Problems
In this case study, the A&F had several issues one of them being criticism for the market segmentation strategies. That is the policy created a negative reputation for the company particularly to some of its customers. Secondly, Abercrombie and Fitch was viewed as a controversial company because it produced neither extra-large nor double extra-large cloth sizes, especially for the women. On the other hand, both sizes were available for men. Thirdly, the A&F faced a lawsuit in 2013 when it fired a Muslim female worker for putting on a hijab.
Analysis
The practice of such market exclusion led to some problems in the company in that it was not tactical to isolate consumers that are not falling within the target market in an offensive manner. For instance, the management team of Abercrombie and Fitch stated that they are clearly marketing to only fresh and good looking individuals (Fullerton & Weigand, 2015).
As a result of this exclusivity, it is like Jeffries was distancing from the potential sales on his strategy. It implies that the female clients that range from average to large sized did not belong the A&F requirement of cool and good looking. Consequently, most consumers criticized the managers for the exclusionary strategies because several people did not fit the company's clothes, meaning they did not belong to the class set by the firm. The policy of the company is that all employees should maintain the standards that are expected from their clients. That is they should appear natural and good-looking as their target market. Therefore, the above controversies led to negative perceptions of the company.
Alternatives
Addition of full range sizes
Many celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Alley criticized the Abercrombie and Fitch regarding the issue of size. It was noticed that such opinions could lead to negative consequences on the brands of A&F. Additionally, the sentiments from Alley that any cloth should not be bought from the company contributed to the loss in sales revenues. As the controversy grows over the company concerning its marketing practices, the A&F should make a decision of offering more variety in sizes to accommodate all markets. This will make A&F more inclusive by accepting all categories of its consumers. Moreover, it will change the perception of the company as a discriminatory. By providing a variety of sizes for females as well as men is one of the major steps that A&F could take to create a more positive perception of its brands.
According to the viewpoint of the logistics, the addition of the full range of sizes will increase the market share of the company in the targeted segment that has been ignored. The competitors of A&F such as Aeropostale and the American Eagle provided all sizes for both men and women without the dilution of the popularity of their products.
Maintaining the same production line
The present marketing practices of A&F should be retained in that by targeting everyone, the prestigious brands of the company will be diluted (Fullerton & Weigand, 2015). Therefore, the products will remain as average and no longer desirable. Moreover, successful companies have the clear market definition of their target markets and do not include every segment.
Recommendation and Plan
The sector for all categories of sizes should not be ignored because by doing so it means that the company will forgo prospective revenues. By making a consideration to all market segments will lead to the gain of the market share. Therefore, Jeffries should be wise enough to make a proposal on the boundaries of the target market for A&F.
What I learnt from the case study
It seems that there is a difficult decision to make for the A&F. It is true that the current practice of marketing in the company had reached high success levels, but the brands that the company developed appears to be in trouble. Therefore, the company should not stick to its exclusion tactics and become more inclusive by offering different sizes to acquire the underserved market.
References
Fullerton, G. & Weigand, H. (2015). Introductory Marketing. MKTG- 2270.1, 155-158.
