gymshark project

1. augmented product: inclusive community, helping all genders feel athletically strong and empowered through fitness whilst at the same time making this opportunity accessible and open arms to everybody (it is a mix of the Adidas's and Nike's logo).

2. actual product: quality and comfortable gymwear

3. core costumer value: it's not sports wear is a dedicated lifestyle; is for whom is capable of going through the pain in order to strive for a goal

3.1. segmentation : we thought at the demographic because we based on the age and generation segment (specifically gen z and millennials). We also selected psychographic because we based on the healthy lifestyle that gymshark is promoting to its consumers.

3.1.1. segments 1: Athletes: btw 16 and 35, with an athletic background, 2: not athletes: btw 16 and 35, without an athletic background but that wishes to be an athlete

3.1.1.1. Kaleidoscope for segment 1: core costumer value: strive for greatness, is not gymwear is the lifestyle they have dedicated all their efforts to; augmented product: these athletes have a greater image to offer and feel more a force of power and influence

3.1.1.2. kaleidoscope for segment 2: core costumer value: they sell the image of being an athlete, is not what you already are but what you possibly could become

4. shopping experience: it starts from influencer marketing , the customer is directed to the homepage of the site

5. decision making process that the customer goes through whem buying a piece of gymshark clothing:

5.1. 1. problem recognition: is different for the two segments: the "non-athlete "segment is going to recognize the problem as having to be more fit and healthy. The "non-athlete" segment will perceive a cognitive dissonance between their desired self and their actual one and feel like they need to do something to shorten the distance between the twos,, while the "athletes" segment is going to recognize the problem more as a need to fit the gym stereotype and feel more congruent to their profession/passion

5.2. 2. Information search: both of the segments will receive most of the information by external sources, specifically the non-athletes segment will receive infos most via targeted ads and vicarious learning, while the athletes segment will receive it more through word of mouth

5.3. 3. evaluation of alternatives: in this stage the two segments will behave differently, while the athletic segment is more likely to use either the lexicographic rule, depending also on the kind of sport they need to perform in , the "non athletic" segment will rather opt for the fishbein multi-attitude/attribute model, where external aesthetic attributes are expected to be more important than technical one

5.4. 4. product choice : the product is in the superordinal category of clothing and at a basic level of sportswear. Placing itself as trendy and bougji sportswear that is made for fit people .

5.5. 5. outcomes: satisfaction: customers will feel satisfied by their purchase since it will represent their willingness/effort in being a more active person

5.6. loss-aversion: the purchase of a piece of gymshark clothing (especially for non-athletes) will create itself a different perception of the self in the individual, that will experience new positive feeling toward his/her new image (an athletic healthy person more accepted by others for instance) . Therefore individuals will be more relcutant to abandon this piece of clothing or the brand because it would mean to give up to their new perceived "me" that they will feel more satisfied with

6. Self concept:

6.1. Me and I:We definietly identify this brand as more "me " speaking rather than for the "I" concept. the "Me" is more relatable to two categories of people. Those who exercise and place an effort in living a healthier lifestyle and those who on the contrary, do not exercise regularly, and are lazy or just not as interested in living a certain lifestyle. These two categories of people although they are different, they are both buying the brand for the same objective, which is essentially: to fit in into society's fitness clothing trends with the aim of promoting and portray a more sophisticated and "cool" image of themselves.

6.1.1. In terms of the "I" the people who buy the gymshark clothing are those who are less interested in fitting into societal standards of fashion and beauty but rather those who are interested in living a healthy lifestyle, being able to feel more empowered in what they do athletically, and increase their performance. Looking good and wearing the brand, is just a bonus. On the other hand, the "Me" is more relatable to two categories of people. Those who exercise and place an effort in living a healthier lifestyle and those who on the contrary, do not exercise regularly, and are lazy or just not as interested in living a certain lifestyle. These two categories of people although they are different, they are both buying the brand for the same objective, which is essentially: to fit in into society's fitness clothing trends with the aim of promoting and portray a more sophisticated and "cool" image of themselves.

