Mobile Tailor Shop Business Plan for Men's Suits

Background and Overview

This business plan is for the Tailoring Workshop Company (hereinafter alternatively "the company"), a mobile tailor shop for men's clothing that will operate through a website and a mobile app available through the Apple App Store. The company will focus exclusively on tailoring men's suits. Customers will be able to contact their personal tailor through the company's website or via the mobile app, but there will be no physical brick-and-mortar facilities or retail outlet. Customers will be able to create a free online account that enables them to explore all fabric choices and design collections so they can select the combinations that most appeal to them. The mobile app and website will facilitate real-time changes so that customers can instantly visualize the results of their selections. In addition to using the company's available designs, customers will also be able to create their own custom designs using the website's design tool, and may upload pictures or narrative descriptions of pages from competitors' catalogs to have designs created to their satisfaction.

Following the finalization of a design, customers will schedule appointments for their personal tailor to visit them at their home, office, or another location of their choosing for measurements. Customers will be able to track the progress of their order through their account on the company's website or mobile app and will receive periodic updates regarding the expected delivery date and time. Payment may be made through the company's website or during the measurement appointment. All tailoring work will be performed in the homes of the company's principals or in commercial space leased for this purpose. After completing an order, the company will deliver the finished suits to customers and ensure a proper fitting. Once the company has established a solid reputation for reliability, quality, and customer service, operations can be expanded to cover the rest of the state and eventually the entire nation using the methods and strategies outlined below.

The day-to-day management of the company will be the responsibility of the owner, though two private investors will also have a voice in long-term strategic planning. This approach is highly consistent with the guidance provided by Thomas (2009), who emphasizes that in the tailor sector, "A small, privately owned company in an industry rife with corporate takeovers and IPOs allows [a] firm to maintain close, solid relations with its customers and to remain free to make quick business decisions when needed" (p. 46). Appropriate software such as Tailor Master will be implemented to facilitate the management of the tailor shop, including the automated preparation of management reports, inventory records, payroll, and tax documents. The Tailor Master application will also provide human resource management features, as discussed below.

In addition to the owner, who is an experienced tailor, the company will employ two full-time tailors and two part-time administrative support staff responsible for all social media marketing, including responding to online customer feedback. For the tailoring positions, the company will recruit individuals skilled at crafting original designs and experienced at making alterations to suit individual body types (Tailor career information, 2014). Other attributes sought in the company's tailors include the ability to take accurate measurements, recommend suit sizes based on those measurements, draw patterns, operate a sewing machine, and work with needle and thread (Tailor career information, 2014). The company's tailors will also be required to interact with customers in a sales capacity (Tailor career information, 2014). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are no formal degree requirements to become a professional tailor, but candidates with a college degree will be given hiring preference, especially those with education and experience in marketing.

The company will focus on using social media networks as its primary marketing tools. According to Hensel and Deis (2012, p. 87), "Social media is a type of online media that expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content." There are a wide range of popular social media networks available today, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, MySpace, and many others (Hensel & Deis, 2012).

The results of the most recent (2013) Social Brands 100 rankings survey determined that the best-performing small businesses are those that maintain a social media presence on multiple platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube (Social brands 100, 2013). All of the top-performing small retailers maintain a Facebook presence, while almost all (99%) are also on Twitter and 94% have a YouTube presence (Social brands 100, 2013). These core social media networks were followed by Google+ and Pinterest, used by 60% of small businesses, with Instagram and Foursquare used by smaller numbers (Social brands 100, 2013).

A brief description of some of the most popular social media networks is provided in Table 1 below.

Management and Human Resources

Table 1: Current Popular Social Media Networks (Adapted from Edosomwan, Prakasan, Kouame, Watson & Seymour, 2011, unless otherwise indicated)

Facebook: By far the most popular social media network today, Facebook is privately operated and ranked as the most-used social network worldwide. By May 2010, Google announced that more people were visiting Facebook than any other website in the world. As of October 31, 2013, approximately 500 million people were members of this network, and fully half of those members use their accounts every day (How many people use Facebook, 2014).

