodic surveys to be

39
done on a smaller scale to check in with customers to receive any feedback that may help
the store.
As a group we would make a few revisions to our initial survey, on the survey
itself we would have changed the annual income question to more of a multiple choice
style question with clearer choices for respondents that only work part time and make
other minor income adjustments. We would also have added a question in the beginning
of the survey for respondents to say if they are a current customer of Apricot Lane and
how frequently they shop either in store or online. Another question to add would be for
respondents that did not live close to the area and would have been an interest-based
question of how likely they would be to participate in online offers or
Facebook/Instagram lives. One aspect of the focus group data that we gathered that we
would recommend changing in the future is more participant-led conversation, that way
the ideas and research gained from the focus group is directly from the consumers
themselves. Overall, the recommendation we as a group would like to reiterate would be
to continue research periodically to be able to keep up with the trends Apricot Lane
customers are interested in.

40
 Conclusions and Recommendations
This section will restate the research objectives and the research findings from our
survey. The first research objective stated that we would find the target market of Apricot
Lane in Bloomington-Normal, IL. The demographic section of our graph research shows
that the respondents who took the survey are mostly 19-21 year old females, who have an
annual income of $0-20,000 who either only live in the area during the school year, or
who do not live in the area at all. The next research objective is to explore ideas to
improve customer communication efforts in order to satisfy consumer wants and needs.
The data that shows the answer to this objective is listed under individual survey question
analysis and shows the different social media platforms that different ages use the most
throughout the day. Age range of our respondents under this category shows that the
younger age range of 19-21 use Instagram the most, while the older age range of 50-55
females use Facebook more daily. This is very useful information when trying to figure
out how to sell to the preferred demographic, the social media platforms they use more
daily would be better communication channels to use for promotions or clothing pictures.
The relationship between age and social media reiterates this point by showing what
social media platform is most checked throughout the day and respondents show that
Facebook is where they get the most updates during the day.
To examine specific factors that influence customer spending at Apricot Lane is
the next research objective; this objective can be seen through pricing, estimated income,
and satisfaction graphs. Our survey showed that pricing for the older demographic was
not as important as it was for the younger age group and that lines up with income
amounts as well. The older aged group makes significantly more annual income than the
younger demographic which is reflected in the brands prices. Satisfaction with prices
offered in store is another informative graph to understand for this objective; many
people are only somewhat happy with the prices Apricot Lane offers. More research into
this category could show what exactly customers would like to see changed in that
aspect. Next, the objective: To find ideas to cater to an older demographic of the age
range of 25-45 years old while still keeping the marketing efforts relevant to college aged
consumers. The biggest response to this objective was an increase in clothing options.
Many respondents from this age group have a higher income amount to spend at the store
and are willing to spend the extra few dollars for higher end clothing. This age group
expressed a want for more business casual clothes or mature clothing options they can
wear to more formal events. Adding more business casual clothing options while still
keeping trendier items will cater to the older demographic while still marketing to college
aged customers. The final research objective is to identify Apricot Lane’s most desired

41
consumer products and use innovative thinking to create new trends or styles that satisfy
consumer needs. Respondents also expressed a desire for athletic wear options at the
store, adding to the variety of products that are already available.
As a result of our research findings we have gathered recommendations for
Apricot Lane to cater to a larger demographic. To start off we recommend Apricot Lane
expand its social media presence on both Facebook and Instagram and cater to those age
groups that utilize both. For trendier, more casual clothes market more on Instagram
stories and lives to attract the attention of college aged customers, and for more mature,
business casual clothes use Facebook stories and lives to attract the older demographic.
We suggest running sales or giveaways on these social media apps as well to entice
customers to join and interact with the boutique. Apricot Lane could use this social media
presence as well to increase the number of loyal customers by selling clothes and
improve shipping methods to reach customers that may not live in the area. To increase
the amount of customers in the 25-45 age range we suggest adding a mixture of clothing
items to cater to the older crowd while still keeping up with fashion trends to stay
relevant to college aged kids as well. To go along with adding more variety of clothes we
also recommend having a variety of price ranges set that could attract customers that have
all different income levels.

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 Exhibits/Appendices

This map demonstrates the different locations of where respondents to our survey
We added a free response portion to our question about living in Bloomington-Normal
since we knew a lot of people who visit Apricot Lane may visit when they are in town
visiting or dropping their kids off for college. The pins on the map represent the cities
that responses came from and may signify multiple respondents, not just one person. We
also saw responses from cities like Saint Paul MN, Saint Louis MS, and Austin TX.
These are outliers in our data since they most likely will not visit Apricot Lane Normal
very often, if ever. Having a visual of where responses came from will help the business
owner see how far her business can stretch in Illinois if she wanted to expand to an online
storefront. It also provides a diverse perspective of respondents who come from different
areas and socioeconomic status.

43
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