Research Paper on Success Factors of Zara – Sample Research Paper

Introduction

This research paper examines the factors that have led to the success of Zara as a brand. In this research paper, we will focus on the strategies of Zara that have made it a successful and customer-centric approach brand. Also, we will focus on the elements of the supply chain of Zara.

About Zara

Zara is one of the leading fashion brands in the world. Along with leading, it is a successful retail brand because of several factors. A brand like Zara has always aspired to be a company that has encouraged consumers to have a passion for clothing and fashion. Zara focuses on various cultures and ages due to which the brand is loved by one and all (Grewal et al. 2010). A key strength of Zara is the powerful role it has played in the fashion industry due to which consider as a powerhouse of the industry. The company has always prioritised its customers due to which people are also loyal to it. It made the culture of the company clear since the inception of the brand and led to the success of the retailer. The products of Zara range from clothing, accessories to footwear for men to women and also kids.

Factors for Success of Zara

The success of Zara is because of its efficient philosophies. Zara produces baked clothes which imply that the brand manufactures fashion products that are the latest. The three key areas focused on by Zara are as follows.

• Fewer lead times: The first strategy is the short lead times due to which the brand ensures its clothes are back in stock always. Zara’s success mantra is to provide customers with what they need at a specific time instead of forecasting months before what the company would manufacture.
• Scarce Supply: The brand focuses on minimizing the number of manufactured fashion products. It reduces its exposure to one product and develops a situation of scarcity. This creates a curiosity among the shoppers for the new fashion, and they look forward to Zara for their breathtaking products. When the availability of the product is less, its desire increases. This also helps the brand to reduce the risks when a particular product does not get the expected turnout from the consumers (Hansen, 2012). The discounts on Zara products are rare due to which the company can generate high revenues and also develop curiosity among its consumers.
• Diversity in styles: The best thing about Zara is its innovation. Zara produces diversity fashion products so that the consumers have a high number of options to choose from.

These are some strategies adopted by Zara to be a successful fashion brand in the world. Research about Zara has shown that the design developed by Zara stays in the stores for just three to four weeks. Because of this, the customers keep visiting Zara’s stores as they have a fair idea that their desired clothing might get stock out if they do not visit the stores soon. The customers are loyal to the brand and it has a huge clientele.

Priority of Zara

Since the inception of Zara, the priority of the brand is its customers. The working approach of Zara is centred on its customers. It is due to this that the company has achieved meteoric heights. The management of Zara is aware of the fact that customer insights are crucial for the business to keep running and also being successful. It is crucial for companies to understand their customers so that they can develop better products. This is effectively adopted by Zara. The brand’s focus is always on getting insights from its customers so that they know what their people need and how can the company make it accessible to them (Özlen& Handukic, 2014). In almost every store of Zara, it uses RFID technology. It is Radio Frequency Identification Technology, which helps in tracking the location of clothing and helps the customers get what they want. It helps in minimizing the cost of inventory, offering high flexibility and also increasing the sales of the firm. The employees of Zara may take decisions and provide customers with whatever they want. The salespeople are empowered such that they listen to the customers and instantly communicate it to the research time. The coordination between different teams enables the brand to develop what they want.

Supply Chain of Zara

The supply chain of Zara comprises effective coordination of distinct elements. It explains these as under.

• Customer insights: Zara has a department that is dedicated to the collection of customer insights. It communicates the data collected in Zara stores across the world to this department such that the designers get new ideas for new products.
• Standardization: Another element of Zara’s supply chain is that the management has standardised the product information due to which manufacturing instructions are quick and easy.
• Inventory management: The department manages the inventory of the company, including fabric and other raw material.
• Procurement: In procurement, the management ensures to make all the raw material available to the designers for developing the best products.
• Manufacturing: the designers at Zara use their innovation, creativity and customer insights to manufacture fashion products for their customers and keep them curious.
• Distribution: Zara has ensured that all its products developed are accessible to its customers. The brand has efficient distribution management.

All these elements of the supply chain coordinate well to get the best products and increase the efficiency of the company.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that Zara’s success is attributed to its culture and its work approach. As the priority of Zara is its customers, so it has enabled the brand to be the best. Zara has given tough competition to all other fashion lines in the world. Every other fashion retailer wishes to meet the benchmark set by Zara, but it keeps on innovating and improving its operations.