Analysing Logistics 1: Industry SWOT

The subject of this analysis is a UK-based ultra-fast fashion retailer, that I will call FNS (Fashion Never Sleeps).

Before we begin looking at the specifics of the company and its logistical system, we should start by examining the industry in which it operates: fast/ultra-fast fashion. A basic SWOT can be useful for this.

The SWOT presents rudimentary descriptions of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats acting on the industry in which FNS is active.

This analysis suggests that in a substitute-saturated market, ultra-fast fashion is potentially differentiating. This implies that value-adding logistics processes must be leveraged: ultra-fast fashion is contingent on high-speed logistics. Business is winnable not on product terms (the industry is awash with competition and substitute products), but on marketable velocity. Logically therefore, for competitiveness to be achievable, the business model must prioritize logistical capabilities.