Summary
Superdry is a UK-based company of clothes that operates in multiple countries all over the world. It has multiple resources and capabilities that create customer value and provide competitive advantage in the modern business environment (Week 9 Internal analysis: identifying resources and capabilities, 2020). They include strong multi-channel capabilities, the company’s vision, the balance of products; quality and affordable prices, focus on sustainability, and flexibility along with the use of opportunities provided by modern technologies.
Company’s Vision
As a matter of fact, a company’s vision and mission may create competitive advantage if they correspond with consumers’ values and beliefs increasing people’s awareness and loyalty. The mission defined by Superdry is “to inspire and engage style-obsessed consumers, while leaving a positive environmental legacy” (About Superdry, no date, par. 1). Being presented worldwide, the company values diversity of its employees and consumers creating clothes that address the peculiarities of their cultures and origins (Culture & values, no date). It presents itself as value-committed, result-oriented, and consumer-loving brand that aims to create a better future for people and the planet in general.
Products
The unique customer value of Superdry that provides its competitiveness is its products. Superdy offers a wide range of clothes that help people all over the world look fashionable on the basis of their preferences and tastes. At the same time, the company provides the best combination “of market-leading quality delivered at astonishing value for money” (At a glance, no date, par. 1). Obsessed with design, fit, and quality, Superdry’s designers create clothes that address cultural identities, latest trends, and individual preferences of people.
Sustainability
In the present day, the value of a company is determined by its ability to respond to environmental threats using its sources. Thus, in order to gain competitive advantage, it should consider the aspects of sustainable development as it currently attracts the particular attention of consumers. According to Purvis, Mao and Robinson (2019), the conception of sustainability is based on three pillars – environmental, social and economic. Using the brand’s resources to address all aspects helps it stay competitive as consumers prefer manufacturers who care about the environment and value ethics in relation to its production and employment.
It goes without saying that the major current threat of organisations’ external environment is climate change and factors that lead to it, including pollution, gas emission and waste. Regarding Superdry, the company has well-elaborated strategy to minimise its negative impact on the planet working across its own three pillars that correspond to previously mentioned ones – People, Product, Planet. First of all, it plans to use 100% organic cotton and low impact or recycled materials at scale for the manufacturing of its products by 2025 (Sustainability, no date). As the company’s largest raw material, cotton currently represents 53% of its raw materials’ total volume bought annually (Sustainability, no date). In 2020, 19% of Superdry’s orange label t-shirts, underwear, socks, sleepwear and polos are totally organic (Sustainability, no date). Moreover, the company focuses on a considerable reduction of carbon emissions and wastes across its logistics operations and sites. By 2030, it plans to become a Net Zero brand in relation to carbon emissions, and in the present day, Superdry actively supports environmental projects and challenge its partners to reconsider their strategies if necessary to minimise environmental footprint.
Other activities of Superdry determined by consumers’ expectations are associated wit recycling. First of all, the company undertakes efforts to minimise wastes connected with packaging and uses it only where necessary. By 2020, Superdry expects to make 100% of its package recyclable, reusable, or compostable (Sustainability, no date). Another strategy supported by the brand’s resources presented in its extended network that provide a competitive advantage for it is the creation of clothes from recycled materials. The manufacturing of all poly-padding in Superdry Outerwear from recycled plastic bottles will result in the diversion of almost 30 million of them from the landfill and oceans (Sustainability, no date). In general, the company’s focus on sustainability and care about the environment provide benefits presented in profitability and consumer loyalty to the brand.
Another aspect of sustainability that has an impact on any brand’s reputation and may provide competitive benefits is an ethical employment and appropriate working conditions. In the present day, a social pillar also includes a focus on diversity and inclusion that provide strategic marketing advantages in the modern business environment. According to Superdry, diversity runs in its blood as being presented across the globe requires tolerance and embracing various cultures (Diversity & inclusion, no date). In addition, more diverse and broader experiences, skills, abilities and talents provide more perspectives and better decisions. Thus, Superdry is committed to “attracting, including, empowering and developing colleagues no matter their culture, beliefs and backgrounds” (Diversity & inclusion, no date, par. 2). Differences are not limited to ethnicity, race, age, gender, religion, disabilities, religion or sexual orientation. Diversity within the organization is preferable by consumers as it reflects diverse society and provides its better understanding.
