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1 | Page BRAND STRATEGY FOR A PREMIUM FRENCH BRAND: SÉZANE By: Abhinav Jain Ankan Chittalipi Claire Di Cristofaro

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Page 1: Sezane Report (1)

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BRAND STRATEGY FOR A PREMIUM FRENCH

BRAND: SÉZANE

By:

Abhinav Jain

Ankan Chittalipi

Claire Di Cristofaro

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sézane, the first French brand to completely operate online, was founded eight years ago by

Parisian Morgane Sézalory. This brand is known for its French casual chic collection,

specializing in bags and shoes at affordable prices but superior quality.

The primary aim of this report is to strategize on how Sézane can enter the luxury market in

France at an attainable pricing. In order to proceed on these lines, both primary and secondary

research was carried out to assess the French Consumer buying behavior in Luxury goods. The

survey analysis bore key results which were vital in this study to strategize the appropriate

actions so as to attain the primary objective. A situational analysis was also conducted including

an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the brand. A proposal to

reach the goal is introduced which includes the strategies with the plan of actions under it and a

financial forecast for the future.

In addition to the factors that differentiate Sézane from other premium French brands, this label

could diversify itself whilst keeping its core identity intact so as to gain a lucrative advantage by

tapping into the luxury market as it holds the potential to be eccentric in its own conventional

way.

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CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2

PART 1

1.1 SITUATION ANALYSIS 5

1.2 SURVEY ANALYSIS 12

1.3 OBJECTIVE 26

1.4 MIND MAPS 26

PART 2

2.1 RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES 29

& ACTIONS

2.2 TIMELINE OF ACTIONS 38

2.3 BUDGET 39

CONCLUSION 43

REFERENCES 44

APPENDIX

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PART I

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1.1 SITUATION ANALYSIS

Company Profile

Sézane is the first French brand to completely function online

with no intermediaries and reaches its customers straight from

the workshops. Sézane offers chic French luxe clothing which

is defined by its superior irreproachable quality. The team,

obsessed with the most perfect cut and the magnificent fabric

for each product offered results in an unparalleled service and

happy customers!

Sézane.com

Their objective at Sézane is to offer their clients with the finest

creative collections that defines French Casual Chic at a fair price. Sézane achieved this by

deciding to grow its business solely online, the first French label to do so.

When one orders a Sézane piece, they are in effect, with one simple click, ordering unique

designs directly from their finest workshops to their home. No shop, no intermediary!

(sezane.com)

The format for Sézane is simple but effective: there is a permanent collection which runs through

the seasons, then every month sees the release of a limited-edition capsule collection that when

stock is sold out, it’s really gone – and so you won’t see a dozen other women wearing the same

shoes as you on a Saturday night.

Morgane Sezalory

The founder of this unique concept of an e-store, Morgane Sezalory, has her values and

experience to back this idea that struck her in the year of 2008.

This is what she has to say, “I have been an inveterate bargain hunter

since I was 14. After years of assembling and selling my finds through

various outlets, I finally created the website Les Composantes in 2008

to present my vintage selections by appointment each month.Many of

you entered my adventure and your belief in me encouraged me to

develop my own designs: attractive and affordable items created for

real life – plausible fashion alternatives.In 2013, supported by a

wonderful (little) team, I decided to concentrate on design.And so

SÉZANE was born, of the contraction of my surname and first name.”

(sezane.com)

Her background in selling vintage wares on eBay before knocking up her own designs and

launching her own website, mirrors that of NastyGal founder Sophia Amoruso in the US.

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Sézalory says, “Eventually I started creating my own designs and they were motivated by the

desire to create clothes for everyday – for real life, but always with a little twist, be it a beautiful

detail, something that makes the product irresistible but that at the same time, is easy to wear."

The Team

The team focuses its energy on finding the perfect cut for each piece. To breathe life into them,

they go in search of the best expertise wherever it may be, embracing every continent with joy so

long as the human conditions and quality meet our requirements.

The Sézane team fulfills around 10,000-20,000 orders a month and has

fast become known for its covetable yet high quality shoes and

handbags. From 100 to 150 pieces, priced at €60 to €380, were

unveiled monthly through an exclusive online rendezvous. Clients

would receive an email indicating the date and time of the collection’s

introduction and, inevitably, the latest offerings would quickly sell out.

Today, there are 300,000 customers, with the number of monthly

orders ranging from 10,000 to 20,000.

