Dissertation Proposal: Country of Origin Impact on UK Clothing Market

This dissertation proposal examines the influence of country of origin on consumer choices within the UK clothing market, with a specific focus on the luxury brands Louis Vuitton and Gucci. The introduction provides background on business management, the research's relevance, and the UK fashion market. The theoretical background outlines the aim, objectives, and research questions, exploring factors influencing consumer selection, the impact of country of origin on consumer preferences, and strategies employed by Louis Vuitton and Gucci. The proposal delves into economic factors, marketing mix elements, and personal preferences affecting customer choices. It further analyzes how country image and origin influence consumer behavior, including the impact of geographic and human components, and the role of national stereotypes. The proposal also outlines strategies used by Louis Vuitton and Gucci to identify and cater to consumer preferences, such as innovation in design, effective distribution, and building brand image. The justification and contextualization section explains the research's significance within the current UK market, particularly in the context of Brexit, and highlights the challenges and opportunities for these brands. The methodology section details the research approach and methods to be employed. The conclusion summarizes the key points and findings of the proposal. The references section lists all the sources used in the proposal.

Business and Management
Desertation

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Theoretical background...................................................................................................................3
Justification and contextualization...................................................................................................7
Methodology....................................................................................................................................8
Research Methodology................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Business management are those subjects which is completely devoted to organizing,
analyzing and planning for different business operations. In the same way, current research is
also based upon how the country of origins affect Louis Vuitton and Gucci consumer choices in
UK clothing market. It is quite important for the companies to keep in mind regarding the choice
of the customers and the same should be offered in order to satisfy the needs. Moreover, the
current research proposal is also provide a brief summary of all the key points of the research
aim and objectives. Such that research describe how will the country origin affect the behavior
of customers and the retail sector also offer the products and services in order to satisfy the needs
of the customers. Further, researcher also develop aim and objectives with regards to topic. As
per the 2019 data, the fashion industry in UK is expecting to set the market value around 63.6
billion euros and the sales is also increases from previous years. Therefore, fashion in not
changing every year but every season and in the same way, UK is also key changing its products
by complying with new trends.
The selected company for this research is Louis Vuitton and Gucci which are operates in
retail sector and after analyzing the customers choice and their preference, both companies sell
their products in order to increase the financial performance. Moreover, research will helps to
analyze the themes in more better way and describe the research methods in order to reach final
conclusion. Such that it presents research approach, strategy, sample size and target population
who will help to determine whether the country's origin affect the Louis Vuitton and Gucci
consumer choice of UK clothing market. Lastly, study will help to determine how the customer
choices affects on the UK market.
Theoretical background
Aim: “ To investigate the impact of country's origin affect the consumers choice in clothing
market of UK: A case study on Louis Vuitton and Gucci”
Objectives:
 To analyze the different element which affect consumer selection in retail market of UK
 To analyze the impact of country's origin which create impact upon customer preference
in Louis Vuitton and Gucci
 To identify different strategies adopted by Louis Vuitton and Gucci to determine the
customer choice in retail market.
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Research Questions:
 What are the different different element which affect consumer selection in retail market
of UK?
 How country's origin creates impact upon the customer preference in Louis Vuitton and
Gucci?
Theme 1: different factor that affect customer choice in retail market of UK
As per the view of Bouranta, Psomas and Vouzas (2019) customer changes their mood in
different ways and they are mostly prefer to purchase the low cost products with long durability.
Among them, economic factor affect the most, Such that this factor consider one of the main
foundation of any purchasing decision. It is so because people cannot buy actually what they are
afford. Therefore, at that time, affordability plays an important role and at that time, small
medium people cannot afford the high products and that is why, affordability consider an crucial
role for the customers buying decision. In addition to this, a positive economic environment also
known to make the customer more confident and indulge customer to purchase irrespective of
their personal financial liabilities.
On the other side, Brito, McGoldrick and Raut (2019) stated that marketing mix factor is
another important factor which also affect the customer choice in retail market. It is based upon 4
component such that product, pricing, promotion and place. For example, Gucci offer the
product at reasonable rate and also attract wide range of people towards it. Moreover, its
customer also consider various things such that characteristics of products, changes in the
product's price and availability of the product in required location and many more. Further,
different companies in UK organize different marketing campaigns in order to influence the
purchasing decision and shift the customer choice in opposite way. Such that if, marketing is
done in regular basis then it helps to influence their customer behavior.
