Apparel manufacturers transition to retailers

As of the first half of 2011, the total number of seven wolf stores has increased by 51 to 3576. The net increase stores have all been directly operated stores, and the number of direct terminals has increased to 439; the Ba Jin Menswear has been on-line at the official flagship store of Taobao Mall, with retail prices for all products. Will be consistent with the terminal store ... from the clothing manufacturer to the clothing retailer transition, the company issued a variety of signals. Why are companies keen to control direct sales, retail sales, and other channels, and what are the benefits of transformation and retailing for enterprises? The guests in this issue will give their opinions.

Channel sinks retail into competition Focus Moderator: Why do more and more large apparel manufacturers focus on sales channels, especially retail terminals?

Wei Lin: In 2010, smaller cities constituted about 50% of the clothing market. In the next decade, many high-spending consumers will live in inland or smaller cities. As international apparel brands have entered the Chinese market and vigorously develop their retail terminals, and began to sink channels, the ecological environment and game pattern of the Chinese apparel industry have undergone tremendous changes. The choice of retail sales is actually a matter for domestic companies. Repositioning Marketing Channels under New Patterns.

Zhou Shaoxiong: Seven wolves started from wholesale, and retail is a key link in the clothing industry. Therefore, seven wolves gradually transitioned from wholesale to retail, and they have been emphasizing retail details, including product and retail management techniques. Whether it is asking the spokesperson to the flagship store, or entering the online sales field, it is to emphasize the company's focus on retail. Seven wolves are not willing to become one of the largest garment manufacturers, but to become China's largest clothing retailer. To achieve the transformation from a clothing manufacturer to a channel business brand, it is bound to focus on the control of various terminal retail channels.

Controlling Terminals and Grasping Consumer Minds: Changing to retail means controlling all kinds of sales terminals. What planning should companies do?

Zhou Shaoxiong: In November last year, the company increased its investment in e-commerce and set up an independent mall. It also cooperated with IBM to establish an e-commerce cloud platform, handing over platform maintenance and construction to IBM, while focusing on product marketing. Even so, e-commerce is still only a small part of Sept. 7's channel strategy, which accounts for a very low proportion of the company's overall sales.

For the channel business brand, the control of the terminal is particularly important. Seven wolves chose to shift to a direct-managed retail management model to improve the responsiveness of market reactions while achieving lean management. In addition, the company is gradually implementing a flat channel management. The company has set up subsidiaries in Guizhou and Guangxi to further strengthen the management of local channels, and plans to continue to establish management centers in East China, South China, North China, Central China, Southwest China, and Northwest China to manage the channels of local regions.

Hong Lianjin: Today's retail marketing is not product warfare, but mental warfare; the strategic source of marketing is not in the market but in the needs of consumers' minds. It is not as good as the first one to enter the market. Although there are still many disputes about brand focus and diversification in the Chinese business community, everyone has long been widely recognized that brand competition ultimately depends on the minds of consumers. The real competitiveness or barrier of a brand is not in the product but in the market, but in the mind of the consumer.

Enhance the market responsiveness of intensive farms Moderator: What kind of preparations have companies made to operate retail channels?

Zhou Shaoxiong: The upgrading of the terminal's image is one of the important measures for Seven Wolfs' “Fine Farming Retail”. To this end, Seven Wolf will comprehensively promote the upgrading of all terminal stores as an important development strategy in 2011.

The flagship store of the Xiamen Seven-Wolf Road Zhongshan Road is an experience-based 8.5-generation store that is a seven-wolf international. For example, the design of a new generation of stores has enabled the combination of various elements. On the one hand, it is to satisfy the modern men's overall needs for lifestyle and spirituality, and on the other hand, it is to demonstrate the brand concept of “Women More Than One Side” by Seven Wolves.

Hong Lianjin: Focus on retail channels, the purpose of the company is different, but most of it is to inject rapid response capabilities into the company's marketing channels in order to improve the relationship between production and sales, and improve channel operating efficiency.

Take the example of enterprises entering online sales channels. The purpose is to rely on their own brand advantages, marketing channels, research and development capabilities, product design, and other core strengths to achieve a complementary combination of online retail and offline retail through an online sales platform. Marketing system. At the same time, it is hoped that through such an official flagship store, it will create a brand-new and more convenient way for consumers to purchase more real-time products.