Business Question

TOPIC: brand relevance and consumer loyalty through design innovation and strategic marketing: case study of Gucci.

Aim of this research is to critically evaluate how Gucci use design innovation and marketing strategies to improve brand relevance and consumer loyalty

1. To evaluate key factors impacting brand relevance and consumer loyalty in high brand fashion industry

2. To evaluate key elements and attributes of marketing strategies of Gucci

3. To critically investigate how Gucci use design innovation and marketing strategies to improve brand relevance and consumer loyalty.

Bullet points to write about and also I have attached one sample and also one more file for reference.

1.0 Background

2.0 Problem statement and rationale

3.0 Scope

4.0 Aim and objectives

5.0 Theory overview

6.0 Method of analysis

7.0 Reference (Harvard) Interview Preparation for Gucci Research Proposal
1. Introduction (1 minute)
•
•
Opening Statement: “Good [morning/afternoon], and thank you for this opportunity.
My research proposal focuses on Gucci’s design aesthetics and market strategy
from 2015 to the present.”
Background: “Since 2015, under Alessandro Michele’s creative direction, Gucci has
experienced a remarkable transformation, characterized by innovative designs and
strategic marketing that have revitalized the brand.”
NB. Alessandro Michele left Gucci in 2024 to go to Valentino, and he has been
replaced by Sabato de Sarno
2. Research Problem/Rationale (1 minute)
•
Problem Statement: “The luxury fashion industry is highly competitive, requiring
constant innovation to maintain brand relevance.
This research seeks to understand how Gucci’s strategic changes since 2015 have
contributed to its market position.”
•
Rationale: “By examining Gucci’s strategies, this study aims to provide insights into
successful brand management and innovation practices in the luxury fashion sector.”
3. Research Aims and Objectives (2 minutes)
•
•
Aim 1: “The first aim is to analyze the evolution of Gucci’s design aesthetics under
Alessandro Michele’s creative direction.”
o Objective 1: “Explore key design changes introduced since 2015.”
o Objective 2: “Examine the cultural and artistic influences on Gucci’s
designs.”
o Objective 3: “Assess the impact of these design changes on Gucci’s brand
identity.”
Aim 2: “The second aim is to evaluate Gucci’s market strategies from 2015 to
present.”
o Objective 1: “Analyze marketing campaigns and their impact on brand image
and consumer engagement.”
o Objective 2: “Investigate the role of digital and social media in Gucci’s
marketing strategy.”
o Objective 3: “Assess Gucci’s approach to sustainability and corporate social
responsibility and its influence on consumer perception.”
4. Literature Review (2 minutes)
•
•
Design Evolution: “The literature review covers key studies on fashion design
changes, emphasizing the significant shifts in Gucci’s designs since 2015.”
Marketing Strategies: “It also reviews luxury brand marketing strategies, focusing
on digital marketing and consumer engagement tactics.”
•
Sustainability: “Finally, it highlights findings on sustainability practices in the luxury
fashion industry, examining Gucci’s initiatives.”
5. Theoretical Framework (1 minute)
•
“The research is grounded in several theoretical frameworks, I was thinking about:
o Brand Management: Aaker’s Brand Equity Model to understand brand
value.
o Innovation: The Diffusion of Innovations Theory to analyze the adoption of
new designs and strategies.
o Competitive Strategy: Porter’s Competitive Strategy Framework to evaluate
Gucci’s market positioning.”
6. Methodology (2 minutes)
•
Qualitative Research:
o Content Analysis: “Review of fashion shows, brand campaigns, and expert
interviews to identify key themes.”
o Case Studies: “Detailed analysis of specific marketing campaigns like
#GucciGram.”
https://www.gucci.com/us/en/st/stories/article/2015_issue02_cruise_guccigra
m
•
Secondary Data Analysis:
o Literature Review: “Utilize existing academic literature, industry reports, and
credible online sources to gather data on consumer perceptions and market
strategies.”
o Existing Data: “Analyze existing data from company reports, industry
analyses, and market research studies to understand consumer engagement and
brand performance.”
7. Expected Contribution (1 minute)
•
“This research aims to provide valuable insights into maintaining brand relevance and
consumer loyalty through design innovation and strategic marketing, especially in the
digital era. It will offer practical lessons for fashion marketers, brand managers, and
designers.”
8. Conclusion (1 minute)
•
“In summary, this study will explore how Gucci’s innovative design and marketing
strategies since 2015 have sustained its market position. The insights gained will be
beneficial for understanding successful brand management in the luxury fashion
industry.”
Project Proposal
Relationship Between Online Ordering Process &