Without the costs of an intermediary, a retail space, plentiful stock or print

advertising, Ms. Sézalory and her business partner,

Corentin Petit-Pruvost, are able to sell their

signature Django pumps — comfortable, wear-with-

everything midheight heels — for 180 euros. They

say that is four times less than what they would have

to charge if they maintained traditional offline sale

points. Some of her best selling pieces are ankle

boots, which start from £130, are a huge seller, and

it’s not hard to see the appeal of the Claude leather messenger bag (£145).

The Apartment

To add to the quirky concept of an only online retail operation, Sézane opened an ‘apartment’ in

central Paris at 1 Rue Saint Fiacre, 75002, Paris – a hangout space as opposed to a formal

boutique, where customers can try on clothes and have them shipped within 48 hours.

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The apartment is not situated on a premium street, but, does however have few stores in the

vicinity with the DNA of “French Fashion”, like L’Exception and G. Kero to name a couple. The

Sezane Apartment is filled with mid-century and Hollywood Regency–inspired touches which

makes the shopper feel they are at a lounge area, and they can check out and try on pieces from

the brand’s current collections, then place an order online at the apartment itself. (DASH, 2015)

Online Presence

Sézane is very active online with

Over 245,000 people liking their Facebook page

Over 7000 followers on Twitter

Over 124,000 followers on Instagram

They post on a daily basis on Instagram by introducing new items that are made available to their

customers, styling tips using their products and details of few chosen items. On Facebook and

Twitter, they post on a weekly basis with almost the same information as that on Instagram.

Also, the Sézane team is very proactive with their responses. Any query posted on their

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter page is replied to within few hours. In addition to this, if any

customer wants to know more about the brand, the production process and anything that is

related to Sézane, can mail them personally, to which they reply within one day at the most,

which is an incredible way to build customer relationships.

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Competitors

The brand presents competition to other high end French brands on the basis of their price factor,

keeping the quality either superior or at par. The low pricing is due to zero intermediaries, and by

achieving a strong supply chain, resulting in optimal operating process. To name a few brands

that Sézane has competition from are Belair, Deux Two and Simone & Louis. However, on the

basis of their e-shop format, Sézane has competition from net-a-porter and asos. And on the basis

of the new market that the brand might enter,they would face competition from luxury brands

like Chloe, Stella Mc Cartney and Joseph.

Sézane Facebook Page Sézane Instagram Page

Sézane Twitter Page

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Competitor Analysis Matrix on the basis of Price and Social Media Visibility

Chloe has the maximum visibility and high price (set according to Luxury Brand Pricing)

(net-a-porter.com)

Then comes Stella Mc Cartney with higher price and more visibility on Social media

than Sézane (net-a-porter.com)

Joseph, on the other hand, has lower visibility than Sézane, but is set at a higher price

range (net-a-porter.com)

BelAir, a premium range French brand, has a little higher pricing than Sézane, but has

lower social media visibility (belair-paris.fr)

Deux Two, another premium range French brand, has the same pricing as Sézane, but

much lower social media visibility as compared to Sézane (2two.fr)

Simone & Loiuse, yet another French brand has the lowest price range of the lot and the

least social media visibility (simone-et-louise.com)

Low Social Media

Visibility

High Price Low Price

High Social Media

Visibility Chloe

Stella Mc Cartney

Joseph

Sézane

Simone & Louise

Deux Two

BelAir

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Internet utilisation in France

On 66 millions of people, 83% are internet users

42% are Facebook subscribers = 28 millions members

French people use internet on computers approximately 4hours07/day

French people use internet on mobile approximately 58 minutes/day

68% of french people are social media subscribers and spend 1hour29 on social media

Top 10 most visited website in France

1. 40,5Million : Google

2. 30,0M : Facebook

3. 25,8M : YouTube

4. 24,6M : Microsoft

5. 24,3M : MSN / Windows Live

6. 20,3M : Orange

7. 19,2M : Wikipédia

8. 17,0M : Leboncoin

9. 16,1M : Skype

10. 15,8M : Pages Jaunes

Top 5 of mobile website most visited in France

Google

Facebook

YouTube

Orange

Wikipédia

Top Active Social Platform In

France : Facebook with 29.5%

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Brand prism

Brand: Sézane

Personality: ‘Originality’,

‘Reminiscent’

Culture: Paris, Exhibitions,

Galleries, ‘Rue Saint Honore’,

‘Place Vendome’, ‘Place des

vosges’

Self Concept:

‘Ambitious’,’Busy’,

‘Conventional’

Consumer: 22+ (Age),

‘Inclination towards Parisian

Style’, ‘Eccentric and Classic’

Reflection: ‘Casual

elegance’, ‘Energetic’,

‘Refined’

Relationship Mode: ‘Social’,

‘Immediate’

Physique: ‘Claude Leather

Messenger Bag’,‘Django

Pumps’, ’The Apartment’

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1.2 SURVEY ANALYSIS

A survey was carried out to assess the consumer behavior of French customers for luxury goods

and how well is Sezane recognized by these people. It was done for 50 randomly selected French

customers, based in Paris who were asked to fill out the questionnaire (See Appendix). The

results and analysis of the survey is as follows.

