MBA Project: Analysis of Indo-Western Brands Expansion Challenges

This MBA project investigates the factors impacting the success of Indo-Western brands expanding into Western markets. It begins with an introduction to the global apparel industry and the challenges faced by Indian brands, including cultural differences and marketing strategies. The research explores the philosophical position, aims, and objectives of the study, followed by a comprehensive literature review of the fashion industry's current state and the challenges faced by Indian brands in foreign markets. The methodology section details the research philosophy, design, strategy, and data analysis techniques employed. Key findings are presented from questionnaires and focus group discussions, comparing them with the literature review. The project concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for Indo-Western brands aiming to expand internationally, offering insights into market expansion strategies and ways to navigate the challenges in the Western market. The project also includes an overview of the Indian fashion industry and the challenges that they face when expanding internationally.

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INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION OF INDO-
WESTERN BRANDS RISING FROM INDIA

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................2
Chapter 1 : Introduction..........................................................................................................3
Context to the study............................................................................................................5
Philosophical position.........................................................................................................6
Aim..................................................................................................................................... 7
Objectives........................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 : Literature Review.................................................................................................8
Overview of the study.........................................................................................................8
Chapter 3 : Research Methodology......................................................................................11
Introduction....................................................................................................................... 11
Research Philosophy (Philosophical Position)..................................................................12
Research design............................................................................................................... 13
Research strategy............................................................................................................. 15
Primary approach............................................................................................................. 16
Sampling strategy............................................................................................................. 17
Data analysis.................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix:............................................................................................................................. 20
Chapter 4 : Key findings.......................................................................................................23
Key findings from the questionnaire from the FGD...........................................................23
Comparison of findings with literature review....................................................................26
Chapter 5 : Summary and conclusion...................................................................................28

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Chapter 1 : Introduction
This research evaluates the factors that affect the success of Indo-western brands expanding
into the West. According to a report by Keller et al. (2014), the global apparel industry is
growing rapidly while at the same time evolving due to a number of factors including
changing demographics, effect of social media, global wealth distribution, customer
expectations, and technological advancements. It goes on to state that for brands to succeed,
they need to be agile and be able to rapidly adapt the business model to make the most of
evolving markets while letting go of traditional practices.
East Asian brands have started to expand to foreign markets with the aim of providing a
variety of both traditional and fusion fashion to their international consumers. However, in
spite of a noticeable growth, Indian brands have faced issues such as cultural problems, lack
of pricing strategies, etc. This research has tried to show the issues which are faced by Indian
designers (with the main focus on Indo-Western brands) while trying to expand their business
to Western countries.
Indo-western brands have been trying to expand into the west for quite some time now,
however their efforts have not borne much meaningful fruits (Aaker & McLoughlin, 2010).
There are various reasons behind this and there are many challenges that the Indo-western
brands actually face in their aim to make an entry in western markets. This particular research
is going to discuss the topic of why Indo-western brands have not been in a position to
successfully expand to the west, and in doing so certain aspects about Indo-western brands
and designs and some market expansion strategies will be looked at. Due to various factors
such as changes in technology among others, we’ve seen that the Indo-western brands and
designs have been evolving. Fashion has taken a completely different turn and things are not
the way they used to be a decade ago. Indo-western brands have done well in various areas

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across the globe such as in some developing countries like Kenya, Tanzania among others
(Ackerman & Fisher, 2013). There has been a challenge, however, that has been noted, that in
the western market, Indo-western brands have not been able to do so well.
It is also important to note that this report will focus solely on Indian brands and some of the
issues that they have faced. Some of the common challenges noticed were; poor marketing
strategies, cultural differences among others. These factors will be discussed later in this
write-up.
Figure 1: Fashion trends
(Source: zaubacorp.com, 2018)

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Context to the study
Indian fashion brands have been making a lot of effort to succeed in the western countries.
Many areas of the Indian businesses have done well like its technological field, medicine
research and its production and supply and on academic fields. Even in the fashion industry
Indian designers have worked at being creative and modern in their aesthetics, styles and
designs in order to expand their brands in the western countries. However, with this field
being highly contemporary and competitive, they have not been very successful in focusing
on the demands of their western customers when enlarging their market in those countries
(Liu et al. 2016). However, in a globalised economy, there is a lot of opportunities for brands
to expand internationally, and Asian and indo-western brands should look to do this if they
are to attain the same level of success that western brands have been able to get in the eastern
and emerging markets.
Indo-western brands should learn to adapt and keep up with the constantly changing fashion
industry, be it fast fashion, ecommerce, and e-tailing in the digital race for the upcoming
trends. There are a lot of opportunities in the near future. Studies shows that the fashion
Industry and its buying power and audience, iand ts target markets are fast shifting from the
West to the upcoming Asian and East-Asian markets (Keller et all, 2014).
The emerging middle class from developing nations are going through a huge socioeconomic
change, and countries like India, China, Indonesia etc. have started to emerge with higher
spending power in recent years (Eizenberg and Salvo, 2012). There is also a growing
awareness and curiosity among western consumers in Asian cultures and sensibilities, so
business from these markets should aim to tap into this new and emerging market segment
within the west.

