Please read the provided scenario below and answer the two questions with at lea
ID: 422924 • Letter: P
Question
Please read the provided scenario below and answer the two questions with at least one paragraph each. The articles to reference are provided at the bottom. Thank you!
Allbirds: World’s Most Comfortable Shoe
This week’s discussion relates to developing and managing new products we covered in Chapter 10 and Chapter11.
Allbirds, a Silicon Valley startup, markets what it claims to be the world's most comfortable shoe. Made partly from wool, Allbirds sells just three simple unisex shoe models: the "runner," a pared-down slip on "lounger", and a loafer-trainer hybrid made from Eucalyptus pulp, the brand's latest innovation,. The company says that it's sold more than 1 million shoes since 2016. That is impressive for a two-year-old brand, but a drop in the bucket when stacked against the billion-dollar businesses of Nike and Adidas with sales of 25 shoes per second. Yet, in an industry dominated by these legacy brands, Allbirds, a miniscule Silicon Valley outfit, is disrupting just about every convention in the sneaker world.
Its sales model is mostly direct-to-consumer via its Web site and two stores in New York and San Francisco (plus pop-up shops in nine Nordstrom locations). What's more, the company is run by two men with zero experience in footwear: Tim Brown, an ex-soccer player, and Joey Zwillinger, a former biotechnical engineer. Allbirds' appeal is interesting. It's guided less by flash and more by a self-conscious eco-friendliness and low-key comfort. Among other attributes, the company draws attention to its recycled laces, castor bean oil insole which cuts down on carbon output compared to conventional petroleum foam, and natural fiber.
DISUCSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Have you heard of Allbirds. Visit its website (www.allbirds.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.) and learn about the company. Discuss Allbirds’ appeal and speculate on why the company has been so successful. Identify Allbirds’ ideal customer and why the brand appeals to its ideal customer in such a compelling way.
2. As a startup, do you think Allbirds is going to grow and be successful or it is just a fad? Justify your answer.
SOURCE:
How the 'World's Most Comfortable Shoe' Is Challenging Nike and Adidas (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
By Jacob Gallagher
May 21, 2018
The Wall Street Journal
These Are the Healthiest Shoes To Wear, According to Scientists (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
By Markham Heid
May 30, 2018
TIME
1. Have you heard of Allbirds. Visit its website (www.allbirds.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.) and learn about the company. Discuss Allbirds’ appeal and speculate on why the company has been so successful. Identify Allbirds’ ideal customer and why the brand appeals to its ideal customer in such a compelling way.
2. As a startup, do you think Allbirds is going to grow and be successful or it is just a fad? Justify your answer.
Explanation / Answer
No, I have not heard of Allbirds. However, when I visited the website www.allbirds.com, I was awestruck with the appeal of the brand. Though the company is new to the shoe industry challenging Nike and Adidas, the company has been successful in marketing its products. The appeal of the products is very unique. In the intensive competitive market, the company has gained a part of the market share by highlighting the woolen shoes and the tree shoes. Both the nature made shoes are highly comfortable and unique in nature. The brand appeal is that the shoes are made of natural materials instead of the cheaper synthetic alternatives. In the saturated shoe industry marketed by Nike and Adidas, people are now looking forward for new innovative shoes and Allbirds had hit the nail hard on the demand. That is why Allbirds is successful in the intensively competitive shoe industry. Additionally, the 30 day trial offered by the company is a very new concept especially for a shoe company. The simplicity, natural materials, and the 30 day trial are all marketing appeal to lure in the customers. Allbirds’ ideal customers are people who are seeking innovation in the shoe sector. Since the industry is saturated with the well-known brands like Nike and Adidas, people in the matured stage would seek new and innovatively designed shoes. Thus, the new concept of naturally made shoes by Allbirds has captured this entire customer segment. I strongly believe that Allbirds will definitely grow in the future though it is a start-up now. The company’s innovative shoes has captured the highly competitive shoe industry today. However, in order to maintain this growth and move onto the next stage of life cycle, the company needs to keep offering innovative concepts in shoes to beat the threat for competition. In today’s digital era and the fast paced environment, people prefer newer and innovative concepts and Allbirds should capture this aspect of the customer segment to be strategically successful in the industry.
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