Interesting Article on Forbes on Coach Sinking North American Sales

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#91
Jennifoo said:
I've really enjoyed following this thread and want to chime in with my story.




I became interested in Coach in October 2012. I was fed up with buying cheap brands from Marshall's and Bergner's and wanted something high quality. One of my nieces had a cognac Coach bag and it was oohhhed and ahhhed over. I had some lawsuit money, so I went for it. I bought the Lindsey in black with brass hardware, a matching wallet, a yellow leather pencil case, the metallic snake Caroline, the python embossed woven Carrie and several others. I purchased them from coach.com and enjoyed the whole experience.


I remember getting my first PCE. I thought it was a gift for being a new client to Coach and I used it to buy a metallic Lindsey for one of my other nieces. That was really fun. But then I noticed that I was getting PCEs like every month, which made Coach look desperate and really turned me off. I also noticed how rapidly the styles were changing and didn't like that, either. I had just purchased my first LVs and appreciated that LV and several other designers have certain classic styles that are permanent, considered icons. I wondered why Coach didn't have an icons line. ( I know that there are Coach classics on their website, but I would want to try one on in person to see if it's right for me. ) Then I was disturbed to find that entire collections were gone. I was confused. Where is the New Willis, the Courtenay, the Rory? Were there design flaws that caused Coach to pull them?




Then I had a strange experience. A woman I know from work had mentioned that she got a Coach bag from one of their factory outlets and showed it to me. It looked so cheap and the leather didn't feel nice like my Coach bags. I was shocked, and thought it might be a fake. It just didn't have that great Coach quality.


I also noticed what others have mentioned: there are teeny, weeny bags or extra jumbo with very little in between. I can't do either. I like my medium to large bags. My Caroline and Lindsey are about as large as I like to go.


I absolutely love the Coach bags I have. I use them all the time, in rotation with my LVs and get lots of compliments. But I think Coach needs to improve. Fast.




I agree with other posters on so many points, especially on getting rid of factory outlets and reducing the amount of PCEs.




I have a lot of confidence in Coach. I think they can turn it around especially if some of their execs read this thread. I hope to purchase another Coach bag when that happens.
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Off topic but Coach still has the classics line. You can still buy them. Check the website.
 
#92
MIKOMEGMOM said:
Off topic but Coach still has the classics line. You can still buy them. Check the website.
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Yes, but as I stated, those are website exclusives and I'd like to see them in stores to try on. I have noticed that the Caroline and Carrie seem to be stable designs, but you never know. There's a new reveal today on a deleted Sadie Glitter Lizard. I'm happy for the tPF member that got it, but I find it disturbing that it's a "delete". Was there a design flaw? Why was it deleted so fast? After all, it's a new design. What's going on Coach?
 
#93
Jennifoo said:
Yes, but as I stated, those are website exclusives and I'd like to see them in stores to try on. I have noticed that the Caroline and Carrie seem to be stable designs, but you never know. There's a new reveal today on a deleted Sadie Glitter Lizard. I'm happy for the tPF member that got it, but I find it disturbing that it's a "delete". Was there a design flaw? Why was it deleted so fast? After all, it's a new design. What's going on Coach?
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If you hang out in this forum for any length of time one finds out that Coach deletes bags every 3 to 4 months typically. It has nothing to do with design flaws as you have suggested in other threads. Great for people close to outlets, but irritating to FP customers.
 
#94
Kylacove said:
If you hang out in this forum for any length of time one finds out that Coach deletes bags every 3 to 4 months typically. It has nothing to do with design flaws as you have suggested in other threads. Great for people close to outlets, but irritating to FP customers.
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It seems strange to delete bags after only a few months. I would think that would cheapen the brand- not trying to offend anyone who shops FOS. I was browsing Macy's today and noticed a lot of Coach bags marked down substantially. These bags were just on the Coach website in December! Makes me not trust paying full price at all anymore.
 
#95
Jennifoo said:
Yes, but as I stated, those are website exclusives and I'd like to see them in stores to try on. I have noticed that the Caroline and Carrie seem to be stable designs, but you never know. There's a new reveal today on a deleted Sadie Glitter Lizard. I'm happy for the tPF member that got it, but I find it disturbing that it's a "delete". Was there a design flaw? Why was it deleted so fast? After all, it's a new design. What's going on Coach?
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Not on topic, but I was thinking the glitter bags (got one too) might be seasonal for the holidays, new year's and maybe that is why they were deleted so quick after coming out?
 
#96
Loved reading all the insights to Coach. It doesn't seem wise to me to expand into clothing and other items, more stores, when your core business isn't doing well, better to focus on what you know best (or were known for) which is good quality leather handbags.

I am happy with the quality of my FP Coach bags mostly bought in 2012/2013...nice leather and solid handles, interesting designs and materials. Used to be I kept my shopping cart full of what I wanted at FP, waiting for either PCE or if not my very favorite bag, seeing if it turned up at the outlets. I haven't had much in my shopping cart these days...a bit bored with the offerings...but maybe that will change in the spring.