YouTube: Founded in 2005, YouTube is the world's most popular online video community, where millions of people discover, watch, and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and serves as a major distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers of all sizes. YouTube uses video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated content, including movie clips, TV clips, music videos, and amateur content such as video blogs and short original films.

Twitter: Twitter gained widespread popularity by offering options such as microblogging and by attracting celebrity users. According to Bulearca and Bulearca, "Of all social media platforms, Twitter stands out, in terms of both characteristics and growth. Launched in 2006, Twitter gained most of its popularity as a micro-blogging tool in 2009, when it reached 58.5 million users worldwide, a 949% increase since September 2008" (2012, p. 297).

MySpace: In 2006, MySpace became the most popular social networking website but was overtaken in 2008 by Facebook. Approximately 43.2 million users visit MySpace on a monthly basis. A unique feature of MySpace is the ability for users to customize their profile to provide detailed information about themselves and their interests.

Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social media networks provide small business retailers such as men's tailor shops with a forum in which they can communicate their brand value and attributes in a cost-effective manner (Edosomwan et al., 2011). Men's tailor shops can benefit from adding social media networks to their marketing efforts in a number of ways, including the following:

Promoting open communication between employees and management; enabling employees to share project ideas and work in teams effectively, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience; promoting richer content such as webcasts and videos rather than simple text; helping to communicate collaboratively with current and potential customers regarding feedback, product definition, product development, and customer service; encouraging employees to become members of a well-recognized community; and becoming a productive venue for discussion, provided companies ensure that employees adhere to the rules and etiquette of social media (Edosomwan et al., 2011, p. 80).

Consumers' use of social media has become the most popular activity on the World Wide Web in recent years (Prosser, 2014). According to Prosser, "More consumers use social networks each month than use email accounts, and 40 per cent of social media users have purchased an item after sharing, commenting, pinning, tweeting, liking or 'favoriting' it" (2014, p. 3). The selection of the optimal social media network also relates to the nature of the enterprise. To date, Facebook has proven highly effective for small hotels and restaurants, while LinkedIn and Twitter have been more effective for sole practitioners such as men's tailors (Prosser, 2014). In many cases, small business retailers use a "shotgun" approach by establishing a presence on multiple social media platforms (Prosser, 2014). YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest have been found to be particularly effective for small business retailers such as men's tailors that can showcase high-quality images of their products (Prosser, 2014).

The content and feedback that small business retailers use across social media networks are also highly important. Rather than simply broadcasting how good a company is, small business owners should approach the process gradually, building relationships with consumers over time (Prosser, 2014). According to Prosser, "The best social media activity mixes commercial imperatives with customer interaction and an element of fun or wider interest" (2014, p. 4). Small business owners should also monitor where their sales originate in order to identify the most effective social media offerings. As Prosser notes, "Attracting 10,000 Twitter followers might be a big success for a business that wanted to raise its profile, but if none of them become customers, a business that wanted more sales would be disappointed" (2014, p. 5).

Research confirms that a growing number of small business retailers, including men's tailor shops, are incorporating social networking sites into their marketing communication strategies. According to Kunz and Hackworth, "Many have recognized that social networking is about linking people with common interests. Companies such as American Eagle, Gap, Ice.com, Victoria's Secret, Macy's and Nike have experimented and/or incorporated the use of social networking" (2011, p. 3).

An important point made by Barry (2012) is the need to encourage customers to share their positive experiences with others in order to promote future business. Barry emphasizes that "Consumers have embraced digital media and are increasingly confident about interacting and transacting online. With trust in traditional sources of influence decreasing, they are turning to their peers or communities online for advice and to share information and opinion" (2012, p. 30). Kunz and Hackworth (2011) similarly note that "Consumers are more likely to buy something that is recommended to them, rather than when it is 'marketed' to them; this is even more likely when the recommendation comes from someone that they trust" (p. 2).

