Target markets in retailing are often defined by demographics, geographies, and psychographics, Claire's Stores, for instance, targets twelve-to' fourteen-year-old girls who may get most of their wardrobe at The Gap but spend their al1owances accessorizing at Claire's. To keep up with the fashion trends of its target market, Claire's executives read teen magazines, watch teen-oriented shows like Friends and Beverly Hills 90210, and listen to a lot of music.
Determining a target market is a prerequisite to creating the retailing mix. For example, Target's merchandising approach for sporting goods is to match its product assortment to the demographics of the local store and region. The amount of space devoted to .sporting goods, as well as in-store promotions, also varies according to each' store's target market. Similarly, Ann Taylor caters to' working women in their thirties and forties---a group customers notoriously pressed for time. Consequently, its stores offer a one-stop wardrobe, solution with color-coordinated blouses, sweaters, skirts,-and-trousers that make it easy to create a wardrobe with just a few purchases.