Organizational Objectives
At Nike, one of their objectives is to break barriers in terms of making sure that all folks, women especially, are represented in terms of their hiring process. Gender inequality in the workplace is a global issue that Nike is trying to combat. One of the ways that Nike is trying to combat gender inequality in the workplace is by "Enabling women to reach their full career potential while staying committed to fostering an environment that supports them in the workplace" (Nike, 2021, para. 1). Nike has been able to do this by using a diverse slate process in their hiring process. They use this as a means to fill positions using a diverse pool of candidates. Additionally, "Hiring managers are trained on guidelines, including how to post roles with inclusive language, create diverse interview panels and use appropriate escalation paths when representation targets were not met" (Nike, 2021, para. 1). Conducting research like this has allowed me to make sure that the athletic wear collection that I am creating for Nike is inclusive to all women of all backgrounds. This means that I am making sure that the collection is accessible to all women, even those that are outside of our target demographic. Not only am I conducting research that makes sure that the prices of our collection are accessible in terms of the price range, but I am also making sure that the size ranges are inclusive to all women as well. Today, the standard size of a woman is not a size 0, the standard size of a woman ranges from a size 10 to a size 14. Even outside of those sizes, we know that they are women who are above a size 20. It is important to create a collection that has sizes that range from a size 0 to a size 30 to make sure that all women can feel included. Although many of them may not have the intention to purchase any item from the collection, just knowing that their size is included lets them know that the collection is size-inclusive.
Industry Trends and Future Trends
Currently, one trend that I could see having an impact on the success of my new product is COVID-19. COVID-19 has had a major impact on the fashion and retail industry. Since the beginning of the lockdown, COVID-19 has caused an existential crisis for many fashion and retail companies. According to Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next, “No one wants to buy clothes to sit at home” (Orendorff, 2022). Many consumers found themselves not purchasing from their favorite clothing brands because they felt as if it was pointless to purchase brand new jeans or other clothing items. After all, the lockdown caused everyone to have to stay home. Though many companies may have not seen an increase in their sales for jeans, many of them did see an increase in sales for their athletic wear. Arron Orendorff (2022) explained that “The activewear sector experienced a spike in sales during the shutdown” (para. 10). He says that the need for activewear was caused by “The need for comfortable clothes to work and workout in from home” (para. 10). I was one of those people that purchased countless activewear items because I was forced to work out from home once my gym closed because of COVID-19. Though we have seen strides to combat COVID-19, I do believe that it will continue to affect the fashion and retail industry in the long term. Another industry trend that could potentially affect the success of my new product is the short-term impact on the people who make our clothing. For obvious reasons, clothing from Nike does not already come pre-made. Those clothing items come from people who work in their manufacturing warehouses. When COVID-19 made everything come to a full stop, warehouse workers became the most vulnerable people. According to Fashion Revolution (2022) say’s, “Millions of garment makers have already lost their jobs as a result of the virus and have no access to social or financial safety nets to help them weather this storm” (para, 1). When products needed to produce items like jeans or t-shirts were not readily available to ship to warehouses, this left many warehouse workers with much to do, which in turn caused many of them to be let go since productivity was at an all-time low. Anyone who has worked for low wages and lost their job knows that things like car payments, daycare, utilities, and other things start to fall behind when you do not have a consistent paycheck coming in. Knowing that, the morale of many warehouse workers was at an all-time low if many of them knew that there was a possibility that they could be let go due to COVID-19 and its effect on the production of products. Whether it be 12-months or 1 to 3 years, COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the fashion and retail industry that will continue to be felt even years later.
Marketing Strategy Alignment to Standards
To promote my new athletic wear collection with Nike, I would use their Instagram platform as one of the ways to garner support for the athletic wear collection. When it comes to the use of social media, Nike does a great job of creating content that draws their consumers in to want to know more about their products and to purchase them as well. Kenneth Guyer (2021) explains, “Whether the company is sharing meaningful videos on Facebook, or encouraging audience interaction on Instagram, Nike knows how to connect with its audience” (para. 1). For example, Nike does a great job of using photos to showcase its products on Instagram. Instagram is one of the best platforms for companies like Nike to post content that is eye-catching and engaging to its consumers when they are trying to bring awareness to its brand and its products. On Instagram, Nike currently has 209 million followers and averages more than 2 million viewers on its posts. Using Nike’s Instagram platform to reach its consumers to bring awareness to a new clothing launch would be a great idea.
Legal and Ethical Implications
One legal or ethical influence in my proposed test market that might affect promotion, placement, and pricing strategies is the actual price range of the collection. Nike is famous for collaborating with well-known people like Lebron James and Virgil Abloh, to name a few. Collaborating with the likes of those people and producing product typically means that the price for their product may be on the higher side. Because of this, consumers may be wondering if a new collection being introduced in collaboration with Nike with a person who may be unknown will be priced in the same category or more. This may cause consumers to question if they should be purchasing products that do not fit Nike’s typical price range. To combat this, I would use quantitative research to help determine the price range of the collection. As previously discussed, quantitative research is research that is characterized by numbers. Using quantitative research, I would be able to collect data that showcases the range of prices for Nike’s products. Then, with that information, I can conclude how my collection should be priced. Realistically, I would like to price the items within the collection at a reasonable price because my target market is women that are employed with responsibilities that include paying for children, transportation, and groceries. With the help of quantitative and quantitative research and primary research from this test market, I would use this information to make more of an effort to market to them by having events that showcase the new product. By putting together a showcase before the actual launch, I am giving consumers the chance to come to look, touch, and know more about the product before they decide to purchase from the collection.
Limitations
Thankfully, I have not had that many issues when conducting research for my product proposal. One of the reasons why I do not think I have had issues is because Nike is a big corporation that has been around for years. Because they have been around for years, there is a large amount of quality data that can be used for my own research proposal. Although there is a lot of it, I have to take my time sifting through it to find data that is relatable to my research proposal. Additionally, I feel as though I have not had much trouble because Nike can be categorized as a fashion or retail company. When it comes to finding information about creating a product, you can bet that there are hundreds of resources out there in terms of how to create an athletic wear collection. From knowing where to get the fabric to understanding how to size your clothing collection, the internet will provide you with just the right information for putting together a clothing collection.
References:
Fashion Revolution. (2020, March 27). The impact of COVID-19 on the people who make our clothes. Fashion Revolution. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-people-who-make-our-clothes/
Guyer, K. (2021, July 2). The Secret Behind Nike’s Great Social Media Content. Socialmedia.biz. https://www.socialmedia.biz/the-secret-behind-nikes-great-social-media-content/
NIKE Corporation. (2021). FY21 NIKE, Inc. Impact Report. https://purpose-cms-preprod01.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/17210319/FY21_NIKE-Impact-Report.pdf
Orendorff, A. (2022, March 12). 10 Trends Styling 2022’s Ecommerce Fashion Industry: Growth + Data in Online Apparel & Accessories Market. Common Thread Collective. https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/fashion-ecommerce-industry-trends#fashion-ecommerce-trend-cornonavirus
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