Q1 To what age do you belong?

The maximum proportion of respondents belonged to the age group of 31-45 years.

Q2 What is your Occupation?

Mostly the respondents were employees with 46% of the share.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Less Than 21 21-30 31-45 45 and above

Employee 46%

Executive Manager

6%

Trainee 18%

Student 20%

Self Employed 4%

Others 6% Sales

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Q3 How often do you buy Luxury Goods?

Maximum proportion of the respondents, i.e 34%, buys luxury goods twice a year, assuming it is

offline (i.e from a brick-and mortar store).

Q4 What do you buy most often?

Mostly the respondents bought accessories, bags and shoes as part of their luxury buying. Also,

to be noted, ‘others’ was part of the open ended option of the question where the respondents

filled it to be ‘perfumes’.

2

7

12

17

12

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Once a Week Once in 15 Days Once in a Month

Once in 6 Months

Once a Year

8

12

13

13

4

Clothes

Shoes

Bags

Accessories

Others

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Q6 Would you like to try a luxury product at least once before making the purchase?

Making a trial before purchasing a Luxury Product seemed really important to 86% of the

respondents, which is quite a high number.

Q7Do you buy luxury goods on the Internet?

Nearly half of the total sample respondents, with 56% bought luxury goods online, with the

other half believing that buying such products online was not a good idea.

Yes 86%

No 14%

Yes 56%

No 44%

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Q8 How often do you buy Luxury Goods Online?

Surprisingly, 34% of the respondents bought luxury goods online twice a year, whereas 32%

bought luxury goods online once every month and 30% of the respondents bought luxury goods

online once a year only. The maximum share of respondents who bought luxury goods online

twice a year belonged to bags.

Q9 What type of luxury item do you buy online?

34% of the respondents bought bags from Luxury Brands online, with the second leading

category being that of perfumes, both of which don’t require trial-before-purchase.

0

2

16 17

15

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Once a Week Once in 15 Days

Once in a Month

Once in 6 Months

Once a Year

2

11

17

7

13

Clothes

Shoes

Bags

Accessories

Others

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Q10 What style of luxury products do you buy online?

54% of the respondents bought ‘chic’ and ‘extravagant’ luxury products that look luxurious to

them and have some kind of a ‘luxurious flair’ to them, instead of something that looks casual,

even after being from a luxury brand.

Q11 What do you look for on the internet?

Like consumers in general, luxury products customers (i.e. 48% of the respondents) also look for

‘special offers’ on the internet while making a purchase immaterial of the fact that they are

buying a luxury product.

13 14

11

8

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Extravagent Chic Casual Basic Others

4

7

24

12

3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Exclusives (Only Online)

Limited Editions

Special Offers Products that are available in

Stores

Others

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Evaluate the following criteria for purchase on the Internet:

Q12 Product quality

Almost 62% of the respondents believe product quality is most important to them while making

a purchase on the internet.

Q13 Price

Even while purchasing for luxury products online, consumers are price conscious as 50% of the

respondents believe price is important while making their purchase online.

15 16

10

6

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

12

13

11

7 7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

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Q14 Possibility of Exchange or Refund

Exchange and return policy is quite an important factor for 60% of the respondents who shopped

for luxury products online.

Q15 After Sales Service

Surprisingly, 38% of the respondents have a neutral opinion towards after sales service.

However, it should be noted that most of the respondents out of 38% purchase only luxury bags

online, which does not really require an after sales service as compared to products such as

12

18

6

8

6

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

9 10

19

6 6

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

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clothes or shoes which might sometimes result in a negative post-purchase behavior due to many

reasons.

Q16 Product Diversity Offered

60% of the respondents believe good product diversity is an important factor in their luxury

products buying decision online.

Q17 Customer Service

50% of the respondents have an opinion that ‘Customer Service’ is highly important to them

while making a purchase decision online for luxury products because they would be paying a

comparatively high price as compared to other brands.

15 15

11

9

0 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

13 12

10 9

6

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Extremely Important

Important Neutral Not Important Not at all Important

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Q18 Do you know the brand ‘Sézane’?

70% of the respondents knew about the brands ‘Sezane’, which shows that the brand is quite

visible in the market among the consumers.

