Coach is a manufacturer of quality leather handbags and accessories. Coach products are sold directly to consumers through boutique stores, selectdepartment stores (Macy’s, Dillards, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks FifthAvenue), factory outlet stores and through the company website:www. coach. com. Coach was established in 1941 as a family-owned company and operated business that began in a Manhattan loft with six artisans using skills handed downfrom generation to generation to create a collection of leather goods(www. oach. com).
Today, Coach has gone on to become “America’s preeminentdesigner, marketer and producer of fine accessories and gifts for both men andwomen.
Currently, Coach operates about 400 boutique stores throughout theUnited States and Canada. In 1999, Coach launched its online store that has sinceevolved into an important sales channel as well as advertising both abroad andwithin the United State Strengths The Coach brand is well known among women between the ages of 18 and 50.
Coach has begun to capitalize on their brand in the last decade with the launch of www.
coach. comand also making use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This follows with the Law of Internet Advertising. Coach has alsochanged their style to fit into the lives of women between in their twenties whilealso keeping styles in mind with those that are familiar with the Coach brand andhave purchased products in the early years. This follows with the law of Change,which says, “brands can be changed, but only infrequently and only verycarefully. The Coach brand also follows the Law of the Name in that it is ashort, easy name for our customers to remember and that also ties in to the Law of Quality.
When consumers think of Coach they will also think of the quality products produced and that Coach will always stand behind their product. Weaknesses Currently one of the most important weaknesses that Coach has is that they arenot the leading brand of quality handbags. Therefore, this ties into the Law of Category, which states, “A leading brand should promote the category, not the brand. Coach is in constant competition with other leading brands by attempting to create products that could outshine products developed by the leading brands.
Opportunities
There are many opportunities that Coach can expand on to help promote the brand. One opportunity that Coach can expand on is by branching into the e-commerce side. This follows with the Law of Either/Or, which states that theInternet can be a business or a medium, but not both. Coach has capitalized onthe Internet by forming a website that allows anyone from anywhere in the worldto view its products for purchase.
Coach has also used the Internet to join the popular social networking site: Facebook. The company has also recently formedan account with Twitter that keeps fans up to date on their product lines. Coachhas used the Internet to their advantage to gain more customers and to also allowlong time customers to follow them on both sites for information about upcoming products being released. Threats The two threats that Coach currently encounters is a decrease in brand popularityand the Law of Category.
Coach currently lags behind other brands in thehandbag category Points of Differentiation & Positioning Within their product category, Coach competes with other companies that produce designer, quality goods such as Dooney and Bourke, Kate Spade andGucci. Coach is in direct competition with Dooney and Bourke and Kate Spade because they operate at the same price point and target the same customers. Guccioperate at a higher price point but also appeal to Coach customers.
Coach differentiates itself from the competitors in that they are constantly releasing new products that showcase different styles and leather with the same quality that our target market is familiar with. Coach can dominate the category by consistently providing quality customer service along with quality products that we stand behind with a lifetime guarantee. With this guarantee, our customers will feelsafe knowing that if a product does not live up to their expectation we will repair at no additional cost or even replace based upon the price they paid for the product no matter how long ago it was purchased.