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- September–October 2022
- Article
Should Your Company Sell on Amazon?: Reach Comes at a Price
By: Ayelet Israeli, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Matt Higgins and Sabir Semerkant
Selling on Amazon allows brands to reach millions of consumers—but that exposure comes with costs. They include smaller margins, more competition, the risk of commoditization, and less knowledge about customers.
In this article, the authors present a scorecard to...
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Keywords:
Retail;
Retailing;
Online Business;
Ecommerce;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Omnichannel Retail;
Omnichannel Retailing;
Amazon;
Amazon.com;
Sales;
Digital Marketing;
Internet and the Web;
Business Model;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States
- June 2022
- Case
Zalando: Becoming the Starting Point for Fashion
By: Antonio Moreno, Leela Nageswaran, Emilie Billaud and Federica Gabrieli
Born in 2008 as a small startup selling flip flops, by mid-2021 Zalando had turned into an online fashion company with an assortment of more than 4,500 international brands, 45 million active customers, and a presence in 23 European markets. An essential component in...
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Keywords:
Transition;
Customer Value and Value Chain;
Digital Platforms;
Distribution;
Order Taking and Fulfillment;
Infrastructure;
Logistics;
Service Operations;
Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Europe
- January 2022
- Case
Bee-ing Better at Bombas
By: Elizabeth A. Keenan, Youngme Moon and John Masko
David Heath and Randy Goldberg founded Bombas in 2013 to serve two missions: to deliver the “best socks in the history of feet,” and to donate socks (the most requested item in homeless shelters) to Americans experiencing homelessness. Eight years later, Bombas had...
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Keywords:
Social Entrepreneurship;
Values and Beliefs;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Strategy;
Digital Marketing;
Distribution;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Mission and Purpose;
Quality;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Human Needs;
Poverty;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
New York (city, NY)
- November 2021 (Revised March 2022)
- Case
Farfetch: Digital Transformation for Luxury Brands
By: Sunil Gupta, Jill Avery, Elena Corsi and Federica Gabrieli
Farfetch, a global luxury technology platform and digital marketplace had been surfing the wave of digital transformation in the luxury fashion industry since 2008. While the company’s stock price and market valuation had fluctuated since its IPO in 2018, it had...
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Keywords:
Digital Marketing;
Marketplaces;
Retailing;
Internet Marketing;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Marketing Channels;
Brands and Branding;
Luxury;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Digital Transformation;
E-commerce;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United Kingdom;
Europe;
Portugal;
China
- August 2021 (Revised November 2021)
- Case
Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion
By: Michael W. Toffel, Ken Pucker and Eren Kuzucu
Allbirds is a footwear startup focused on simple design, comfort, and sustainable natural materials. The case describes the company’s product development process that works with suppliers to develop natural materials including wool and sugarcane to substitute for...
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Keywords:
Decarbonization;
Climate Impact;
Environmental Strategy;
Innovation;
Product Design;
Supply Chain Management;
Innovation Strategy;
Innovation and Management;
Product Development;
Climate Change;
Environmental Management;
Environmental Sustainability;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States;
California
- May 2021 (Revised February 2022)
- Teaching Note
THE YES: Reimagining the Future of E-Commerce with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
By: Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery
THE YES, a multi-brand shopping app launched in May 2020 offered a new type of buying experience for women’s fashion, driven by a sophisticated algorithm that used data science and machine learning to create and deliver a personalized store for every shopper, based on...