Therefore, it is clear that the retail sector of UK provide the best range of products in low
and reasonable rates, then it will be more easy for the customers to start investing their money
for purchasing the products from top fashion company like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. On the
other side, Njoki, Simon and Mary (2019) stated that personal preference of the customer is
another factor that also affect the choice of the customers. It is so because at personal level,
consumer behavior is influenced through different shades such that likes, dislikes, priorities,
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morals and values. For that, these factor may easily influence through the advertisement which
change the preference of the customers.
Theme 2: Impact of country's origin that affect the customer preference in Louis Vuitton
and Gucci
As per the view of Sansone and et.al., (2019) customer buying behavior is the process
which is starts with stimuli and further ends with the response. Such that if the country's
economy is perfect to positive then it will not affect the customer preference in opposite way.
Such that it will not affect the market in adverse way like, Gucci and Louis Vuitton may not
increase the price of their products and as a result, customer may easily purchase the products. In
the term of marketing, higher the price, higher will be quality and in the same way, consumer
formulates the quality judgment on the basis of image of the country which is belongs to.
Therefore, Larsen and Sigurdsson (2019) defined two component of country image i.e.
geographic component and human component. Such that geography includes climate and
landscape and on the other side, human component describe the skill, competence and creativity
level of the people of the country of origin of a product. Such that if both of these are positively
evaluated that it will help to creates a favorable evaluation of the product. Therefore, in UK,
people belongs to different religion and they all wants to use the best product, that is why, it is
quite important for the company like Gucci and Louis Vuitton to provide the same products with
creative mind.
The image of the country directly influences the perception, belief of the consumer.
Therefore marketing manager of the company should consider this area of product dimension
that enables marketer to gain competitive advantage. The image of country of origin directly
influences the attitudes of customers on the basis of consumer tendency of being ethnocentric.
When products are well known to the people in that case image of the country creates Halo
Effect. The term Halo Effect is used to explain the situations in which evaluation of a specific
object or a person on multitude of dimensions is dependent upon single object. This effect forms
the beliefs of consumer in respect of the specific goods.
As per the view of Hult and et.al., (2019) the country of origin will have positive impact
on the evaluation of the product when a product country match happens. It means the dimensions
on which a country is being evaluated by the people. Further, image of the country also develops
perceptual distortions in the manner of national stereotype. The term stereotype refers to human
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tendency of over generalization. It happens when customers evaluate the product on the basis of
the level of development of that country.
Theme 3: Different strategies adopted by Louis Vuitton and Gucci to identify the customer
choice in retail market
The authors, Crewe (2019), state that there are a variety of strategies that can be adopted
by the fashion retailers and the luxurious brands so that they can target the customers in a correct
manner and develop appropriate strategies. The authors identified some common factors that
consumers keep in mind while shopping for these luxurious brands and these are not at all
concerned or limited t the price factor. The quality is the most important factor that motivates or
demotivates a shopper intending to shop in these luxurious brands and they ensure that
whatee4ver they are buying is worth the amount that they are spending. This is also followed by
the durability factors where they identify that what is the duration that is expected form the
product when they are buying it. The fashion trends and the comfort are two integrated things
that consumers look in a product when they are buying form such luxurious brands (The power
of fashion, 2019). The researchers therefore concluded that these are some of the key factors that
the fashion retailers should keep in mind while targeting the consumers for their market segment.
Additionally, in conformance to the above research paper, Kim, Lloyd and Cervellon
(2019), have presented the strategies that the luxurious fashion retailers can adopt. The first
prominent marketing strategy is promoting and advertising the product based on its fashion and
uniqueness. The luxurious brands generally tend to present the uniqueness of the product i.e.
limited editions, selling a fixed number of pieces etc. are some of the common strategies that are
adopted in luxurious fashion retail sector. These act as an influencing factor for the consumers
and motivate them to buy the particular piece. Additionally, as stated by Grinewitschus,
Schlegel and Jung (2019), giving a personal touch to such products and using tactics like leaving
a special note etc. are some of the common strategies that can be adopted by the fashion retailers
since it helps in increasing the consumer loyalty and brand following. The competition in the
market is aggressive and therefore, the companies should formulate those strategies that would
assist them in beating the competitor. Louis Vuitton involves, incorporation of innovation in the
designing and manufacturing the products and clothing items accordingly. These ensure that
newer technologies are adopted and therefore, the consumers are influenced to shops form these
luxurious brands over other brands that are operating in the similar sector such as Prada etc.
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Some strategies that the Gucci has used were development of good channels and distribution
networks so that the excitement level of the potential consumers does not die, segregating the
perception that consumers hold regarding the image of the company is another strategy that can
be adopted and lastly, quality of personnel and the training that they have received also influence
the working strategies and the manner in which these companies target the potential market
segment.