Q19 ‘Sézane’ is a Fashion Brand that sells women’s wear and accessories only online, but

there is a Sezane apartment where you can go and try the products before buying. Do you

like the concept of an apartment ?

78% of the customers were in favor of the idea of ‘The Apartment’.

Yes 70%

No 30%

Yes 78%

No 22%

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Null Hypothesis: There is no significant difference in the online buying preference of Sezane to

other Luxury brands

Alternate Hypothesis: There is significant difference in the online buying preference of Sezane

to other Luxury brands

With α=0.05 and z=±1.96,

The z value DOES NOT lie between ±1.96 thus we reject the null hypothesis.

Hence,

Consumers prefer Sezane over other luxury brands as far as online shopping experience goes into

consideration on the basis of the above statistics analysis.

-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Curve

Male: Success 22

Total 50

Female: Success 39

Total 50

p1-hat 0.44 p2-hat 0.78

p bar 0.61 q bar 0.39

z -3.4853926

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Further analysis results in the following:

1.

Offline Online

Once a year 24% 30%

Twice a year 34% 34%

Once a month 24% 32%

Once in 15 days 14% 4%

2. While making a purchase online for Luxury products, consumers preferred buying

‘products that don’t require trial-before-purchase’ more frequently than those which

require trial.

Offline Online

Clothes 16% 4%

Shoes 24% 22%

Bags 26% 34%

Accessories 26% 14%

Others (included

perfumes)

8% 26%

Clothes, shoes and accessories seem to be the categories which could be ‘opportunities’ for being

bought online by consumers.

3. Most of the respondents preferred to buy ‘chic’ and ‘extravagant’ products instead of

something that looks casual or basic

4. 48% of the respondents look for ‘special offers’ on the internet while making a purchase

5. Almost 62% of the respondents believe product quality is most important to them while

making a purchase on the internet

6. Even while purchasing for luxury products online, consumers are price conscious as 50%

of the respondents believe price is important while making their purchase online.

7. Exchange and return policy is quite an important factor for 60% of the respondents who

shopped for luxury products online

8. 60% of the respondents believe good product diversity is an important factor in their

luxury products buying decision online.

This share

belongs to bags This share belongs

to shoes

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9. 50% of the respondents have an opinion that ‘Customer Service’ is highly important to

them while making a purchase decision online for luxury products because they would be

paying a comparatively high price as compared to other brands.

10. 70% of the respondents knew about the brands ‘Sezane’, which shows that the brand is

quite visible in the market among the consumers.

11. 78% of the customers were in favor of the idea of ‘The Apartment’.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Concept of Apartment

Customers are well aware of Sezane

Exclusive (limited) capsule collection every month

Strong Presence on Social Media

Facebook Likes – 248899

Instagram Followers – 111000

Pintrest – 172000

Twitter – 7407 followers

Specialized production: Leather goods from Italy, Spain and Portugal; embellished

merchandise from India

WEAKNESSES

Fragmented Market: Untapped Customers

No free Shipping

Not Trend Inspired

Only one apartment

OPPORTUNITIES

Can turn into a Luxury Brand due to refined style and quality Fabrics

Customers open to buy luxury bags and shoes (in majority) online

Frequency of buying luxury goods online has increased

Trial of luxury items at least once before buying

THREATS

Many stores have e-commerce site PLUS a brick and mortar store, example Burberry

Asos and Net-a-porter: competitor having many different brands under it

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Strength Concept of Apartment

Customers are well aware of

Sezane

Exclusive (limited) capsule

collection every month

Strong Presence on Social

Media

High quality of products

Affordable pricing

Weakness No free Shipping

No product diversity: Limited

and small collection

Only ‘casual’ collection

Only 1 apartment in Paris

‘Classic’ and ‘Traditional’

styles; not trend inspired

Opportunity Frequency of buying luxury

goods online has increased

Most consumers are price

conscious

Exchange and return policies

should be convenient for most

consumers, according to the

survey

Customers look for ‘special

offers’ online

Shoes from luxury brands are

preferred offline

Youtube and Facebook are

the top most visited social

network sites in France

Strength Opportunity Trial of luxury items at least

once before buying

Customers open to buy luxury

bags and shoes (in majority)

online

Can turn into a Luxury Brand

due to refined style, quality

fabrics and affordable pricing

Price conscious consumers

can be targeted for luxury line

of Sezane

The ‘limited edition’

collection would give

exclusivity to customers of

Sezane

Youtube could be utilized and

Facebook page could be

enhanced to improve the

already existing visibility on

Social Media

Opportunity Weakness Exchange and return policies

could be modified for

consumers

Threat Many stores have e-

commerce site PLUS a brick

and mortar store, example

Burberry

Asos and Net-a-porter:

