Product and Market Analysis of the Childrenswear Industry

Abstract

This research was a result of a retail audit completed by the author in August 2003 for Cotton Incorporated. The retail audit gathered information on gender, size, product, brand, country of origin, and price of childrenswear at major retail chain stores in three United States cities. The purpose of the study was to provide insights into the childrenswear market offerings, to aid manufacturers and retailers in their understanding of the dynamics of the childrenswear retail marketing environment. The Apparel Value Chain Model (Gereffi, 1994) provided the conceptual framework for this study.

The level of specificity of the data provided an opportunity for descriptive and inferential analysis yielding comparison of marketing, product and price strategies for retailers, and brands. The research sample consisted of six national retail chains from three retail channels; discount, major chain, and specialty chain. Results provided insights into childrenswear offerings at retail channels and stores, identified if differences existed across childrenswear offerings according gender, size, product, brand and country origin, and tested for differences between price means. Finally, the research results proposed modifications to Gereffi's Apparel Value Chain Model (1994) to reflect the current product dynamics of the childrenswear market.