Online Clothing Retailing: Profiles of Six Companies : Market Research Report

Online Clothing Retailing: Profiles of Six Companies

Published: Oct. 1, 2009 - 34 Pages

SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION: Benefits of online retailing compared with shopping via conventional stores; Factors contributing to technological developments in online clothing retailing; Product returns
SELECTED STRATEGIES OF ONLINE CLOTHING RETAILERS: Multi-channel retailing; Online-only retailing; Strategic partnerships with other companies
OUTLOOK
GAP: Development of Gap's e-commerce business; Recent e-commerce initiatives; Overview of e-commerce strategy; E-commerce products; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; Customer care; Online financial performance; Outlook
ASOS: Development of Asos's e-commerce business; Overview of e-commerce strategy; E-commerce products; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; E-commerce marketing strategy; Customer care and special offers; Financial performance; Outlook
YOOX: Development of Yoox's e-commerce business; Overview of e-commerce strategy; E-commerce products; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; E-commerce marketing strategy; Customer care; Online financial performance; Outlook; Online clothing retailing: profiles of six companies www.textilesintelligence.com
MARKS & SPENCER (M&S): Development of Marks & Spencer's e-commerce business; Overview of e-commerce strategy; E-commerce products; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; E-commerce marketing strategy; Customer care; Online financial performance; Outlook
FUTURE BAZAAR: Development of Future Bazaar's e-commerce business; Overview of e-commerce strategy; E-commerce products; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; E-commerce marketing strategy; Customer care; Online financial performance; Outlook
BIVOLINO: Company overview; Development of Bivolino's e-commerce business; Geographical markets; Online supply chain management; E-commerce marketing strategy; Customer care; Online financial performance; Outlook
List of figures: Figure 1: Gap's home page, www.gap.com; Figure 2: Gap's Facebook page, www.borntofit.com; Figure 3: Gap's StyleMixer applications for the iPhone; Figure 4: Asos's home page, www.asos.com; Figure 5: Asos's community webpage, Asos Life; Figure 6: Yoox's home page, www.yoox.com; Figure 7: Yoox's www.thecorner.com home page; Figure 8: Diesel's home page, www.diesel.com; Figure 9: Emilio Pucci home page, www.emiliopucci.com; Figure 10: Emporio Armani home page, www.emporioarmani.com; Figure 11: Marks & Spencer's home page, www.marksandspencer.com; Figure 12: Selected pages from Future Bazaar's online store, www.futurebazaar.com; Figure 13: Future Bazaar's information centre in Dombivli, Maharashtra, India; Figure 14: Demonstration of Future Bazaar's website in the information centre; Figure 15: Bivolino's Made to Measure Shirts webpage at www.marksandspencer.com

Abstract

Online clothing retailing is a well established sales channel in most developed countries. In 2008 clothing was the fastest growing category of products to be sold online in the UK and the USA. And in China and France it was the largest category in terms of value.

Online retailing offers distinct benefits for shoppers and retailers. From the point of view of the shopper, comparisons of products can be made quickly and easily from the privacy of the shopper’s own home. At the same time, retailers can offer a broader range of products than they are able to do in physical stores. Also, the cost of running an online store is only a fraction of the cost of running a physical shop—especially in terms of rent, rates and staffing. In addition, online shopping provides companies with the opportunity to expand into new markets without needing to invest in physical retail sites.

There are, however, a number of challenges for online clothing retailers to overcome—including the fact that customer loyalty is notoriously hard to retain. Also, online selling results in a much higher level of returns than retailing via physical stores—which is largely due to the fact that online shoppers can not try on the clothing before buying.

Broadly speaking, the strategies of online retailers can be grouped into two categories: multi-channel retailing and online-only retailing. Multi-channel retailing is the most common strategy among large clothing retailers. It allows a firm to use its website as a marketing tool, and enables customers to browse items before trying them on in a physical store. Examples of multi-channel retailers include USA-based Gap, the UK’s Marks and Spencer (M&S) and India-based Future Bazaar—owned by Future Group, the proprietor of Pantaloon Retail.

Online-only retailing involves selling branded clothing exclusively via the Internet. Examples of onlineonly retailers include UK-based Asos, and Italy-based Yoox. Online-only retailers are characterised by the fact that they offer vast ranges of products—because they are not limited by physical shelf space.

In addition to these strategies, a number of clothing companies have made a foray into online retailing by forming strategic partnerships with established e-commerce companies, such as Bivolino, in order to minimise risk.

Get Full Details About This Report >>

US: 800.298.5699

Int'l: +1.240.747.3093

About MarketResearch.com
MarketResearch.com is an online aggregator selling over 250,000 market research reports, company profiles and country profiles from over 650 research firms. Our reports will provide you with the critical business and competitive intelligence you need for strategic planning and marketing research. Coverage includes the US, UK, Europe, Asia and global markets.

Online Clothing Retailing: Profiles of Six Companies

Table of Contents

Abstract