Zara’s secret to success retail – its pricing strategy (2024)

Madonna hold a concert in Barcelona on June 21th 2001. People found a new fashion clothes in the local Zara store after three days, which is the same as the clothes in Madonna’s concert. Its price is affordable to most common customers. The clothes are on fire soon. The concept of Zara is to offer its product with fashion design and provides products at reasonable price (D´Andrea & Arnold, 2003).

Zara’s secret to success retail – its pricing strategy (1)

Developing a strong business model is important. Zara is well-known as its high-fashion, low-cost business model. Young people pursue fashion but don’t have enough money. José María Castellano stated that “the fashion world is in constant flux and is driven not by supply but by customer demand. Zara provides consumers what they want (News,2013).

Factors affect pricing decisions

Four biggest fashion companies are all fast-fashion companies, including Topshop, Zara, Uniqlo and H&M. These fast-fashion brands have cheap labor, cheap materials and fast production schedules. These factors enable Zara to adopt low pricing strategy. ZARAwas recognized as its first-class image,second-class production and third-rateprice. It doesn’t have expensivedesign, advertisingandraw materialcosts. Zara’s prices are about 1/4 of other brand’ prices. In Singapore, women’s coat usually sells at 19-26 dollars in Zara’s shop. However, the same type products in other shop sale at 40-60 dollars.

Zara’s secret to success retail – its pricing strategy (2)

Two different types of pricing strategies

It is a little crazy to say that luxury fashion brands need pay attention to the increasingly activities of Zara. Most luxury fashion brands adopt high pricing strategies. They aim to provide high-quality products for high-income groups. We understand that being expensive is a significant marketing strategy to build a luxury brand. However, Zara provides products at a reasonable price to target customers. Zara will win on price. Zara’s prices are less expensive than luxury fashion brands’. Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton raise the price of products in recent years. Compared with these luxury fashion brands, one of real competitive advantages for Zara is price (Ghemawar&Nueno,2003). Zara’s pricing strategy not only the value proposition is evident, but also is affordable to most customers. Luxury brands have to admit Zara has a strong position in the global market.

In consideration of optimizing development and training costs, the current pricing strategy is suitable for Zara. It mainly uses value-based pricing approaches. The strategy focus on customers’ perceptions of value rather than company’s costs to set price. Its target customers want fashion clothes but could not afford the high price of luxury fashion brands. Zaracounts broken code andunsalableproducts every day.These products will be sold at low price. In addition, it often provides discounts at the end of season.

The reason for change their prices

Zara does not have a large design team. At the same time, it doesn’t have factories close to target markets. In order to solve its problem, Zara uses low-cost Asian factories produce its products. In the recent years, the cost of materials and labor in Asian countries increase. Zara is forced to increase prices in response to increased materials and labor wages (News,2013).

More expensive clothes and less exciting design have bad influence on business model. Although this fast fashion industry dominated the clothing market, they will face some environmental impact of the industry.

I wonder: Would you mind paying more at fast-fashion clothes, such as Zara and H&M? Would like to you stop shopping at Zara?

In a word, Zara is an excellent clothing brand worth considering because of its reasonable price. Increased cost will be a challenge for Zara. I think keeping reasonable prices may be a good strategy for development.

Reference

D´Andrea, G. and Arnold, D. (2003), Zara, Harvard Business School Press.

News. (2013), Will Zara Be Able To Keep Clothes Cheap as Labor CostsRise from http://www.racked.com/2013/3/4/7684835/some-fastfashion-companies-will-survive-increased-labor-prices-but

News.(2016),Zara’s Business Model, Information and Communication Technologies, and Competitive Analysis from http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=97642

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Zara’s secret to success retail – its pricing strategy (2024)

FAQs

What is the price strategy of Zara? ›

Zara has a price strategy that suits its target market, including males, females andchildren, as the cost of the product enables the middle-class people, that are the biggest share ofthe market, as well as wealthy people.

What are the secrets behind Zara's success? ›

The success of the brand lies where customers appreciate and desire the brand, which is over and above product level benefits and strongly driven by the brand experience. Zara uses its store location and store displays as key elements of its marketing strategy.

How does Zara keep prices low? ›

These fast-fashion brands have cheap labor, cheap materials and fast production schedules. These factors enable Zara to adopt low pricing strategy. ZARA was recognized as its first-class image, second-class production and third-rate price. It doesn't have expensive design, advertising and raw material costs.

