Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 5 Satisfying the Fashion Market 95
Fashion in Review
1. Explain the difference between market growth and
growth in market share.
2. What is the meaning of the term proprietary?
3. Explain the difference between qualitative informa-
tion and quantitative information.
4. In market research, why is it more effective if a
method is interactive?
5. Why is product development especially important
in the fashion industry?
6. What is the name and abbreviation of the standard
bar code?
7. What devices read bar codes and feed information
into the main system?
8. What do industry bar code labeling compliance
guidelines coordinate?
9. What is the standardized code for radio frequency
identification (RFID)?
10. How does machine vision identify products?
11. What do you think are some disadvantages of using
new technology in relation to fashion merchandising?
12. Why do open systems create lower costs for com-
panies while enabling them to move forward with
technology?
13. What does it mean when some textile/apparel
businesses “outsource” the management of their
information technology systems?
14. What do we mean by the term information pipeline?
15. List four advantages of EDI technology.
16. What is meant by the term real time?
17. Explain how a “pull” from the consumer end of the
pipeline is better than a “push” of merchandise
from the industry.
18. Why was the Crafted with Pride in U.S.A. Coun-
cil formed?
19. What are some ethical and socially responsible
actions that companies take to help satisfy needs
of individuals and communities?
20. What types of efforts might green committees lead
at a company?
Fashion in Action
21. Conduct Internet research to discover as much
U.S. Census information as you can about the
demographics of your region, state, or locality. Cre-
ate a digital report of your findings, and combine
the demographic and psychographic information
for a specific new market that you might target if
you were an apparel retailer. Then, practice your
product-development skills by describing what
kinds of products and services you would offer in
your retail business, and why.
22. In teams, carry out extensive study on the seven
methods of market research this chapter describes.
Present a report to the class with each student
explaining one of the methods in detail. Use role-
playing to illustrate the methods where appropri-
ate. For fun, conduct a survey, consumer panel, or
focus group method on the whole class. Tabulate
the results and describe them to the class.
23. Visit a local supermarket, a large discount or
department store, and a small apparel shop. Ana-
lyze the technology of the information systems for
each type of store. Do their items have UPC bar
codes, another kind of product code, or no prod-
uct code? Inquire if they print their own product
code labels. What kind of scanners do they use?
Create a sketch or write an explanation of how the
scanner works. What other automatic identification
technology do they use (magnetic stripe readers,
security devices, etc.)? Then, use digital info-
graphic software to create three large charts that
show and explain your findings (one chart for each
store visited). Post the charts to the class website
for peer and instructor review and comments.
24. Conduct Internet research on NTC, [TC]2, or
another cooperative partnership of the textile/
apparel industry. Write an essay about how it
started, how it operates, and what its goals and
accomplishments are. Discuss your findings with
the class.
25. Visit several stores and look for environmentally
friendly textile/apparel items. Examine labels to
find products made of recycled materials, organi-
cally grown cotton, or other indications of environ-
mental responsibility. Explain your findings to the
class, with visual examples if possible.
Visit the G-W Learning companion website
at www.g-wlearning.com/marketing/
for online study tools.
Fashion in Review
1. Explain the difference between market growth and
growth in market share.
2. What is the meaning of the term proprietary?
3. Explain the difference between qualitative informa-
tion and quantitative information.
4. In market research, why is it more effective if a
method is interactive?
5. Why is product development especially important
in the fashion industry?
6. What is the name and abbreviation of the standard
bar code?
7. What devices read bar codes and feed information
into the main system?
8. What do industry bar code labeling compliance
guidelines coordinate?
9. What is the standardized code for radio frequency
identification (RFID)?
10. How does machine vision identify products?
11. What do you think are some disadvantages of using
new technology in relation to fashion merchandising?
12. Why do open systems create lower costs for com-
panies while enabling them to move forward with
technology?
13. What does it mean when some textile/apparel
businesses “outsource” the management of their
information technology systems?
14. What do we mean by the term information pipeline?
15. List four advantages of EDI technology.
16. What is meant by the term real time?
17. Explain how a “pull” from the consumer end of the
pipeline is better than a “push” of merchandise
from the industry.
18. Why was the Crafted with Pride in U.S.A. Coun-
cil formed?
19. What are some ethical and socially responsible
actions that companies take to help satisfy needs
of individuals and communities?
20. What types of efforts might green committees lead
at a company?
Fashion in Action
21. Conduct Internet research to discover as much
U.S. Census information as you can about the
demographics of your region, state, or locality. Cre-
ate a digital report of your findings, and combine
the demographic and psychographic information
for a specific new market that you might target if
you were an apparel retailer. Then, practice your
product-development skills by describing what
kinds of products and services you would offer in
your retail business, and why.
22. In teams, carry out extensive study on the seven
methods of market research this chapter describes.
Present a report to the class with each student
explaining one of the methods in detail. Use role-
playing to illustrate the methods where appropri-
ate. For fun, conduct a survey, consumer panel, or
focus group method on the whole class. Tabulate
the results and describe them to the class.
23. Visit a local supermarket, a large discount or
department store, and a small apparel shop. Ana-
lyze the technology of the information systems for
each type of store. Do their items have UPC bar
codes, another kind of product code, or no prod-
uct code? Inquire if they print their own product
code labels. What kind of scanners do they use?
Create a sketch or write an explanation of how the
scanner works. What other automatic identification
technology do they use (magnetic stripe readers,
security devices, etc.)? Then, use digital info-
graphic software to create three large charts that
show and explain your findings (one chart for each
store visited). Post the charts to the class website
for peer and instructor review and comments.
24. Conduct Internet research on NTC, [TC]2, or
another cooperative partnership of the textile/
apparel industry. Write an essay about how it
started, how it operates, and what its goals and
accomplishments are. Discuss your findings with
the class.
25. Visit several stores and look for environmentally
friendly textile/apparel items. Examine labels to
find products made of recycled materials, organi-
cally grown cotton, or other indications of environ-
mental responsibility. Explain your findings to the
class, with visual examples if possible.
Visit the G-W Learning companion website
at www.g-wlearning.com/marketing/
for online study tools.