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Philosophical position
There has always been an argument about whether or not it is true that Indo-western brands
have been having a challenge in expanding to the western market. This report aims to
ascertain if it is indeed true that there has been a really big challenge in doing so. Various
reasons and factors have been attributed to this and this report aims towards establishing
some of these factors and how they have contributed the state mentioned therein (Gershon,
2013). The report will aim to outline the various ontological, axiological, and epistemological
aspects of the research and elaborate on all of these concerns, and provide justifications for
the different research approaches and choices that have been made in the report. Management
studies, being a multi-disciplinary field, can be looked at from various different aspects and
viewpoints, and the research will approach this in a specific way which is considered to be
the most appropriate for achieving the research aims.
A reputable research philosophy has the following characteristics as explained by Saunders
(2015) - “assumptions about human knowledge (epistemological assumptions), about the
realities you encounter in your research (ontological assumptions) and the extent and ways
your own values influence your research process (axiological assumptions). These
assumptions inevitably shape how you understand your research questions, the methods you
use and how you interpret your findings”.

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Aim
To identify and evaluate the factors on the challenges faced by Indian brands while
expanding in Western countries. The research will also highlight the lack of strategic business
management by Indian brands in order to expand to the West.
Objectives
1) To critically evaluate the existing literature on overseas expansion by the East
Asian and Indo-Western brands with the aim of shedding light on the different
factors responsible for the growth of these brands in the western fashion market.
2) To apply the qualitative approach method to assess the perspective of the broader
target market with the help of focus groups. This is to mainly analyse issues
preventing Indian (Indo-Western) brands from expanding to Western countries.
3) To develop recommendations for Indo-Western brands that aim to expand
internationally by informing them on how to make their brands sell in the west.

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Chapter 2 : Literature Review
Overview of the study
The fashion industry is known to be one which is always in flux with the customer’s
preferences which is ever changing, and old trends being replaced by new and emerging ones.
Within this environment of constant change, designers, and brands must always keep
themselves up to date on what consumers want, and how their tastes will change in the near
future. This changing landscape creates many opportunities for entrepreneurs to come in and
fill in the gaps in the market which are created by being innovative and satisfying demand.
With this constant competition in mind and the never ending desire to thrive in such a huge
global market, Indo-western brands and business have been attempting their best strategies to
tap into the international fashion market.
The literature review will aim to evaluate the current state of the fashion industry and discuss
the trends and factors which have helped as well as hindered Indian fashion brands to flourish
in foreign countries. Moreover, it has analysed major challenges such as cultural diversity,
economic status, language barriers etc. which have all been challenges for expanding Indian
brands into the Western countries. According to Cayla and Eckhardt (2007), in spite of many
challenges, the emergence of Asia as a growing force in the international stage, and it’s
recognition in the west, presents a big opportunity for modern Asian brands to find their feet
and make a mark in western markets. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, Das
(2007) advocates that Indian brands should leverage their existing strengths, and formulate
strategies for international expansion by looking at the route which has been followed by
brands which have successfully made this transition.
India, in the current international market is a known brand or a tag very much in fashion.

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Like everything else in the current world stage Indian culture has also become a saleable
commodity (Sarulatha, and Sasirekha, 2017). However, in terms of the global market , when
it comes to becoming a staple for the average fashion junkie, India has still not produced
brands or products of much significance. Being a global manufacturing hub, India has always
been production oriented. They are still a developing nation and do not have the sufficient
resources to create a sustainable fashion industry. Because of this, its influence in the global
fashion industry is also limited. Their factories are mostly used for producing outsourced
goods for international brands like Levi’s and Nike. The products of these brands are too
expensive for the Indian middle and lower classes, and most of their own markets are flooded
with Chinese mass produced goods.
The conceptual framework below will explain and help the reader understand the reasons for,
and importance of this research, and how it intends to find gaps and opportunities, and bridge
out the differences and create platforms, literature support and common grounds for Indo-
Western brands’ expansion internationally to the right international markets.
According to Hellman (2017), Indians consider both Indian as well as western dresses/outfits
on different occasions. Due to this familiarity with both types of fashion and apparel, fusion
wear has modernized the Indian fashion industry to a high extent. It is observed that the top-
notch brands focus on different elements in their collection. The country still has a long way
to go if we consider the market potential for fusion wear in India in the near future. However,
in contrast to this, BOF (2018) stated that the ethnic Indian wear genre is used in current
trends. It plans to lead the way for women’s wear in India. Indo-western brands have been
tracking the dynamics of ethnic fashion in malls, as well as in standalone stores recently.
Among the current generation, it is seen that fashion is starting to become a major concern
for Indian individuals. Further, fashion is determined by the western dresses via social media

