Asos Case Study

Internet fashion retail is a highly competitive market, the trends in the industry and company’s success relies on customer’s needs, which change constantly. “Competitive advantage is the delivering of superior value to customers and, in doing so, earning an above average return for the company and its stakeholders” (McGee, Thomas & Wilson, 2005, p.207). In order for ASOS to stay on top of its competitors, the trends in the industry have to be monitored, so that further they can be strategically translated in developing new products, to gain customer satisfaction.

The SWOT analysis is a great way for companies or organizations to determine their brand and product’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In order to more effectively determine these areas, separation of internal and external issues within the company or association is crucial.

According to the mission statement of Anthropologie: “Lifestyle merchandising is our business and our passion. The goal for our brands is to build a strong emotional bond with the customer. To do this we must build lifestyle environments that appeal emotionally, and offer fashion correct products on a timely basis. Our customers are the reason and the inspiration for everything we do.” UO considers the relationship it has with its customers before making decisions that affect them. Therefore, UO has kept in touch with customers continuously by utilizing various platforms such as SNS messages, connections with its online store, campaigns, events, and social media. In 2016, the growth rate of the company of retail segment is 1.6%, $47.4 million (URBN FY 2016 Annual report, 35). The basic concept of gaining inspiration from customers forms a diverse and progressive corporate culture; this is the driving force behind the development of the

SWOT Analysis is a simple but useful framework for analyzing your organization's strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats that the company face. It helps you focus on your strengths, minimize threats, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you will giving you the opportunity to ward off possible threats from external sources.

Asos’ has widely selection of products that are considered to be consumer products, classified as shopping products, due to their higher prices, selective distribution, less frequent purchases and more shopping effort. Their core product is the purchase of esteem as well as respect and recognition , in forms of clothing in a wide variety in an online hub, right at your fingertips. This makes them gain brand equity in form of differentiation, as Asos has the largest product assortment of different brands online . Asos also does a great job by gaining brand equity by offering relevant services in their augmented product and service mix in form of free

Swot analysis refers to the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats that a business faces. Every company has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that it faces.

May 2012 Best Website for ASOS Marketplace and Retail Award for ASOS Marketplace - Revolution Awards

A SWOT analysis is an evaluation a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Armstrong, 2010, p.77). A SWOT analysis is a useful tool in comparing a business, or in this case a character’s, traits to the situation and to other characters.

There Is a similar relation among the clothes. Several customers shop there based on the quality and prices as well as the features associated with the products. An advantage of the store is that it has a wide product mix and various offering in different categories and all these can be located at one place. This attracts a wide variety of customers. In line with their positioning of offering quality, trendy products, the brand is consistently updating its product line. The brand does not focus on innovation but rather on always leading trends. In relation to the product life cycle, clothing has a short life span from the first to last stage as tastes change easily. For this reason, it is important to constantly anticipate consumer tastes and preferences prior to launching a product so as to retain and possibly build customers loyalty. It is also necessary to develop a successful marketing strategy to display product offerings.

ASOS over ten years has become the market leader in the UK online fashion world with reported turnover of £165 m in 2009. They have developed a very competitive edge in fashion retailing through innovation, various delivery options, excellent communication with its customers, well maintained website and expansion of their trade internationally.

Unfortunately, many online retailers have begun to catch up with many of these core competencies. The concepts of next-day delivery and “above and beyond” customer service are no longer the “WOW” factors that they may have been five years ago. However, the relationships that make up “Powered by Zappos” are tough to beat and give the company a competitive advantage through its supply web. At the time of this case, Zappos still holds the niche of being an online shoe expert, but companies

Zappos.com, established in 1999, has rapidly become a strong competitor in online apparel and footwear sales. With the original corporate vison of offering the absolute best selection in shoes; the vision has evolved over the past several years to include the goal of being the retailer that “provides the absolute best service online -- not just in shoes, but in any category” (Zappos, 2014). The online retailer stocks millions of reasonably priced footwear products; carrying thousands of hard to find brand named shoes, handbags, apparel and accessories via the company website and 7,000 affiliate partners. In recognizing their rapid success, Zappos credits it to their commitment to the customer, stating,

related items that are similar to designer fashion worn by celebrities but a t a

The company’s vision is to be the online fashion destination for inspired young adults to discovery lasted fashion. Their mission was to offer the best online shopping experience. ASOS target consumers who are fashion conscious, as they provide 80,000 brands and own brands products for both women and menswear between the ages 16-34 old.

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.[1]