PRODUCT ASSORTMENT MIX

Superdry assort their products in wide ranges to satisfy the needs of their target audience and also to retain their brand identity and aesthetics well.

From their basic assortment width which includes styles under top-wear, accessories, footwear, bottom-wear, they have also made separate sections in their online website which includes:

Sports-wear section

Products on seasonal discount sale for men and women.

Camo cool section which has various products that are inspired from camouflage. '365 days of summer' which has the summer basics. 'Go Metallic' section which has various products inspired from metallic theme.

Thereby, making the shopping experience easy for the customers and to stay relevant with the trends.

For men, they have assorted their products into: Tshirts and polos, shirts, hoodies & sweatshirts, jackets, bottomwear, bags, footwear, accessories, innerwear & sleepwear.

From these, they've also assorted the new season products and products that are trending to create better engagement with the customers and to increase sales.

( m e n )

For women, they have assorted their products into: top-wear, hoodies & sweatshirts, jackets, dresses, bottom-wear, bags, footwear, accessories, innerwear and sleepwear

From these, they ' ve also assorted the new season products and products that are trending to create better engagement with the customers and to increase the chances of sales of buying more products.

( w o m e n )

COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO DEPARTMENTS

As seen in the diagram above, the product merchanside is dominated by menswear department. Their bestsellers are their Polo T-shirts and the regular T-shirts and jackets. Hence, through the study of the product assortment, it can be said that the topwear department in menswear shows us that Superdry does a clear analysis of what styles sell more amongst their departments and thereby increasing the quantities accordingly inorder to increase their sales. As per the product assortment analysis, their women ’ s wear does have a lot more subcategories but the quantity still does not exceed menswear ’ s quantities. PAGE 22

COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO DEPARTMENTS

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTH

Strong brand image Wide range of products The quality of the products is unmatchable Financially strong

THREATS

Slower adaptation to market trends compared to other brands. Growth of smaller and cheaper brands in the market The trademark collection overused by superdry

WEAKNESS

Lacks in terms of innovating new designs. Does not focus on consumer target completely Prices are high Low investments into customer services

OPPORTUNITIES

The women ’ s wear section has the potential to grow Can introduce kids section to make this a family-centric brand. Can invest in Research and development to come up with new technology to inculcate in clothing

STORE ANALYSIS

Superdry has proven its versatility in providing the customers a wide range of assortment mix. According to the analysis, 'Right Place & Merchandise ' , there will be major differences in product mix offered in the offline stores when compared to the online store. It varies based on various factors like the geographical location, customer ' s buying behaviour and their ability to spend for their high-end premium products.

Hence, as a part of this assortment study, 2 main locations had been chosen within India i.e, Chennai and Mumbai for store visit to get a general understanding of their offline product merchandise.

Each team member chose one location to visit the store individually on a same day and time on 19.11.2021. The supporting images of their merchandise were taken on that day. All the information regarding the sales, merchandise and products were given by the store ' s sales consultants and the conversations had been written and recorded for the study purpose.

SUPERDRY STORE,INFINITI MALL MUMBAI

STORE ANALYSIS- MUMBAI

85% of the total merchandise was observed to be menswear. Currently, the brand is focusing more on winterwear as seen in the visual merchandise. The most sold merchandise in Men ’ s wear is the round neck T-shirts and jackets. The most sold size in men ’ s wear is S, M, L. The average money spent on a purchase ranges from 2000-5000 per customer. The most sold merchandise in Women ’ s wear is T-shirts. The most sold size in women ' s wear wear is S, M. The visual merchandise is updated twice a week as per the given instructions. The store has observed lesser sales after COVID-19. The total inventory of the store is 3000 units including different styles, sizes, merchandise, and departments. There are more than 45 different T-shirts and 12 styles in jackets, 5 different bottom wear styles in denim, and 7 colors and styles of joggers,18 styles for flip flops,12 sneakers, 12 backpacks, 2 gym bags, and a few more accessories. For women ’ s wear, the store mostly stock T-shirts and jackets. There are approximately 25 styles for women ’ s T-shirts and 10-12 jackets, 14 styles for flip flops.

SUPERDRY STORE, PHOENIX MARKET CITY CHENNAI

The store is observed to be very well maintained with having a clear analysis of the product assortment according to their consumer nature. Most of their pieces are menswear. They have a very limited edition of womenswear. Their winter jackets and cotton, linen shirts are the men ' s best sellers and the most sold size is L. They have a wide assortment for men which majorly included topwear and accessories. For women, they have a very limited edition which includes 2-3 dress styles, few tshirts, padded jackets, track pants, denim truckers, checked shirts and shorts. Also, the most sold size at Chennai for women is S/M. Their accessories assortment includes slippers, flipflops, bottles, perfumes, pouches, waist bag and average amount spent on a single purchase is 3000-6000 rs. They change their VM everyday and during the week the store had been visited, the vm was winter theme based. They receive new stocks every two weeks. They have around 1000-2000 stocks including both men and men. It varies based on what' s selling more at Chennai and in a day, they have around 40-60 walk ins. The store observed lesser sales since covid. But, they have been developing well nowadays, post covid. They do around 2-3 lakhs sale per day at Chennai.

(In both the locations, the majority of the product merchandise is menswear) and most of their the stocked products are winter theme-based.

BEST SELLERS:

MUMBAI- Round-neck tees and jackets. CHENNAI- Winter jackets, cotton & linen shirts.

MOST SOLD SIZE:

MUMBAI- (S,M,L- men), (S,M- women) CHENNAI- (L- men), (S,M- women) AVERAGE PURCHASE:

MUMBAI- 2000-5000 INR CHENNAI- 3000-6000 INR

STOCK INVENTORY:

MUMBAI- 3000 units approx. CHENNAI- 2000 units approx. (men & women)

VISUAL MERCHANDIISE:

MUMBAI- Twice a week. CHENNAI- Everyday ASSORTMENT WIDTH:

MUMBAI- 45 different styles for men and 25 styles for women(approx.)

CHENNAI- 35 different styles for men and 15 styles for women(approx.)

RECCOMENDATIONS

1

Superdry is a widely popular brand but somehow it doesn't reach a larger audience like its competitors. They can drive their efforts to come up with more merchandise for womenswear as well since they have very few options.

2

They can adopt moderate pricing. Superdry does not fall under a premium brand but somehow they have adopted the pricing strategy of such kind where the products are not accepted in terms of price by many of the consumers.

It's evident that Superdry is an ecxlusive brand as they have limited stores in a city making the products not easily accessible for many customers who would want to try the product before buying. Hence, they can open more stores creating more and effective offline presence for the brand.

3

A proper planning of merchandising is very much essential for any brand to gain a sustainable differentiation in the market.

Proper product assortment planning can play a key role, not only in satisfying wants, but also in influencing buyer wants and preferences and helps in targeting them in a more effective manner.

This also contributes in determining the brand's dependence on a particular inventory.

Seasonal trend analysis plays an important role in the merchandising mix as it helps in the understanding of the particular season to achieve a better reach in the market and amongst the customers.

CONCLUSION

Superdry is an aspiring high-end brand for many people which has been focusing on the modern vibe, aesthetics, and always keeping up with the quality promise on their products. Currently, they have been trying to keep up with the trends that are changing quicker than ever.

This study has helped us in understanding the brand in-depth, focusing more on the assortment mix and the positioning of the brand in the market.