Advantages and Disadvantages for Launching the E-Commerce Business for BoF Fashion

Introduction

Business of Fashion (BoF) is an organization operating in the journalism industry to provide evidence-based advice, ideas, and career-building tools that can make desirable changes in the world of fashion. BoF’s mission is to support the development of a fashion community that is open, informs, and connects the entire industry. Currently, this agency operates as a source of information to fashion enthusiasts across the globe. The suggested concept revolves around proposing a BoF website that is capable of supporting the selling of merchandise. Different companies and businesses will rely on the proposed multi-brand retail model to deliver high-quality clothes to more customers.

BoF: Functions

The global fashion industry remains successful due to the presence of many stakeholders, manufacturers, and theorists who present high-quality ideas. BoF has been in operation since the year 2007. The decision to invest in the online retailing sector will result in a superior business model. Gazzola et al. (2020) indicate that the sector is worth more than 2.5 trillion US dollars. BoF strives to establish and promote an open global membership, connect and educate the global community about fashion. This agency operates in over 125 nations across the globe. To achieve its goals much faster, BoF has hired competent analysts, brand strategists, engineers, reporters, and editors who work together to provide world-class information and content that is precise and capable of guiding more stakeholders in the industry to make informed and timely decisions (About us, no date). According to the information Hannah Ryan presents in her interview, most of the professionals work or operate from different parts of the world, including Shanghai, Paris, New York, and London (About us, no date). The collaborative nature of such individuals continues to deliver positive results.

BOF Fashion Target Customer

The success of BoF is attributable to the roles and commitments of different workers who gather information and create the best content to meet the demands of more readers. The idea to launch an online-based website for a retailing purpose is plausible and capable of delivering positive results. The potential customer for this new venture is any person between 18 and 60 years of age who has disposable income, is aware of fashion, and can use modern innovations to place digital orders (Guercini, Bernal, and Prentice, 2018). After creating and launching such a site, this company would need to have collection centers or physical shops whereby the customers can pick their items after purchasing them successfully.

The segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) model can guide companies to simplify and summarise the marketing process. The company will consider the profile of the identified customer and understand how to inform or encourage him or her to purchase the intended clothes and merchandise (About us, no date). Targeting will revolve around identifying specific groups and segments that have the potential to be part of the business model. Positioning, on the other hand, is a concept for ensuring that competitive advantage is gained while focusing on the demands of the identified customer. For instance, the customers need to get timely and accurate information about the apparel and the effectiveness of the marketing model. Since these individuals have adequate money, the clothes need to fulfill their desires and improve their self-esteem. The STP framework will make it possible for BoF to develop the best tactics, initiatives, and a model that resonates with the profile of the identified or targeted customer.

SWOT Analysis of BoF

The move to launch a BoF e-commerce site for marketing different clothes to more customers will succeed if this agency considers the power of its internal strengths and opportunities. The SWOT presented below examines whether there is an opportunity or room for creating the fashion page. The organization can go further to guide and ensure that more individuals can sell via the website as an affiliate (Samiee and Chirapanda, 2019). The information will guide all managers to make informed decisions and eventually ensure that positive results are recorded.

Strengths

• BoF has adequate resources that can support the proposed platform to market clothes and other materials to more customers.
• The current team of professionals has adequate skills to support the move.
• The existing or current website attracts millions of readers and followers from different parts of the world.
• The organization has a unique background in fashion that can support the new e-commerce model
• The current leadership is capable of supporting the suggested online-based website and improving the level of marketing.

Weaknesses

• Since BoF has a history of creating content, chances of failing in this new proposal are high.
• The company’s website is not a priority for customers who are interested in fashion.
• The current team of workers lacks adequate competencies and resources for promoting or maximizing the sales for different brands.
• The current business model for BoF is not intended to promote e-retailing.

Opportunities

• This organization has the relevant resources and foundation in online practices. The leaders could convert these gains much faster to improve or support the suggested online retailing platform.
• The global society is relying on the Internet to pursue different activities, including online business practices (Ries, 2017).
• More people in the world today have disposable income or are interested in fashion.
• The international readership associated with BoF means that it will take a short time to launch the e-commerce retailing model successfully.
• The company has many followers who can become immediate buyers after the successful introduction of the new website.

Threats

• The online retailing sector has many competitors providing different merchandise and clothes to more potential customers.
• E-commerce requires the use of the Internet and it might not be available to more people in the developing world.
• The existing brands and outlets could threaten the survival and success of this new business (Yuliansyah, Gurd, and Mohamed, 2017).
• Some skeptic customers might ignore the website and consider physical shops where they can have a look at a specific item before making the necessary purchasing decision.

Porter’s 5 Forces

The threat of New Entrants

Due to the nature and efficiencies associated with online marketing, BoF will face stiff competition from upcoming businesses in the sector. A superior model and the inclusion of additional items will change the situation and increase the level of profitability (Guercini, Bernal, and Prentice, 2018). This threat will remain extremely high for this proposed e-commerce business.

Threat of Substitutes

The fashion industry has many firms and corporations that have customers across the globe. More people know where they can purchase different apparel and merchandise today. If BoF fails to launch a superior platform and offer competitive items, it will have reduced chances of recording positive results (Yi, Park, and Kim, 2019). Consequently, the threat from this force is quite high for BoF.

Bargaining Power of Customers

Buyers are the key determinants of the performance and profitability of any business firm. In the global apparel industry, many people are aware of fashion and would be keen to consider or follow price changes (Yi, Park, and Kim, 2019). Customers can consider substitute products in the market depending on their income levels. The threat of this force is moderate for this proposed business venture.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

The proposed business model for BoF will rely on the initiatives different manufacturers and affiliate marketers take. This company will have to acquire high-quality products that resonate with the demands of the identified customers (Wilton, 2016). These suppliers will determine the costs and the most appropriate distribution channels. This force would be high for BoF since it will not be producing the intended clothes.