Customer Experience in Retail Supermarkets in
Europe.
Student Name
:
UOB ID
:
Oxford College ID
:
Submission Date
:
Table of Contents
1)
Background……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
2)
Rationale …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
3)
Scope ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
4)
Aim and objectives …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
5)
Potential for the insightful outcome …………………………………………………………………………….. 4
6)
Theory overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
7)
Method of analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
8)
Evidence …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Referencing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
1
1) Background
The global pandemic, along with the rapid spread of internet penetration and rising consumption
rates, has resulted in massive e-commerce growth worldwide in recent years. (Vakulenko et al.,
2019) For many European grocery stores, 2020 was recognized as the year when rising consumer
trends gained steam as many institutions such as restaurants, offices and schools closed during
the first wave of the pandemic, consumers rushed to splurge both in-store and online goods.
Grocery sales surged by nearly 20% on average in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United
Kingdom when the first lockdown began in March 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
Fear of stock-outs led to hoarding, which resulted in more stock-outs, all of which added to
consumer stress. (Herbert et al., 2021)
Consumers’ concerns about trust and safety remain high, and are expected to remain so for the
foreseeable future. Because it avoids other shoppers, home food drop is less dangerous than a
trip to the supermarket. Grocery businesses face a problem in balancing the economics of instore and online sales. For some businesses, this means integrating digital and in-store
experiences to entice customers, while for others, it means lowering the cost of home delivery.
(KPMG, 2021) Online ordering from supermarkets is indeed an efficient and smart way of
shopping. However, there can be lapses that could occur due to high volumes of orders or
supermarkets running out of stock. This can lead to negative customer experience.
There is a mutual relationship between the Online ordering process and Customer experience in
the retail supermarket industry that makes it easier for consumers to make their orders from
wherever they are at any given time from a smooth online ordering platform. The two factors in
consideration are highly reciprocal: that customer dissatisfaction may result in lack of trust,
confidence that will impact on the reputation and business growth.
2
2) Rationale
Online ordering is not just about convenience. Consumers will only shop for groceries online if the deal is
good: they won’t give up the price, quality, or variety of products that they’ve come to expect from a
supermarket, and they won’t accept cumbersome delivery or pickup arrangements. (Galante, García
López and Monroe, 2013) The two components of this study were not amalgamated into previous studies
despite the dual aspects of online ordering. In particular, neither online ordering process nor customer
experience in a unified system. Despite the increasing relevance of online ordering and related theory,
few researches have looked into the precursors and results of a unified online shopping experience that
might help organizations design potentially essential marketing strategies. (Bilgihan, Kandampully and
Zhang, 2016)
The current research tries to bridge the gap by including efficiency in online ordering facets of
supermarkets in Europe and looking at the relationships between these elements and customer
experience.
3) Scope
The field of interest chosen for the systematic review must be highly particular and narrowly defined, as
this will set the boundaries of the content area for the research. (Denscombe, 2017) The past few years
have been a challenging time for many retail businesses. The epidemic period had a very negative impact
on many industries. However, there was a silver lining for few industries. The research will be focussing
on the supermarket industry and identify the relationship between efficient online ordering process &
customer experience in retail supermarkets. The study will be limited to the European region. Though the
industry focus is ‘retail supermarkets’, in order to narrow the topic, the researcher will be thoroughly
assessing on the online ordering and thereby the customer experience followed by, during the COVID-19
pandemic period.
3
4) Aim and objectives
The aim of this research is to critically evaluate the relationship between online ordering process and
customer experience in retail supermarkets in the European region.
The objectives are:

To evaluate key determinants of customer experience in online ordering in Europe.

