Essay

The summary

Indian Consumer Article Summary and Discussion Questions

 

The Indian Consumer: Apparel Clothing Involvement

     In the article, “How Cosmopolitan are Indian Consumers?: A Study on Fashion Clothing Involvement,” published in 2013 author Arpita Khare explores the possible opportunities that await clothing manufacturers and retailers targeting the Indian consumer. Khare has chosen to focus this study on a country rich with culture and tradition. As one of the notable BRICS nations, India boosts a large population, a thriving economy and spends a substantial amount of money on luxury fashion apparel. And yet, there is still much to be discovered about the Indian consumer’s involvement in fashion. This study attempts to shed a light on this particular consumer in part by addressing the effect that cosmopolitanism has on their choices for apparel.

     At first read this article presents the Indian consumer much like any other fashion consumer from many given countries, even western countries. For example, Khare notes in regard to the Indian consumer “…new money is purchasing luxury clothing as a symbol of wealth and status.” So what makes the Indian consumer so different from other consumers in other countries? One difference is the dichotomy of this consumer’s fashion choices. According to this study Indian consumers carefully balance their taste for luxury fashion with the need to be accepted within their social environment. Although this may be said for other countries and cultures, India is unique in this regard.

     The Indian consumer is cosmopolitan. This consumer is open to the influence of other cultures as it desires to be regarded as a sophisticated country by the global community. However, this study shows the importance Indians place on tradition and culture, and this is what makes the Indian consumer so interesting. A good example of this is the popular Bollywood emergence influenced by the famous Hollywood in Los Angeles. This is an illustration of how cultural influence works in India. India accepts the influence but merges it with Indian’s own unique culture. Much like Hollywood’s influence on India’s entertainment industry, the study shows that the Indian consumer has a distinct openness toward global fashion brands, but wants to make them their own.

     However, age may be a factor. Not surprisingly, Khare’s literature review shows that younger Indian consumers are more cosmopolitan than older Indian consumers. Unfortunately the ages of the participants in this study are relatively young, 18-40, so the findings in the study cannot confirm the findings in the review. It is interesting to note that many refused to participate in the study so, one has to wonder if it was the older population that declined. Does this say something about the Indian culture?

     In conclusion, understanding the Indian culture is the key to success for apparel companies longing to tap into this potentially lucrative market. Presenting this consumer with luxury fashion clothing styles while honoring the Indian collectivism tradition will most likely bring the most success. Of course, this is easier said than done, but considering the global sensation of Bollywood; if that unique balance is found, the fashion consumption of the Indian consumer may surprise everyone.

Considering the success of international food chains in India, what are the factors or strategies required to make international apparel brands a success? Please use specific reasons and elaborate them accordingly.

Factors that makes international apparel brands success includes;

Organized markets within the sector of India – These markets are segmented to different industry thus making global apparel brands to dominate various regions (Derne, 2008). Therefore, Segmentation in organized markets had to win more consumers thus increase in their success.

Changing consumption pattern of the buyers in India – The priority market in India is the food service. It has the high growth opportunity, and the new players in the industry are from the international apparel brands thus can make them success as they keep on changing the pattern to satisfy the consumers.

Global brands need to be consistent – Dedication of operations should emphasize on various factors such as supporting the franchise partners, training systems and persons, marketing launch, restaurant audits and start-up teams from other countries. It is in this case that it will be able to create strong appeal to consumers in India for the success of their apparel brands.

Apparel International brands should always be available and affordable – Most Indian’s consumer prefers’ brands that can be available always to avoid any inconveniences that can lead to distrust of the brand. Therefore, apparel brands for the international producer should consider making them available for the success of their business in the market.

Can anyone else provide examples of how global fashion is currently influencing India and how India fashion is influencing global fashion trends?

Global fashion has numerous and diverse global values in terms of fashion designers from different countries thus affecting India’s cultural values (Bliss, 2010). Designers modify clothes according to their cultural influences, local craftsmanship, and cutting edge designs of their particular countries (Sheth, 2011). Indian cultural norms are affected through imparting of new fashion design from global trends. Indian fashion designers are striking on the international fashion arena with incomparable, embroideries, unique age-old treasures of weaves, vibrant colors, and various fabrics by combining innovation, creativity, unique styles, and comfort. Therefore, it influences globally and finally it has become a prominent fashion enough not to be dismissed by even the most fashionably cynical designers globally.

The summary 2

 

       In Jin & Bennur’s (2014) empirical survey-based study, the authors applied Kano’s theory of attractive quality to four countries based on their level of development. India, China, Korea, and the United States were chosen – listed in order from least to most developed – in order to test three hypotheses related to Kano’s theory. In its essence, Kano’s theory describes product attributes in relation to the amount of satisfaction they engender over time, meaning that there are descriptive and temporal elements to the theory. The five categories in order are indifference, attractive, performance, must-be, and at times reverse. Each lifecycle can also be considered flavor of the month, whereupon the cycle is quickened to the point of indifference or stable, meaning it lives in the must-be category. The importance of each attribute can differ by country for a wide array of products, and according to the authors this theory as applied to apparel is lacking in the literature despite its potential value to international marketers and product development teams. The authors set out to investigate three hypotheses, quoted below:

 

1.      The classification of apparel attributes into Kano’s categories will differ by country.

 

2.      Regardless of country, attributes classified in the performance and attractive categories will contribute to satisfaction more than attributes classified in the must-be category.