Complexity
As a company’s capabilities and resources become more complex due to external and internal linkages between skills, activities, people, and knowledge involved, their use provide more considerable competitive advantage. Superdry focuses on both internal linkages and external interconnectedness to meet customers’ expectation and strengthen brand awareness and loyalty. In general, internal activities are processes linked within an organisation to deliver customer value collectively (Week 10 Internal analysis: assessing resources and capabilities, 2020). In Superdry, internal activities are determined by its strategies chosen to meet customers’ expectation within the framework of global operations. Thus, the company emphasises the significance of collaboration of all employees from various department concerning any aspects of production (Sourcing, purchasing & sustainability jobs, no date). Through hard negotiations, it ensures that sourcing, placing, and managing all supplier orders are organised in a time-sensitive manner. In addition, Superdry pays particular attention to its employees’ coordinated collaboration for accurate deliveries to wholesale customers and stores across the globe.
Competitive advantage may be determined by an organisation’s mutual activities with partners or consumers as well. In this case, it receives an opportunity to satisfy people’s needs and attract new clients. For Superdry, the collaboration with customers and other companies and organisations frequently address society members’ awareness of the environmental safety and sustainability. For instance, in 2020, the company has launched a range of Vegan trainers in the collaboration with The Vegan Society (Sustainability, no date). In general, The Vegan Society is a non-profit registered educational organization that provides all sorts of information related to veganism and promotes “a lifestyle that excludes, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of – and cruelty to – animals for the purposes of food, clothing or anything else” (Our vision and mission, no date). For Superdry, Vegan trainers have become an innovative decision that subsequently produced a unique customer value and give prominence to the brand.
Flexibility
In a contemporary competitive landscape, companies should consider flexibility and the opportunities provided by modern technologies in order to not only survive but succeed as well. Superdry is able to gain benefits from modern challenging conditions through their analysis and the implementation of appropriate strategies. In the present day, the pandemic caused by the spread of the coronavirus worldwide may be regarded as one of the most disturbing economic, political and social conditions. During the pandemic, Superdry has been prioritising investment into multichannel and online sale. This decision was justified by the considerable growth of ecommerce as the coronavirus-related governmental restrictions forced customers move away from traditional stores and shift online. Although Superdry’s general sales have fallen down by approximately 23% in comparison with the previous year due to the closing of 72% of the company’s stores during the lockdown, online sales on its website have grown by almost 26% (Rigby, 2021). That is why Superdry currently focuses on the improvement of its digital business.
The company has managed to create a unique customer value by applying an ecommerce strategy that prioritises the use of mobile application for online purchasing, the improvement of customer experience, and every-area localisation. Other ecommerce investment was “to include improving search and navigation on the website, while optimising retargeting based on the items in abandoned baskets off the website” (Rigby, 2021, par. 5). In general, the company’s approaches that provide competitive advantage in the present day are the following:
- A mobile-first approach, click and collect, and floor-to-door delivery (Here’s how Superdry is adopting a mobile first ecommerce strategy, no date);
- The analysis and improvement of global customer experience from feedback;
- The opening of department in long-distance locations to fasten delivery;
- The use of social media platform for promotion and the communication with consumers;
- The integration of digital and physical marketing.
In general, Superdry is constantly monitoring the changes of customer behaviour patterns and external environment to be ready to meet people’s demands. Another challenge that could have a potential impact on Superdry as a UK-based company is Brexit that has already led to delays, increased tariffs and costs, and changed product standards (Rigby, 2021). However, the organisation’s diversified network of distribution centres helps mitigate a considerable number of these issues.
Reference List
About Superdry (no date) Web.
At a glance (no date) Web.
Culture & values (no date) Web.
Diversity & inclusion (no date) Web.
Here’s how Superdry is adopting a mobile first ecommerce strategy (no date) Web.
Our vision and mission (no date) Web.
Purvis, B., Mao, Y. and Robinson, D. (2019) ‘Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins’, Sustainability Science, 14, pp. 681–695. Web.
Rigby, C. (2021) Superdry prioritises online and sustainability in its search for growth. Web.
Sourcing, purchasing & sustainability jobs (no date) Web.
Sustainability (no date) Web.
Week 9 Internal analysis: identifying resources and capabilities (2020) B302 Strategic management.
Week 10 Internal analysis: assessing resources and capabilities (2020) B302 Strategic management.