Ch. 7 - Business Marketing

When we think of a Business product, we usually think of computers, printers, and photo copy machines. However, it is important to point out that- what we wear in a particular work field can also be called a business product. This is true because you wouldn't expect to see a lawyer in mechanical clothes or vise versa. Therefore the clothing that a particular job requires you to wear is a business product.

Now that we have establish clothes as a business product, let's see what Uniqlo has to offer and what products can be used in particular work fields. One of Uniqlo's items that instantly come to my mind when thinking of a business products are their cashmeres. This piece of clothing can be seen in any professional work field, simply because it is comfortable yet elegant and sophisticated. Going to college few blocks away from the World Trade Center and Wall Street, I've seen a lot of professional men and women wearing cashmeres. Their cashmeres might not be from Uniqlo, however their usage of the MTA trains have certainly exposed them to advertisements from Uniqlo. It is also important to point out that Uniqlo's premium products are almost always on sale.

Other items that can be used in a professional work field and can be purchased at Uniqlo are Linen Blazers. Ties, Shirts, Skirts, and Dressing Socks. These products might be used for personal used when going to a wedding or a sophisticated event and be called a consumer product. Nonetheless, they make up part of the image of any professional working field and therefore they are a business product.

It is also important to say, that Uniqlo carries this products at unbeatable low prices and should be taken in consideration as a "to go to store" when seeking a professional image.

Ch. 17 - Advertising and Public Relations

A well-known rule of thumb in the advertising industry is "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Described in our textbook, in advertising, the goal is to sell the benefits of the product, not its attributes.

Like I mention before, one of Uniqlo's most advertised product was their Heat Tech shirts. Ads throughout New York City's public transportation advertised the upcoming opening of two Uniqlo stores, one in 5th Avenue, and the other in Herald Square. Both openings were set to be in October of 2011. Aside from seeing "Grand Opening" signs there were Ads that displayed a normal, regular shirt with the words "Heat Tech" next to it.  There was no information as to whether this 'shirt' came in different colors or if its packaging set this particular shirt aside from other shirts. Nonetheless, its benefits were highlighted to keep you warm during the upcoming winter. More importantly, its price stood out as equal or as more than its benefits.

In the opening date of the Fifth Avenue Uniqlo Store, the big fuzz was about the "Heat Teach Shirt." I know, because I was there. Most people waiting online talk among each other, saying things such as, "Do you imagine not having to wear a jacket this winter? I really want to check this heat tech shirt!" Promoted as "Japan technology" this 'shirt' definitely caught peoples attention. Further evidence was when I lined up to pay for my selected items and saw that most people online had bags of shirts that display the words "Heat Tech."

This shirt might have not come in different variation of colors- but its benefits stood out perfectly enough for people to see them, more than its attributes.

Ch. 8 - Segmenting and Targeting Markets

If you can recall from my mission statement post, Uniqlo thrives to sell clothes for those who seek a contemporary and elegant look. However, if you visit their shopping website you will come across models who exhibit clothes that are neither contemporary or elegant. Furthermore their logo "Made For All" contradicts the clothes they carry. This is true because we have still yet to see clothes for people who are petite and overweight.

These factors have let me to conclude that Uniqlo has and must re-define their marketing skills. Better yet, they should become conscious in the way they use words to promote their products.  In a way, the clothes that Uniqlo carries could be used by "ALL." This is simply because they have a wide variety of clothes that can be used as formal wear and casual clothes that can be used in a day off from work.

Using a logo that says "Made For All" can also be discouraging. As we discussed in class, people need to feel that they matter and that they are taken into consideration, when trying to sell  them a product. Therefore, standardizing ethnicity, body shapes, and personal styles is the worst thing any company can do. 

I'm not saying that Uniqlo has to change their logo, completely. Perhaps they can modified it to "MADE FOR ALL Body Types, Ages, and Sizes" or somewhat similar.

Ch. 11 - Developing and Managing Products

In the world of business, especially in the retail field, new products are essential to a company's profit and growth. The term "New Product" has different meanings depending on your perception. In fact, there are six different types of "New Products" and they each have their own meaning.

