Gabs Case Study

The aim of this paper is to understand why, during the years, a portion of Gab’s costumers shifted their preferences towards other brands. The essay will first investigate the structure and values of the brand, in order to understand the target customer to whom it addresses. Another step will be analyzing the today’s leather goods market and, at the same time, understand habits, needs and desires the target costumer has. Indeed, with the development of new technologies, costumers have greatly changed in how they approach brands and products. Moreover, the competitors are increasing and becoming more determined to take over all the target markets. Finally, this paper is going to look through the lacks in Gabs’ strategy and suggest solutions

The bag G3 is the leading product and best seller since the company was born. The handbag is an invention of the founder himself, who took inspiration from similar ones he came across in Asia. Indeed, it can be transformed in three different bags thanks to a simple mechanism: a blue button, which is also the distinguishing feature of all Gabs’ products. In the years, the product line grew consistently. Indeed, more styles and sizes have been created, without changing the core characteristics: colors, utility and transformation. Several young new artists working in the company developed more than 45 prints and design, creating bags for those who don’t want to adapt to the product but, on the contrary, adapt it to their personality and taste. Moreover, in a recent interview held at Pitti Uomo in Florence (2018), Massimo Cabbia, commercial director of Gabs, states that Gabbrielli gets inspired by what surrounds him. The art director takes various pictures and then reproduce them on the bags, always looking for developing something

Gabs consumer are as the brand itself: stylish, since Gabs propose fashionable and classy products; contemporary, because thanks to its technology, it is up to date; and versatile, indeed even if it is just one bag it can adapt to three different occasions.

3.2 Culture

The culture section describes all the values and principles on which every brand founds its products and communication (Kapferer,1992).

As Gabs is based on the Made in Italy, it is extremly important for the brand that this specific characteristic is always emphasized. It is essential that when a consumer purchases a Gabs’ product, she knows that it is a real Italian leather good. Moreover, Gabs incarnates the values of tradition, but at the same time innovation and creativity.

3.3 Self-image

Self-image can be defined as the characteristics with which a consumer describes herself, which should be the same ones that the brand has chosen (Kapferer,