Porter's Five Forces Analysis Of ASICS

This paper introduces the basic situation and feathers of current athletic and casual footwear industry and raises that active management of

In this competitive business arena it is crucial to strategize and come up sound managementsolutions in order to stay afloat in the market. This is an individual report of ImperialCompany which showcases all the key management decisions that were taken to maintain acompetitive edge in the global market operations of its products. It will be sequenced in thefollowing format:1.Introduction to the Athletic Footwear Industry2.Thorough Business Environment Scanning3.Evaluation of Competition Forces

Sportsman Shoes has been a leader in the shoe industry for more than thirty years. Sportsman manufactures and sells athletic shoes for all types of sports. The company has pursued a low-cost strategy in order to sustain their success. They sell a limited number of shoe designs and have held costs low through manufacturing efficiency and standardized operations. However, the past five years have been a struggle at Sportsman. The shoe market has seen a rise in the availability of low-cost imported shoes that has threatened Sportsman’s competitive position. As a result, company executives have decided it is time for a strategy shift.

Obviously, there is a big number of driving forces in the athletic footwear industry. Each of these driving forces has different impacts—some of them can have a more considerable effect than others on figuring out how much cross-company differences influence market shares and a number of units sold. The first line of most influential factors includes comparative prices, S/Q ratings, and a number of models offered among the footwear competitors. These three most important competitive forces affect customer decisions of which athletic footwear brand to choose. Furthermore, the decisions of customers whether to purchase one brand or another are also influenced by such forces as advertising, celebrity endorsements, the number of independent retail

Asics target customers went from marathon runners, those of whom aimed for comfortable shoes in comparison to stylish ones. Currently, Asics target market includes both male and females, age 18-35 with a middle to upper class income, and those who are young and active or simply active in general. These customers are ones who desire their shoes to be comfortable, stylish, and durable to name a few. Asics has three segments of shoes varying from their two lifestyle brands called Asics Tiger and Onitsuka Tiger to their running style shoes called Asics. Many of their customers are casual athletes to regular athletes that look for specific features when purchasing athletic footwear.

There are other footwear’s that provide the same level of comfort and satisfaction such as the shoes designed by Nike, Adidas, Bata etc. as well as sell at a competitive price.

Companies like Under Armour, Nike and Adidas/Reebok have high threats of substitute´s products. These companies share the sport apparel industry and are vulnerable to competitive pressure from the actions of buyers whenever they view that their products can be substituted for others. The availability of substitutes invites the costumer to compare performance, features, and ease of use as well as price. Under Armour’s major competitors are Nike and Adidas/Reebok because they have a similar or competing product offerings. The top sport apparel brands offer similar products and that is why each one of them needs to keep a high standard and produce good quality products in order for customers to keep buying their product.

The sportswear industry is growing and becoming more competitive so the will be new producers and entries in the market with new ‘’aces up their sleeves’’. More competition in the market

By the use of Porter’s Five Forces model to analysis the athletic footwear market around the world; our strategy is to cut the price of footwear in the Year 11 and 12, and to increase budget of advertisement and to bid celebrity endorsements in order to boost the sales volume in a competitive industry .

Nike subcontracts the production process of its footwear to 900 contract factories located worldwide with Asian developing countries such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam accounting for the bulk of total world production. Production of the footwear is based on a vertically integrated model. In the primary stage, raw materials such as rubber, leather and plastic are extracted from places located in close proximity from the factories. In the secondary stage, the extracted resources are sent to the factories or “Sweatshops” for manufacturing. It should be noted that the whole production process of Nike footwear are being carried out by independent private contractors.

Therefore it makes it hard for companies like Nike, Adidas and Under Amour etc. to be able to have power over the customers. If a buyer is dissatisfied with any company in the industry; that buyer can easily switch to another company to acquire the products that they need.

Sport Apparel is a large industries with many firms such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Under Armour, the Gap, Athleta, Nordstrom, Lucy and Bebe store. Large industries allow multiple firms and producers to prosper without having to steal market share from each other. Large industry size is a positive for Lululemon Athletica. … This qualitative factor will lead to an increase in costs.

The athletic shoe industry will be first analyzed by the Porter’s Five Forces framework. The well-known Porter’s Five Forces is a model that analyzes an industry and helps firms develop a business strategy. The five forces model focuses on six forces that will determine the attractiveness of this industry: (1) the risk of entry by potential competitors, (2) the intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry, (3) the bargaining power of buyers, (4) the bargaining power of suppliers, (5) the closeness of substitutes to an industry 's products, and (6) the power of complement providers (Hill, Jones, & Schilling, 2015).

Competition is very fierce due to the number of companies competing for sales. Lots of money goes to marketing and promotions using various channels to reach the young demographic group of consumers who spend the most money on Nike’s products. Growth is slowing down in the athletic footwear industry. But new markets are emerging with high growth rates. These markets include extreme sports market and the corporate merchandise market.

Threat of Substitute Products: Atheletic shoes are designed for comfort, fit and personal safety during periods of iintense or increased movement. The existence of close substitute products increases the propensity of consumers to switch to alternatives in reponse to price increases. The availability of substitutes in the athletic shoe industry, invites customers to make price, quality and performance comparisons. If the athletic shoe is used for a specific sports, there maybe relatively few substitutes. If the shoe is used because of comfortability, they are interchangeable with minimal switching cost. This holds true for athletic shoes worn for fashion. Overall the threat of substitute products is moderate and depends on the motivation for purchasing the product. The impact to profit potential is moderate to high.