It is often difficult to find the perfect pair of sneakers that goes along with different occasions and different outfits.
We all have experienced the problem where you have found the perfect clothes but you are unable to find the matching shoes. Therefore, clothing retailers are discovering the value of permitting the customer to create their own preference based product. The business trend of personalization/customization is becoming more important nowadays.
Considering Porter’s five forces, the bargaining power of buyers is high on the Internet. This is because the Internet is transparent, making it easier for customers to compare and choose among different products. Customization assists companies to differentiate their products from those of their competitors and therefore it could be distinguished as a source of competitive advantage. This is quite important in the fashion industry since the competition is strong.
Customization also gives companies the opportunity to reach the unpredictable millennial generation shoppers, a group known for their fast-moving preferences. This is often the younger generation. By providing customization options to them, the customers are prone to pay 20% more than they would do on the standard equivalent of the product.
‘ShiftWear’ might be beneficial for the millennial generation shoppers. The application allows customers the complete control of their sneakers since they can add their own design on the sneaker. The customer could browse on the Internet with their phone and download a pleasant design on the ‘ShiftWear’ app. Subsequently the application creates a connection with the ‘ShiftWear’ shoe and the design will then be displayed on the sneakers.
‘ShiftWear’ allows shoppers to have a variety of designs ranging from stunning visuals to animations. They could therefore express themselves through their unique fashion pieces. In my opinion this customization is also sustainable since the customer would only have to buy one pair of ‘ShiftWear’ sneakers instead of ten sneakers that will suit the different occasions. It is also quite special as technology is used for implementing customization, which provide value to the business.
What are your thoughts on ‘ShiftWear’? Do you consider this as an innovative technology?
References for this article:
http://www.shiftwear.com
Hi,
Thank you for your post about ShiftWear. I did not know this brand or company, so it is really interesting to read about it. What I really like about this, is the idea that you can ‘create’ your own sneaker by adding your own design on the sneaker as customization becomes more and more important in the supply chain (moduslink.com, 2016).
I also checked the website, but I am worried about a couple of things. First of all, there are only three styles you can choose from. So, it is really cool that you can add your own design, but if you do not like one of these shoe styles, it is not going to work I think. Secondly, I saw the prices of the shoes and I was shocked a little bit. Designing your own ‘ShiftWear shoe’ is really expensive. You stated that people are willing to pay 20% more for a customized product, but I think these prices will exceed this 20% for most people. Third, I think that most people are not familiar with this brand. Moreover, there are many other companies where you can customize your own shoes. For example, you can also customize your own Nike shoes, Vans shoes or Reebok shoes. Customers often rely on brands to express their own identity (Catalin and Andreea, 2014). In addition, the brands that one select to purchase are often influenced by reference groups (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Therefore, also considering the price of ‘ShiftWear’, I think people would rather customize their own branded shoes like Nike than customize a ‘ShiftWear’ sneaker.
Sources:
https://www.moduslink.com/importance-personalization-customization-todays-supply-chain/
Catalin, M.C. and Andreea, P. (2014) ‘Brands as a mean of consumer self-expression and desired personal lifestyle’, 109, pp. 103-107.
Bearden, W.O. & Etzel, M.J. (1982) ‘Reference group influence on product and brand purchase decisions’, Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), pp. 183-194.