ZOOTS - THE CLEANER

Case Strategic Analyses on Zoots - The Cleaner

Case Strategic Analyses on Zoots: The Cleaner

Introduction

This discussion will summarize the dry cleaning industry structure and shed light on the factors that drive a successful dry cleaning store. The discussion will then proceed to critique the business model for Zoots; giving special consideration to the mistakes made in order to develop recommendations that could have helped Zoots function better.

Discussion

The industry structure is mainly composed of organizations that function with a centralized business structure and seek to generate a competitive advantage by providing consumers with improved services at attractive prices (Hill & Jones, 2004). The presence of a network of branches is almost an undeniable essential in the dry cleaning business. In addition, it is also apparent that the race to develop dry cleaning methods is still alive. Dry cleaning companies tend to seek out faster and more fabric-friendly dry cleaning techniques since the changes that such developments bring about in the service quality are welcomed by consumers. It merits highlighting that pricing seems to play a big part in the dry cleaning industry.

Consumers take it for granted that most dry cleaning services do little more than wash their clothes; as a result leading consumers to compare prices as the final factor on which they base their judgments. In addition, consumers also give relevance to factors such as punctuality and the degree to which a service is known to lose customers' clothes. It is critically important to note that consumers would rather pay a slightly higher price than risk losing their clothes (Cruikshank, 2005). As a result, it has become common for members of the dry cleaning industry to implement tagging-and-tracking systems for consumers' clothes. Attempts to improve tagging-and-tracking systems include the usage of different techniques ranging from the basic paper ...