competitor having many

different brands under it

Most of the respondents

preferred to buy ‘chic’ and

‘extravagant’ products instead

of something that looks casual

or basic

Consumers preferred buying

‘products that don’t require

trial-before-purchase’ more

frequently than those which

require trial

Threat Strength ‘The Apartment’ could act as

the brick-and-mortar

equivalent to Sezane

Sezane will have to build its

brand identity of being the

Ultimate French chic and

classic brand that would drive

customers, like Chloe does

The trial-before-purchase

facility could be enabled in

such a manner that Sezane

drives its sales from shoes

also, which constitute the

maximum % amongst the rest

of the categories of luxury

products bought offline

Weakness Threat Stores having a diverse

collection/different brands

under it may pose competition

to Sezane, eg. ASOS & Net-

a-porter

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PESTEL ANALYSIS

Political:

Establishing of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

Political Issues for cheap labor in Asia

Good International relations for trade

Existing commerce infrastructure

Being part of EU, allowing to make easy trade with same currency within the Europe

Economic:

Exchange rates: USA, EU, Asia

Global economy: out of recession

Inflation rate: low

Interest rate: low

large presence of workforce: more people-lower wage, less people- reduced

production

Social:

Workforce age: increase in workforce population (baby boom echo)

Market age: baby boomers are affluent trends: fashion and innovation

Technological:

High percentage of R&D expenditure in France

Good presence of online marketing service

Presence of social media

Environmental:

Energy waste: effects on distribution costs

Carbon footprint: huge amount of CO2 in Leather Goods

Quality of Water

Reserve the natural resources

Legal:

Embargos: can lead for loss market

Labor low: inflexible but secure

Truth in advertising: EU bans misleading ads

Counterfeiting: reduces prestige

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1.2 OBJECTIVES

1. To position Sézane as an attainable luxury French fashion brand

2. To build a new customer base for Sézane that would cater to the new positioning of the brand

1.3 MIND MAPS

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PART II

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1.1 STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS

The strategies formulated to achieve the objectives are as follows:

1. Product Diversification Strategy

This strategy includes creating a new product line for Sézane which would be ‘attainable’

(on the basis of price points) and at the same time ‘luxury’ (on the basis of quality and service)

2. Communication Strategy

After creating the new line, the next logical step would be to communicate this to our

target consumers. Hence, this strategy involves actions that would be related to advertising,

public relations and marketing.

3. Acquiring and Retention Strategy

The secret behind a brand being luxury is giving their customers something more and

better than what they would expect, resulting in acquiring customers by satisfying them. This

would be achieved by improving online service of the brand and making it all the more

convenient for our consumers, as convenience is the key to customer retention.

To elucidate on the actions under each strategy,

1. Product Diversification Strategy

Introducing a new ‘Attainable Luxury’ line

The existing line at Sézane consists of high quality, hence the pricing is similar to those

of other high street brands, but not luxury.

i) Dresses range from €115 to €130

ii) Shirts and blouses range from €80 to €100

iii) Basic T-shirts are around €50

iv) Jackets and coats range from €160 to €390, depending on the material of the

jackets and coats

v) Jeans at €95

vi) Skirts from €65 to €135

vii) Trousers from €95 to €110

viii) Jumpsuits from €110 to €180

ix) Shorts from €90 to €135

x) Bags ranging from €195 to €310, excluding clutches, which have an average

pricing of €95

xi) Heeled shoes range from €145 to €190 and moccasins are around €150

Under this strategy, the brand will create a new line, with pricing maintained between

those of its competitors that are identified: Joseph and Chloe. However, the quality of the

products would be enhanced by using fabrics/materials and getting the products manufactured

from the country that is specialized in manufacturing such products.

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For example, silk blouses would be attained from India which would increase the price of the

blouse to a considerable amount, but would ensure authenticity and preservation of the Indian

craftsmanship.

Also, it won’t be difficult to establish logistics in different countries and regions because Sézane

has been utilizing artisans from other countries for its high street line also, but not to the extent

of getting the entire product manufactured there. So, with an already established logistics and

supply chain and recognition of trademark regions for each type of product, the creation of

attainable luxury line would only require the DNA of the brand to be restored in each product, i.e

French Classic Chic Style, hence, the design will reflect French fashion, but the elements of each

product could be global.

Given below are few prototypes of the new line designed.

The Python Claude Bag is the luxury version of the simple

Claude Bag worth €145. It is made of pure snakeskin leather and

imported from the South-East Asia.