6.1.2. two theories that can be applied to the two different segments:

6.1.2.1. self congruence theory: refers to the segment one , athletes , they already have a strong "me" concept on the sports topic and they either want to fit to their group and social norms (for example "everybody at my gym own a piece of this clothing brand) or purchase it to nourish their identity reinforcing the concept that they are sporty

6.1.2.2. symbolic self completion: the second segment , not athletes that wish to be more athletic , falls more into following the symbolic self completion theory, using clothing as a crutch to fill their me , they might not be sporty but own something that makes them seeing their image as more athletic ;

7. vertical integration: In the vertical dimension we find companies of different production levels. In our case, Gymshark develops its own technical fabrics but the outsources are most manufactured in China. As far as distribution is concerned, i.e. delivery, it relies on partner companies specialised in distribution according to the countries where the product is required. In fact, the shipping costs vary from country to country (example of standard delivery in France 4.99 euros, while in Italy 9). In the vertical dimension Gymshark does not move forwards or backwards, however it could vertically integrate backwards by producing its own products in the UK, but this would not be profitable in terms of revenues due to the high variable costs.

7.1. from an horizontal view: we haven't found any collaborator yet,in this case gymshark is more vertically integrated than horizontally

8. Gymshark is one of the biggest online gymwear brands present on the planet. In 2020 during the pandemic it has doubled its profit arriving to a net worth of over one billion dollars

8.1. gymshark during the pandemic was able to create exploit its solid community of customers that adapdet to the condition and chose to train at home (#gymshark66) in order to increase its revenues

9. As far as cognitive theory is concerned, both targets take inspiration from more experienced and influential people. Since this is a movement that originated on social media, the role of influencers is crucial because it triggers curiosity and spurs people who are not very sporty (target 2) and also guides people who tend to be more sporty (target 1). In this case, influencers and gym instructors best represent the vicarious learning theory.

9.1. The behaviour of those who follow this movement can be classified as positive reinforcement because through physical movement their bodies will improve. Consequently, getting fit and improving oneself is a good reward. Knowing that if you move more you will have a better physique and feel better (both physically and mentally) will increase the likelihood of the behaviour.

10. Regarding the motivation theory, we believe that Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs can explain our consumer segments. For the first segment, after he or she has achieved the Ego needs where he or she wants to be respected, approved, recognized and to feel successful and productive, they aspire to reach the top of the pyramid as known as Self-Actualization. This last stage represent the individual aspiration to be what one wants to be by using the mental and physical faculties. While for the our second segment, so people that are not athletic but want to get fit, after he or she has passed through the previous stages, we believe that the Self esteem represent this category, because at this point it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. this segment need to achieve goals and, when they succeed, receive proper recognition for their efforts. Probably because they also have less self-esteem than the athletes so that is why they want to achieve at this level of the Maslow's pyramid

11. attitudes: Low-Involvement Hierarchy: The brand offers an instant reaction from both the athletic and non-athletic consumers' side of “let’s try it, why not” because what you see is what you get, the brand speaks for itself. In addition, because the movement and trend of this brand has become so popular especially in the UK, no one thinks twice before buying them, everyone is eager to buy a pair because they instantly know that wearing GymShark clothing will make them “fit in” and portray a healthier, fitter, and overall, more positive image of themselves, regardless of whether that representation of them is true or not.

11.1. Social Judgement Theory vs Self Perception Theory:

11.2. On the other hand, the non-athletic consumers see Gym shark as an opportunity to wear the clothing brand despite them not being athletic or necessarily believing in living a healthy lifestyle. The brand, pre- and post-purchase, may alter these consumers’ attitudes on their perception they once had on fitness. At the same time, self-perception theory comes hand in hand, because most likely these consumers buy Gym shark for a reason that goes beyond their belief or values, but rather to represent a false image of themselves in order to hide behind their representation of their “I” (ie: who they really are).. This is where the “ME” personality essentially comes into place – if a person has been used to hiding their real identity through products that represent them as someone or something else, then they are more likely going to continue purchasing products that help them hide “behind walls” of who they truly are.

11.3. The Gym shark brand acts as an assimilation effect to the athletic consumers and a contrast effect to the non-athletic consumers. This is because consumers who are athletes, sport enthusiasts, and fitness influencers on social media use the brand as a reference to how they perceive and feel about exercising and overall, living a healthier lifestyle. It directly comes from their belief of “looking, living, and feeling” healthy. The brand helps these consumers stand out by reinforcing what they believe in, who they are, and why they do what they do.