We shopped at American Eagle's Aerie store and saw why it's achieved explosive success while Victoria's Secret has struggled
Aerie has been praised for being a more relatable brand. In 2014, it swapped its airbrushed ads for unretouched photos and launched a body-positive campaign known as #AerieReal.
It is known for its ad campaigns using "real" women ...
... and it famously doesn't Photoshop any of the images in its ads.
Images are stamped with captions that read, "No retouching on these girls."
Female empowerment has become Aerie's biggest weapon against brands like Victoria's Secret.
“We continue to evolve what real means to our customer," Jennifer Foyle, global president of Aerie, said in a call with investors on Tuesday. "We keep looking forward and ahead with a powerful campaign."
But Aerie is also growing faster than Victoria's Secret because it has diversified its offering.
Foyle said on the call that Aerie isn't only an underwear brand — it's a lifestyle brand, too. By not being solely dependent on intimates, the brand can lean into different trends, she said.
This includes apparel, which now makes up a significant portion of its business.
The focus is on "cozy" and comfortable clothing, which is one of the leading trends in retail at present.
Prices on apparel also skew higher, which helps to boost revenue.
Victoria's Secret was slow to react to the bralette trend, while Aerie has been at the forefront of this movement.
"They are a more value-oriented product, sort of cheap and cheerful, fun fashion," Foyle told Business of Fashion in 2017.
They also sell lightly-lined bras that don't have expensive molded cups.
Source: Business of Fashion
Amercian Eagle prides itself on offering a good store experience.
Stores are brightly lit ...
... well-organized ...
... and easy to navigate.
"I think we're [the] number one-looking store in the malls today," Schottenstein said on Tuesday. "We're one of the few retailers that didn't cut back on service."
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