Presented By:

Stephen Fishel

Kaitlin Arbogast

Grafton Elliott

Marketing Channels Report:Under Armour

• One of the leaders today in the sporting clothes and accessories industry.

• Based out of Baltimore, MD.

• Annual sales around $2.25 billion dollars and continuing to grow.

• Biggest competitor is Nike (Reebok, Adidas, Puma)• Annual revenue of around $25 billion

(Yahoo Finance, 2014)

Company Profile: Background

• Under Armour offers a total of five product lines:• Cold Gear

• Loose Gear

• Turf Gear

• All-Season Gear

• Heat Gear

• Firm focuses on innovative products• Shirts that monitor heart rate

• Shoes that mimic the human spine

• Tape-replacing cleat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYCvIr0fWnM

Company Profile Cont…

• Industry is expected to exceed $126 billion by 2015.

• Market is driven by a trend toward healthier, more active lifestyles. • Older demographics and women becoming more active.

• Consumers are demanding more versatile wear with wider functionality.• Retailers continue producing new styles of sports apparel.

• Challenges faced by companies include fashion trends, tough competition, and more price-conscious shoppers.

• Industry is highly fragmented with many brands competing with each other.

(Report Linker, 2014)

Sporting Apparel Industry

• Main Target- Athletes of both genders and all ages.

• Also cater to every-day person• Loose Gear product line is catered to every-day casual wear.

Target Market

• Today, UA uses a selective distribution strategy (multi-channel design). • Sell to both wholesale and retail as well as directly

• Principal customers: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Eastbay, and Sports Authority.

• Approximately 90.5% of net revenues are made from wholesale distribution.

Stage #1: Need for Channel Design Decision

• Selling directly= competitive advantage.

• E-commerce is growing and becoming the preferred way to shop by consumers.

• Online retail sales expected to grow from $225.5 billion today to $434.2 billion in 2017 (U.S. E-commerce Sales).

• Focus more on e-tailing while still selling wholesale.

Selling Directly

• UA could find a niche provided customers with personalized and customized products.

• UA must keep up with competitors such as Nike and offer similar options. • Nike ID

Selling Directly

• Change is not necessarily needed but more focus on directly selling to consumer.

• Overall distribution objective: Be the market share leader in the sporting apparel industry (UA Executive Summary, 2014).

Stage #2: Distribution Objectives

• Product, price, and promotion must be congruent with overall distribution objective.

• Raised prices due to the nature of the product.• Customized and personalized products cost more to manufacture.

• Promotion needs to be ramped up to raise awareness to consumers.

Congruency in Marketing Mix

• Effective distribution= sustainable advantage in online retail market.

• Customization is a value co-creation method for consumers.• Involving customer in production process= attachment to company.

Stage #3: Specifying Distribution Tasks

• First task: Gathering marketing research on buying habits of target market. • Identification of products to customize.

• Explore customization options.

• Second Task: Promoting online sales/customization to target market. • Promotion in sporting goods stores and other retail locations.

• Advertising (Internet and TV)

Distribution Tasks

• Third Task: Maintaining inventory storage• Customization option leads to new manufacturing methods and

materials.

• Maintaining inventory=ability to keep up with demand.

• Fourth and Fifth Tasks: Successfully selling the product to consumers. • Fulfilling online orders

• Staying ahead of the competition.

Distribution Tasks

• Everything begins with manufacturing plants.

• UA’s products are primarily manufactured in Asia, Central and South America, and Mexico (Under Armour, 2014)

• UA channel members MUST have the ability to perform multiple manufacturing steps. • Reduces costs

• “Quick-Turn Special Make-Up” manufacturing shop in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Stage #4: Alternative Channel Structures

• Two-level Channel Design:• Exclusive Distribution

• Customers purchase products directly from Under Armour website .

• Products are shipped using facilitating organization s (ship, plane, truck).