Recently Uniqlo launched a modified version of their Cardigans for the summer. This product can be categorized under the "Improvements or Revisions of Existing Products." In conjunction to the release of this new product, Uniqlo teamed up with British designer, Lulu Guiness. A limited-edition line of Shirts for women with some of Lulu's most iconic images are now on sale in every Uniqlo store around the world. This product can be described as "Lower-Priced Products."
Uniqlo's new line of cardigans may look like any other regular cardigan. Just like Uniqlo's Heat Tech products, that keep you warm during the winter, these cardigans will keep you cool while also protecting your skin  from the sun during this summer. A lot of science went into the process of creating this new cardigan. Made out of cotton and nylon this cardigan is enhanced with a special processing treatment that blocks out 90% of Ultraviolet rays. Described by Uniqlo in their Facebook page, this cardigan is set to be a "wearable sunscreen" piece of clothing. Different from other cardigans, these cardigans are soft, fine and lightweight which makes them- Perfect for the summer!

Lulu Guiness, a British fashion designer whose merchandise products are highly prized, is the latest person to collaborate with Uniqlo. Together, they have come up with a line of Tees that are $19.90 a piece. The finished product between these two parties can be defined as a "Lower Price Product." This is so because LuLu Guiness is a fashion designer, whose products do not go at such low prices.

In closure, A product may be modified, it can also be a high quality product and be sold at a low prize and still be consider a "new product."

Ch. 16 - Integrated Marketing Communications

According to our textbook, transmission of a message requires a channel- a voice, radio, news paper, computer or other communication medium. One of the most ongoing channel at this time is the internet.

Uniqlo uses Social Media as one of their key channels to deliver promotions and advertisements about their products, to their target market and beyond. I say beyond because the internet is available to almost anyone. Ttherefore anyone with a computer and internet service can come across a Uniqlo promotion or advertisement.

Uniqlo has both a Facebook page and a Twitter account from which peopple can view and learned about their special promotions. This a very effective way to deliver their message accross their target market because almost everyone has either a twitter or facebook account.

As a global company, it is important to stay in the same step as your target marke, i8n this case, Uniqlo's target market is mostly directed to 18-40 year old people. Knowing this, Uniqlo does not emphasize on marketing their products in old fashion channels such as newspapers or radios. This is due to the fact that todays youth generation are in touch by their phones in which they have apps for facebook and twitter.

Above you can see two tweets from @UniqloUSA in which they announce a special sale on women sweaters that protect you from Ultraviolet rays.  The frist tweet also promotes their products in ways that not many retail stores do. If you can recall from one of my previus post, Uniqlo has a weekly contest in which participants can upload a picture of themselves wearing a uniqlo product. If they win these contest, their submitted pictured will ber posted in Uniqlo's facebook page and twitter account. This is a clever idea because the youth generation of this time are somewhat attracted to fame. Those who win this contest may not get internatiol coverage but in some level they are guarrentee that their picture will be posted and they might get new followers on twitter and even some friend request on facebook.

Ch.10 - Products Concepts

In order to have a successful advertising and marketing distribution, marketing managers must know what product they are selling and most importantly in what category their product falls into.

Uniqlo is a consumer product. This means that the products they offer are produce to  satisfy an individual's personal wants. Having said this, Uniqlo is therefore and most obviously a shopping product. We must also know that, Uniqlo is a Heterogeneous shopping product. A heterogeneous product are things such as furniture, clothing, housing and even universities.

Now that we have successfully classified Uniqlo as a Heterogeneous, consumer-shopping product, let's see how this determines and shapes their advertisement, marketing, and promotion strategies.

If you can recall from one of my previous posts, Uniqlo does not emphasize on pushing their logo like other retail stores. In a way this is both good and bad. By not pushing their logo, people are able to combine and mix Uniqlo products with different clothing brands. In a sense this is beneficial because it keeps the doors open to other customers who might have an urban, preppy, or goth style. In the other hand, this is non beneficial due to the fact that pushing a logo in clothes is somewhat free advertising.

Furthermore, Uniqlo has yet to create a product that people can't pin point out and say "That's from Uniqlo." This is true because since they don't push their logo, people can not recognize their clothes from the competitors product.

Ch. 18 - Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Uniqlo does not emphasize much on Promotion Sales, Instead they focus more on advertising and promoting new products. Whenever Uniqlo launches a new product, they make sure that, that product does not goes unnoticed.
One of the latest and clear example of this is the advertising and promotion of their under ware products for both women and men. In the launching of this new product, the selling price was set to as low as 5.99 U.S dollars! Advertising Ads and billboards were visible all through out New York City, advertising and promoting this new product. A main location in which these billboards were posted were in the MTA Train Stations, mainly in Times Square.

 

Times Square is one key point of transportation to any New Yorker and tourists. When a particular train line is out of service most people are pushed to make a train transfer at Times Square. Knowing this, Uniqlo has kept Times Square as a key point to expose their advertising and promotion ads for people to see.

