Under Armour has severely limited its product offerings due to its primary target market, which is geared mainly towards male athletes, aged 12-24. Their lack of diversity is a notable competitive disadvantage to industry rivals Nike and Adidas. However, we have recently witnessed the growth in demand for athletic-wear apparel - 6% (Marc Bain), as well as the growth in female sports engagement across the United States (Statista). A potential strategic alternative could be to significantly expand on their athletic apparel line. This expansion would primarily target female athletes within the same male target range. In order to enhance the success in this field, they should continue to add to the eight women (Under Armour Roster) who are currently apart of the Under Armour endorsement roster.
Pros and Cons Analysis 1:
In our first strategy we suggest that Under Armour expands their women’s line to tap its thriving market segment. Nike’s women’s department accounted for $5.7 billion in fiscal 2015 in comparison to $4.5 billion in 2013. In recent years, women have transitioned to wearing athletic apparel as leisurewear. Lululemon, a flagship store known for it women’s athletic apparel has incurred an annualized growth rate of 23.5% over the past five years (Soni). There is surely a strong market for women’s athletic apparel. With such strong growth in the industry over the past few years, the competition is beginning to establish their place in the market. With Nike’s and
This report has been created with the intent to analyze the athletic apparel industry with a specific focus on Lululemon Athletica, Inc., further refered to as Lululemon. In this report you will find that the strengths and weaknesses of Lululemon’s current strategies and future goals are analyzed and compared to that of its closest competitors. In conclusion to the analysis, recommendations have been made to potentially guide Lululemon Athletica, Inc. in a positive direction in regards to its future endeavors. The following
Competitors in the industry can wreak havoc on the bottom line for a company. With rivals, a price competition usually ensues, which benefits the customers but hurts the competing businesses that share a common strategy. In reviewing rival sellers, many competitors exist within the sports apparel and footwear industry, but most of them are unable to compete with the industry giants, Nike and Adidas. They are well seated in the industry and their sales reveal this ultimate strength, however, Under Armour is putting pressure on these mammoths. In 2015, global sales of sports clothing and footwear equated to $250 billion, of which Nike grabbed $30.6 billion, Adidas held in its grasp $18.8 billion and Under Armour had a much smaller piece of the pie, at $3.9 billion globally. In reviewing these numbers, it looks like Under Armour is really subpar to the industry giants, but this is not exactly the case. Under Armour in the past couple of
Under Armour’s business strategy towards market segmentation is broken down into three different basis; Age, Gender, Uses. The first major market segmentation is by age, different age groups demand different products and Under Armour has produced certain merchandise to appeal to each generation. The second is Gender, both male and female respectively make up roughly 50% of the market equally.To appeal to females UA produces apparel in brighter colo, as a fashion forward athletic wear. While for males they they cater toward masculine vibe of tight fitting and resistant to wear and tear. Lastly, UA segments by the range of uses for their products.
The five key growth drivers for Under Armour are: “Men’s and Women’s Apparel, Footwear, International and Direct-to-Consumer” (Under Armour 10K, 2009, pg.1). In 2009 Apparel revenues
This paper commences by defining the problems that were faced by Lululemon Athletica Inc in 2013. After, the author explores the causes of the issues that the company was experiencing and the effects that they had on Lululemon Athletica Inc. The next step is to look at ways in which the issues could have been addressed both for the short-term and long-term. When all is said and done, the audience will fully appreciate why “Lululemon Athletica Inc should revert to its fundamentals – that is, to concentrate on the needs of the consumer”.
