ations to supervise and provide input to the operations. Products are marketed to the end consumer. Miss & Mrs. initially used catalog sales to market their products, but opened their store in order to give customers a way to easily see the products they are buying. In the beginning, the company used door to door selling techniques, but it quickly became apparent that this would not be an effective marketing technique long-term and it was abandoned (Kim n.p.).
Overall, the company is doing well and has been able to expand at a time when many of its competitors are either contracting or going out of business altogether. Competition comes from wholesalers who also target this market (lower to middle class white consumers), but Miss & Mrs. considers itself to occupy the number two position in its market (Kim n.p.). Future plans call for the company to expand its product line and possibly offer more styles in the future; currently, the company offers between 10 and 20 styles on a consistent basis and does not vary this number.
Distribution is handled directly; the company sells to both wholesalers and retailers as well as to end consumers through its stores. Deliveries to wholesalers and retailers can be made by ground or air transportation; orders are taken over the phone for these customers in most cases. Local trade customers sometimes pick up their merchandise at the factory or they may have it delivered.
The catalog has proven an invaluable market tool as it gives customers who are out of the area the opportunity to get a good idea of what Miss & Mrs. has available. The catalog is used by both the trade and consumer market, and the company is considering expanding its operation in this area so that consumers have a greater role.
Although the fashion industry is a high risk business because of the constantly changing fashion trends, it can also be a highly profitable industry and one that is relatively easy to enter ...