A CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF SELFRIDGES'

A critical analysis and comparison of Selfridges' newly launched E-commerce site with the purpose of providing recommendations to aid in the company's aim to be both 'the leaders on the high street and online

A critical analysis and comparison of Selfridges' newly launched E-commerce site with the purpose of providing recommendations

Executive Summary

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a Given this lack of research, few a prior assumptions could be developed about the nature of these relationships. Of course, one logically anticipates that being aware of a brand is a prerequisite to dreaming and purchasing. Awareness, therefore, should be considered an early step in the development of a relationship between a consumer and a luxury brand. The relationship between dream and purchase, however, is more equivocal. Following the generalization principle (McSweeney and Bierley, 1994, 625), one could argue that buying a luxury -branded item, for example, a fashion accessory, activates the dream and desire to repurchase thereby leading to the acquisition of a collection of products bearing the same prestigious name. But, in line with those who believe in the dampening effect of purchase on attitude (for a review of the attitude-behavior controversy, one could just as well assert that by making the dream come true, the purchase act itself takes away some of the inaccessible and therefore luxury nature of the brand. Which one of these two conflicting hypotheses is best supported by empirical evidence?

Aims and Objectives

This research will highlight the fashion industry's disposable and most fashion products do not endure much beyond a few seasons, consumers frequently start each season with a 'blank canvas'. In fact most consumers do not know what product they are going to end up buying. When shopping for fashion products, consumers will generally have an idea of the type of product they want (e.g. coat, pair of jeans, top) and a selection of brands, but will rarely have an accurate idea of the exact version they will select. This is because the wide choice available to them and the impact of point of sale (POS) marketing has a significant influence on decisions at the point of sale. This uncertainty in the selection process is different for many non-fashion products, such as food and household items, where consumers' decisions are far more reliable and predictable. The uncertainty and the last-minute or impulse decision-making that are inherent to fashion shopping make it difficult for brands to plan with any degree of certainty how consumers will behave and respond to new seasons' ranges.

Table of Contents

Introduction5

Chapter 212

Literature12

Chapter 315

Methodology15

Chapter 429

Findings29

Introduction29

SWOT, Customer profile, Online market (e-commerce) analysis34

Chapter 537

Conclusion37

Recommendation39

Bibliography40

Chapter 1

Introduction

The number of people using the Internet is growing exponentially world over. There were 20 million users four years ago, and the figure today is estimated at 150 million. The Internet has become an enormously popular marketing paradigm that facilitates anything consumers want to shop for or buy on the Web, cutting out the middlemen of distributors, retailers, ...