To evaluate the efficiency of online ordering process in European supermarkets.

To critically evaluate how ordering online strategies impact on customer experience in European
households.

To propose most appropriate online ordering process alignment strategies for European
households in order have better customer experience.
5) Potential for the insightful outcome
This research will be able to develop a new strategic framework for online ordering and customer
experience in the supermarket industry in Europe. It will be able to clarify the relationship between
effective online ordering and customer experience.
The outcome of the research will give clear recommendation on how to develop a great customer
experience in ordering online from supermarkets in Europe effectively.
4
6) Theory overview
According to Galante, García López and Monroe (2013) many Europeans adore the thought of not having
to go to the supermarket, push a grocery cart down aisle after aisle, and then wait in line at the checkout.
The convenience of grocery shopping online is appealing. The authors further state that based on the
research done, quality, assortment, and affordability are all crucial, but convenience isn’t everything.
These characteristics should be reinforced in online grocers’ value propositions—and, of course,
marketing messaging.
In order to utilize consumers’ experience and acquire a competitive edge in this industry, e-retailers invest
in the investigation of new sources and methods of customer experience as part of their market strategy.
(Vakulenko et al., 2019) For example, Online customers commonly regard last mile delivery (from the last
upstream shipment point to the end consumer) to be an essential decision-making consideration. Free
delivery, same-day delivery, deliveries during certain time windows, in-store pickup, shipment tracking,
and free return shipment are all examples of last-mile delivery services that customers find appealing.
According to PwC’s Global Consumer Insight Survey (2018), online buyers place a high importance on quick
and flexible delivery. As a result, last-mile delivery has been demonstrated to be extremely important to
online customers. (Esper et al., 2003)
Measuring customer satisfaction is not straightforward, there are, however, several excellent
methodologies and metrics available for this purpose such as customer satisfaction surveys, customer
satisfaction scores (CSAT), net promoter score (NPS), customer effort scores (CES), social media
monitoring and the Lean Six Sigma concept, ‘things gone wrong’ (Pascal, 2016) are widely been used.
Supermarkets—and discounters—saw stronger-than-average growth compared to other offline channels
as a result of the pandemic’s behavioural changes. (Herbert et al., 2020) The current study will
demonstrate that delivery has a substantial and significant impact on online consumers’ satisfaction,
confirming the findings of previous research that looked at the impact of delivery on online shoppers’
buying behaviour. (Mofokeng, 2021) According to Rose, Hair and Clark (2011), a main factor that leads to
a great customer experience is that, customers may now access information instantaneously,
communicate with one another, receive up-to-date services, download essential information, make online
purchases, and participate in a variety of educational and entertainment services thanks to technical
advancements in mobile devices. Moreover, the authors state that social and behavioural impacts of such
mobile technology and adaptation to attractive interfaces has led to enhancing their shopping experience
by taking advantage of the technology’s instant connection to the Internet. Rose, Hair and Clark (2011)
5
also explains customization, various mediums of communication, connectivity and content has also
impacted to enhance customer experience in online ordering. Therefore, models such as the customer
satisfaction model will be used to perform an in-depth study on the customer experience arising from
online ordering from supermarkets in Europe.
7) Method of analysis
In this study, the approach of analysis will be a systematic review. It differs from a traditional literature
review since journal articles are carefully selected and filtered. It would put a stronger emphasis on a
more synthesised approach to finding solutions to and researching issues based on the conclusions of the
articles chosen. (Denscombe, 2017) The ideal research method for this study will be based on empirical
