BATA
Introduction
Bata India Ltd (BIL), a 51% subsidiary of Bata (BSO) BV of Netherlands, is India's largest manufacturer and marketer of footwear products. BIL’s product portfolio includes leather, rubber and canvas shoes, sports shoes, accessories and garments. It sells almost 59 million pairs a year in India and overseas markets such as USA, UK, Europe, Middle East and Far East. BIL's strong points are the strong parent support, a strong brand name supported by the value for money positioning and its large retail reach. The company also markets international brands like Weinbrenner, Hush Puppies, Dr Scholls, Reebok, Adidas, and Azaleia. The other most popular Bata brands include Power, Marie Claire, Bata School Shoes, Sandak, Bubblegummers, Bata Hawai and Bata Industrial.
In recent years, it has been facing increasing competition from international brands that are offering newer designs and there has been a shift in customer mindset towards footwear and Bata as a brand.
Marketing
Bata currently is in the maturity phase. The sales are slowing and the brand is being viewed as jaded and old. In such a situation product lifecycle management recommends that the brand should be given an impetus. The group has tried to answer the questions such as whether to reposition the brand or to build on its current position to the specifics of products, price etc
For the purpose of this project, a primary research was conducted based on a customer survey done across the city and an FGD done with IIM Ahmedabad students. The survey was done using two questionnaires (Exhibit 3).
The gap between "what the customer expects and looks for in a shoe" and "what Bata delivers" (figure 1) is used as an input to decide the future marketing strategy of Bata.
Branding
Exclusive Premium Women’s Stores
Justification: Women traditionally buy footwear from less expensive unorganized retailers. Since 2000, however, private label has grown at 15% CAGR by supplying...