Fashion start-up in North America

Abstract

This thesis is an elaborated business plan that started as my original concept and developed to the point where it is now the basis for my fashion start-up company. Combining online shopping with monetizing through affiliates, the concept has algorithms and technology behind and it is not a simple form of e-commerce, even though it should be perceived as such from the customers point of view. The start-up will be based in Canada and will start with a focus on North America, with the possibility to scale to Europe and Asia further down the road. The start-up is online shop that will combine luxury fashion with good quality content and will target busy women, mostly career oriented or stay at home moms who have a high disposable income but lack the time or the know-how in how to style a look. The website will feature looks for various occasions and will give the possibility to customers to purchase either the entire look or just few pieces form a certain look. The online content will explain in details how to wear looks and how to style pieces by combining them with other clothes that the customer already has in her wardrobe. The business will source clothing from various affiliated online e-tailers and will repackage the look in an attractive, luxurious packaging, saving customers shipping fees and time. The primary revenue model for the business will be commissions paid by affiliated e-tailers. Based on many reports conducted by industry experts and various consulting companies, my findings support my dream of launching a platform that sells an experience and not just goods gathered from various e-commerce sites. Also, the focus is not just fashion per se, but it has a luxury focus luxury goods with high level of service offering. Based on the above-mentioned reports, which can be found in the bibliography of this paper, the attention of the customers is towards an enhanced experience, by saving time and by looking their best with the minimum of effort from their side.