A reason why Uniqlo, launches their products at such a low price is because they are confident in that once the attracted customer purchases their new products, that they will be satifisy with the benefits and quality of the product. Once this objective is accomplish, Uniqlo believes that people would come back again and buy the same or more products. Yet this time, the price of the product might not be as low as when the product was launch, gathering a higher profit.

Chapter 15 - Retailing

When you first step into a Uniqlo retail store in New York, you feel welcome and free. Contrary to other retail stores, Uniqlo offers an independent shopping experience for their customers. By this I mean that, you won't be bombarded by employees asking you if you need any help. This clearly gives the customer a sense of freedom and therefore they perceive a friendly welcome. 

In my visit to the 5th avenue store, I was greeted by an employee who welcomed me with a Hello and friendly smile. I knew that I was there to do the class assignment required for my blog, so I headed straight to business. In my arrival to the women's section I headed towards the Hello Kitty T-shirts display. If you guys can recall from my "Ethics and Social Responsibility" blog, Uniqlo had join forces with the Hellosmile organization to raise awareness regarding cervical cancer. In my arrival, I saw an employee who was re-stocking the hello kitty shirts and so I asked her a few questions.

From my conversation with this particular employee, I can tell that Uniqlo strives high to teach their employees about their products. This particular employee was able to tell me the what's and why's behind the Hello Kitty Shirts. Without any hesitation she was able to tell me that part of the sales would go towards the Hellosmile organization. She also knew what Hellosmile was about and told me that, they're an organization that seeks to raise awareness about cervical cancer.

In this particular day (Friday March 09), the 5th Avenue retail store was holding an event to commemorate the first anniversary of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Milk bar threats were given out in the third floor, and from my experience these threats were quite tasteful and not too sugary. This experience also allowed me to learn more about the Japanese culture throughout their delicious treats.

Chapter 6 - Consumer Decision Making

Need Recognition- The External Stimuli; Advertisements throughout New York City's public transportation. Big billboards, advertising the grand opening of the 5th Avenue and Herald Square Uniqlo stores were seen all through out the five Boroughs of New York during the fall of 2011. The positive impact was reflected when large amunts of people showed up both openings. Lines of people went all around the block in which the 5th avenue flagship store is located. I know this because I was one of the people waiting to shop in the opening day.

 

Information Search-  Marketing Control Information Source; One of the products that was highly promoted during this period of time, was Uniqlo's HEATTECH shirts. Throughout New York City's public transit, there was a widespread of billboards depicting shirts, that according to Uniqlo' will keep you warm during the fall and upcoming winter. This ad was clearly 'On Point' because we were in fall season and winter was soon approaching.



 

Evaluation of Alternatives and Purchase-  New Yorkers hardly had to do any research or even think twice about purchasing Uniqlo's products. A main reason for this was their price advertisements that covered NYC from early August to early November. In this ads, price listings showed New Yorkers that Uniqlo was literally GIVING AWAY clothes! A clear example of this is the prices that Jeans were being sold for. Jeans that regularly sold for 59.50 were being sold for 9.90 dollars. These clearly showed that the Grand Opening of both stores was something that you couldn't AFFORD TO MISS.

 

Purchase- The low prizes and high quality of clothes from Uniqlo, freed New Yorkers from having to worry about paying methods. New Yorkers knew that this type of offers were rare to find, specifically in high quality clothes. Therefore they were easily persuaded to pay with their credit cards, knowing that they might be at risk of debt or even worse, knowing that they're in debt.

Postpurchase Behavior- To guarantee customers that they had made a wise decision in buying a Uniqlo product,  Uniqlo gave away bags to each customer that exited the store with a shopping bag.

In Depth: Developing A Global Vision

Below are the dates from past to present in which Uniqlo stores have been open overseas.

