MKT/431 - Marketing Analysis: T-Shirt Manufacturing Business Report

This report provides a comprehensive marketing analysis of a t-shirt manufacturing business. It begins with a situational analysis utilizing Porter's 5 Forces to assess competitive rivalry, supplier power, customer power, threat of substitution, and threat of new entry. The analysis then delves into competitor analysis, examining the target market, product attributes, and customer attraction strategies. The report highlights the similarities and differences between the target market of the business and its competitors. Finally, it defines the value proposition of the organization, emphasizing the superior quality of its T-shirts, the target audience of 23-35 year olds, and the competitive pricing strategy. The report concludes that the T-shirts offer immense value, being of superior quality and available at reasonable prices, making them appealing to experience-driven customers. The analysis is based on the provided assignment brief which required a situation analysis and value proposition for a selected business opportunity.

Running head: SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING
Small Business Marketing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING
1. Situational Analysis of the T-Shirt Manufacturing Organization
The situational analysis of the T-Shirt manufacturing organization will be undertaken using the
framework of Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis
Competitive Rivalry – The concerned organization produces high quality T-shirts and aims at
working under the franchise of Marvel, Disney and Michael Godard, three very well-known
brands in the USA. However, it is important to note that the demand for the type of t-shirts
produced by this organization is quite high in USA and there are many similar or related
organizations that offer the same at competitive prices and which wish to work under the same
franchise. Competitive rivalry for the t-shirt manufacturing organization is therefore quite high
(Albayrak, 2019).
Bargaining Power of Suppliers – Since there are many companies small and large which
engage in the manufacture or production of T-shirts in the USA, there are many suppliers and
distributors that this organization can count on for the provision of supplies that will assist in its
production process. The bargaining power of suppliers for this t-shirt manufacturing organization
is low (Ayubi & Loutfi, 2018).
Bargaining Power of Customers – The existence of several T-shirt manufacturing
organizations across the length and breadth of USA implies that there are several options that
customers can reach out to in the event that they want to procure t-shirts, whether individually or
in bulk. Hence the bargaining power of customers is quite high )Dimitriou, D. J., & Sartzetaki,
M. F, 2017).
Threat of Substitution – Since the quality of the fabric that is used by this organization is quite
unique, the possibility of this fabric being substituted easily by a rival or competitor

2SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING
organization, for the production of T-shirts is unlikely. The threat of substitution is therefore low
for this organization (Griffiths et al., 2019).
Threat of New Entry – Given the high demand for T-shirts in a country like the USA, there is
every scope of a new organization emerging that produces similar shirts at cost effective rates.
The threat of new entry for this business is therefore high.
Figure 1 – www.professionalacademy.com
Competitor Analysis
The type of customers that this T-shirt manufacturing organization wishes to attract now
and in the near or distant future comprises of customers who are in the age group of 23 to 35
years, and whose buying approach is driven by experience more than anything else.
Compared to the T-shirts that are produced by competitor or rival organizations the T-
shirts that are manufactured by this particular organization stand out in terms of quality of fabric.
The characteristics of the T-shirts that are produced by the organization that will make
such products appealing for customer’s lies in the fact that these are T-shirts which are made of

3SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING
very high quality fabric that is suitable for all skin types and which are also available in the
market at the most competitive of prices (Jin et al. 2016).
The similarity between the target market of the concerned business and that of its rivals
and competitors lies in the fact that both cater to customers who are in the age group of 23 to 35.
The difference in the target markets can be detected though in the fact that the target market of
the concerned business is made up of customers who are driven by experience more than
anything else (Yan et al., 2017).
2. Value Proposition
` The value proposition of the concerned organization and its products lies in the fact that
these are products which are of superior quality. This is an organization which caters to a
youthful audience made up of people who are in the age group of 23 to 35 years and who are
driven by experience. The quality of the fabric with which this organization makes its T-shirts is
something that differs vastly from the quality of fabric which is used by rival organizations. Yet
the prices which are charged by this organization for the sale of its T-shirts are quite competitive,
which implies that people from diverse economic backgrounds can afford such T-shirts.
Hence in conclusion it can be argued that there is immense value associated with the T-
shirts that are sold by the organization. The shirts are of superior quality fabric, and are therefore
far better than most other T-shirts which are up for sale in the US market. Customers who are
driven by experience and who fall in the age group of 23 to 35 years will be certain to find such
T-shirts appealing especially given the fact that they can get their hands on such shirts for a
reasonable or a moderate price rather than spending heavily for the same.

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References
Albayrak, T. (2019). The inclusion of competitor information in the three-factor theory of
customer satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Ayoubi, R. M., & Loutfi, M. (2018). Competitor analysis in Egyptian private higher education
sector. International Higher Education, (93), 22-23.
Dimitriou, D. J., & Sartzetaki, M. F. (2017). Competitor Analysis to Quantify the Benefits and
for Different Use of Transport Infrastructure. International Journal of Industrial and
Systems Engineering, 11(11), 2731-2734
Griffiths, M., Fenton, A., & Fletcher, G. (2019). 4.1 Competitor analysis. Strategic Digital
Transformation: A Results-Driven Approach
Jin, J., Ji, P., & Gu, R. (2016). Identifying comparative customer requirements from product
online reviews for competitor analysis. Engineering Applications of Artificial
Intelligence, 49, 61-73.
Yan, S., Jin, J., Ji, P., & Geng, Z. (2017). Extracting customer concerns from online reviews of
series products for competitor analysis. iConference 2017 Proceedings.