The Galusha Shoes is the luxury version of their simple pumps in

different materials and prints worth €180. The Galusha is also a form of

pure leather obtained from Asia and is one of the most expensive forms

of leather available in shoe making.

The Cashmere Dress would be one of the highlights of the new ‘attainable

luxury’ line, specially designed for A/W ’16. With its finest wool coming

from China, it would be at the high end of the price range. The color would

be kept matching to Sézane’s color palette of pastel shades.

Python Claude Bag

Galusha Pumps

Cashmere Dress

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Silk blouses with the trademark of 100% silk would be available in

basic, printed and different fits and colors. It would be obtained specifically

from India. These would enhance the feminity, whilst giving a casual and chic

Parisian flair.

100% Crepe made pants are quite expensive, but look extremely elegant. The fit will

be kept same as the trousers that the brand already has. Only the fabric would be

different for the luxury line.

Putting the new ‘line’ online for sale

The Sézane website would include the new ‘attainable luxury’ line as well, with more refined

layout that would reflect ‘Luxury’.

The new layout

Silk Blouses

Crepe Pants

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The old layout

2. Communication Strategy

Personal Communication

After analyzing Sézane’s social media platforms, it was found that Sézane lacks a

few points here and there as far as marketing of the brand goes. Consumers relate more to

the brand if they know about the brand and the face behind it. This would give them an

insight to the history of the brand.

This could be achieved by uploading Morgane Sezalory’s Travel Video Diary

online, as she is a frequent traveler and loves to explore new places. Another approach to

this action could be interviewing the craftsmen (or the Sézane team), so that the

customers know the art behind their purchase. These videos could be uploaded on Sézane

Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter page to generate awareness,

Given below are few snapshots of the video that could be uploaded on the social

media platform.

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Celebrities wearing Sézane

Sézane has a very particular style and the celebrities wearing Sézane should

identify themselves with it. The celebrities that would be approached for this should be

French and should have a very easy-going conventional Parisian casual street style. Two

celebrities who have been identified are Lilly-Rose Depp and Clemence Poesy. Both of

them are young and are looked upon by a large number of young people as French casual

elegant celebrities. Here are few pictures that justify these celebrities’ style being in-sync

with that of Sézane.

Create YouTube page

Sézane does not have a YouTube page yet, which is necessary for a brand to

improve its search engine optimization by having a number of links directing to different

pages of Sézane on various social media platforms. Also, once on YouTube, Sézane

would be accessible to over a billion users who spend hundreds of millions of hours on

YouTube. Given below is a preview of the YouTube page that the brand could have.

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Organize Fashion Shows

Another way to attract the relevant target customers is by informing the fashion

connoisseurs about the brand that Sézane is and how they are going to introduce a new

‘Attainable Luxury’ line. This could be done by organizing fashion shows where they

could showcase their collection for each season.

The Sézane Fashion Show would have a different USP altogether, the backdrop

will always be that of an ‘attic’ or ‘backyard’ as it shouts vintage, classic, old-school and

everything that has been an inspiration to Morgane Sezalory for developing this brand.

She used to resell her sister’s clothes in backyard sales, hence, such a backdrop will tell

the story of the history of the brand that Sézane is.

The invitation would be limited, but to generate curiosity, a lot of advertising

could be done for the fashion show. The invitees would include art connoisseurs (not

restricted to fashion only), fashion magazine editors, celebrities (friends & families) and

fashion bloggers.

Given below is a preview of the stage that could be set up for the first fashion

show for preview of Autumn Winter 2016 collection.

Advertisements

Through the SWOT it was observed that Sézane lacks

in marketing itself through advertisements. Hence, a couple

of advertising could be done in places where it could be

brought to notice, for example, outside metro stations and of

course, on social media. The poster shown here could be put

up.

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Commuting via metro is one of the most popular modes of transportation in Paris,

hence, advertising outside metro stations could reach out to a large number of potential

customers. Also, for cities outside Paris, they could be accessed through Sézane’s

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

The concept behind each advertisement will be the same, creating a unique selling

proposition for Sézane. There will be a couple of Polaroid photos placed on a diary, that

would showcase the brand’s collection as well as the story behind the brand or regarding

the creator of Sézane, Morgane Sezalory. The photos will change in every advertisement,

but, the concept of the Polaroid pictures and the travel diary would remain the same, so

that people start to recognize these advertisements from this design after a while.

3. Acquiring and Retention Strategy

Improve delivery and return service

The current delivery service includes orders being shipped within 2 days to 10

days for delivery in France and can go up to 20 days for international delivery from the

day after the validation of the order. However, it is proposed to modify the delivery

service for the new line of ‘Attainable Luxury’ with the following conditions:

-If order is placed before 16 00, then, at an additional charge of about €15 the item could

be shipped on an urgent basis within France, which would then reach the customer in 4

hours. Under such conditions, the customer is given an opportunity to try the product if

they desire to, and if found unsuitable due to incorrect size or unsuitable to their taste,

then they could return it immediately via the delivery personnel.