Justification and contextualization
The above research questions and objectives help in analysing the current objective with which
the research has been carried out i.e. the impact of customer’s country and origin on his decision
making and choices in the retail industry. The current research questions help in analysing that
what are those factors especially in context of UK’s customers. The reason why this topic was
chosen currently is that it assists in determining how the companies such as Louis Vuitton and
Gucci are targeting their luxury class customers. Although in UK, the companies have come
from another countries and therefore the market situations have been different. The current
market situation for Louis Vuitton in France which is its home country is much different as
compared to UK and similarly, the brand Gucci whose home country is Italy, faces different kind
of challenges in the market as compared to that of UK. This research has therefore highlighted
what are the changes in the market specifically in context of UK as compared to the situation in
other markets of the world. After, the Brexit scenario, the significance of the research further
increased since it helped in categorising what are the different strategies that the companies need
to adopt in order to target customer both in Britain as well as the European Union (Hansen and
Møller, 2017). Therefore, the current research topic was selected keeping in mind the current
enviormentn of UK and how they are affecting the decision making and choices of the customers
in both the countries. Additionally, the current companies that have been selected in the research
also helps in achieving the objective which was to analyse the concentration of customer choices
in UK. Since Gucci and Louis Vuitton both have been operating excellently in the market of UK
and their hold on the market of fashion retails is extremely well established, the current research
will assist in achieving the desired objectives of the research. Another major reason for selecting
both these companies only is that they help in analysing a vast proposition of the consumers that
are based in marketing i.e. the brand have vast number of customers that are associated by the
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company and therefore, the selection of these two companies have assisted in covering a wider
range of customers that are based in UK.
Methodology
Research Methodology.
The term research methodology is the particular techniques or procedures that are used to
select, identify, process and analyse the information regarding a particular topic. In research, the
methodology allows reader to evaluate overall reliability and validity of the study.
Research Pardigm – It means research model or an approach to perform research that has been
verified in the community of research and also has been in practice for long. There are various
types of research paradigms that are positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism, subjectivism, critical
etc. Positivism research paradigm , it states that knowledge is based on natural phenomenon and
relations. Interpretivism research paradigm, it combines human interest into a specific study. It is
related with interpreting and manipulating data to develop an understanding of the reality (Xu,
and Jackson, 2019).
The researcher will choose Interpretivism research paradigm because it helps the
researcher to analyse and interpret different elements of the study. Through this method, the
researcher may investigate the impact of country's origin affect the consumers choice in clothing
market of UK
Research approach – It is described as the procedure or plan that involves steps of broad
assumptions to detailed method of collecting data, interpretation and analysis. Deductive
approach, it is related with development of assumptions on the basis of existing theory. Inductive
approach, it begins with theories and assumptions that are proposed towards the end of process
of research as an outcome of observations. Abductive approach, it helps to address the
weaknesses that are related with inductive and deductive approaches (Harding, 2018).
The researcher will select Inductive research approach to conduct the research because it
does not have to follow any predetermined information and also helps the researcher to
investigate the impact of country's origin affect the consumers choice in clothing market of UK.
Sampling -
It refers to the specific principles that are used to choose members of large population to
be included in the study. This is because many populations of interest are too large to apply
techniques of statistical sampling. Probability sampling, under this every member of the
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population is having an equal chance of participating in the study. Non probability sampling,
under this, members are selected on the basis of non-random way. Therefore, every member of
population is not having equal chance of participating in the study.
The researcher will choose simple random sampling for selecting a sample of 30
employees of the retail company to conduct the study and also attain the aim in defined manner.
Further, through this, researcher may easily determine the impact of country's origin affect the
consumers choice in clothing market of UK.
Data Collection -
It is the process of gathering information from all relevant sources to get the answer of
research problem, to test assumptions and evaluating the result. There are two methods of
collecting data. Primary data is the data collected by the researcher for the first time. It involves
experiments, survey etc. Secondary data, it is the data collected by other individuals that is used
by the researcher to conduct research (Mihas, 2019).
The researcher will use both primary and secondary data collection methods because both
the methods will help researcher to collect data through relevant sources related with the aim of
study. The data has been collected from the sources published by Gucci and Louis Vuitton sites
and the questionnaire will be filled by regular customers of these brands so that relevant data can
be collected.
Data Analysis -
It is the process of systematic application of logical and statistical techniques to illustrate,
evaluate and condense data. Qualitative data analysis, range of procedure and processes through
which qualitative data is collected into some form of interpretation of situations that researcher is
investigating. Quantitative data analysis, is the approach to collect quantitative data and
researcher transforms what is observed into numerical data.
