Swot Analysis: SWOT Analysis Of Zara

A “SWOT analysis is a historically popular technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation” (Pearce & Robinson, 2009, p3). SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This concept was incorporated as a diagnostic tool for many entrepreneurs to work on their business. It is important as a business owner to be able to analyze forces and trends that can affect a business. The owner of Sivalry Clothing Company will discuss several capacities of the business operations and forces and trends that the business will have to encounter. Such topics include: economic as well as legal and regulatory forces and trends, how well the organization adapts to change, and the supply chain operations of the organization. Also, identification of issues and opportunities that the company faces will be discussed.

Zara 's combination of cutting-edge fashions and culture lends itself well to a European-style, fashion-conscious consumer. While this type of consumer can be found in New York, this is not representative of the entire US market. Retailers in small towns and urban sprawls rely more on a shopping mall atmosphere. Adapting that strategy would undermine Zara 's image. It is therefore recommended that Zara target only major metropolitan areas which would likely have higher concentrations of fashion-minded individuals.

Another way there strategy contributors to their success is that they have the capability to keep a significant amount of product in home soil in there won factories and reserve approximately 85% of their capacity for seasonal adjustments this way they will be able to rapidly respond to unexpected trends in the industry. Additionally they use foreign factories as many other companies do as cost is much cheaper which allows production to increase and distrusted accordingly, however for fast fashion items Zara produces in

This can be seen from Fig 3 that the export and import during 2005 and 2006 have significantly increased and it is foreseen that the future global trend would be increasing. Also, in order to lower the production costs, lots of international companies will transfer part of work in some countries with lower labor and material costs. This kind of out-sourcing activity enhances the global cooperation as well.

An interesting fact is their supply chain for the majority of their product is located close to their distribution centers. Their distribution centers are located in Spain and the designer ware is produced in Morocco, Portugal, and Turkey (“Case 3-4. Continued Growth for Zara and Inditex,” 2013). This ensures that new designs are produced and shipped quickly to their stores. This plan is reasonably different from their competition.

As Zappos faces the challenge of determining next steps in regards to maintaining the existing business unit or to enter a new business venture, the SWOT analysis will provide clarity in the firms Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This is an extremely suitable

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.

Créée en 1975 avec son premier point de vente à Corogne, l’enseigne espagnole Zara a su, en l’espace de 34 ans, conquérir la scène internationale. Appartenant

The Spanish retail chain Zara has unique supply chain management practices that enable it to gain a competitive advantage over other fashion retailers in the industry. Zara’s rapid response time enables the firm to quickly respond to changing fashions while deliberately under producing products. This strategy, which is supported by competencies in logistic management, design and information systems, allows the company to maintain less inventory and higher profit margins and is a key factor to Zara’s success. The firm should continue to add value by seeking new opportunities to expand in the retail market and maintain their sustainable growth.

In comparison to competitors, Zara’s business strategy, in regards to strategic partnerships and cost of production, provide for a strategic competitive advantage. Zara, unlike its competitors such as Gap, Benetton, and H&M, does not use Asian outsourcing. Eighty percent of Zara’s materials are manufactured in Europe, with 50% made in Zara controlled facilities in the Galicia region of Spain near headquarters. Most of Zara’s competitors have 100% outsourcing to cheap Asian countries. Though the cost of production in Spain is 17-20% more expensive than Asia, Zara does have a competitive advantage over its competitors in regards to operations. The local strategic partnerships that Zara maintains with manufacturers in Europe allow for a product throughput time of 3-4 weeks from conception to distribution. To make this happen, the company designs and cuts its fabric in-house and it acquires fabrics in only four colours to keep costs low. The proximity of these suppliers gives Zara great flexibility in adapting their product lines based on up to date market trends and consumer behaviour. It also decreases costs of holding inventory. Zara’s competitors, through outsourcing to Asian countries such as China, sacrifice the benefits of proximity for low labour and production costs.

What makes the middle aged mother to buy cloths in Zara while the daughter aged in mid 20s buys Zara clothing? Because it is fashion able and up to trend. By collecting data and focusing on shorter response times, the company ensures that its stores are able to carry clothes that the consumers want at that time. Zara can move from identifying a trend to having clothes in its stores within 30 days. That means Zara can quickly and catch a winning fashion trend, while its competitors are struggling to catch up. Catching fashion while its hot is a clear recipe for better margins with more sales happening at full prices and fewer discounts. In comparison, most retailers of comparable size

The business idea of Zara is to link customer demand to manufacturing, and to link manufacturing to distribution. And based on this general idea, Zara has several essential elements for its business model. First, speed and decision making, which means that in the external level, Zara need to respond very quickly to demands of target customers, and always keep in style. While for the inside, Zara treasure intelligence and judgment of common employees who enjoy a great deal of autonomy. Second, its marketing, merchandising and advertising strategy. Zara does not spend on virtually advertising, while it spends heavily on stores, and no selling online because of

Inditex founder, Amancio Ortega Gaona, started his fashion business in 1949 at the age of 13, as a delivery boy for a local shirt maker in La Coruña, Spain and in a little over a decade was working as shop manager. With the knowledge and experience gained along the way, he began developing his own designs, after which he left his job to start his own business in the early 1960s. With only $25 in startup capital and working out of his sister’s home, Ortega’s vision was to replicate popular fashions using affordable materials, creating high demand clothing that could be sold at lower prices. He sold his gowns, housecoats, and lingerie to his former employer and other local shops. By 1963 he had opened his

The basic strategy for fighting competition is to attract buyers at lower prices, more unique designs, high-quality design, efficient customer service and solid image brand. Thus bargaining power of buyer for apparel industry is high as the products falls under the basic needs in human lives. There is no much difference in terms of products offered by the apparel company, so if buyer is unhappy with the product or service they can easily switch to another brand. Thus, Zara are trying to strengthen its position in the market by using their unique strategy by giving priority to buyer to meet their special needs.

Zara’s product differentiation strategy is based on high quality and low prices. The company wants to be fashionable and desire for everyone. This is the reason of their strategy (low price and high quality).