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Keywords:
Data;
Data Analytics;
Artificial Intelligence;
AI;
AI Algorithms;
AI Creativity;
Fashion;
Retail;
Retail Analytics;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Platform;
Platforms;
Big Data;
Preference Elicitation;
Predictive Analytics;
App Development;
＂Marketing Analytics＂;
Advertising;
Mobile App;
Mobile Marketing;
Apparel;
Online Advertising;
Referral Rewards;
Referrals;
Female Ceo;
Female Entrepreneur;
Female Protagonist;
Analytics and Data Science;
Analysis;
Creativity;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Consumer Behavior;
Demand and Consumers;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Marketing Channels;
Digital Marketing;
Internet and the Web;
Mobile and Wireless Technology;
AI and Machine Learning;
E-commerce;
Digital Platforms;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States
- April 2021 (Revised July 2021)
- Case
StockX: The Stock Market of Things (Abridged)
By: Chiara Farronato, John J. Horton, Annelena Lobb and Julia Kelley
Founded in 2015 by Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, and Greg Schwartz, StockX was an online platform where users could buy and sell unworn luxury and limited-edition sneakers. Sneaker resale prices often fluctuated over time based on supply and demand, creating a robust...
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Keywords:
Markets;
Auctions;
Bids and Bidding;
Demand and Consumers;
Consumer Behavior;
Analytics and Data Science;
Market Design;
Digital Platforms;
Market Transactions;
Marketplace Matching;
Supply and Industry;
Analysis;
Price;
Product Marketing;
Product Launch;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Michigan;
Detroit
- March 17, 2021
- Other Article
Beyond Pajamas: Sizing Up the Pandemic Shopper
By: Ayelet Israeli, Eva Ascarza and Laura Castrillo
A first look at how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted e-commerce apparel shopping in the US and the UK. Extensive analysis and interactive graphics utilizing millions of transactions.
While the pandemic is still playing out, our preliminary investigations... View Details
While the pandemic is still playing out, our preliminary investigations... View Details
Keywords:
Retail;
Retail Analytics;
Consumer;
Pandemic;
COVID;
COVID-19;
Apparel;
Ecommerce;
Online Shopping;
Online Apparel;
Online Sales;
Returns;
CRM;
Customer Retention;
Customer Experience;
Customer Value;
Digital;
Customer Focus and Relationships;
Customers;
Health Pandemics;
Consumer Behavior;
Customer Relationship Management;
Internet and the Web;
Behavior;
E-commerce;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States;
United Kingdom
- February 2021
- Case
Threadless: The Renewal of an Online Community
By: Shane Greenstein, Karim Lakhani and Christian Godwin
Threadless, an online apparel company and artist community which Jake Nickell founded in 2000, continued to maintain its status as a top company in the online apparel industry during its second decade. From 2010 to 2020, Threadless continued to operate its...
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Keywords:
Business Model;
Decision Making;
Entrepreneurship;
Innovation and Invention;
Leading Change;
Management;
Marketing;
Product Launch;
Operations;
Supply Chain;
Distribution;
Networks;
Sales;
Strategy;
Adaptation;
Information Technology;
Applications and Software;
Digital Platforms;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
North America
- January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
THE YES: Reimagining the Future of E-Commerce with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
By: Jill Avery, Ayelet Israeli and Emma von Maur
THE YES, a multi-brand shopping app launched in May 2020 offered a new type of buying experience for women’s fashion, driven by a sophisticated algorithm that used data science and machine learning to create and deliver a personalized store for every shopper, based on...
View Details
Keywords:
Data;
Data Analytics;
Artificial Intelligence;
AI;
AI Algorithms;
AI Creativity;
Fashion;
Retail;
Retail Analytics;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Platform;
Platforms;
Big Data;
Preference Elicitation;
Preference Prediction;
Predictive Analytics;
App Development;
＂Marketing Analytics＂;
Advertising;
Mobile App;
Mobile Marketing;
Apparel;
Online Advertising;
Referral Rewards;
Referrals;
Female Ceo;
Female Entrepreneur;
Female Protagonist;
Analytics and Data Science;
Analysis;
Creativity;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Consumer Behavior;
Demand and Consumers;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Marketing Channels;
Digital Marketing;
Internet and the Web;
Mobile and Wireless Technology;
AI and Machine Learning;
E-commerce;
Digital Platforms;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States
- September 2020
- Article
Customer Supercharging in Experience-Centric Channels
By: David R. Bell, Santiago Gallino and Antonio Moreno
We conjecture that for online retailers, experience-centric offline store formats do not simply expand market coverage, but rather, serve to significantly amplify future positive customer behaviors, both online and offline. We term this phenomenon “supercharging” and...