-If order is placed after 16 00, then, at an additional charge of about €10 the item could be

shipped within France, which would then reach the customer the next day. Under such

conditions too, the free-trial-and-return service is enabled.

-The free-trial-and-return service is given only to ‘attainable luxury’ line customers.

-The ‘attainable luxury’ line shoppers could also opt for standard delivery of 48 hours

with no extra charge upto €250.

-Return service is free at all times.

-When an item is returned, they could opt for an exchange, cash back or a voucher that

they can redeem later.

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Mobile application for Sézane

Sézane, being a brand operating completely online has not tapped into the mobile

platform. Their website can be accessed to via mobile phones, but, it is slower and

inconvenient. Hence, developing a mobile app is cheap and has economies of scale

considering the following statistics.

The layout for Sézane mobile application could be as follows. It will reflect the desktop

website: Clean and easy-to-navigate. It could be developed for both iOS and android platforms

and would be available for free on the appstore and playstore for iOS and android respectively.

Homepage of the App Menu

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App for iPhone App for Tablet

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2.2 TIMELINE OF ALL ACTIONS

July

‘15

Aug

‘15

Sept

‘15

Oct

‘15

Nov

‘15

Dec

‘15

Jan

’16

Feb

‘16

Mar’1

6

April ‘16 May

‘16

June

‘16

July

‘16

Aug

‘16

Create

new line

DESIGN TESTING & SAMPLING PRODUCTION DELI

VERY

IN STORE

Putting

the line

online for

sale

Personal

Communi

cation

DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION (GOING ONLINE)

Celebritie

s wearing

Sézane

(Luxury

line)

Create

Youtube

Page

DESI

GN

TES

TIN

G

IMPLEMENTATION

Organize

Fashion

Shows

PLANNING IMPL.

Advertise

ments

DESIGN IM PLE MENTATION

Improve

delivery

& return

service

DESI

GN

TESTING IMPLEMENTATION (GOING ONLINE)

Mobile

app

DESIGN TESTING IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation of that specific activity

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2.3 BUDGET

1. Product Diversification Strategy:

Retail Price

(Euro)

250

VAT 20%

Selling Price

(Euro)

208

Profit (Euro) 148

Cost Price

(Euro)

60

Total

Production

(Units)

2500

Cost of

Production

150000

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Designing Prototype Testing Sampling

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2. Communication Strategy:

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Research and Development Producation Cost Supply Chain Related Miscelleneous

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Personal Communication Fashion Show Youtube Page Web Advertising Direct marketing

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FASHION SHOW

Budget In Euros

Models 6000

Photographer 3500

Event Location 1000

Sound and Light 3000

Miscellaneous 2000

Total 15500

3. Acquiring and Retention Strategy:

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Delivery and Return Service Development of Mobile App Launching Mobile App

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Master Budget

Marketing Budget

Fiscal

Year

Begins:

Jul-15

1 RUE SAINT FRANCE 75002 PARIS

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Monthly

Average Total Overview

Budget Total 4,200 4,700 2,650 2,150 10,767 85,567 7,316 1,350 1,350 1,150 1,150 78,150 16,708 200,500

Product Diversification Designing 1,500 1,500 1,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 375 4,500

Prototype 0 0 0 1,000 1,000 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 3,000

Testing 0 0 0 0 1,250 1,250 0 0 0 0 0 0 208 2,500

Sampling 0 0 0 0 2,500 2,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 417 5,000

Total 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,000 4,750 4,750 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,250 15,000

Acquiring StrategyDelivery and Return Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 200 200 0 0 0 117 1,400

Development of Mobile App 2,500 2,500 500 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 6,000

Launching Mobile App 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 200

Acquiring Strategy Total 2,500 2,500 500 500 200 0 1,000 200 200 0 0 0 633 7,600

Communication StrategyPersonal Communication 0 500 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 83 1,000

Fashion Show 0 0 0 0 5,167 5,167 5,166 0 0 0 0 0 1,292 15,500

Youtube Page 50 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 100

Advertising 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 500 6,000

Direct marketing 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 600

Communications Total 100 600 550 50 5,217 5,217 6,216 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,933 23,200

Manufacturing and DeliveryResearch and Development 0 0 0 500 500 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 125 1,500

Producation Cost 0 0 0 0 0 75,000 0 0 0 0 0 75,000 12,500 150,000

Supply Chain Related 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,000 167 2,000

Miscelleneous 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 1,200

Manufacturing Total 100 100 100 600 600 75,600 100 100 100 100 100 77,100 12,892 154,700

SEZANE

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CONCLUSION

Through the market survey, both primary and secondary, it was found out that Sezane, which

operates 100% online could do well with a new ‘attainable luxury’ line as there is a good

demand for luxury products at attainable price in the market.