• October 2000 Online store opens for business
• September 2002 First Uniqlo China store opens in Shanghai
• December 2004 Uniqlo Enters a joint venture with South Korea's Lotte Shopping Co Ltd to expand the Uniqlo business in the South Korean Market
• September 2009 -First Uniqlo South Korea store opens in Seoul
  -First Uniqlo U.S store opens in New Jersey (closes in 2006)
• November 2006 Uniqlo New York Soho Store opens
• November 2007 Uniqlo 311 Oxford St Store opens in London
• December 2007 First Uniqlo France Store opens in La Defense, Paris
• August 2008 Unqilo establishes a joint venture with Wing Tai Retail Pte. Ltd. To expand in Singapore
• April 2009 First Uniqlo Singapore store opens in the Tampines 1 Mall
• October 2009 Uniqlo Paris Opera store opens in France
• April 2010 First Uniqlo Russia store opens in Moscow
• May 2010 Uniqlo Shanghai store opens in China
• October 2010 First Uniqlo Taiwan store opens in Taipei
• November 2010 First Uniqlo Malaysia store opens in Kuala Lumpur
• September 2011-First Uniqlo Thailand store opens in Bangkok-Second Uniqlo Taiwan store opens in Mingyao
• October 2011-Second New York Uniqlo store opens in 5th Avenue
  -Third New York Uniqlo store opens in Herald Square
• November 2011 Second Uniqlo store opens in South Korea in city of Myeongdong

In addition, a first Uniqlo store in the Philippines is set to open in June of this year

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision



Uniqlo 5th Avenue store



The opening of the 5th avenue and Herald Square Uniqlo stores, was the main reason why I chose UNIQLO as my blogging company. I knew that two grand consecutive openings in the same City only meant that the company was doing more than great. Furthermore I knew this was a sign that UNIQLO had a great deal of information required for my blog.

By opening their online shopping site, Uniqlo immediately located itself in the international marketplace.

  

One of Uniqlo's strategies to pursue people from buying their products was launching a facebook page. Here, existing and new customers can upload their pictures in which they exhibit their latest Uniqlo clothing trends. Those who do so, have the chances of being selected as the winning "Look Of The Week." This strategy bring brilliant outcomes and profits to Uniqlo because people see this as a chance of getting their 15 minutes of fame. Yet this chance can only come if you purchase Uniqlo clothes. Notice the marketing skill used in here ?

Raching out to their marketing target through the social media of Facebook, Uniqlo has been able establish a relationship with their customers. In addition, Uniqlo has yet once again, establish to  set itself apart from their competitors.

Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

In the fall of 2010, Uniqlo had embraced a new slogan, known today as "MADE FOR ALL." This may sound like a relief to those who have trouble finding clothes for their unique bodies. Yet in a recent visit to the Uniqlo in SOHO New York, I've notice that this wasn't the case at all. You would think that because Uniqlo's slogan is "MADE FOR ALL" their target market would be anyone and everyone.

If Uniqlo truly makes clothes for all, then perhaps they would be selling Jeans and Chino Pants in sizes for over weight and petite people. Speaking as an existent and regular customer, I have never found  Chino Pants or Jeans my size at Uniqlo. This may not be the case for other people. Yet if Uniqlo's target market are those between ages 18 to mid 50s then they should start developing bottoms for overweight and petite people.

Despite not ever finding my Jeans size at the Uniqlo Store in SOHO New York, I searched their online shopping site to try and see if I had any luck. In doing so, I found that indeed, Uniqlo does carry Jeans in a small size. However the smallest size they carry is a waist size of 29 and their largest size is 34. In regards to their well known Chino Pants, the only information they provide in regards of sizes is the common categories of small, medium, large and extra large. This leaves the not so average person overwhelmed due to the fact that these categories are to broad and do not specify waste or length sizes. This same problem also occurs within the women department in which a petite or over weight female won't be able to find her exact size.

So, Who is truly Uniqlo's target market?

The answer can be perceive by taking a look at Uniqlo's shopping site. In here you would come across models in their early to mid 20s who are in most cases slim and tall.

Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

According to Uniqlo's Corporate Social Responsibility website, their vision is "to make the world a better place through planning, producing and selling clothing, one of life's basic necessities." To ensure that they fulfill their social responsibilities, "Uniqlo designates priority issues to each category stake holder. We particularly consider corporate governance, compliance and the environment as themes common to all stakeholders, and thus include them as priority issues." Below are the most resent contributions from Uniqlo to our society.

• UNIQLO to Donate 3,500 Fleece Products for the 2012 Special Olympics

Uniqlo has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to support the Special Olympics since August 2002. The Special Olympics is an international sports organization that provides opportunities to athletes with intellectual disabilities. Back in 2002 when Uniqlo was first starting to be recognized by the public, it donated more than 37,000 articles of clothing in support of the Special Olympics. By doing so, Uniqlo gain the public respect do to the fact that not many starting companies donate their products. As for this year, Uniqlo will once again donate approximately 3,500 articles of clothing such  as; Fleece Hoodies, Fleece Full Zip Jackets, Fleece Reversible Jackets, official uniforms, Airtech jackets, windbreakers, zip-up hoodies, caps and T-shirts.  In addition of donating a wide variety of its clothing, Uniqlo would also be sending 36 fast retailing group employees to assist in this competitive athletic event as volunteers.