The researcher will choose Thematic analysis under Qualitative data analysis because it is
a flexible approach that can be modified as per the need of the study and the view of consumers
can be taken into consideration easily which will assist the researcher.
Ethical considerations -
It is an important part of the research and these are most important principles related with
the study. The researcher will ensure dignity of participants, full consent of the respondents will
be taken before conducting the research. Further, privacy of information provided by the
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participants will also be ensured. Researcher will maintain adequate level of confidentiality of
data that would be collected from different relevant sources. Any form of exaggeration or
deception regarding aim and objectives of the study will be avoided. Any form of
communication regarding the study will be performed with transparency and honesty (Ellis-
Barton, 2016).
Moreover, the participants of the study will not be harm in any manner while conducting
research. Researcher will also make efforts to ensure that there is no misleading information. The
principle of informed consent includes researcher providing sufficient details regarding taking
part to allow participants to understand the implications of the research.
Limitations -
One of the major limitation of the study is the resources. It involves resources like funds,
material resource, human resource that are essential to conduct the study. There is lack of
adequate funds to perform the research. Another limitation is time. Sufficient time is required to
perform the study in effective manner.
CONCLUSION
The above dissertation and research proposal that was formulated on the topic how the
origin of the customers affects his decision making particular in context of fashion retail sector
will help the scholar in achieving the results by analyzing the markets of UK adequately and
thoroughly. The selection of thematic analysis as his primary research tool will assist the scholar
in presenting his data analysis and interpretation in a meaningful manner and further the
selection of secondary data will also help in collecting the relevant data. Additionally, the
selection of top fashion retailers in UK i.e. the Louis Vuitton and Gucci, which are two of the
most prominent brands will help the researcher in accurately analyzing the composition of the
fashion consumers in UK and therefore the researcher will be able to conduct his study in a more
significant manner thus drawing the conclusion that will be insightful and therefore, contribute
the current research that has been done in this field. Therefore, the above research proposal p-
present an outline of how the researcher intends to completed his work and the reason why
selection of these two companies is an appropriate choice of the researcher.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bouranta, N., Psomas, E. and Vouzas, F., 2019. The effect of service recovery on customer
loyalty: the role of perceived food safety. International Journal of Quality and Service
Sciences,. 11(1). pp.69-86.
Brito, P. Q., McGoldrick, P. J. and Raut, U. R., 2019. Shopping Centre Patronage: Situational
Factors Against Affect. Vision.23(2). pp.189-196
Harding, J., 2018. Qualitative data analysis: From start to finish. SAGE Publications Limited.
Hult, G. T. M. and et.al., 2019. Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Satisfaction: Do
They Differ Across Online and Offline Purchases?. Journal of Retailing. 95(1). pp.10-23.
Larsen, N. M. and Sigurdsson, V., 2019. What affects shopper’s choices of carrying devices in
grocery retailing and what difference does it make? A literature review and conceptual
model. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, pp.1-33.
Mihas, P., 2019. Qualitative data analysis. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
Njoki, K. C., Simon, K. A. M. A. U. and Mary, M. B. I. T. H. I., 2019. Effect of Consumer
Factors on Store Brand Choice in the Retail Industry in Kenya: A Survey of Selected
Supermarkets in Nairobi County. International Journal of Business Management and
Finance. 1(1).
Sansone, M. and et.al., 2019. Relational Proximity With Customers in the Retail Industry.
In Predicting Trends and Building Strategies for Consumer Engagement in Retail
Environments (pp. 268-286). IGI Global.
Xu, X. and Jackson, J. E., 2019. Examining customer channel selection intention in the omni-
channel retail environment. International Journal of Production Economics, 208, pp.434-
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Britton, J. and et.al., 2019. Changing actor dynamics and emerging value propositions in the UK
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Kim, J.E., Lloyd, S. and Cervellon, M.C., 2019. Narrative-transportation storylines in luxury
brand advertising: Motivating consumer engagement. Journal of Business
Research, 69(1). pp.304-313.
Crewe, L., 2019. Placing fashion: Art, space, display and the building of luxury fashion markets
through retail design. Progress in Human Geography, 40(4). pp.511-529.
Grinewitschus, L., Schlegel, C. and Jung, P., 2019, March. Channel Estimation for a Multi-User
System with Iterative Interference Cancelation. In 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conference (pp.
1-7). IEEE.
Online
The power of fashion. 2019. [ONLINE] Available
Through:<https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/insight-articles/power-
fashion>
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