 

3.      Each attribute will have a different lifecycle. 

 

            The authors devised a study around jeans, given that they are a very common item of clothing. Eight aspects of jeans such as workmanship, quality, fitting, price, design, brand, fashionability, and versatility were examined with three questions related to each component. The questions gauged the functional and dysfunctional aspects of the jeans. When the data were analyzed, all three hypotheses were accepted, and the results gave fascinating insights into how levels of a country’s development play a role in what factors are important to consumers when purchasing and using apparel items. 

 

            The authors mentioned several practical implications of the findings of this study, including the importance of global retailers determining the must-be attributes for products in each market, as consumers will not purchase products when a must-be attribute is not present regardless of market. They also mentioned that as performance and attractive categories contribute more to customer satisfaction more than must-be categories – regardless of country – it is very important for retailers to identify these attributes when looking to enter a new market.

 

            Here are some discussion questions that will help us to think critically about the article’s findings and implications. It might be easiest for you to note the number of the question you are answering to ensure the smoothest first Moodle Discussion possible…

2.      Why do you think that performance and attractive categories contribute most to satisfaction? Furthermore, why do you think that this is the same for all four countries?

According to Kano’s model of product development and the satisfaction of the customer, the customer has their preferences when it comes to the selection of a product. Markedly, the observations in the article propose that as a country advances economically, the customers tend to focus more on the versatility and the performance of the product. Performance is an element that determines how the product will fulfill its intended purpose. It is observed that customers prefer a product that has a higher performance capability. This is observed to be a common preference in most of the countries. Moreover, the presence of attractive attributed is instrumental in influencing the customers in must be an attribute and an attractive attribute. Performance and attributive categories do a major consideration for customers in the four countries because they are the elements that significantly contribute to the satisfaction of the customer. The implications of this finding are that some common attributes are constant in every country despite its level of development. Marketers should be able to include them in their products when embarking on new global markets (Löfgren & Witell, 2005).

The United States, China, India, and Korea differ in the economic capabilities and level of development. As such it is important for global retailers to have a synopsis of the must be attributes of every distinct world market so as to be able to satisfy the customers fully. The level of a country’s development influences the preferences the customers have on the products in the marker. The case of jeans is an example of how countries that are well developed will consider attributes such as the Brand type, the fashionability, and quality. Moreover, the design will similarly be put into consideration. It is commonly seen in countries such as the United States. However, other less developed countries will have different preferences such as the cost that will be able to meet their economic standards. If I were starting a denim company, I would utilize the findings of this study to do an analysis of the customers in the country that the company would

be established. The market will be analyzed to evaluate the attribute the customers consider when viewing their satisfaction of a product. It will also enable me to have knowledge of the combination of the attributes that I should put an emphasis when designing the product.

Article Discussion-

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of incremental internationalization? (From the article: Internationalization Process of Fast Fashion Retailers: Evidence of H&M and Zara)

Incremental internationalization refers to the behavior of firms to start operations in domestic markets and later expand into new markets. One of the advantages of this model is that it helps the firm to establish itself in a local market before venturing into new foreign markets. Since the new markets may have different cultures, languages, business practices, and industrial developments, having a stable foundation in the domestic market helps the firms to overcome the challenges. Another advantage of incremental internationalization is that firms are facilitated to gather sufficient resources that enable them to come up with effective strategies to enter the new markets. This would not have been possible if the firms had decided to engage in internationalization immediately after they were founded.

It may be argued that although firms like IKEA, Gap, and Body Shop have implemented incremental internationalization successfully, the model has become outdated due to increased competition that has forced companies to seek ways of faster penetration into new markets. Since competing firms intend on outdoing each other, the one that gains the first market entry gets to benefit from enhanced market share. Another criticism of the model is that firms that have not had a domestic base of operation may surpass their competitors who have adopted the incremental internationalization model as the latter may take too long to internationalize. Late market entry is a disadvantage to the internationalizing firms as it may be challenging for them to infiltrate the market and gain market share.

2. Why are international brands first introduced as premium brands in developing countries? (From the article: Evolution Patterns of Apparel Brands in Asian Countries: Propositions From an Analysis of the Apparel Industry in Korea and India)

Most developing countries have inadequate quality and design capabilities, and international brands are positioned as premium brands so that they can be associated with high quality and well–designed products. This is due to the fact that local apparels are regarded as being inferior in quality and design. Therefore, premium brands fetch better prices, and the firm earns a competitive advantage over other firms producing domestic apparel. For instance, the Tommy Hilfiger brand is considered as a premium brand in India, and it is so costly that the price of one item is twice a worker’s monthly income. As such, a firm may position its brand as a foreign brand so as to gain competitive advantage.

3. Which is the best method of approaching a consumer for retail clothing? (From the article: International Brand Management and Strategy: Apparel Market in China)

Multiple methods of communication that are cumulated over time are the best options for approaching consumers. When making decisions regarding clothing items, consumers rely on pre–existing knowledge. The information held by consumers is aided by the firm’s efforts to create brand awareness over time. Various communication sources should be used to get to the consumers so as to enhance brand awareness. For instance, in China, consumers for apparel do not take time to search for the best clothing items that are available, as their basis for selecting a particular brand is due to the attributes that have been communicated to them via various communication channels. As such, for a firm to ensure that consumers are aware of its products, it should have a consistent message concerning its products via different channels of communication.