• Three-level Channel Design:• Selective Distribution

• Flow of products from manufacturer to wholesaler/retailer to end user.

• Customers are encouraged to but at “Under Armour Brand Houses”

• Only 5 brand houses on east coast making accessibility limited.

• Under Armour seeks middle men who can perform a various number of production taks

Alternative Channel Structures

• Four-level Channel Design:• Most profitable channel structure used by Under Armour.

• Intensive form of distribution.

• Main benefit= increased level of customer service.

Channel Structures Cont…

Manufacture

r

Wholesaler

Retailer

End-

user

• Market Geography: • Under Armour has approximately 120 US “Brand Houses” within 49

states.

• Speciality stores in Maryland, Massachusettes, and Illinois.

• Factory House locations in 34 states from Maine to California also California.

• International Locations: Hong Kong, Toronto, and the Netherlands.

• Market Size:• Domestic and International operations.

• Opportunity to reach customers all over the world making their market size substantially large.

Stage #5: Evaluating Variables

• Market Density:• Areas with higher density need less channel member support

• I.e. Hong Kong, New York

• Market Behavior:• Refers to customer buying behaviors.

• Under Armour divides their target market between high level sports teams and individual consumers.

• Individuals typically buy in small quantities based on sporting season.

• Team orders are in bulk.

• Under Armour sponsors many college athletic teams as well as professional teams such as the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens.

Evaluating Variables

• Market Behavior:• Repeat purchases come from customers that need different attire

according to sporting season.

• Purchases can be made directly or from a variety of retail locations.

• Who does the buying?• Parents purchase for children

• College Institutions/athletes

• Well accomplished athletes

• Individuals themselves

Evaluating Variables

• Product Variables:• Degree of Standardization: Less need for intermediaries for

customizable/personalized products.

• Company Variables:• Most important are size, financial capacity, managerial expertise,

and objectives and strategies.

• Under Armour has high degree of flexibility in choosing channel structures due to their size.

• Under Armour also has power bases:

• Reward

• Coercion

• Expertise

Evaluating Variables

• Objectives and strategies:• UA needs a higher level of control over products since they are

customized.

• Limits the use of intermediaries.

• Objectives include promotion.

• Intermediary Variables:• Availability: Custom channel will be needed to provide strong

technical expertise as well as custom-designed apparel and footwear.

Evaluating Variables

• Environmental Variables: Competitive Environment • Under Armour must be concerned about horizontal competition with

companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.

• Intertype competition with intermediaries such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and UA retail brand outlets.

• Channel design should directly sell to consumer due to efficiency and effectiveness.

• Competitive edge

• Technological Environment: • Technology allows for customization to exist.

• Internet provides Under Armour access to organizing and sharing unlimited amounts of information for consumers.

Evaluating Variables

• Behavioral Variables: Use of legitimate power• Under Armour has to be able to control its distribution objectives.

• The company will have most, if not all, control over distribution when selling customized/personalized products.

Evaluating Variables

• Best design for individual customized products is a two-level design selling directly to the consumer.

• Warehousing is necessary to store products before being shipped (similar to Amazon).

• Bulk orders can be manufactured at facilities such as the one in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Stage #6: Choosing “Best” Channel Structure

• Selling directly to consumer, for the most part, does not necessarily require the need for channel members.

• Current Under Armour distributors have:• Sales Strength -Dick’s Sporting Goods Revenue 2013: $6 Billion.

(Market Watch)

• Large Size- Large volumes of sales, established, profitable.

• Market Coverage

• Inducements from Under Armour:• Strong Product Lines.

• Ability to provide advertising and promotional support.

Stage #7: Selecting Channel Members

Questions?

• http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2013/snapshots/11068.html (Market Watch)

• http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en (Under Armour)

• http://finance.yahoo.com/ (Yahoo Finance)

• http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02121/Sport-Clothing-and-Accessories.html (Report Linker)

Sources