Competitive Rivalry

The level of competition in both the apparel and online retailing industries remains extremely high. Many companies focus on the quality and attractiveness of their brands to attract the attention of more customers (Kannan and Li, 2017). BOF would need to consider such attributes if it wants to record positive gains. The intensity of this force is, therefore, high.

Competitors of BoF Fashion

The level of competition for BoF is quite high due to the presence of many businesses supplying similar items. In terms of point of parity (PoP), all players are focusing on the established guidelines and principles to meet the demands of more potential customers. Points of difference (PoD) also exist since they are some brands that have strong values or exclusiveness (Wilson and Haperen, 2015). For BoF, a powerful business model and the ability to source high-quality apparel means that it will consider the established rules in the industry while at the same time identifying additional features to maximize brand superiority, competitiveness, and exclusiveness.

Currently, BoF has no competition since it is a resource platform for updating and informing stakeholders about the trends recorded in the fashion industry. However, the launch of the new idea would result in additional rivalry from different companies, such as Vogue Business, WGSN, and Drapers. There are also some businesses that are engaging in affiliate marketing in the global fashion industry. Some of the leading ones include Farfetch, Wolf & Badger, and Mood Operandi. After launching the business successfully, the leaders will have to complete a market positioning map that includes the identified BoF competitors (About us, no date). The model can also consider some of the existing global brands and corporations that can increase the level of rivalries, such as Hugo Boss, Adidas, and Amazon.

Affiliate Marketing for BoF

Affiliate marketing has become a common model whereby companies can hire third-party partners to attract and inform more potential customers about the available products. The first kind is the brand-affiliate-consumer whereby the firm identifies influencers who will encourage and guide more consumers to purchase the intended items (Samiee and Chirapanda, 2019). The second one is the brand-network-affiliate-consumer model whereby rewards are used to empower the influencer and eventually support the delivery of timely results.

For BoF, a powerful approach is needed to maximize the level of profits. The best one is the brand-BoF-consumer model while the selected variable for the business would be between 6-14 percent for the influencers (About us, no date). This rate is attractive and will make it easier for more people to be involved, present additional ideas and eventually make BoF successful and profitable. The framework is worth revisiting to ensure that positive results are recorded continuously.

Advantages

The proposed idea of a fashion page for BoF is advantageous since it will attract more customers, thereby increasing the level of readership. This organization will also acquire additional financial gains that will continue to support its operations (Schotthöfer, 2017). The move will also become a new opportunity for linking its activities with the reality of fashion consumption. The acquired information will also guide its future business practices.

Disadvantages

Although the suggested proposal is capable of taking BoF Fashion to the next level, there are specific issues that all leaders need to consider since they might result in negative performance. First, the company will move away from its core mission and start to focus on the best ways to maximize profits (Sanyal and Hisam, 2018). Second, the move might result in reduced gains due to the increased level of competition in the global fashion industry.

Conclusions

The above discussion has identified BoF as a leading source of information about fashion from all corners of the world. The Internet has become a powerful resource that is guiding more companies to make informed decisions about marketing. BoF can rely on its current strengths to launch a new webpage for e-commerce and combine it with affiliate marketing. The initiative will support its mission and increase its profits. The leaders will have to engage in continuous marketing and analysis to identify new strategies that will improve performance continuously.

Recommendations

From the research completed above, it is agreeable that BoF can consider the proposed fashion page since more people are relying on the Internet to achieve their goals. The completed SWOT analysis supports the move since BoF has the right resources and professionals. The involved members need to collaborate, solve possible challenges and consider a powerful business model to support the idea. With such initiatives, the organization can record profits of around 24 percent within the first two years. Additionally, it can be among the top ten leading online retailers in the apparel industry.

Reference List

About us (no date) 2020. Web.

Gazzola, P. et al. (2020) ‘Trends in the fashion industry. The perception of sustainability and circular economy: a gender/generation quantitative approach’, Sustainability, 12(7), pp. 2809-2827.

Guercini, S., Bernal, P.M. and Prentice, C. (2018) ‘New marketing in fashion e-commerce’, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 9(1), pp. 1-8.

Kannan, P.K. and Li, A. (2017) ‘Digital marketing: a framework, review and research agenda’, International Journal of Research in Marketing, 34(1), pp. 22-45.

Ries, E. (2017) The lean startup: how today’s entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. New York: Random House.

Samiee, S. and Chirapanda, S. (2019) ‘International marketing strategy in emerging-market exporting firms’, Journal of International Marketing, 27(1), pp. 20-37.

Sanyal, S. and Hisam, M. (2018) ‘The impact of teamwork on work performance of employees’, IOSR Journal of Business Management, 20(3), pp. 15-22.

Schotthöfer, P. (2017) International advertising law: problems, class, and commentary. Alphen aan den Rijn: Wolters Kluwer.

Wilson, B. and Haperen, K.V. (2015) Soft systems thinking, methodology and the management of change. New York: Macmillan International Higher Education.

Wilton, N. (2016) An introduction to human resource management. New York: Sage.

Yi, H.K., Park, S. and Kim, J. (2019) ‘The effects of business strategy and inventory on the relationship between sales manipulation and future profitability’, Sustainability, 11(8), pp. 2377-2394.

Yuliansyah, Y., Gurd, B. and Mohamed, F. (2017) ‘The significant of business strategy in improving organizational performance’, Humanomics, 33(10), pp. 56-74.