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Abstract

Date: 2008 May 28

Course: Master Thesis

Authors: Ka Yu Seto and Olena Zastezhko

Tutor: Carl Thunman

Title: How can the Japanese specialty retailers of private-label apparel (SPAs) go into the German fast fashion market?

Introduction:

Japan is one of the largest and most sophisticated clothing markets in the world, and its fashion designs and products quality enjoy high reputation from world-wide. Because of keen competition in the domestic market, fashion retail chains find it necessary to search for new markets Asia’s potential has been already extensively exploited for decades. Thus, in order to further expand, Europe should be considered for the next step in nternationalization. Germany seems to be a good choice, since it has huge population, large market value and is located in the centre of Europe. There has been a number of studies published about foreign retailers entering Japan, however, only few researches consider moves of the Japanese retailers to other countries, to Asia in particular. In order to fill in the information gap the current study was conducted. It focuses on investigating the German menswear and womenswear markets from the perspective of potential for the Japanese SPAs.

Purpose:

The purpose of the thesis is to describe German apparel market and to examine how the Japanese SPAs can enter it. The research is limited to the German menswear and womenswear markets, which target men and women aged 15 and above. Finally, the research is aimed at providing recommendations for the Japanese SPAs regarding planning marketing strategies when entering the German market.

Method:

Primary: The primary data was received through conducting three semi-structured interviews with experts in fashion industry in Germany, who can give professional overview of the German fashion market. The aim was to obtain the latest information related to the fashion market conditions, consumers’ expectations and their purchasing habits, as well as factors that are not covered by the previous studies, but are crucial for the current research.

Secondary: The secondary data was collected mostly via Internet; however a number of printed publications was used as well. Market reports by such marketing agencies as CBI, Datamonitor, ACNielson and Euromonitor became the basis for the research. Other scientific sources were retrieved through electronic databases such as ABI/ Inform, EBSCO, Emerald, ELIN@Mälardalen, Google and Google Scholar. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management and books Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues (Hines & Bruce, 2007) and Fashion Design (Jones, 2005) provided latest insights into current trends in fashion marketing, as well as introduced main concepts of the studied area.

Theoretical Model:

Existing studies contribute a lot to identifying crucial variables concerning fashion marketing. However, there is no available model that can fulfill the purpose of the current research. That is why a new model was developed in order to achieve the aim of the thesis. Since the purpose is to describe the German fast fashion market four factors influencing it were identified. They are categorized as follows: Market Environment in Germany, Competition, Activities in the Market and German Customers. Within each factor a set of variables was distinguished and analyzed. Market Environment in Germany factor covers macro and micro environments; Competition factor is analyzed in terms of positioning and branding of the major competitors; Activities in the Market factor discusses 4Ps and customer service; and German Customers factor reveals consumer behavior aspects as well as attitudes of Germans to branding and country of origin. German sizes are also covered within this factor. The created model helps identify market situaton the Japanese SPAs will face when entering the German fast fashion market.

Analysis and Conclusion:

The study revealed that though the German apparel market is highly competitive it is also an attractive one for apparel companies and there is a place for newcomers who can differentiate themselves from the majority. Since there exist some gaps in the market supply in terms of quality/price and fashion/quality ratios, those Japanese SPAs who will be able to cover these gaps can have good potential in the German fast fashion market. This means that those Japanese SPAs who can supply apparel of good quality, with fashionable designs, but at the same time at competitive prices can find favorable positions in the market. In addition, as new comers the Japanese SPAs need to ensure that they can satisfy quick response requirement which is crucial to the fast fashion industry, and this can become a challenge. Also, the research revealed that the German customers are brand conscious, thus it is important for the Japanese SPAs to build brand awareness and brand reputation among Germans. Moreover, the Japanese SPAs need to identify target segments which they can serve at their best. A set of recommendations provided in the thesis regarding marketing strategies shows how the German market conditions can be used for creating advantages for the Japanese SPAs.