Kimono Traditional Clothing - Research Paper Example

Kimono Traditional Clothing Kimono Traditional Clothing The Kimono is a Japanese traditional clothing made from silk fabric and yukata. Kimono clothes are T-shaped and straight-lined. Moreover, they are worn with traditional split-toe socks and footwear. The method used in making Kimono makes it easy to repair or replace damaged on old Kimono. The traditional clothing is manufactured by the Kimono Company that is located in Japan. The target customers for Kimono traditional clothing would be both men and women regardless the age-groups. It is relatively cheap and affordable meaning that all members of the society can buy it irrespective of their incomes. The unique design of the product means that the competition from other traditional local products in Kenya will not affect it. Marketing Mix Product Decisions Kimono has an appeal to people of different age-groups. More recent kimonos cloths are of simple designs and cheap. Therefore, the poor people from all part of the country are in a position to afford kimono cloths. However, there are also expensive designs which are ideal for the rich people. Kimono also incorporates fashion in coming up with their design. For instance, young women are mostly attracted to kimono cloths because of their fashionable and appealing look. Moreover, due to the flexibility of its designs, they can be made to fit different cultural believes and practices of the various groups and communities in the country. This plays a very important role in identifying and distinguishing the different cultures (Kotler& Armstrong, 2013). Kimono also recycles its materials to produce the recycled kimono cloths. This is rare clothing that is unique and beautiful and very ideal for women aged between forty and sixty years. The element of recycling is beneficial to those whose kimono clothes would have become old, worn out and tarnished. It is, therefore, cheap and convenient considering the recycled materials can be taken back to the tailors to make other clothes, thus, saving money that would have been used in purchasing new cultural clothes at a higher cost. For example, Yukata, product of kimono, popular for the people who love casual wear. It is made from linen, or cotton or polyester which is dries quickly. This makes Yukata an ideal to be worn during the summer period because of its comfort even in worn climates. However, in order to fit in the Kenyan market, kimono will have to make a few changes in their ultimate designs. The changes would be done in a manner that will depict the various cultural practices of the different communities. There are 42 ethnic communities in Kenya and each has its own cultural practices (Linda, 2012). Additionally, all this cultures have their own mode of dressing. Therefore, it is these modes of dressing that kimono shall consider in coming up with cloths that are acceptable in all communities. In addition, it is also important to be considerate in determining the art and symbols be inserted on the clothes. These symbols will mainly capture the aspects each community upholds. Kimono need to do so in a strategic manner to attract the particular communities into buying them (Kotler& Armstrong, 2013). Sales expectation In the first year, the sales would be estimated by determining the demand for the commodity multiplied by the average price of the most expensive cloths, as well as, the cheapest cloths. The population of Kenya is about 44million people. The new product is anticipated to have more sales in the second year than the first year. This is because there shall be challenges in the first year as expected of any product getting into a new market. The demand for the traditional kimono is expected to be higher than that for the ‘Yukata’ because of the attachment that people have on their culture. The calculation can be as shown in the table below: Demand for (SK) Demand for (Y.K) Average cost Expected sales(S.K.) Expected sales(Y.K.) Total expected sales First year 5.5M 7.5M $43.75 $240.625M $328.125M $568.75M Second year 9.5M 12.5M $50.00 $475.00M $625.00M $1100M S.K- Traditional Kimono T.K- Yukata or Casual Kimono M- Million The total expected costs are a summation of the expected sales from YukataKimono and traditional kimono. The average cost is the summation of the highest and the lowest cost divided by two. Pricing decisions The thorough market research that initially conducted will form a baseline for the determination of the pricing mechanism. Considering that it is the first time the product shall be selling in the Kenyan market, the prices are expected to be a little lower than the prices of the existing traditional clothing. Reducing commodity price will serves as one factor aimed at attracting more people to purchase the commodity (Kotler & Armstrong, 2013). The misconceptions among the Kenyan people that foreign companies sell their commodities at higher costs shall affect the pricing strategy of the kimono product. Convincing them to purchase the commodity is a challenge that has to be overcome. Moreover, most people are used to their traditional modes of