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- February 2020 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
Anomalie
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones
In early 2019, the founders of Anomalie, an online direct-to-consumer provider of bridal gowns, have just agreed to an $13.6 million Series A investment from a Silicon Valley VC. They are considering three major initiatives as they move forward. (1) To scale their...
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- February 2020 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
StockX: The Stock Market of Things
By: Chiara Farronato, John J. Horton, Annelena Lobb and Julia Kelley
Founded in 2015 by Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, and Greg Schwartz, StockX was an online platform where users could buy and sell unworn luxury and limited-edition sneakers. Sneaker resale prices often fluctuated over time based on supply and demand, creating a robust...
View Details
Keywords:
Markets;
Auctions;
Bids and Bidding;
Demand and Consumers;
Consumer Behavior;
Analytics and Data Science;
Market Design;
Digital Platforms;
Market Transactions;
Marketplace Matching;
Supply and Industry;
Analysis;
Price;
Product Marketing;
Product Launch;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Michigan;
Detroit
- December 2019
- Article
The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment
By: Donald Ngwe, Kris J. Ferreira and Thales Teixeira
Many online stores are designed such that shoppers can easily access any available discounted products. We propose that deliberately increasing search frictions by placing small obstacles to locating discounted items can improve online retailers’ margins and even...
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- 2019
- Working Paper
The Impact of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment
By: Donald Ngwe, Kris J. Ferreira and Thales Teixeira
Many online stores are designed such that shoppers can easily access any available discounted products. We propose that deliberately increasing search frictions by placing small obstacles to locating discounted items can improve online retailers’ margins and even...
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- October 2018
- Article
The Operational Value of Social Media Information
By: Ruomeng Cui, Santiago Gallino, Antonio Moreno and Dennis J. Zhang
While the value of using social media information has been established in multiple business contexts, the field of operations and supply chain management have not yet explored the possibilities it offers in improving firms' operational decisions. This study attempts to...
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- Fall 2018
- Article
The Value of Fit Information in Online Retail: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
By: Santiago Gallino and Antonio Moreno
Online channels generate frictions when selling products with nondigital attributes, such as apparel. Customers may be reluctant to purchase products they have not been able to try on, and those customers who do purchase may return products when they do not fit as...
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- February 2018
- Case
Montes Calcados: A Step Ahead
By: James L. Heskett and James T. Kindley
Montes Calçados (MC) is a well-known "fast-fashion" Brazilian manufacturer of casual, but fashionable, shoes for women aged 18–35 in major cities worldwide. To boost its declining revenues, MC must evaluate two growth options: whether to expand distribution online (at...
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- December 2017 (Revised March 2019)
- Case
Armarium: Luxury Fashion Brands for Rent
By: Jill Avery, David Fubini, Natasha Dossa and Devon Stewart
Armarium, a two-sided online platform that offered consumers the opportunity to rent the most coveted, current season high fashion clothing and accessories from the top global luxury brands, had emerged from its first sales season with two distinct customer segments:...
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Keywords:
Brand Management;
Retailing;
Sharing Economy;
Luxury Brand;
Ecommerce;
Startup;
Fashion;
Brand Positioning;
Customer Acquisition;
Internet Marketing;
Marketing;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Business Startups;
Luxury;
Consumer Behavior;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Social Media;
E-commerce;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
United States;
North America
- January 2017
- Case
Expanding Ecommerce at Technos
By: Thales Teixeira, Rohit Deshpandé, Ruth Costas and Priscilla Zogbi
Technos was the market leader in the Brazilian watch market. Its CEO had made a firm commitment to evolve the company’s marketing and commercial practices by focusing less on pushing product to retail clients and more on branding to end consumers to pull watches from...
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