Edited by Mike Easey
Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xv
Part A: Understanding Fashion Marketing 1
1 An Introduction to Fashion Marketing 3
Mike Easey
1.1 What is fashion? 3
1.2 What is marketing? 5
1.3 What is fashion marketing? 7
1.4 Fashion marketing in practice 7
1.5 How fashion marketing can help the
fashion industry 11
1.6 What fashion marketers do: fi ve examples 12
1.7 Ethical issues in fashion marketing 13
1.8 An overview of the fashion marketing process 15
1.9 Summary 16
Further reading 17
2 The Fashion Market and the Marketing Environment 18
Christine Sorensen
2.1 Introduction 18
2.2 The development of the fashion market 18
2.3 The fashion market: size and structure 21
2.4 Marketing environment 26
2.5 Micro-marketing environment 26
2.6 Macro-marketing environment 34
2.7 Trends in the marketing environment 56
2.8 Summary 58
Further reading 59
Part B: Understanding and Researching the
Fashion Purchaser 61
3 The Fashion Consumer and Organizational Buyer 63
Mike Easey
3.1 Introduction 63
3.2 Why study the fashion buyer? 64
3.3 Fashion consumer decision-making 68
3.4 Psychological processes 73
3.5 Sociological aspects of consumer
behaviour 83
3.6 The organizational buyer 94
3.7 Summary 95
Further reading 96
4 Fashion Marketing Research 97
Patricia Gray
4.1 Introduction 97
4.2 The purpose of marketing research 97
4.3 An overview of the marketing research
process 100
4.4 Problem defi nition and setting research
objectives 100
4.5 Research design 100
4.6 Data sources 101
4.7 Practical sampling methods 103
4.8 Primary data collection methods 108
4.9 Data collection methods 111
4.10 Questionnaire design 113
4.11 Attitude measurement and rating scales 117
4.12 The role of marketing research in new
product development 119
4.13 Forecasting fashion 121
4.14 The Internet as a research tool 123
4.15 International marketing research 126
4.16 Summary 127
Further reading 128
Part C: Target Marketing and Managing the
Fashion Marketing Mix 129
5 Segmentation and the Marketing Mix 131
Mike Easey and Christine Sorensen
5.1 Introduction and overview 131
5.2 Mass marketing and market segmentation 131
5.3 Segmentation: rationale, bases and strategy 134
5.4 Positioning and perceptual mapping 140
5.5 The fashion marketing mix 141
5.6 Summary 143
Further reading 144
6 Designing and Marketing Fashion Products 145
Sheila Atkinson and Mike Easey
6.1 Introduction 145
6.2 The importance of fashion products 145
6.3 The nature of fashion products 147
6.4 The fashion industry and new product
development 157
6.5 Retail buying sequence: autumn and
winter season 161
6.6 The product mix and range planning 163
6.7 Fashion and related life cycles 169
6.8 Summary 176
Further reading 176
7 Pricing Garments and Fashion Services 177
Mike Easey
7.1 Introduction 177
7.2 Different views of price 177
7.3 The role of price decisions within
marketing strategy 178
7.4 External factors infl uencing price decisions 180
7.5 Internal factors infl uencing price decisions 183
7.6 Main methods of setting prices 184
7.7 Pricing strategies in relation to new
products 190
7.8 Pricing strategies to match the
competition 191
7.9 Price changes 193
7.10 Summary 195
Further reading 195
8 Fashion Distribution 196
John Willans
8.1 Introduction 196
8.2 The importance of fashion retailing 196
8.3 Structural issues 198
8.4 The industry’s components 202
8.5 Trends in retailing 208
8.6 The Internet 213
8.7 The ‘grey market’ 215
8.8 Retail marketing effectiveness 215
8.9 Summary 216
Further reading 216
9 Fashion Marketing Communications 218
Gaynor Lea-Greenwood
9.1 Introduction 218
9.2 The marketing communications environment 219
9.3 The traditional approach to promotion 220
9.4 Fashion advertising 223
9.5 Sales promotion 225
9.6 Public relations 226
9.7 Celebrity endorsement and sponsorship 227
9.8 Personal selling 229
9.9 Visual merchandising to visual marketing 230
9.10 International marketing communications 232
9.11 Ethics in marketing communications 233
9.12 Evaluating the effectiveness of
marketing communications 234
9.13 New directions in fashion marketing
communications 235
9.14 Summary 236
Useful websites 236
Further reading 237
10 Fashion Marketing Planning 238
Mike Easey
10.1 Introduction 238
10.2 The planning process and objectives 238
10.3 Marketing audits and SWOT analysis 240
10.4 Marketing strategy 243
10.5 The fashion marketing plan 246
10.6 Implementation and organizational issues 247
10.7 Summary 250
Further reading 250
Glossary of Fashion Marketing Terms 251
Index 257
Preface
If you are interested or involved in fashion you will already be aware that it is an exciting area of constant change, creativity and global commercial activity. However, skills in fashion are not enough to guarantee success, as even when those skills are exceptional there is still the constant risk of failure and bankruptcy. A knowledge of marketing is essential to help ensure success and lessen the possibility of failure.
To paraphrase Armani, ‘Clothing that is not purchased or worn is not fashion.’ A good knowledge of fashion marketing can make the difference between a prototype that lingers in a dark storeroom and a garment that people really want to buy and wear.
Over the last two decades fashion has become a truly global business. Designers no longer work necessarily within manufacturing facilities and, as part of the knowledge industry, they need to be mobile and have the ability to communicate across cultures and business disciplines. Many brands like Gap, Zara and H&M which were just national brands a few years ago are now internationally recognized.
Another major force infl uencing the fashion business is the growth of the Internet. The Internet has infl uenced the fl ow of creative ideas, the search for product information, the transparency of pricing and the management of supply chains amongst as well as how and where customers buy garments.
For the designer keen to start his or her own business, this book will offer a guide to most of the major decisions that will enable you to fulfi l your creative potential and be a fi nancial success. For the marketer who is interested in fashion, this book will help you understand the special way that marketing needs to be applied to the world of fashion.