dressing. The introduction of kimono may be considered as interference to the cultural believes of the respective communities. A good example is the Maasai community, they are known to value to their cultural mode of dressing very highly. Kimono is most likely not to be accepted within the first year of introduction. However, for this to be achieved, kimono has to reduce the price to be relatively lower compared to the locally available cloths. The economic situation in Kenya shall also determine the selling prices of kimono traditional clothing in the country. Majority of the people in Kenya live in rural areas and are poor. This implies that they are not able to provide for their basic necessities with clothing included. It shall have an impact on the pricing of the clothing in the sense that the prices must be made affordable. This shall have a negative impact on the pricing of the commodity (Otieno, 2010). Channels of distribution The first most applicable channel of distributing kimono’s products in Kenya would be the end user channel. By doing so, the company will be less worried about the price of the commodity being too high when the commodity is sold to retailers and distributors. Prices will be lower and increase the sales against those of other similar traditional clothing in the Kenyan community. The second channel of distribution shall be the producer-wholesaler-retailer-customer channel. It is the most common and traditional channel of distribution where the two middlemen, retailers and wholesalers are used. It qualifies as a considerable method to be used due to the unpredictability of the market for the product (Schiffman, Kanuk & Das, 2006). Producer-Agent-Wholesaler-Retailer-Customer is the last distribution channel that can be used. This is the longest distribution channel since it involves three middlemen. It will be used to relieve the problem of distribution and hand over the entire output to the selling agents. The agents distribute the product among a few wholesalers. Each wholesaler distributes the product among retailers who sell it to the consumers. It shall be suitable for to enhance wider distribution of the product (Schiffman, Kanuk & Das, 2006). Promotion The integrated marketing communication strategy that would be most appropriate is the multimedia promotional strategy. The reason why it is the most appropriate medium is because it can reach a large number of people at the same time with the same simple message. Multimedia works well in a community with various cultures such as Kenya. Multimedia promotional strategy delivers many benefits. For instance it boosts sales and creates competitive advantage. It shall also help develop dialogue between the company and its customers, as well as, nurture relationships with its customers. The relationship cements a mutual bond of loyalty between customers and the organization. This will be an added advantage to the company over other traditional clothing competitors because the customers will be kept for a long time (Linda, 2012). The key advertising message would be that people should appreciate culture and diversity. A good example would be the utilization of autobiographical advertising which taps into the memories and past experiences of the people. This would be more effective considering it affects how people remember their past. (Schiffman et al, 2006). Autobiographical advertising can cause consumers to experience increased feelings of attachment towards different brands and products. This will definitely positively influence consumers’ attitudes towards the brand. Promotional budget The promotional budget for the first two years would be as follows. First year Radio advertisements- US $68,750 Newspaper advertisements- US $49,250 Television advertisements- US $112, 425 Second year Radio advertisements-US $92,350 Newspaper advertisements-US $87,115 Television advertisements- US $122, 308 In conclusion, the Kenyan communities’ love for traditional clothing was one of the main reasons for choosing kimono traditional clothing. The availability of ready market and the viable social, cultural and economic environments were also determining factors. Kimono product will initially have challenges in being fully accepted but with the strategies that are in place, there is a chance that their products will flourish in the Kenyan market. References Braun, K. A., Ellis, R., & Loftus, E. F. (2002). Make My Memory: How Advertising Can Change Our Memories of the Past. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2013). Principles of Marketing. Bulletin of the Centre for Research and Interdisciplinary Study. 2013(1): 93-113. Linda, L. (2012). Abu Dhabis Vision 2030: An On-going Journey of Economic Development. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company. Njuguna, N. (2014) Kenya: Policies for Prosperity (Africa: Policies for Prosperity). USA: Oxford University Press. Otieno, O. (2010). Kenya at Forty-Five: Economic Performance, Problems and Prospects. Twickenham: Athena Press. Schiffman, L., Kanuk, L.& Das M. (2006).Consumer Behaviour. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. Read More