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influences and cross-cultural influences. It has also been analysed that India has begun to
follow and be influenced by Indo-western culture wherein they consider traditional as well as
western ensembles in their culture.
Kazi (2018) states that the expansion of Indo-western wear is proving to be a boon for ethnic
fashion in India since,customers are willing to consume and experiment products ,and that it
could lead to great demand for Indo-Western brands. This is a key reason that ethnic brands
are generating a wide range of alternatives that a customer can explore for attending different
functions.
2015).

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Chapter 3 : Research Methodology
Introduction
The research methodology helps the study to collect data and materials which help in the
thorough analysis resulting in a successful objective and conclusion. It has been defined as
“something that people undertake in order to find things out in a systematic way, thereby
increasing their knowledge” (Saunders et al, 2016).
The aim is to provide insight into the research process, to help clarify the methodology and
choose the method and design which will be most suitable to get relevant information for the
topic. This research is based on the qualitative methodology as it is more descriptive, and fits
the requirement of the research topic.
Qualitative method aims at understanding and providing an explanation of the meaning of the
social aspects with limited disruption of the natural setting (Gibbs, 2008; Dowling & Suchet,
2016). By using the qualitative method, the research will help support and explain the factors
that are responsible for the growth of Indo-western brands, and determine the best
recommendations for the growth of such brands (Saunders et al, 2016).
From the application of the research methodology, we will be able to address a systematic
way for the data collection. This in turn will help the research to make a reliable decision
within the context of the current issue (Mackey and Gass, 2015). The study being a
qualitative method, its descriptive and detailed study will help future students, academics and
others understand this topic in discussion better and in depth.
Sampling will be purposive as non-probability sample facilitates the selection of the research
candidates on behalf of certain factors such as age, gender, experience, region, and education.

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A thorough data analysis will be performed with the help of Focus Group Discussion(FGD),
and the focus group primary approach is chosen as this helps get accurate, detailed and valid
results at the given amount of time.
Finally, the validity and reliability of the data will be carried out, and the ethical issues
around the study, and the limitations of the research will also be outlined in the end of this
chapter.
Research Philosophy (Philosophical Position)
According to Houghton, Hunter & Meskell (2012) the research philosophy aims at defining
the basis, description and progress of knowledge under the topic of the study. Research
philosophy aids in assembling the hypothesis and beliefs of the topic to attain a precise
strategy of fact gathering. Houghton, Hunter & Meskell (2012) have identified three different
types of philosophies: positivism, interpretivism and realism research philosophies. Based on
the current research topic this study has chosen to use the interpretivism method.
Interpretivism philosophy focuses on collecting primary and socially composed data that is
significant in assembling accurate, reliable and valid information required for the study
(Corbally, 2014).
In this research, the interpretivism process is used to interpret the elements of the study since
access to reality is usually socially constructed through various ways such as language,
shared meanings, and consciousness. It supports interactive, cooperative participation and
runs the study on valid grounds to help understand and explain the topic, and to understand
the aim of the study in depth. The information that the research acquires from the participants
and study are valid, meaningful and helpful to support the topic. This primary method helps
to support the methodology further qualitatively.
As stated by Nicotera (2017), interpretivism allows the researcher to interpret the factors of
study as per his or her observation and interpretation skills supported by the knowledge. This

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research philosophy generally focuses more on the meaning of the research subject or
phenomenon and will allow this study to apply processes to reflect on various aspects of the
research issue. The research, under this philosophy, is able to appreciate the differences
between the people. Thus, as the research study aims to understand the nature and
characteristics of the Indo-Western fashion market, it is important for the researcher to
understand and interpret the perspectives, preferences, and differences between the
consumers that determine the market growth.
Research design
Research design refers to the blueprint for the study that provides guidance to the data
collection and analysis process, and thus deals with majorly fours issues; the research
questions, the relevance, the data collection, and analysis. According to Ngulube (2015,
p.128) research design is categorized into three major classes: descriptive, casual and
exploratory research. In a research, two to three kinds of tools are considered as mentioned
above, namely descriptive, explanatory, and exploratory method (Flick, 2015). These
methods play a diverse role in the accomplishment of any desired goal in the least amount of
time and cost. For conducting this study, the research will use descriptive research design
method as it facilitates the comprehension of the relationship between two or more variables.
As highlighted by Colorafi and Evans (2016), descriptive research design includes scientific
process of observing and describing the attitude, behaviour and aptitude of the research
subject without influencing it in any manner. There are three types of descriptive research
design, namely, observational, case study and survey. Nassaji (2015) pointed out that as this
research design allows the researcher to observe the research phenomenon in its unaltered
natural environment, the outcome of the analysis would be more accurate. It is less time
consuming than quantitative experiments, and highly useful for non-quantifiable research
topic.

