1,943
5
Essay, 7 pages (1700 words)

Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay

1. 0 Introduction

Through the whole human being’s history there are three essential needs, clothing is one of them. Therefore, every day we are the witnesses of innovation in clothing industry. Because of that clothing has became as one of the most attractive and profitable industries as well as high rivalry around the world. One of the most important factors to become leader in market is to concerned with the design and the operation of systems for manufacture, transport, supply or services (Essentials of Operations Management, Wild, Ray, Cengage Learning, 2002, 5th edition, London). Marks & Spenser is one of the famous UK wearing, home ware and food retailer as well. In view point of clothing Marks & Spenser owns three sub-brands include Prefect and Classic Collection, Per Una, and The Autograph with different approaches and operational processes to be responsible to the different customers’ needs. In fact, the purpose of this report is to elaborate each and the market segmentation of each these brands, then apply the order-winners and qualifiers concept, eventually analyzing each one based on five performance objectives and polar diagram.

The first part concerns the nature of these three sub-brands and explains each one philosophy in the industry. Then, it elaborates the customers range and their needs.

Prefect and Classic product range was released in autumn 2001. The principle of this brand is answer to the customers’ need in classic stylish and mature customers. The customers in this category are usually want comfort and high quality, beside style and fitness. Some of the factors such as old fashion or latest design are not in attention point for this product range. Accordingly, this range of products named as timeless under reasonable price. In addition, this type of customers demand natural body shaped designs. On the other hand, this group of customers’ age is representing busy life-style, thus this group of customers wear the clothes every day so they expect good quality after several times washing and ironing

2. 2 Per Una

Per Una was announced as the result of George Davies and Marks & Spencer group joint venture in 2001. In 2008, Per Una named as the most successful of all Marks & Spencer brands (Craik 2008) as well as 25 per cent of whole Marks & Spencer’s sale (2007). The concept of Per Una is to change the high-fashioned designs to Marks & Spencer customers who are the fans of catwalk-inspired pieces such as the Charlie Girl jean. The idea of Per Una shows that the new way of Marks & Spencer approach to steps into fashion savvy customers with even new flashy and lightening environment and specially trained staffs. In terms of age, Per Una responses for women clothing for age 25 to 35 needs which take great notice of what is on the fashion shows. Moreover, offering in small numbers is Per Una strategy to become exclusive; therefore, the customers show more attractiveness to the product. One of the differentiations of Per Una is known as Per Una Due collections, which presents teenagers high-designed collections. Accordingly, the customers’ need type are up to date design beside financially manageable cloth.

2. 3 The Autograph

The Autograph benefits from customers who care about cutting-edge design. Autograph customers are in higher social level and youth group, which looking for special designer and would to pay at high street price and the company desires to create . In addition, this type of customers searching for fashion to really provide their shape to usually buy high-end design fashions just to wear in particular events not for daily use so they are keen about final shape rather than quality. In addition, they look for their preferred designers label on the clothes. Moreover, the Autograph collection’s customers are not only youth but Autograph insists on Kids collection designed by ranked designers as well.

3. 0 Autograph, Per Una, Prefect and Classic collection Order Winners and qualifiers

According to Mahadevan, (Operations management: Theory and Practice, 2nd edition, Mahadevan, B, 2010, Pearson Education India) the attitudes that customers expect in the product or service they consider for buying are order qualifying factors. Whereas, order winners are the products that have some features, which make customers view one product as superior to others (Operations Strategy, Waters, Donald, Thomson learning, 2006, London). To have better understanding, it is better to evaluate the Marks and Spencer sub-brands based on the appendix 1.

According to appendix 1, the factors that customers expected from Perfect and Classic collection are standard range of product with long-lasting plus timeless as an essential in designs as qualified factors. On the contrary, Autograph qualified factor for customer is high price, which is the result of designer collection in product range and premier customer service because they expect to pay high for high level reaction. Qualifying factor for Per Una is quality that mentions high in product quality and up to date product range which each customer expects when walk into the store.

As executive director of mark & Spencer’s Bostock says (2008):” Ninety-eight per cent of what we do is exclusively designed”

Nevertheless, the winning factors are cause to increase the competiveness which persuades customers to choose them rather than the other products. Assuredly, winning factors for Perfect and Classic collection are attracting more mature and classic fans, also high quality materials, that has been offered under reasonable price to be a compete factors in market. In the same way, the Autograph benefits from unique design and environment beside high customization and best designers to augment the competiveness. In the light of the situation, Per Una winning factors are superb design, impression and quality beside affordable prices which put Per Una as success sub-brand to Marks & Spencer.

3. 0 Analyzing Performance Objectives and Polar Diagram

3. 1 Performance Objectives

Third part of this report analysis each brand according to the five operational objectives and applies them to the polar diagram. Pycraft (Operations Management, Pycraft, Mike, Pearson South Africa, 2000) explains the performance measurement as the process of qualifying action, where measurement means the process of qualification, and the performance of the operation is assumed to derive from action taken by management. In fact, the performance can be defined in different terms based on the different industries, but fulfilling and satisfying the customers is the shared factor in all areas, which gives the organization competitiveness power.

