5.1 Recommendations
From the SWOT analysis, PEST and PESTLE analysis and Porters five force this thesis gives hints about what Zara is able to do in order to improve its business.
5.1.1 SWOT analysis and our problems and issues Zara should focus
Keeping in view the SWOT analysis and our problems and issues Zara should focus on the following points and develop a strategy accordingly:
Advertising and Marketing
a. Unique approach of advertising and marketing within the business model of Zara adds an additional factor to their success. A 0.3% of total income is spent on marketing and advertising. This amount is significantly less than the competitors of Zara who are spending 3-4% of their total revenues on advertising and marketing. So Zara need to focus on advertising and marketing.
b. Because Zara is not in putting any effort for online marketing, that is why we do not find it in search results.
c. Zara should now develop its own IT and marketing department and should launch an online marketing campaign through search engine optimization, social networking websites like facebook, twitter, bebo etc.
d. At the moment Zara is more focusing on the development of its stores on the prime locations on the high streets which is also a good strategy.
e. With the help of fully functional interactive website customers can give feed back immediately after using the product and we can improve our products quickly.
f. key to keep the designer updated regarding rapidly changing customer
Answer: (a): Market segmentation is the first step in defining and selecting a target market to pursue and penetrate. Basically, market segmentation is the process of splitting up an overall market into two or more groups/classes of consumers. Each group of consumers is called as a market segment. Each group (or market segment) should be similar in terms of certain characteristics or product/ service needs. In business world, market segmentation is considered to be a most important tool in enabling marketers to better meet customer needs and requirements.
Marketing has become one of the most important factors for a company to be able to implement. It could simply make or break the companies’ success. One company that uses marketing in a variety of ways is Vera Bradley. They create, communicate, and deliver value in a very well represented way. Vera Bradley’s mission states is, “To design, manufacture and internationally market a distinctive line of superior quality handbags, travel items, stationery, eyewear and accessories that convey the Vera Bradley image and unique lifestyle.
Zara provides fashion apparels for men, women and kids of all ages . Zara 's target business is youthful, cost cognizant, and exceptionally delicate to the most recent design patterns. They section their product offering in such a way that ladies account for 60%, men 's 25% and kids 15% accounts for division . Reason for choosing Zara for analysis in spite of being U.K. based company is that, it operates largely in U.K. Zara 's and its parent organization, Inditex, maybe taken as the course reading for how to do retail store network right . Zara has turned into a most loved of design fans, including industry insiders.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Zara can be identified as one of the largest international fast-fashion organizations which is owned by the fashion group Inditex. Their first store was opened in 1975 and from that point of time, they have had an unstoppable growth throughout the years as up to now. After 42 years of operations, today Zara has been able to expand themselves with 2169 stored over 82 countries all over the world. Rather than they were a high fashion brand in the country, Zara has focused themselves as a fast fashion brand where they will change their fashions at a great pace where no one can reach them. Also, the most attractive thing is that all those latest fashion designs are introduced to the public at an affordable price.
Question1 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of Henry Mintzberg’s prescriptive schools of strategy Design school The process of conception is using the major idea of SWOT which divided into two sides; internal (strength and weakness) and external (opportunity and threat) factors. Social responsibility and Managerial values also play a role in the formulation of the strategy. When the four factors is analyzed, the next step is creation of strategy which is suitable to organization and final stage is implementation follow by that strategy. Advantages: -Separate the step between design strategy and implementation clearly
Zara invests around .3 % of its revenues in advertising as compared to its competitors who invest around 3-5 % of their revenues in advertising. This increases its availability of funds for investments in design and in-house manufacturing rather than cutting the cost on these crucial operations. The lack of advertising is compensated by placing the stores at popular locations with good footfall and thus raising the customer inflow by the virtue of its store locations. Zara has been able to maintain a loyal relationship with its
They are always the fastest compared with their competitors. In cost leadership aspect, ZARA conducts little advertising and vertically integrated manufacturing operation and distribution system based on information system.
Executive Summary This report analyses Morrisons’ strategic developments since the beginning of 2000s till present time. Some key strategic directions are emphasized taking into account the impact on the business. Morrisons’ acquisition of Safeway, launch of e-commerce and vertical integration model of supply chain are discussed in detail. In addition, the grocers’ competitive advantage is identified as opposed to its big rivals, namely Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.
Where in the domestic market, its main competitors in terms of volume stores are the same Iniditex group, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius. Although Sfera and Mango can also be considered great rivals. Moreover, in the European market, Zara 's main competitors, GAP and H & M. Mango and Sfera and they were in the domestic market, they cease to be European. Rivalry between competitors The number of competitors is high (and are distributed locally, nationally and internationally) The textile sector has a slow growth (because it is a mature sector)
1. In order to understand the success of Inditex’s best brand, Zara one has to understand their strategic choices, and at its core this revolves on having a good understanding of who Zara targets, and what makes this brand attractive. Zara’s most important target market can be understood by the use of demographics, they target young (18-40 year old) women, who are price-conscious with a mid-range income, and very sensitive to fashion trends.
For that reason, one of the world’s leading retail organisation Zara particularly focus on their organisational resources in order to get the competitive advantage over their competitors. Some of the key organisational resources of Zara are demonstrated below: Market-oriented Strategy However, in the retail industry the competition is very high that is why the customer is considered as a king for them and they have to make them loyal as much as they can for the reason that they will not move to other brands quickly. Moreover, by focussing on customer‘s requirement and likings, reinforced by its operational approaches and Zara shows their assurance towards their precious clients. For that reason the customers of Zara‘s are quite loyal that help them to reach better position in the market (Finney, et al., 2008).
ZARA’s business scope including clothe, accessory, shoes, hat and perfume. Because of their excellent operating capability, they can become successful each and every year. Clothes, food, shelter and travel are the four elements for life. Clothes being priority in order to shows how important it is. China have more than 1.3 billion people nowadays, enormous people formed enormous clothing consumer market.
Most people today, own one at least one technological device which could be one of the access platforms that form online channels the company may apply for their digital marketing to achieve profitability and retention of customers. Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012) state that a digital marketing strategy is constantly needed to provide a sense of direction for an organization’s online marketing activities so that they integrate with its other marketing activities and support its overall business goals. According to Parise et al.
Product design can fulfil the demands of the customers and they are willing visit the same company again in the future. Referencing to the words of Vonderembse (n.d.),
2.1.2 Basic elements of word of mouth: • Educating persons about your products and services. • Identifying persons most likely to share their opinions. • Providing tools and instruments that make it easier to share information. •