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By doing this, the research will determine the relation between Indo-western brands and
international Western expansion. It can be effective for making a reliable conclusion in the
context of the factors on the challenges faced by Indian brands while expanding to Western
countries.
The research design once formulated, also uses certain types of methods that are considered,
namely inductive approach and deductive approach (Lewis, 2015). For conducting this
research which aims to generate meaning, validity and support from the descriptive data
collected, the inductive approach will be practiced. The inductive approach is used for
collecting the conceptual information towards the specified research matter. It is useful in
obtaining information on the factors and challenges faced by Indian brands while expanding
in Western countries. This method can be most suitable as compared to the deductive method
because the research is subjective in nature. Under inductive research approach, the questions
are open-ended and process oriented and it allows the researcher to derive a generalized
solution from a specific set of events (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). This approach is useful for
exploring the research topic in an untested direction and deriving new findings.
A research design is a strategy or rather a technique that is often used to integrate different
components of a certain study so as to be in a position to address the research question in a
satisfactory manner. As indicated above, the aim of this particular study is to categorically
identify as well as evaluate some of the crucial factors that cause challenges to Indian brands
as they try to expand in western countries. First and foremost, the literature review shows that
this research specifically seeks to review some of the important aspects concerning the issue
under study that has already been conducted by other researchers and scholars (Rajaram,
2014). In doing so, this component has highlighted a number of aspects such as statistics that
are available regarding the issue of Indian brands expanding into the west among others.
Secondly there is the research methodology; the component of this study specifically

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focusing on the means and methods of data collection. This study being qualitative in nature,
only the qualitative methods of data collection is explored. A number of qualitative
techniques of data collection are used such as case studies, use of questionnaires, interviews
etc. (Mann & Byun, 2011).
It is the main plan and purpose to answering the research questions and meeting the aims and
objectives for a discrete and concrete research design (Jones, 2011). This study focuses to
determine why Indian brands are not able to establish a presence the western market. The
nature of both the European market as well as that of Indian brands have been explained
earlier. From the nature of these two variables, a connection is identified and the reasons for
the failure of Indian brands to expand into the Western market has been highlighted. The use
of questionnaires and interview is however, the main source of information that will be
exploited in this particular study.
Research strategy
This research study has considered many types of strategies to accomplish its aims. These
strategies are the survey through questionnaire method, interview method, observation,
content analysis, and case study. For systematically accomplishing the aim and objectives of
this particular research, the study will use survey through questionnaire method as this allows
to collect opinion and views of the research candidates towards the research issue. A survey
can be effective for getting reliable and valid information in the context of the current issue
(Brinkmann, 2014). Through this method, we will be able to evaluate content for the
accomplishment of the research. A research strategy is basically a well arranged plan that is
often step-wise that enables one to give a concrete direction of the thoughts to be conveyed
by carefully analysing and obtained results from the various methods of data collection such
as surveying, use of questionnaires, interviewing, and case studies, among others. For this
particular research, questionnaires were prepared, and as mentioned earlier they targeted both

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the western population as well as the Indian population. Various questions were designed that
enabled one to give very important and circumstantial information regarding the issue under
consideration (Mills, Phadke, Wiser, 2011 p.29).
Primary approach
This primary approach of the research is to take a qualitative approach. It seeks to determine
the reasons as to why and some of the factors that have contributed to Indian brands not
expanding to western market. In order to understand this, there are various key primary
approaches that need to be considered and understood (Chowdhary, 2018). For instance, one
should have a clear understanding of the nature of western markets as well as the nature of
the Indian brands. This forms the base of this particular research. These two aspects are
explained and researched properly so that this research can carry on successfully.
In this research, focus group approach has been adopted. The focus group primary approach
is useful and apt for this research. This tool will help the researcher in gaining an in-depth
insight about the viewpoints of the certain group or profile of the respondents about this
particular topic (Carey and Asbury 2016). For this chosen study on the international
expansion of Indo-Western fashion businesses and brands, it is important for the observer to
get an idea of the perspectives of the target market and existing consumers, and hence, the
focus group approach is chosen. Five participants have been considered and chosen for the
focus group. Open ended questions are asked to the focus group participants to get an idea
about their thoughts and attitude towards this research topic. This study will prove useful for
marketing research, as the marketers try to gain information about the products, brands,
related images, advertisements, symbols or concepts (Hopkins 2016). This helps them to
make strategies for the broader market. The questions are made simple and in a manner that
the chosen participants provide honest responses.

