You have been employed as a marketing contractor by UCEU Clothing* (a NEW clothing retailer) who is looking to enter the
Australian clothing market and specialise in the area of clothing that you have decided to “shop” [see below]. You are to
conduct the below analysis and present back to UCEU Clothing a professional review of two competitive online sites and their
respective bricks and mortar retail stores addressing the criteria below. In order to complete this review you need to act as a
consumer but also consider the retail marketing perspectives in the design/ execution of the online sites and bricks and
mortar retail stores. [Remember to be analytical rather than purely descriptive in your analysis].
* UECU Clothing is a fictitious retailer created for the purpose of this assessment item only.
TASK: You are a consumer who is looking to purchase a clothing item of your choice for a certain occasion. To make your
purchase, you will need to visit TWO online retail clothing sites and also their respective bricks and mortar stores to compare
product offerings for consideration before making your final purchase.
When you “shop” for your clothing item (clothing item must be consistent across the two retailers, e.g., if you are shopping for
a casual shirt, then you are shopping for a casual shirt at both retailers) you will need to progress through the necessary
steps required to formulate your final purchase decision on each of the two retailers. Act as though you are actually going to
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make the final purchase from one of these retailers. Please note: you are not required to actually make a final purchase but
you will need to go through the necessary steps to fulfil the below requirements.
NOTE: In order to answer question 7 below, you will need to select a type of clothing item (e.g., jumper, t-shirt, dress, jeans
etc) for this assessment that you have made a purchase of in store (bricks and mortar store) in the past.
You will need to answer the following questions in detail:
1. Identify and provide a background on the two retailers you selected. How and why did you select these retailers? What
clothing item are you shopping for – be sure to provide a background on the product attributes you are looking for in
regards to the item you are shopping…price/ colour/features etc? [2 marks]
2. Compare the two retailers target markets [2 marks]
3. Compare and critique the retail offering provided by the two retailers you are shopping for in regards to their online
store: [8 marks]
a. product quality
b. price
c. breadth and depth of product range
d. level of product information provided
e. level of customer relationship management
f. suggestive selling
g. promotional strategies
h. website features/ quality of visuals used/ design/ layout
i. ease of website use
j. ease of making the sale
k. closing of the sale
l. delivery options and returns policy
4. Compare and critique the retail offering provided by the two retailers you are shopping for in regards to their bricks &
mortar store: [8 marks]
a. product quality
b. price
c. breadth and depth of product range
d. level of product information provided
e. level of customer relationship management
f. suggestive selling
g. promotional strategies
h. location
i. in-store layouts, atmospherics
j. quality of customer service
k. closing of the sale
l. returns policy
5. Compare the level of multichannel retailing offered by each retailer [3 marks] (consider – how effective is it? is it
consistent? How connected is it between the different channels the retailer offers…). Be sure to provide recommendations in
your response.
6. Showrooming is an activity consumers are embracing and presents opportunities but also challenges for retailers. It
involves a consumer visiting a shop(s) in order to try on a product (in the case of a clothing item) before purchasing it
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online at a lower price. For this question, students must present support that they visited the in-store change rooms
of both retailers. [9 marks]
a) Consider how the online clothing retailer can capitalise on showrooming. What initiatives can they take to
encourage a consumer to make the purchase through their online store?
b) Visit the bricks and mortar clothing in-store change room facilities of both of your retailers and provide a
description of their current change room facilities…consider – size, location, signage, atmospherics etc. Make sure you visit
each of the retailers and provide evidence (an in-store photo) that you visited their change rooms. Ensure you include the
location of the store you visited e.g., located at Joondalup Shopping Centre. Please note: the Layout and Atmospherics
practicum held in week 7 will assist you with this section of the assessment.
c) How can the bricks and mortar clothing store address showrooming via their change rooms? What solutions can
you recommend to convert a showroomer into an instore buyer?
7. You now need to formulate your decision on which retailer you would make a purchase from. For this question, make
sure you address it for both retailers: [5 marks]
a) Would you make a purchase from this retailer? Why/ why not? If yes, would it be from their online site or their
bricks and mortar store? Why?
b) If you would not make a purchase from this retailer, what could the retailer do/ change in order for you to make a
purchase from them?
In addressing this question make sure you compare and critique your experience of “shopping” online to shopping in a
bricks and mortar store for this clothing item. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each retail format (online
and in-store) from a consumer’s point of view and highlight how the retailer may overcome some of the disadvantages
of each format (online and in-store).
Please note: You are not required to make the final purchase of the clothing item.
8. The retail industry is very competitive and for a retailer to prosper they need to establish a sustainable competitive
advantage. With the retailer you have selected to “make a purchase” in the question above (Part 7.) what sustainable
competitive advantage could they develop or enhance to grow their business? In your response ensure you are
specific and detailed with your response (vague responses will not attract any marks). [3 marks]
HINT: Select a clothing item that you would realistically be interested in purchasing. Doing so will stimulate your critical
analysis and creativity when addressing the assessment criteria.
Analysis Write-up Format:
Students have the option of selecting one of the following formats to present their analysis of the two retail sites back to
UCEU Clothing:
1. A report format – must be professional and visually appealing. No essays!
2. A magazine review.
3. Or another type of review medium of your choice. [Please consult with the Lecturer first to ensure the medium you have chosen is
appropriate for the assessment].
Consider who you are presenting your analysis to in your chosen presentation format. A PowerPoint presentation to a Surf
Shop company would be very different to a presentation being made to a Formal Wear Clothing company, as would a
magazine review for a Swimwear company in comparison to a Children’s Clothing store. Your analysis MUST BE visually
appealing and considerate of the target audience.
KEY: present your analysis in a manner that is professional and easy for the reader to follow. Be creative and ensure•
your presentation is visually appealing!
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Use of visuals is mandatory! Minimum of six visuals are required. Visuals can include but are not limited to screen•
shots, product shots, branding…and must be used to support your comments being made. Please ensure any
screen shots used are big enough to view the content on them.
Specifications:
Your analysis should be no more than 5,000 words in length (excluding appendixes and references). Submissions•
that are over this limit will attract a penalty.
Typed, size 12 Arial or Times New Roman font.•
Proof read your work before submitting your report, as marks will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors.•
Marking criteria
Is there evidence of visiting and progressing through the necessary steps required to formulate a final purchase•
decision for each of the two retailers throughout the report?
Thoroughness of the analysis: were all aspects of the assessment adequately examined? Does the report reflect a•
critical analysis (depth of thought, development of argument, logical analysis and insight); rather than just a
descriptive piece of work?
Clarity of the report: how well was the analysis written? Is it clear, well organized, professionally presented? Are•
there spelling or grammatical errors that detract from the review?
Has the student suitably incorporated the language of the unit within their analysis?•
Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate knowledge [provide physical evidence] of particular topics•
and concepts. It is important to highlight that there is a difference between quantity and quality. An assignment might
meet the designated page limit, may contain a certain degree of logic, and may be well written, however, if the
assignment does not indicate that the students have researched, studied, understands and can apply retail
marketing concepts then the assignment will not receive a high mark. Hence, the importance of researching widely
and having quality references cited in all assignments.
The Written Work Grade Related Descriptors at the back of this Unit Plan provides a table which describes what is•
involved in achieving each of the University grade levels in written assignments and will be taken into consideration
when marking this assignment.