Open Collaboration as Marketing Transformation Strategy in Online Markets: The Case of the Fashion Sector

Abstract

An increasing number of companies engage with global markets due to technological advances, digitalisation and the homogenisation of consumers' tastes. Taking into account the consumers' opinion becomes more important in the current global output. On the other hand, the use of social media promotes the interaction between companies and users, and they are considered to be key elements in generating socialisation and, in addition, they contribute to generating images, communicating and improving participation. This interaction represents the moment in which value is generated in the commercial offer. In this context, the co-creation as marketing strategy is considered a very useful tool to approach the consumers and, thus, facilitate the global result, becoming social media as an important resource for management. The aim of this paper is to show the relevance of the global marketing strategy in fashion and accessories' retail sector, as well as to study the role that companies grant to co-creation such as strategy which allows approaching consumer in those international markets. For this purpose, we will focus on Spanish firms in the fashion and accessories industry. In sum, this qualitative study, analysed using Atlas.ti ® software, leads to a new paradigm which represents the transition of a brand model based on proposing solutions, proposals, and collective responses, to a business model that increasingly develops proposals, solutions and individual responses.

Dominant Consumer Attitudes in the Sharing Economy—A Representative Study in Hungary

“…The progression of the sharing economy is based on the existence of the digital platforms and, within that, both on the demand and supply side, consumers can easily interact with each other. Due to the digital revolution, people are operating both in real and virtual space: consumer participation is growing, and consumer collaboration is gaining ground [49,50]. The possibility of virtual connection leads to the creation of new communities, allowing them to think together without face-to-face meetings.…”

The Embeddedness of Social Sciences and Economics in Research on Resources

“…Finally, the qualitative study of Lorenzo-Romero et al [16] focused on Spanish firms in the fashion and accessories industry and identified that co-creation, as a marketing strategy, is a very useful tool for approaching consumers. In fact, the overall results of this paper highlighted the importance of social media as a key resource for management.…”