There are five performance objectives in case of operations:

Quality

Speed

Dependability

Flexibility

Cost

3. 1. 1 Quality

There is no specific definition for quality, so Barnes (Operations Management: an International perspective, Barnes, David, Thomson Learning, 2008,) defines, the ability to produce in accordance with specifications and without error. According to Perfect and Classic Collection vision is to offering product rages using high-quality fabrics, whereas, the Autograph has focused on quality in the market. On the other hand, Per Una offers high-quality ranges as competitive advantage factor.

3. 1. 2 Speed

In continue, the second factor, speed, is represented as the time delay between a customer request for a product or service and then receiving that product or services (Operation Management, Andrew, Greasley, 2006, John Willey & Sons, West Sussex). However, Perfect and Classic Collection emphasizes on the always in the store products based on the sales volume. Truthfully, Per Una follows to be update and highest react to speed in market and the strategy is cut the process from month to weeks. In order to the Autograph philosophy, everything is based on the best designers; therefore, the speed reaction of Autograph must high to fulfill the market and design important customers.

3. 1. 3 Flexibility

To be flexible in the market is an urgent score, in other words, it is the ability to change the operation in some way to adjust it to change or take into account a new situation (Delivering excellent service quality in aviation: a practical guide for internal and external service providers, Kossmann, Mario, Ashgate Publishing, 2006, Burlington). In view point of flexibility in production; Per Una and Autograph have very flexible brands, because of the frequent new products which have to be updated in the market as a competitiveness power. Furthermore, Per Una has been supplied by outsourcing to keep the flexibility in production as customization but flexibility in price as well.

3. 1. 4 Dependability

Dependability is the penult in performance objectives model, which emphasizes on reliable and timely delivery of orders to customers (Operations Management, Kumar, Anil, Suresh, N, 2009, New age International). As it was mentioned in speed, Per Una brings the products to customers in weeks rather than months, but both Autograph and Per Una products offer in selected store only which decrease the availability to customers. The Perfect and Classic collection strategies are different where they are flexible in volume and delivery adjustment that makes longer availability time for products in outlets.

3. 1. 5 Cost

At last doing products cheaply (Quality and operations Management: Volume7 of Management Extra, Elrean, Elsevier, 2005, Oxford) as a cost objective. Per Una suppliers are mainly from Hong Kong which brings it lower cost benefit compare to European suppliers. Perfect and Classic Collection benefits from reducing the cost in another way where they are focusing on the high volume of products to decrees the operations cost. However, the low-cost perspective is not as important to Marks and Spencer as a factor to apply to Autograph.

3. 2 Polar Diagram

Polar diagram is important to representing the relative importance of performance objectives for a product or service (Operations Management, Slack, Nigel, Chambers, Stuart, Johnston, Robert, Pearson Education limited, Essex, fifth edn, 2007). Polar graph is useful to reach three objectives which are vindicate, transmit, and legalize changes and modifications in strategy. In below the five objects has been explained.

Speed: Per Una offers latest trends so it’s very important to be in outlets on time, as the second level the Autograph because the main focus in on design, so speed is high to deliver for new designs. Speed factor is the least important compare to the other sub-brands to Perfect and Classic Collection, because it follows the usual market index.

Dependability: Same as speed, dependability and delivery of item is vital for Per Una and then Autograph but the Perfect and Classic Collection does not need fast delivery because it offers timeless product ranges.

Flexibility: Responding to the market changes is very important for Per Una and follows by Autograph but the Perfect and Classic Collection does not put the ability to change as vision.

Cost: Producing under affordable cost is another main important factor to Per Una but this is more important to Perfect and Classic Collection product ranges but the Autograph has less consideration on low cost production.

Thank's for Your Vote!
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 1
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 2
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 3
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 4
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 5
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 6
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 7
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 8
Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Page 9

This work, titled "Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay" was written and willingly shared by a fellow student. This sample can be utilized as a research and reference resource to aid in the writing of your own work. Any use of the work that does not include an appropriate citation is banned.

If you are the owner of this work and don’t want it to be published on AssignBuster, request its removal.

Request Removal
Cite this Essay

References

AssignBuster. (2022) 'Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay'. 5 January.

Reference

AssignBuster. (2022, January 5). Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay. Retrieved from https://assignbuster.com/marks-spencer-sub-brands-and-customers-range-marketing-essay/

References

AssignBuster. 2022. "Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay." January 5, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/marks-spencer-sub-brands-and-customers-range-marketing-essay/.

1. AssignBuster. "Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay." January 5, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/marks-spencer-sub-brands-and-customers-range-marketing-essay/.


Bibliography


AssignBuster. "Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay." January 5, 2022. https://assignbuster.com/marks-spencer-sub-brands-and-customers-range-marketing-essay/.

Work Cited

"Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay." AssignBuster, 5 Jan. 2022, assignbuster.com/marks-spencer-sub-brands-and-customers-range-marketing-essay/.

Get in Touch

Please, let us know if you have any ideas on improving Marks spencer sub brands and customers range marketing essay, or our service. We will be happy to hear what you think: [email protected]