• Hello Kitty T-Shirts To Hit UNIQLO Stores In March For Collaborative Project

This past week on February 7, Uniqlo released a statement through their CSR website, that it had join forces with Hellosmile. Hellosmile is a global organization that seeks to raise awareness about the prevention of cervical cancer. This organization has chosen the internationally adored feline character of Hello Kitty to be their mascot. To help this organization, Uniqlo would start selling exclusive Hello Kitty T-shirts for woman and children. A portion of the proceeds from all Hello Kitty T-shirt sales would be donated to support such organization. This exclusive Hello Kitty shirts will start hitting UNIQLO stores in Japan and 11 other overseas markets from early March 2012.

• UNIQLO Launches Scholarship Program in China

After signing an agreement in December 12, 2011 with the China Education Association for International Exchange, Uniqlo is pleased to announce that it would offer scholarships to university students in China. This Uniqlo Scholarship Program (TBD) as it is called, would "help the next generation of talented young chinese individuals to play active roles in the global economy and contribute to China's future growth by offsetting tuition fees." It would also provide scholarship recipients with opportunities to participate in exchanges with globally active business managers and other people who work internationally. To be eligible to apply to this scholarship, students must be undergraduate. Students must also be enrolled at selected universities in China. According to Uniqlo's CSR website the duration of grants would be of five years. The scholarship program is set to start in September 2012.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Uniqlo's sound reputation for simple, basic designs and top quality materials has set the flagship store aside from their competition. Their main theory aims to respond to the needs of contemporary customers with versatile yet demanding lifestyles. By developing this ideology, Uniqlo establishes once again that their products are MADE FOR ALL.

Tadashi Yanai, President and CEO of Uniqlo has also established a business model name SPA, which embraces all stages of the business, from  design and production to the final sale. By referring to this model Uniqlo successfully differentiates itself from their competition aside from developing unique products. One key factor that has helped Uniqlo maintain its high sales is their well organized meetings. At these meetings the board of directors  decide when to increase or reduce production during a season. Doing so guarantees that there won't be a surplus nor a shortage in merchandise.

This method is crucial when it comes to making a profit because if there's a surplus of merchandise the listing prize of products would have to go down. In the case of a shortage, the clientele would be face to purchase similar products from Uniqlo's competition.

You might be asking yourself why Uniqlo doesn't pushes their brand logo like store flagships such as, American Eagle, Hollister or Abercombrie and Fitch. Why not further promote their brand? Might be another question. The answer might be narcissistic, yet Uniqlo believes that their products speak for themselves. Their denim jeans are develop from a specific spinning and dyeing methods from the world-renowned Kaihara Corp. They have also develop new functional materials such as HEATTECH, which is a synthetic fiber maker in collaboration with Toray Industries Inc.

In the graph below you can see the that Uniqlo's strategic method to develop casual clothes using high quality methods has paid off. This places Uniqlo in fourth place world wide within the Apparel Industry.

Mission Statement

To further emphasize that Uniqlo is MADE FOR ALL, The CEO of Uniqlo USA Nobuo Domae says: "We are selling jeans, not style, we don't want to push our brand logo, and you can combine our clothing with other brands." With this statement, the consumers are guarantee a brand of clothes that can be simple and sleek while maintaining a sophisticated and contemporary appeal.



A Brief History

Uniqlo was originally a division of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. It was until May 1984 when they opened a unisex casual warehouse in the City of Hiroshima by the name of Unique Clothing Warehouse. From this point on, Uniqlo was born and fast growing.

By April of 2001 Uniqlo began their first overseas expansion by opening a store in London.  China also open its doors to the flagship store in September of 2002. By 2009 Uniqlo had reached a global expansion with stores in major cities around the world such as, Shangai,Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Seoul, and New York.

Uniqlo's principle that men and women want to feel comfortable and look great in modern clothes has set them apart from their competitors. Their HEATTECH, and high quality Cashmeres appeals to both, men and women who seek a sophisticated and contemporary look.

Hey There!

My name is Carlos Ramirez, I've recently started the Spring Semester at Borough of Manhattan Community College. I will be using this blog to inform you about the concepts of Marketing and its beauty. The concepts of Marketing that you would see in this blog will be related to Uniqlo.

Let the Posting Begin!