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The five participants have been chosen through purposive sampling, which is a non-
probability sampling. Under the non-probability sampling, each sample does not have equal
or random opportunity of being selected and its selection mostly depends on the judgment of
the researcher. Hence, by applying this sampling, the chosen five people with shared
characteristics are selected for forming the focus group.
Sampling strategy
There are various western countries that Indian brands are trying to diversify to. For the
sampling strategy , a small but effective sample was taken that represented both the countries.
Sample size is a subset of the population size that is intended to participate in the research
study either through qualitative or quantitative method (Farghaly, 2018). As sampling method
helps to select a suitable sample size for conducting this study, we will use a non-probability
sampling method, this method is easier to find candidates that fit the sample criteria, which
will be most effective(Flick, 2015).
As stated by Etikan, Musa and Alkassim (2016), purposive sampling is applied when the
observer thinks that the participants have similar characteristics and thereby can provide
useful information regarding the research subject. This sampling method is highly effective
when only a few or limited number of people can be chosen as primary data sources as per
the demands of the research topic, aims and objectives. Hence, few people with chosen
expertise can be chosen through this non-probability sampling for serving a specific purpose.
Data analysis
****Under this section, I only want you to help me explain how
the qualitative data was analysed. You can remove any findings
mentioned under data analysis as it only requires explanation of
how the qualitative data was analysed.

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***Can you please refer the ApPendix section for the focus group
discussion questions and use one or two worthy quotes to Develop
a clear Audit trial between the Data and its Interpretaiton? This
is very Important (I have cut pasted it below the data analysis
paragraph).
The data analysis and data collection process is the most important part of the research
methodology process as it aids in computing the data. Descriptive and inferential are the
commonly applied statistical data analysis methods used by researchers. Rutberg and
Bouikidis (2018) denotes descriptive research as the method that record data from cluster
members and summarizes the figures in the system of the group characteristics to enable the
derivation of mean; mode, median, standard deviation and use of charts. Fletcher (2016)
identifies two common methods used in data collections: primary and secondary information
assembling. The primary data gathering aims at directing response from the participants
while the secondary data collection method aims to collect data from the past works related to
the topic. Based on the research topic and the research method, the best technique is primary
data collection that will be majored on the focus group to provide views, beliefs, meanings,
insights in regard to the Indo-western designs.
Qualitative data analysis starts during the discussion period when rich data is generated from
the participants. The stage will be followed by familiarization with the data with an aim to
immerse in the details and get the sense of the data, followed by the identification of the
thematic framework so as to help the research arrange them accordingly. Focus group
discussion (FGD) generally yields qualitative and observational data that requires intensive
analysis to have accurate and clear results. Rutberg and Bouikidis (2018) suggest that the best
analysis methods used in qualitative research on FGD. Focus Group discussion (FGD) being
a part of qualitative research method, it is also characterized by a pre-set semi-structured
interview, always conducted by a facilitator to stimulate accurate responses and ignite debate

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among the participants. Since the aim of the research is to gain views, factors and personal
preconditions on the Indo-Western brands, FGD becomes the best data collection and
technique essential in marketing, and thus able to provide better recommendations for market
entry of the brands. The focus group will be a mixture of ages from 20 to 60 years since they
are a bracket that is much focused on the fashion industry.
According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2016), the recruitment process is very crucial
since over-recruitment might bring management challenges while under-recruitment will
pose under discussion of the participants; they therefore suggest a range of between 6-8
participants for each meeting for the success of the FGD. The participants finally added up to
5 candidates from within the fashion industry from New-Delhi India and the UK. They were
chosen to ensure that the FGD would yield premium results as regard to the research.
The participants comprised of people who have travelled internationally and lived abroad,
they all work well within the fashion industry as designers, creative director’s and stylists of
well known international magazines, and from technical as well as non-technical fields, and
this is done through convenience sampling. From this FGD, the research is capable of linking
the participant’s perception and their socio-cultural that controls their decision making on the
Indo-Western brands.
The data obtained from the various interviews conducted both direct and indirect interview
was very significant. The questionnaire survey conducted provided a concrete and a
significant amount of data that played a very crucial role towards pinning down the research
question.
First and foremost, it was noted that international market expansion is quite dynamic
compared to local and/or domestic market expansion. International market expansion is much
more complex and requires a high degree of flexibility and aptitude. Basically, before the