What are the key strategies of Zara have led the brand to success What is Zara's biggest competitive advantage over other retailers? ›

The Zara brand strategy

Its core values are found in four simple terms: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability. The secret to Zara's success has largely being driven by its ability to keep up with rapidly changing fashion trends and showcase it in its collections with very little delay.

What is Zara's strategy? ›

Instead of making a big bet on a single style, let's say a floral dress, manufacturing it in large quantities only to find the demand is not there, Zara can avoid this by producing smaller quantities. This approach allows Zara to see what the demand is like before making a larger investment.

What is Zara target market strategy? ›

The market segmentation strategy of Zara focuses on customers who want a fast-changing wardrobe in keeping with the very latest fashion, yet also of good quality and at an affordable price. Zara customers are typically loyal: Zara ranks higher than competitors on the Net Promoter Score®.

What is Zara's biggest competitive advantage over other retailers? ›

High level customer loyalty is a distinct advantage which translates into higher sales and revenue. ZARA generates the highest revenue of all the brands owned by Inditex.

Which element of Zara's strategy do you believe best explains its success? ›

a.) Zara's success is largely due to its supply chain strategy and information control systems. These are measures taken to achieve the mission and vision(the larger objectives of the firm). It is really important to decide on how we are going to ac…

How often does Zara reduce prices? ›

The second week, we price the sale at 40% or even 50%. During the third week, you can get items for up to 70% to 75% off because everything has to go. It's better to wait two to three weeks for the best sale prices." "Wait for discounts on more expensive and larger pieces such as coats and jackets.

What is low pricing strategy? ›

A pricing strategy in which a company offers a relatively low price to stimulate demand and gain market share.

Why is Zara known as a fast fashion retail? ›

over 450 million items per year and 500 new designs each week. This fast turnover is the reason why it's recognized as one of the largest retailers in fast fashion.

What is Zara's unique selling point? ›

Develop Time-Critical Value Proposition

Zara's value proposition focuses on keeping up with fast-changing fashion trends. Its activity configuration allows it to spot trends and launch new pieces in less than three weeks. Competitors show two collections per year and take over nine months to get items to stores.

In what way does Zara develop competitive advantage through excellent strategy execution? ›

Overall, Zara has managed to create competitive advantage in every level of strategy execution by tightly aligning design, production, advertising, and real estate with the overall strategy of fast fashion: extremely fast and extremely flexible.

What are the three most critical factors of Zara? ›

Zara's Three Success Factors: Speed, Speed, and Speed.

Is Zara's competitive strategy aligned with supply chain strategy? ›

In conclusion, Zara's success in the fashion industry can be attributed to its highly responsive and efficient supply chain management system. The company has achieved a strategic fit by aligning its supply chain operations with its business strategy and competitive priorities.

What makes Zara different from its competitors? ›

Zara's strategy is to offer a higher number of available products than its competitors. While most clothing retailers manufacture and offer to the public for sale 2,000 to 4,000 different articles of clothing, Zara's production has been markedly higher, at over 10,000 pieces produced per year.

What makes Zara different from other specialty apparel retailers? ›

Answer & Explanation. 1) Zara is a large fashion retailer that has a unique business model. Unlike other large fashion retailers, Zara places a strong emphasis on fast fashion and quick turnaround times, which means that they need to be able to rapidly restock items and keep up with changing trends.

What do you think is Zara's competitive advantage? ›

Zara's generic strategy is cost leadership. The brand holds a competitive advantage in the market by offering products similar to high-end fashion and designer brands' styles at modest prices.

How does Zara gain a competitive advantage? ›

Zara is the biggest Spanish clothing retailer in the world based on sales value. Its success is due to its fast fashion strategy that is based on a strong supply chain and quick market feedback loops.

What is Zara's successful formula for fast fashion? ›

The company's strategy involves stocking very little inventory and updating collections often to deliver the latest emerging fashion trends. This means fast manufacturing, fast shipment, and thus fast purchase; the fast delivery and turnover of apparel creating a sense of scarcity and urgency.

What is the major problem faced by Zara? ›

However, the brand has recently faced three main challenges: e-commerce, competition and sustainability. To sustain its global expansion, the brand made a step toward digital expansion even before the pandemic hit, and it paid off. So far in 2020, Zara reports a 74% jump in online sales alone.

What is Zara's Porter's Five Forces analysis? ›

The analysis focuses on measuring the company's position based on forces like threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and competitive rivalry.