Savvy men's suit designers have long recognized that word-of-mouth advertising and consumer testimonials represent powerful marketing methods, and the impact of these approaches has grown even more significant with the rise of social media. As Kunz and Hackworth (2011) emphasize, "While the economy has changed the way consumers shop, and how they spend, what has not changed is that consumers trust the opinions of friends and family, as well as people they do not know, usually more than anything the retailer has to say" (p. 3).

The company will also draw on best industry practices in the men's tailor sector. Beginning in the early 1990s, American men started to receive growing pressure in the workplace and at home regarding their business attire (Craik, 1993). As Craik reports, "Attitudes were changing. More men worked in sedentary occupations, especially in office jobs. These required different kinds of clothing, hence the growing popularity of the business suit as a practical, multi-purpose garment and the basis of the wardrobe for the white-collar workplace" (1993, p. 127).

Today, the trend towards wearing stylish business suits has become even more pronounced, and many American men are confronted with the new predicament of where to purchase their clothing (Smalley, 2009). This trend has also intensified the marketing environment for companies designing and manufacturing men's suits. As Smalley emphasizes, "That question has set off a heated marketing battle among the normally buttoned-down world of men's clothing shops, which are fighting for market share in one of the few bright spots of the fashion world; 12 percent more suits and other tailored wear were sold [in 2008] than in 2000" (2009, p. 37).

In response to this trend, a growing number of tailor shops are incorporating information technology into their business models to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage. As Smalley points out, "To appeal to former dot-comers whose closets are filled with khakis and polo shirts, some suit sellers, whose wares were once a symbol of Old Economy thinking, have adopted some New Economy tech and swagger" (2009, p. 37). Even well-established and traditional men's clothiers have integrated IT solutions to enhance their marketing efforts. For example, Brooks Brothers, nearly two centuries old and perhaps the world's most well-known conservative men's tailor, has implemented innovative marketing approaches. According to Smalley, "At its flagship store on New York's Madison Avenue, it's replaced a tailor's tape measure with a scanning device that plots 200,000 points on the body in 12 seconds (men wear boxers in the small scanning room, paneled in mahogany, of course)" (p. 37). The scanned measurement data are then transmitted to one of Brooks Brothers' suit manufacturing facilities, where they are used to produce a $700 digitally tailored suit deliverable in less than three weeks (Smalley, 2009) — approximately one-third of the time required by other custom suit manufacturers.

Likewise, Joseph A. Bank, a men's suit retailer with 140 outlets, has implemented digital solutions for its marketing efforts. Smalley reports that at Joseph A. Bank, "Store managers are touring college campuses and hawking group discounts to fraternities and any other group they can find. Once they have a customer, Bank executives try not to let go, and send them thank-you e-mails and reminders to shop online at its build-your-own-suit Web site" (2009, p. 37). Recognizing that many young men entering the business world may lack fashion knowledge, Joseph A. Bank has also developed a brochure explaining the fundamental differences between business-casual attire and formal business suits. The outcome of these efforts has been significant: as Smalley reports, "All that aggressive marketing has paid off. Two weeks ago the company announced sharply higher earnings. And since September, its stock has risen from below $5 to more than $20" (2009, p. 37).

Another major player in the tailor shop sector is Men's Wearhouse, which maintains a prominent web presence and has also integrated extensive print and television media advertising into its marketing mix. Representatives from Men's Wearhouse have appeared on national television talk shows to provide men with guidance on suit selection. As Smalley reports, "The company has also worked with morning news shows around the country to produce how-to-dress segments, covering different cuts of suits and what to wear to an interview. It's also started renting tuxedos to the prom crowd, so they know of the store when it comes time to buy their first suit" (2009, p. 37).