The new range will not be different from the existing product lines at Sezane, instead it would

complement it in ways of better quality fabrics that are more exotic and detailed craftsmanship

that enhance the value of each product. With the new consumer looking for ‘worth’ of

everything, this value-for-money would justify the new ‘Attainable Luxury’ line.

Also, with few modifications in terms of delivery and returns, the luxury online shopping service

would generate a lot of revenue for Sezane as the need for trial-before-purchasing has been

coped up with, with the introduction of ‘The Apartment’ and special service for customers of the

‘Attainable Luxury’ line.

So as to generate awareness about the new line, a sequence of actions related to the

communication strategies could be opted for. With Sezane already being quite visible on Social

Media platforms, this could be used as a strength and a lot of marketing and advertising could be

done on this platform, whilst being within budget as with the use of social media, one can reach

out to a lot at an economical rate.

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REFERENCES

Retrieved 2015 йил November from sezane.com: http://www.sezane.com/en/about/the-

brand

2two.fr

belair-paris.fr

DASH, C. (2015 йил 26-October). Retrieved 2015 йил 18-November from vogue.com:

http://www.vogue.com/13364512/apartment-style-stores-sezane-the-line/

net-a-porter.com

simone-et-louise.com

https://market.epom.com/?ref=3594&cpn=AW_Ad-Networks-by-

Type&kwd=advertising%20websites&gclid=CMCQ_tmFuckCFQnmwgodYJMPMQ

http://www.scenegraphystudio.com/fashion-shows-photographer-price-list

http://media.wix.com/ugd/de0cf8_497a3a0766a74971992f03c82cf78610.pdf

http://appmuse.com/appmusing/how-much-does-it-cost-to-develop-a-mobile-app/

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APPENDIX

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Survey on Consumer buying behavior of Luxury Brands in Paris

Q1 À quelle tranche d'âge appartenez-vous ?

Moins de 21 ans

21-30 ans

31-45 ans

Plus de 45 ans

Q2 Quel est votre sexe ?

Homme

Femme

Q3 Quel est votre statut professionnel actuel ?

Employé

Cadre

Stagiaire

Étudiant

Indépendant

Autre (veuillez préciser) ____________________

Q4 À quelle fréquence achetez-vous des produits de luxe?

Une fois par semaine

Une fois tous les quinze jours

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Une fois par mois

Une fois par an

Q5 Qu'achetez-vous le plus souvent comme produit de luxe?

Vêtements

Chaussures

Sacs

Accessoires

Autre (veuillez préciser)____________________

Q6 Préférez-vous essayer au moins une fois un produit de luxe avant de procéder à

l'achat?

Oui

Non

Q7 Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet?

Oui

Non

Pas encore

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q8 À quelle fréquence?

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Une fois par semaine

Une fois par mois

Une fois tous les six mois

Une fois par an

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q9 Quel type de produit de luxe achetez-vous sur internet?

Vêtements

Chaussures

Sacs

Accessoires

Autre (veuillez préciser) ____________________

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q10 Quel style de produits de luxe achetez-vous sur internet?

Extravagant

Chic

Casual

Basic

Autre (veuillez préciser) ____________________

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Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q11 Que recherchez-vous sur internet?

Des exclusivités uniquement disponibles sur internet

Des éditions limités

Des offres spéciales

Des produits également disponibles en magasin

Autre (veuillez préciser) ____________________

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q12 Evaluez les critères suivant pour l’achat sur internet :

Extrêmement

important

Très

important

Assez

important

Peu

important

Pas du tout

important

Qualité des

produits

Prix

Possibilité

d'échange

ou de

remboursement

Commodités

mises en

place pour

l'achat en

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Ligne

Service après

vente

Diversité des

produits

Proposes

Service client

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q13 Connaissez-vous la marque "Sézane"?

Oui

Non

Answer If Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Oui Is Selected Or

Achetez-vous des produits de luxe sur internet? Pas encore Is Selected

Q14 " Sézane " est une marque de commerce uniquement en ligne , mais il ya un

magasin Sezane où vous pouvez aller et essayer les produits avant d'acheter .

Aimez-vous le concept d'une vente uniquement Internet?

Oui

Non