How does Zara deal with unsold clothes? ›

No Zara stores have a back room for excess inventory, there is no inventory anywhere in the supply chain. The stores place two orders a week Wednesdays before 3pm and Saturday before 6pm, if the store misses an order the Head Office issue a replenishment order based on last order volume.

What advantage does Zara gain from replenishing its stores twice a week compared to a less frequent schedule? ›

4a),What advantage form replenishing stores multiple times a week? Frequent replenishment allows Zara to match supply and demand more effectively than the competitors. Sell most products at full price and only half the markdowns in stores compared to competition.

Does Zara have price match? ›

And the store refuses to price match.

What are the 4 pricing strategies? ›

What are the 4 major pricing strategies? Value-based, competition-based, cost-plus, and dynamic pricing are all models that are used frequently, depending on the industry and business model in question.

What is basic pricing strategy? ›

A pricing strategy is a model or method used to establish the best price for a product or service. It helps you choose prices to maximize profits and shareholder value while considering consumer and market demand.

What retailers use a high low pricing strategy? ›

High-low pricing is used extensively by major retailers such as Macy's and Nordstrom and specialty companies such as Adidas and Nike. They set prices high but then periodically offer consumers lower prices through sales, promotions or coupons.

What is the brand reputation of Zara? ›

In 2019, Zara was ranked 29th on global brand consultancy Interbrand's list of best global brands. Its core values are found in four simple terms: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability.

What is Zara hybrid strategy? ›

Zara is building a hybrid business model, where it combines fast fashion with cues of luxury (curated capsules, art direction, photography, model selection, styling).

How Zara can become more sustainable? ›

In 2022, Zara promised to use 100% renewable energy in their own operations. In 2023 they promise to eliminate single-use plastics for customers. By 2025 they plan to introduce more sustainable 100% linen and sustainable or recycled polyester. By 2040 they promise to have zero net emissions.

What is Zara price point? ›

The majority of H&M's assortment sits between $20-35 while Zara is more elevated, advertised at $35 onwards. With two distinct pricing categories in the market, quality and detailing will play an important role in consumer purchasing.

What is Zara's average price point? ›

According to average prices monitored on March 8, 2022, dresses would be sold at 15.74 U.S. dollars on Shein, while Zara had an average selling price of 48.19 U.S. dollars for the same product.

What are the most important prerequisites for sustaining Zara's competitive advantages? ›

As a brand, their speed and responsiveness to the latest fashion trends are key to Zara's competitive advantage.

Does Zara use dynamic pricing? ›

Retailers like Zara has implemented systematic dynamic markdown pricing strategy.

What is price strategy in marketing? ›

Pricing strategies are the methods and procedures companies employ to determine the rates they charge for their goods and services. Pricing is the amount you charge for your items; pricing strategy is how you calculate that number. Pricing strategy can encompass anything from: The state of the market.

What is Zara's competitive advantage? ›

Apart from being agile, its supply chain and production system are efficient and designed to deliver results faster. Another attractive aspect of ZARA's business model is the in-store experience. These stores are designed to offer a great in-store shopping experience and create highest satisfaction for customers.

What was Zara's value proposition to customers? ›

Zara's value proposition focuses on keeping up with fast-changing fashion trends.

What is competitive pricing strategy? ›

What Is Competitive Pricing Strategy? Competitive pricing is the process of strategically selecting price points for your goods or services based on competitor pricing in your market or niche, rather than basing prices solely on business costs or target profit margins.

What is an example of a pricing strategy? ›

Psychological pricing

A few common examples of this strategy that are proven to work include: Ending a price with an odd number to make a customer feel like they're spending much less ($5.99 instead of $6, or 97 cents instead of $1). This is often known as charm pricing.

What is dynamic pricing strategy in retail? ›

Dynamic pricing is a pricing strategy that applies variable prices instead of fixed prices. Instead of deciding on a set price for a season, retailers can update their prices multiple times per day to capitalize on the ever-changing market. Dynamic pricing often gets confused with personalized pricing.

What is a pricing skimming strategy? ›

Skim pricing, also known as price skimming, is a pricing strategy that sets new product prices high and subsequently lowers them as competitors enter the market. Skim pricing is the opposite of penetration pricing, which prices newly launched products low to build a big customer base at the outset.

What is pricing strategy and tactics? ›

A pricing strategy takes into account segments, ability to pay, market conditions, competitor actions, trade margins and input costs, amongst others. It is targeted at the defined customers and against competitors.

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