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entry into any foreign market whatsoever, it’s often necessary that one determines the cost-
benefit issues that would arise as a result of entry into that particular market.
For quite some time now, the Indian culture has proven to be an extremely stable commodity
(Milligan & Kirby, 2010). However, it is also important to note that the Indian brand has only
broken the international veil in various developing counties but in the western countries the
Indian brand has not yet been in a position to provide anything significant. Basically, the
Indian brands has been considered as just an average fashion junkie (De, 2018). Various
reasons have been attributed to this. It is important to note that India is just another
developing country and it does not have the necessary resources required to be in a position
to create a much more sustainable fashion industry so as to have an influence into the larger
fashion industry.
Moreover, the Indian brand is considered to be less superior compared to some other already
established western brands such as Nike, Adidas and Levis. Indian brands cannot outdo these
already established brands which have been in a position to make an emotional influence to
the western market. The customers in the western market therefore see the Indian brand as
just an average brand (Khaire & Hall, 2016). The qualitative data collected from the focus
group questionnaire is analysed by the Focus group discussion. The qualitative data consists
of the non-numeric facts such as the transcripts, the interviews, audio recordings, video, texts
and image documents. It begins at the period when the rich data is collected from the
participants. The next step is to get immersed in the details and get the meaning of the data. A
thematic framework is also present to arrange the research accordingly. The focus group
discussion is an appropriate way of gathering people together from common backgrounds in
order discuss over a specific subject of interest. The positive points of Focus group discussion
depend on the participants to disagree or agree. It provides an in-sight into how a particular
group reacts over a specific issue. The focus group questionnaire is attached below. Thematic

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analysis has been used. Thematic analysis is one of the most common forms of qualitative
analysis. It elaborates the pinpointing, recording the patterns and examining within the data.
The questions present six different themes and according to those, the responses were
analyzed to get the findings. This approach helps to narrow down the research direction.
Appendix:
FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONNAIRE:
1st Candidate:
1. What are the different factors responsible for the growth of Indian brands in the western
fashion market?
I think that the globalisation of fashion trends, as well as the fashion companies have
made it more accessible for Indian brands to expand internationally. Western expansion
has also made Indian brands and designers very familiar with western fashion trends.
2. What are the issues preventing the overall East Asian brands from expansion to
Western countries?
The lack of familiarity of eastern fashion among western consumers, and the high cost of
running businesses are preventing these brands from expanding to western countries.
3. What are the preferences of Western consumers with regard to Indo-Western brands?
Western consumers are more familiar with western style fashion and brands rather than
traditional Indian styles.
4. What pricing strategy can be followed by Indo-Western brands to become competitive
in the western markets?
Indo-Western brands should study the western markets and the target consumers very
carefully before setting up a pricing strategy. The pricing should be competitive for the
market segment in the area that they are looking to cater to.

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5. Which are the western markets where Indo-Western brands are likely to have success?
Indo-Western brands are likely to have success in markets with which there are already
strong ties to India, and where there is a significant population of people from Indian
heritage and background.
6. What recommendations can be provided to Indo-western designers in order to grow
their business in the West?
Indo-western designers should look at adapting their designs to cater to the tastes and
sensibilities of the western markets in order to grow their business there.
2nd Cnadidate:
1.What are the different factors responsible for the growth of Indian brands in the western
fashion market?
The textile, embroidery work from India is well known. Production and labour cost is cheap.
2.What are the issues preventing the overall East Asian brands from expansion to Western
countries?
Quality control
3.What are the preferences of Western consumers with regard to Indo-Western brands?
They seem to like the thought of Organic, cotton fabrics, bohemian choices. Indian cotton.
4.What pricing strategy can be followed by Indo-Western brands to become competitive in
the western markets?
Indo-western brands sell cheap, the only issue is the export cost. So I suppose export in larger
quantities, so that Pricing can be cheaper in bulk orders.
5.Which are the western markets where Indo-Western brands are likely to have success?
It depends on the community too. Example the bigger Indian- western mix community, the
better chances at faster brand recognition.
6.What recommendations can be provided to Indo-western designers in order to grow their
business in the West?
Export in bigger quantities.

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Supply to well known departmental stores/stores.
Contact good agents and distributors.
Have agents to promote your brand.
3rd Candidate:
1.What are the different factors responsible for the growth of Indian brands in the western
fashion market?
*Globalization- globalization encourages the expansion of markets across the
world, thus the introduction of Indian into the western culture.
*Quality – the quality of the yarn from the Indian produce good quality clothes
that are attractive to the western people.
2.What are the issues preventing the overall East Asian brands from expansion to Western
countries?
Cultural differences between the western and East Asian countries are the major factor that is
preventing the expansion of the Indian brand. The Indian brands wear full dress both men and
women unlike in the western culture that the gender wears are different in both sexes.
3.What are the preferences of Western consumers with regard to Indo-Western brands?
XXX
4.What pricing strategy can be followed by Indo-Western brands to become competitive in
the western markets?
The best pricing strategy for the indo-western brands is the psychology pricing. Through the
psychology pricing, the retailers are capable of changing the cultural nature of the western
culture to extensively embrace the Indian culture.
5.Which are the western markets where Indo-Western brands are likely to have success?
XXX
6.What recommendations can be provided to Indo-western designers in order to grow their
business in the West?
 The indo-Western designers so should understand the taste of the western customers
in terms of fashion and this would be achieved through extensive market research.

