Explorative Study of Marketing Strategies Adopted By Fashion Retail Industry in the United Kingdom: A Case Study of Mark and Spencer

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This research explores the concept of marketing by analysing the marketing strategies of Marks and Spencer. The research provides a thorough analysis of industrial background of fashion industry and it also thoroughly analyses the marketing strategy of the company: Marks and Spencer. After the analysis of Marks and Spencer's case, the researchers conducted interviews from managers and customer of Westminster branch, which further enhanced the hypothesis testing for the research. Furthermore, through interview analysis, the research analyses the importance of marketing strategies in increasing market share of the company.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Company History1

Statement of the Problem3

Research aim4

Research Objectives and Research Questions5

Research Hypotheses6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Global Fashion Industry7

Fashion Industry Background - UK10

Competitive Advantage11

Sources of Competitive Advantage12

Market Share13

Market Segmentation14

Psychographic Segmentation15

Profile Segmentation15

Targeting Strategy15

Positioning Strategy15

Online Shopping16

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY17

Research Philosophy17

Research Methodology17

Research Approaches19

Research Strategy: Case Study19

Choosing a Case Study Type21

Rationale for a Qualitative Study21

Interviews22

Standardized, open-ended interview23

Closed, fixed-response interview23

Generalizability23

Data Collection and Processing Procedures24

Interviews24

Research Participants26

Research Validity and Reliability27

Role of the Researcher29

Researcher Bias30

Relationship among Research Items30

Appropriateness of Triangulation31

Data Resources31

Quality and Verification32

Ethical Considerations32

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND RESULTS35

Market Segmentation35

Consumer Market Segments36

DemographSegmentation36

Psychographical Segments39

Behaviorographics39

Results39

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS41

Objective 2 and 3: strategies that help Marks and Spencer in having competitive advantage and market share:41

Market Segmentation41

Online Shopping42

Objective 5: Contribution of Online marketing strategies in to the overall business strategy of Marks and Spencer in UK42

Design of Online Stores43

Online Product Presentation44

Use of Information Sources46

Objective 4: The Impact of Marketing Activities on Market Share47

Advertising50

Price52

Product Attributes54

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS57

Conclusion57

Recommendations58

REFERENCES61

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Marks and Spencer Group is one of the largest retailers and among the market leaders in apparel and clothing in United Kingdom. Marks and Spencer has acquired this position due to some major factors which include catering its segments according to their needs and lifestyle, due to the quality of the product they provide and due to the extensively diversified range they provide to their customers (Datamonitor Report, 2011). M&S operates 690 stores in the UK and another 320 owned and franchised stores in other international territories.

Although, Marks and Spencer has been into a number of industries, this research will be focusing on their apparel and clothing section. Finally, major brands include Collezione, Limited Collection, Girls Boutique, Autograph, and Per Una among others (Datamonitor Report, 2011). M&S has been distributing its products via various channels including retail stores, flagships stores, M&S outlets, M&S catalogues, etc. M&S has also been focusing on selling their products online. Thus, online shopping is one of the major parts of their competitive ...