Brand Weakness a factor in the failure of Boo.Com?

The weakness of the Boo.com brand may be another cause of the failure of the high profile on-line clothes retailer, according to research undertaken by MORI Technology, the internet and new media division of MORI.

Following Boo.com's collapse, attention has focused on the technical and logistical glitches which have plagued it since its launch.

However less than one in seven (13%) of internet users had heard of Boo.com, a recent survey by MORI discovered. Its profile among those who are not yet on line is negligible at just 1%.

Only 18% of Boo.com's target group of 15 - 29 year old internet users are aware of the brand. Among those in this age group who do not have access to the internet, this figure drops to just 3%.

A tiny proportion (2%) of internet users in the 15 - 29 age group have registered with Boo.com and only 1% have purchased from it.

By way of comparison, the e-tailer Jungle.com has twice as many registered users (4%) among this age group and three times the amount (3%) of 15 - 29 year olds have bought from it.

Technical details

MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 1,950 adults across 155 sampling points in Great Britain. Interviews were carried out face-to-face, in-home. Data were weighted to match known population profile. All interviews were conducted between 13-17 April 2000.