Before Coach, I bought Cole Haan bags, very nice woven handbags, however the quality of their bags is down and styles IMO are now just repeats of prior years...nothing new. I sure hope Coach doesn't go the way of Cole Haan store closings and such.

I do think their issues with resellers and fakes is quite unique in the market...makes my head spin to think about everything it must take to run this Company. Coach vs. Coach Factory and what this means to various consumers. And not putting customer service at a premium.

Lastly, I hope Coach does read this thread.
 
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#97
Coconut lover said:
Loved reading all the insights to Coach. It doesn't seem wise to me to expand into clothing and other items, more stores, when your core business isn't doing well, better to focus on what you know best (or were known for) which is good quality leather handbags.

I am happy with the quality of my FP Coach bags mostly bought in 2012/2013...nice leather and solid handles, interesting designs and materials. Used to be I kept my shopping cart full of what I wanted at FP, waiting for either PCE or if not my very favorite bag, seeing if it turned up at the outlets. I haven't had much in my shopping cart these days...a bit bored with the offerings...but maybe that will change in the spring.

Before Coach, I bought Cole Haan bags, very nice woven handbags, however the quality of their bags is down and styles IMO are now just repeats of prior years...nothing new. I sure hope Coach doesn't go the way of Cole Haan store closings and such.

I do think their issues with resellers and fakes is quite unique in the market...makes my head spin to think about everything it must take to run this Company. Coach vs. Coach Factory and what this means to various consumers. And not putting customer service at a premium.

Lastly, I hope Coach does read this thread.
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I agree about Cole Haan. They were one of my first "expensive" bags. Their leather used to be so luscious and the woven bags so intricate. They were like the best kept secret where you could get super high quality bags for a great price. Now the quality is MFF level IMO also. I used to like a brand called Francesco Biasia which was another best kept secret but now they have dropped off the planet or at least my local Nordstroms. The bags I see from FB on ebay do not seem the same
 
#98
Well thanks to coach factory, they managed to eliminate most of the fakes out there. Perhaps why there's such a wide gap is that they are trying to go high end but on the other hand produce a low range line to keep the counterfeits at bay. With LV, you can be using a real one but be assumed you're carrying a fake.
 
#100
melissatrv said:
Thought this was an interesting article about Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Coach http://blogs.marketwatch.com/behindthestorefront/2014/02/25/watch-out-coach-michael-kors-kate-spade-is-looking-like-a-formidable-rival/
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Thanks for posting this story. I agree that Kate Spade and MK are both strong contenders to lure away Coach's customers. If they keep screwing around with PCE exclusions and the whole outlet/delete debate (just pick a side, Coach!), more loyal Coach consumers might decide their money is better spent elsewhere.

I live close to a KS outlet and they have some beautiful bags and are priced well at the outlets. I do wonder how the outlets will affect their brand, though...this article doesn't address that but says that its FP line performs well. I wonder if they hold newer bags for a longer time? Not sure as I am not as 'up' on its styles, although I have long wanted one of the book clutches. Too cute!:smile1:
 
#101
handbags4me said:
As someone who was one of the first to be locked out of FOS (and still not in), part of me is thinking "Ha - that's what you get". It's important for the leadership of the company to understand the significant impact of customer retention. Coach used to be my #1 brand and I spent a large portion of my disposable income on Coach. Since the sour feeling of being "locked out" (apparently for buying too many bags), I've turned my attention (and my $$) to Dooney, MK, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and others. I don't love handbags any less, I just love Coach a lot less. Since I don't have unlimited funds to spend on my obsession, Coach will continue to get less "share of wallet" from me. Coach's competition is real and the brand won't survive if the women's handbag line doesn't succeed and grow - shoes/wearables/mens just won't carry it. As a public company, analysts and shareholders won't respond lightly to decisions that result in missed performance targets so interested to see how they plan to turn this decline around.
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KS? I was one of their biggest fans....but all of a sudden the quality began to slip....first it was zippers.....sticky zippers. Loved the KS cosmetic bags....collected many....the last one I purchased didn't have the compartments like my others and noticed all of the newer ones no longer have them as well yet the cost remained the same ??? The only items I purchase anymore are the mugs and stationery....love the notebooks, so cute. I still have and use my Quinn's.....the boarskin.
 
#103
paula3boys said:
Interesting how they talk about promotional pricing as a way to lure customers in the train them to buy without discount.
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Maybe that works for some people but I don't buy anything from any of these brands without a decent discount. I'm happy to wait awhile most of the time for a sale and the waiting also helps me think through if I really want something or not. Now, if I love it and it's going to sell out, that may be different but for the most part, I think the US approach to commerce includes sales and discounts to move product.
 
#104
I've noticed a lot more MK bags around my location lately. Usually I see nothing but Coach and now it's more MK with a little Coach peppered in. I just think the crowd goes in waves. Sometimes one brand is more popular, and when it's everywhere (as it was with Coach) it begins to lose popularity and a new brand takes the top spot. This is only my observation of where I live though, not a reflection on buying habits or markets for either brand.
 
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