data as it would be the most suitable method since customer experience and the efficacy of online
ordering is affecting their behaviour and it can be analysed with a large amount of data using a
questionnaire and an interview survey. The author aims to do a systematic review due to time restrictions,
the current COVID situation, and difficulty in gaining ethical approvals. Furthermore, when there is
sufficient literature on the topic field and the goal and objectives are carefully specified, a systematic
review is the most effective way to concentrate on. (Denscombe, 2017)
The author will appraise the literature review first, then use a deductive approach to develop a conceptual
map and associated topics. The findings of the aforementioned journal articles will be critically assessed
in terms of themes, and then synthesized in light of the study goals. However, because this is essentially
a qualitative study, the data will be analysed utilizing a thematic synthesis method.
6
8) Evidence
Considering the above review of the literature, it is evident that if customer experience and online
ordering from supermarkets collaborate as a single business ecosystem, the overall success will increase
for mutual benefit. However, it is also clear that there should be strong strategy engagement to harness
the synergy of both variables.
According to the evidence in the literature implies that there is a possible connection between those two
variables. However, still, there is a negative relationship in certain geographical locations and situations.
7
Referencing
Bilgihan, A., Kandampully, J. and Zhang, C. (2016). Towards a unified customer experience in
online shopping environments Online co-innovation communities View project Transformative
Tourism/Hospitality Services View project Towards a unified customer experience in online
shopping environments Antecedents and outcomes. Article in International Journal of Quality
and Service Sciences, 8(10.1108/IJQSS-07-2015-0054).
Denscombe, M. (2017). EBOOK: The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research
Projects. 6th ed. [online] Google Books. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Available at:
https://books.google.lk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SMovEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=denscomb
e+2017&ots=lLa9VaT6r9&sig=ox9rFu8l8XJgdBtd36doTxAPvA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=denscombe%202017&f=false [Accessed 27
Oct. 2021].
Esper, T.L., Jensen, T.D., Turnipseed, F.L. and Burton, S. (2003). THE LAST MILE: AN EXAMINATION
OF EFFECTS OF ONLINE RETAIL DELIVERY STRATEGIES ON CONSUMERS. Journal of Business
Logistics, 24(2), pp.177–203.
Galante, N., García López, E. and Monroe, S. (2013). The future of online grocery in Europe.
[online]
Available
at:
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/The%20futur
e%20of%20online%20grocery%20in%20Europe/The_future_of_online_grocery.ashx [Accessed
26 Oct. 2021].
Herbert, R., Nyssens, J.-A., Vallöf, R. and Wachinger, T. (2020). A year like no other for European
grocery retailers: The state of the industry post 2020 | McKinsey. [online] www.mckinsey.com.
Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/a-year-like-no-other-foreuropean-grocery-retailers-the-state-of-the-industry-post-2020 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2021].
8
KPMG,
I.
(2021).
Grocery
retail
– KPMG
Global. [online]
KPMG.
Available
at:
https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2020/01/customer-first-insights-grocery-retail.html
[Accessed 26 Oct. 2021].
Mofokeng, T.E. (2021). The impact of online shopping attributes on customer satisfaction and
loyalty: Moderating effects of e-commerce experience. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1).
Pascal (2016). 6 Proven Methods for Measuring Customer Satisfaction. [online] Userlike Live
Chat. Available at: https://www.userlike.com/en/blog/6-proven-methods-for-measuring-yourcustomer-satisfaction [Accessed 27 Oct. 2021].
Rose, S., Hair, N. and Clark, M. (2011). Online Customer Experience: A Review of the Business-toConsumer Online Purchase Context. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(1), pp.24–
39.
Vakulenko, Y., Shams, P., Hellström, D. and Hjort, K. (2019). Online retail experience and
customer satisfaction: the mediating role of last mile delivery. The International Review of Retail,
Distribution
and
Consumer
Research,
[online]
29(3),
pp.306–320.
Available
at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09593969.2019.1598466 [Accessed 26 Oct.
2021].
9