Case Study: Zara Retail Stores - Online Retailing Operations Report

This report offers an in-depth analysis of Zara retail stores, using them as a case study to evaluate the effectiveness of online technologies in their retailing operations. The report is structured into three key sections: Findings/Information Gathering, Conclusion, and Recommendations. The findings section provides a brief overview of Zara's current operations, highlighting its global presence and its ability to consistently offer new fashion trends. The report emphasizes Zara's use of online retailing methods, discussing the convenience and competitive pricing it offers to its global customer base. The conclusion summarizes the successful integration of online technologies. Finally, the recommendations suggest strategies to enhance customer engagement and improve the online shopping experience, including greater use of social media platforms and optimizing online channels for a more interactive experience.

Running head: REPORT 1
A REPORT ABOUT ONLINE RETAILING USING ZARA RETAIL STORES AS A CASE
STUDY
Student Name
Student ID
Date

REPORT 2
Introduction
This report`s topic vividly identifies its essence. Its purpose is to give an evaluation of
Zara retail stores as a case study in the suitability of the use of online technologies in its
retailing operations. The retail store is assumed to reflect other retail stores worldwide. The
structure of the report is in three sections namely:
 Findings/Information gathering
 Conclusion
 Recommendations
Findings/Information gathering
A Brief description of its present operations
Zara retail stores are a global retail brand with a local store located in Melbourne,
Australia. Its operations chiefly involve the sale of the latest and trendy European fashion
trends. The store enables its customers to choose from an array of the latest clothing,
dresses, and shoes. It has both men and women clothing in its stores. The store`s immense
audience worldwide is attributed to its persistent ability to offer new and different lines after
every two weeks. Its outstanding quality is that it designs its contemporary products and
then delivers them to its stores in only two weeks contrary to the six-month-long duration
which other retailers take. Most importantly, it provides online shopping as well. As such, it
evidently combines the use of both physical and online shopping aspects.
The store`s use of internet technologies
The retail store greatly employs online retailing methods. Online retailing is increasingly
being embraced by enterprises globally (Baier & Stuber, 2010). This implies that many
businesses are seeing the essence of adopting internet technologies in their operations. For
instance, Zara retail store significantly uses it. This is appropriate since it has customers
worldwide.
Shopping is usually more than just acquiring items. This means that it has other aspects
that make it holistic (Xing, et al., 2010). Essentially, online shopping offers convenience and
competitive prices. This makes it immensely appropriate for an enterprise like the Zara retail
store. This is because the store can offer prices that are pocket-friendly to the customers
globally. Similarly, the online channels facilitate convenient shopping. That is, customers
can purchase the products at the time of their choice. As such, they can get what they want,
whenever they want and wherever they are.
Online channels will highly facilitate purchase and distribution in the future. This implies
that customers will search for items online, place orders online and provide their location
details online to enable physical delivery of the items (Rafiq, et al., 2013). For example,
Zara retail store customers place their orders and have them physically delivered worldwide
through shipping services. This evidently saves resourceful time.

REPORT 3
Conclusion
The retail store is quite remarkably doing well regarding the employment of online or
internet technologies in its operations. However, more needs to be done to increasingly
optimize the gains of the internet.
Recommendations
The chief recommendations relevant for the retail store are outlined below.
 It should highly and vibrantly engage its loyal and potential customers via social
media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, twitter, Instagram and
WhatsApp among others (Verhagen & Dolen, 2011)
 Its online channels should be designed to allow for the enhancement of purchasing
the products at any moment as well as promoting the ultimate interactive experience
for the customers who are heterogeneous and spread across the globe.

REPORT 4
References
Baier, D. & Stuber, E., 2010. `Acceptance of recommendations to buy in online retailing.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services`, 3(17), pp. 173-180.
`Rafiq, M., Fulford, H. & Lu, X., 2013`. `Building customer loyalty in online retailing`: `The
role of relationship quality`. `Journal of marketing management`, 3-4(29), pp. 494-517.
Verhagen, T. & Dolen, W., `2011. `The influence of online store beliefs on consumer online
impulse buying: A model ane empirical application .' `Information & management`, 8(48),
pp. 320-327.
Xing, Y., Grant, B., McKinnon, C. & Fernie, J., 2010. Physical distribution service quality in
online retailing. Journal of Physical Distribution &vLogistics Management, 5(40), pp. 415-
432.