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 The designers should develop long-time relationship with the customers to increase
the sales; since the best relationship will enable them to determine the best cost of the
products.
Chapter 4 : Key findings
Key findings from the questionnaire from the FGD
The following six questions were put forward to the focus group for discussion:
1 What are the different factors responsible for the growth of Indian brands in the
western fashion market?
2 What are the issues preventing East Asian brands from expansion to Western
countries?
3 What are the preferences of Western consumers with regard to Indo-Western brands?
4 What pricing strategy can be followed by Indo-Western brands to become competitive
in the western markets?
5 Which are the western markets where Indo-Western brands are likely to have success?
6 What recommendations can be provided to Indo-western designers in order to grow
their business in the West?
On the first question from the group about the different factors responsible for the growth of
Indian brands in the Western fashion market, the candidates came with the following
answers. Candidate 1 said that the globalisation of fashion trends and the fashion companies
have made it responsible for the expansion of Indo-western brands. Candidate 2 talked about
the exotic textile and embroidery work from India which are well known all over the world,
and the cheap labour and production cost that has made it possible for Indian brands to thrive
internationally. Candidate 3 and 5 agreed that globalisation encourages the expansion of
markets around the world, and that this has been the driving force behind expansion of Indo-
Western brands to the west. Candidates 2 and 3 also agreed on the quality of the textile and

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yarn that India produces e.g. cotton and silk that are attractive to international consumers,
whereas candidate 4 talked about the want to be western mentality of Indians and their
brands, and the bigger spending power of developed countries. For this question, the focus
group finally arrived to the conclusion that the main factors responsible for the growth of
Indo-western brands internationally are globalisation, and the existing capability in
production and manufacturing. For the second question about the issues preventing the east
Asian brands internationally, candidates 1, 3 and 5 agreed on the lack of familiarity of eastern
fashion among western consumers, cultural differences between the two markets as the major
factors that is preventing the expansion of Indo-western brands. Candidates 1 and 4 talked
about the high cost of running businesses and the expenses incurred preventing such aspiring
brands from expanding internationally. Candidate 2 talked about quality control and testing
of the products, and their associated costs. With this, the group arrived to the conclusion that
one of the main issues holding back international expansion are cultural factors between
countries, and the export costs and prices. On the third question on the preferences of western
consumers with regard to Indo Western brands, all of the candidates had their own opinions.
Candidate 2 and 4 agreed on maintaining an Indian element to their brand, while candidate 1
talked about western consumers being more familiar with their own styles of fashion and
brands rather that Indo-western brands. Candidate 5 talked about the varying choices of
consumers in the western markets. The group arrived to the conclusion that in the end it is all
about understanding the trends on the market and the international clientele well, and keeping
in mind that Indo-western brands can be of many different types. The fourth question about
what pricing strategy can be followed by Indo-western brands to become competitive in the
market, candidates 1 and 3 agreed to study the western markets and the target consumers
carefully before setting up a pricing strategy, psychology pricing and competitive pricing for
the market segment in the area that they are looking to cater to. Candidate 2, 4 and 5 agreed

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that Indo western brands are reasonably priced, just that they should export in large quantities
so that pricing can be cheaper for bulk orders. With this the group arrived to the conclusion
about understanding their target consumers and market better, and to arrive to a better pricing
strategy by selling at competitive rates with the help of bigger orders. The next question on
which international markets, Indo-western brands are likely to have success, candidates 1, 2
and 5 agreed that Indo-western brands are likely to have success in markets which have
strong ties to India, and a mixed community where they will have a better chance at faster
brand recognition. Candidate 4 had the opinion that wherever a business could thrive and the
international access is easy, that is where a brand should have success. The group arrived at
the conclusion that brand familiarity matters while expanding to international markets.
Finally on the last question about recommendations which could be provided to Indo-western
designers for international expansion, candidate 1 and 3 spoke that designers and businesses
should look at adapting their designs to cater to the taste and sensibilities of the western
markets in order to grow their business there. Candidates 1 and 5 agreed on adaptation and a
thorough market research in order to grow a business. Candidate 2 and 5 further talked about
bigger export quantities, candidate 2 talked about the importance of supply to well-known
departmental stores, and having good agents to promote the brands internationally, to which
candidate 5 and candidate 1 added that having a local distributor or agent in an international
market is a good option to grow the business further. The recommendation of the group was
to adapt and cater to the tastes of the market where you intend to expand, have good local
agents and distributors, export in bulk to help costing, and a thorough market research.
Comparison of findings with literature review
The aim of the research study was to evaluate the factors of expansion of the Indo-Western
fashion brands in the global market and address the challenges. Primary research was
conducted by using a focus group with 5 members. Similarly, an extensive literature review