In today’s athletic market world, being the number one is what many athletes strive for—that is what sets the standards for many sport clothing companies, to deliver products that allow athletes increase their performance while striving to take the number “one” spot. Under Armour works to deliver products that do that and more. Under Armour is currently one of the leading companies in the sports apparel industry whose mission is to “Make all athletes better through passion, design, and the relentless pursuit of innovation” (Under Armour, Inc). Baltimore, Maryland-based Under Armour, founded in 1996 by ex-football player Kevin Plank, who transformed the sports apparel industry by creating apparel that used synthetic materials as an alternative to natural fibers, such as cotton, or other materials, such as polyester. Plank’s mission was to develop a shirt using synthetic materials that handled perspiration most efficiently than was previously expected. Under Armour’s ability to target their products to a wide range of potential clients has enhanced their ability to continue to grow within the athletic marketplace. Under Armour, it is classified as a high-end fitness clothing supplier that appeals to a diverse income audience. This audience has been reached by the outstanding advertising strategies and that include men, women and children. Under Armour currently uses a mixture of pull marketing and different campaigns for its diverse product lines. The overall goal for Under
Under Armour, Inc. is ranked among the established sports Kit producers across the globe. It thus enjoys massive sales in several markets. Under Armour has its headquarters Baltimore, Maryland with Kevin Plank as the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Robin Thurston as the Chief Finance Office. The company is committed to developing its brand continuously through advertisement. It is presently listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) market with a share price of $46.99. The company through its CEO believes that for the company to remain viable in the market, it has to ensure that that its products satisfy the taste of the consumers (Thompson, 2015). Clearly, this has bored fruits, basing the argument on the high consumer
Under Armour should exercise a focused, differentiated approach by exclusively developing performance apparel. Its non-standardized products are good for customers who prefer performance than price. For this reason, the corporation should have more emphasis on research and development to offer products, which are superior to what is in the market. On the other hand, its focus strategy should aim at particular sports, serving each sport’s needs more precisely than the broad apparel companies like Adidas and Nike. Combining a focus differentiation strategy will enable the firm to create a fertile niche positioning meanwhile meeting the customer’s specific needs (Kenyon,
The athletic industry is a demanding market where brands battle for consumer’s attention and try to hold on to them through brand loyalty. To compete with one another, companies have to come out with new trends regularly. Nike is a leading competitor in the market and has been for the last fifty years. However, Under Armour, an up and coming competitor is challenging Nike through new styles and lower prices. These two companies look fairly similar; however, Under Armour’s strategy is different and it should be putting Nike on edge.
Nike, Adidas and Under Armour are the largest brands in the athletic/sportswear monopolistic market. As of 2015, Nike’s revenue was $30.1 billion, the revenue of Adidas was $4.57 billion, while Under Armour’s revenue was $3.96 billion. Though all of the companies are large, Nike has a little more than 60% of the brand share dollars as compared to Adidas’ 11% and Under Armour’s 7% (Figure 1). Nike has some major strategies that
The third stage could be leading by signing deals and sponsor three of the main females athletes in the US territory. To start this journey, UA team needs to meet with the athletes and ask them for the requirements for each sport and what the expectations of the products are. Signing Serena Williams, Hope Solo, and Lisa Leslie the company would start the new tendency on female athletes want use the same appeal and accessories as the superstars in tennis, soccer, and basketball. These superstars will bring attention to Under Armour and create strong brand recognition among female’s athletes. A successfully completion of the previous step could lead to sign other recognized athletes. Closing deals with professional female’s athletes with such impact in the gear industry would allow Under Amour to dominate the female’s
Customers of Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas currently living in the D.C. Metropolitan area were asked to complete a survey that asked 4 simple questions about these different brands. The summary asked them to vote on which brand they prefer, wear, trust, and who is currently dominant in the apparel industry. This graph was used to help back up our facts as to why Nike should be chosen to carry apparel for your store. Nike is what the people want. This was based on a poll of 84 participants in total, and 83 for the last questions.
Under Armour Inc. is a relatively new competitor in providing high quality and functional sporting goods. Under Armour Inc. encompasses footwear, apparel, and accessories for all types of sport enthusiasts. The company currently provides jobs to about 10,700 employees. However, they are still up and coming and are expected to create new opportunities and work for many others. Their main headquarter is located in Maryland, Baltimore. Though they operate all over North America, Asia, and certain countries of Europe. Throughout all their operations they mostly sell through retailers and whole sale. In addition, they do have factory outlets and their own “direct to consumer” channels located in North America. Under Armour has really been on the
This is definitely not a good review for our company by Laura Ries, a marketing expert (Wheelen 20.12). Our goal has been to provide the best quality clothes to our customers. Our company is recognized for its innovative clothes that absorb sweat. Our main focus has been development of performance apparel. We stand out from rest of the crowd because of our licensing arrangement with a Japanese company, which makes us equal to our competitor Nike. We have now developed a powerful brand identity by reaching out to younger customers who have turned out to be loyal throughout their lives. In recent years we have seen many new brands and hence an increase in
Under Armour is currently one of the leading companies in the sports apparel industry whose mission is to “Make all athletes better through passion, science, and the relentless pursuit of innovation”.1 When Under Armour first broke into the sports apparel industry it was a disruptive pioneer that initially made the two giants, Nike and Adidas, a little weary. Under Armour revolutionized the sports apparel industry by creating apparel that used synthetic materials as an alternative to natural fibers, such as cotton, or other materials, such as polyester. This all-important switch to these materials resulted in a 2“shirt that provided compression and wicked perspiration off your skin rather than absorb it. A