One of the top retails brands today globally is Unique Clothing Warehouse, or as we all know as UNIQLO.
Uniqlo was founded by Mr. Yanai who truly admired the American brand, Gap, where he modelled Uniqlo's early marketing and product lines. This strategy worked in Japan but Mr. Yanai later on realized that in order to be globally successful, he must turn his brand from uncool to unique.
How did Mr. Yanai do so? He sought the help of designers not to create trendy fashionable products but to create everyday basic clothing. Uniqlo offers pieces that fit seamlessly into every customer's wardrobe around the globe. These staples are plain shirts, jeans, sweaters, jackets and more. Uniqlo also adjusted its sizing charts per region (Asian vs American vs European fit) ensuring that each Uniqlo piece stands out.
It is important for Marketers to understand the 3 strategic C's which Uniqlo perfectly exemplifies:
Customer - what are the customer's needs and wants, not only what the company wants to sell. We, consumers, all need that perfect white shirt for our everyday or any day attire. Best brand to get one? Uniqlo.
Company - every company's goal is to make profit. In order to do so, the company must capture the value it entails to its customers. Uniqlo does this by keeping its costs low through huge production levels from economies of scale.
Competition - because of the low costs, Uniqlo is able to offer affordable yet quality products unlike other retail giants.
The Unique Selling Proposition of the Uniqlo brand is its superior quality and comfort yet affordable prices. You can buy a plain Uniqlo white T-shirt for Php 590 versus one in Zara priced at Php 799 versus one from the Greenhills Tiangge at Php 150. The difference:
Greenhills Tiangge Php 150 White T-Shirt:
will only last you a few wears due to inferior quality. You get what you pay for, a disposable white T-shirt.
Zara Php 799 White T-Shirt:
No design but when people ask where you shirt is from, you can proudly say "its from Zara." You're buying the brand.
However, after a few washes in the dryer, don't expect it to be the same as you first saw it in the store (deformed).
Uniqlo Php 590 White T-Shirt:
Comfort and quality
Machine-washable without risks of deformity and deterioration in quality.
With the example above, paying for an Uniqlo product, even if it may not be the cheapest option, it is still reasonable given the comfort, both physical and mental, and it's durable quality.
Another is Uniqlo's latest product, which is highly in demand given the pandemic we are facing, is the AIRism Face Masks. With this we can see how Uniqlo continues to innovate and cater to the needs of its consumers. It did not stop with just selling apparel but shifted into producing a facemask that will stick to its Unique Selling Proposition of comfort, affordable and keep its consumers protected (quality).
These masks are available in 3 sizes, youth, women and men. The material uses on the inside is Uniqlo's trademarked fabric, AIRism, which has cooling and quick-drying mechanism to make the masks breathable yet keeping the consumers protected. It is also reusable up to 20 washes and has a built-in UV protection. Masks are sold at a price of around Php 490.
The product offerings and innovation still remains to be the biggest competitive advantage of Uniqlo and through sustaining this, it continues to grow globally as a top retailer.
Stay Tuned & Stay Hungry!
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