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was also conducted to highlight various aspects of the international brand expansions and
factors of growth of the fashion industry in India, in order to prepare the conceptual
framework of the study. By comparing the findings of the research study and the content of
literature review, some significant inferences can be made.
Firstly, it is found from the data analysis, that globalisation is the major factor that helps in
the growth of the brands. As per majority of the focus group members, globalization has
helped the Indian brands and apparels to reach to a wider international target market. Along
with that, cheaper labour and cheaper production cost helped the textile companies in the
western market to outsource their manufacturing to India, and thus, the Indian brands are also
getting exposure in this way. Moreover, the exotic fabric and product quality of Indian brands
have also helped it to reach out to the global market. According to the literature review, it is
seen that, the Indian fashion industry has been focusing on the product quality since historical
times (Hellman 2017; Roy 2018) and this has helped the Indian fashion industry to establish
its name in the international market. The trend is still continuing.
Secondly, from the data analysis, it is seen that there is lack of familiarity of the Indian
brands in the western market and larger export can be helpful as the production price is
lower. This view was existing in the literatures. Srivastava (2016) and BOF (2018) have
highlighted that Indian fashion brands initially did not incorporate contemporary in their
fashion, and the level of export was also low. Moreover, the Indian brands only focused on
producing traditional wear, which did not bring popularity among the western market.
However, in the recent times, with growing exposure to international fashion and cultural
blending in the designs, the situation has been improving.
Thirdly, the response data has highlighted that competitive pricing is highly important in
brand expansion in the international market, and this view can be supported with the view of
Roll (2015). Higher price of unknown brands can turn off the consumers and so, it is

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important for the Indian brands to capture the market share by introducing competitive
pricing.
Finally in conclusion, it can be said that the findings of the focus group data have quite a few
similarities with the findings from literature review. Although, the literature review is vast
and has addressed many more factors, the focus group data is limited and has focused only on
the few main factors, like globalisation, competitive pricing, cheaper production, larger
export volume and establishing brand familiarity in the western market.

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Chapter 5 : Summary and conclusion
***Please add approx. 100 words to the conclusion, that makes
the conclusion a perfect one.
The purpose of the research is to study the international expansion of Indo-western brands
rising from India, and thus entails exploration of customer and industry peoples values,
perspectives and behaviours towards the fashion changes in India and western regions. The
research has used qualitative research approach, through the focus group to collect data. The
collected data has then been analysed through a qualitative analytical approach to achieve the
objective of the study. The results of the focus group have shown that there is both a risk ,as
well as a reward element to Indo-western brands looking to expand globally. While on the
one hand, expansion to western markets is challenging for brands, and difficult to get right,
there are big opportunities for brands that are able to bridge the gap effectively and become
successful.
In order for Indo-western fashion brands to become successful, they must ensure that their
business strategies are geared towards fulfilling the requirements of their particular market
segments. One of the ways that this can be achieved is by studying existing Indo-western
brands and finding out what business strategies they have used to successfully expand to
foreign fashion markets.
Taking an example of the UK, in terms of international expansion,the UK market is
becoming increasingly diverse. A recent report showed that minority ethnic groups in the UK
now make up 12% of the UK population, and have a significant purchasing power of £300
billion with some of the groups being the most affluent within the UK (Mediatel.co.uk,
2012). To appeal to this market for multi-cultural fashion, entrepreneurs need to implement
new business models within this consumer segment which address the wants of these
particular customers. Within a marketing perspective, Indo-Western and East meets west

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fashion is part of a wider consumer marketing strategy, which needs to be used by businesses
in order to appeal to a diverse society in the current day and age.
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that the purpose of the research to
study the international expansion of Indo-western brands rising from India, and thus entailing
exploration of customer and industry people’ values, perspectives and behaviours towards the
fashion changes in India and western regions has been successful. It has been found from the
data analysis, that globalisation is the major factor that helps in the growth of the brands. The
exotic fabric and product quality of Indian brands have also helped it to reach out to the
global market. The response data has highlighted that competitive pricing is highly important
in brand expansion in the international market. Thus it can be said that the findings of the
focus group data have quite a few similarities with the findings from previous study.
However, the topic is vast and cannot be covered in a limited period and requires further
study.

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