Graduation Research Project

Gap Analysis for Levi’s Women’s Top wear Category

– Woven Tops

Submitted by

Pooja Kumari

Under the Supervision of

Prof. Kislay Kashyap
Assistant Professor

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE POST GRADUATE DEGREE "MASTER OF

FASHION MANAGEMENT (MFM)"

Submitted to

Department of Fashion Management Studies (FMS)

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
Mithapur Farms
Patna, PIN - 800001
Ph. 91 612 2340032, Fax: 2366833/4
Web: www.nift.ac.in
July,2020
 DECLARATION

I Ms. Pooja Kumari, hereby declare that the Graduation Research Project (GRP)
entitled “Gap Analysis for Levi’s Women’s Top wear Category – Woven Tops” is
the result of my own research work carried out by me during the period from
02/01/2020 to 30/04/2020 except as cited in the references. This report has not been
submitted to any other University or Institution for award of any degree/diploma etc.

Signature
Name of the Student: Pooja Kumari
Date: 16/07/2020
CERTIFICATE FROM ORGANISATION
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms. Pooja Kumari of National Institute of Fashion Technology
(NIFT), Patna has successfully completed her GRP work titled Gap Analysis for
Levi’s Women’s Top wear Category – Woven Tops in partial fulfillment of
requirement for the completion of 2 Years Post Graduate Programme "Master of
Fashion Management (MFM)" as prescribed by the Department of Fashion
Management Studies (FMS), National Institute of Fashion Technology.

This 'Graduation Research Project' report is the record of authentic work carried out
by him/her during the period from 2/01/2020 to 30/04/2020 under my mentorship.

Signature
Name of the Faculty Mentor
Designation
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The internship opportunity I had with Levi Strauss India Pvt. Ltd. was a great chance
for learning and professional development. Therefore, I consider myself as a very
lucky individual as I was provided with an opportunity to be a part of it. I am also
grateful for having a chance to meet so many wonderful people and professionals
who led me through this internship period.
I am using this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and special thanks to my
industry mentor Ms. Anusha Raju and Mr. Gaurav Shetty, Brand Merchandiser, who
despite being extraordinarily busy with their duties, took time out to hear, guide and
keep me on the correct path and allowing me to carry out my project at their
esteemed organization.
I also would like to express my deepest thanks to my faculty mentor Prof. Kislay
Kashyap for taking part in useful decisions & giving necessary advices and
guidance. I choose this moment to acknowledge their contribution gratefully. I
perceive this opportunity as a milestone in my career development. I will strive to
use the gained skills and knowledge in the best possible way in order to attain desired
career objectives.

Signature
NAME: POOJA KUMARI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER – 2.................................................................................................................................................. 3
COMPANY PROFILE ................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 LEVI STRAUSS .................................................................................................................................. 3
2.2 LEVI’S CORPORATE OFFICE - INDIA ................................................................................................. 4
2.3 GLOBAL MARKET SEGMENTATION – LEVI’S .............................................................................. 4
2.4 PRODUCTS OFFERED IN INDIAN MARKET – LEVI’S.................................................................... 5
2.5 MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT IN LEVI’S ..................................................................................... 5
2.6 LEVI’S WOMEN’S TOP WEAR CATEGORY .................................................................................. 6
2.7 BRAND IMAGE AND PERSONALITY.................................................................................................. 7
CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 8
TITLE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................................... 8
3.1 TITLE OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................... 8
3.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT............................................................................................................ 8
3.3 NEED OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.5 LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 10
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 10
4.1 INDIAN APPAREL MARKET ............................................................................................................ 10
4.2 WORKING WOMEN ....................................................................................................................... 11
4.3 KEY CATEGORIES IN WOMEN’S WEAR IN INDIA ........................................................................... 12
4.4 PROMISING CATEGORY IN WOMEN’S WEAR ................................................................................ 12
4.5 INDIAN WOMENS WESTERN WEAR MARKET GROWTH ............................................................... 13
4.6 GAP ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................... 13
4.7 SALES PERFORMANCE/SELL THROUGH ......................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 15
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 15
5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................................................................................................ 15
5.2 DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................................................................ 15
 5.3 TARGET POPULATION DEFINITION................................................................................................ 15
CHAPTER – 6................................................................................................................................................ 16
ANALYSIS – SALES, MARKET STUDY, CONSUMER SURVEY ..................................................................... 16
6.1 SALES ANALYSIS............................................................................................................................. 16
6.1.1 Sell Through – Women’s Tops – Woven and Knit Tops ............................................................. 16
6.2 MARKET STUDY ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 17
6.3 KEY FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS FROM MARKET STUDY FOR THE LEVI’S Woven Tops ................ 33
6.4 CONSUMER SURVEY ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 7 .................................................................................................................................................. 45
RESULT & CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 45
7.1 CONCLUSION FOR LEVI’S - WOMEN’S TOP - WOVEN TOP WEAR CATEGORY .............................. 45
CHAPTER 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 47
LEARNINGS .............................................................................................................................................. 47
8.1 LEARNING OUTCOME.................................................................................................................... 47
8.2 REPORTS ........................................................................................................................................ 48
8.3 SOFTWARE .................................................................................................................................... 48
8.4 LINE PRESENTATION...................................................................................................................... 50
CHAPTER-9 .................................................................................................................................................. 51
ANNEXURE .............................................................................................................................................. 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 57
TABLE OF CHARTS
Chart 1: Global Market Segmentation – Levi’s ............................................................................................ 4
Chart 2: Products Offered in Indian Market – Levi’s .................................................................................. 5
Chart 3: Merchandising Department-Levi’s ................................................................................................. 5
Chart 4: Levi’s Women’s Bottom Wear Category ....................................................................................... 6
Chart 5: Identity Prism of Levi's ................................................................................................................... 7

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Feedback for Levi's Women's Tops............................................................................................. 43
Figure 2: FlexPLM - Home Page ................................................................................................................ 49
Figure 3: FlexPLM – Seasons - Dashboard ................................................................................................ 49

TABLE OF GRAPHS
Graph 1: Number of Urban Women entering Workforce ........................................................................... 12
Graph 2: Age Distribution of Respondents ................................................................................................. 37
Graph 3: Occupation Distribution of Respondents ..................................................................................... 38
Graph 4: Duration of buying Top Wear of respondents ............................................................................. 38
Graph 5: Preferred medium/channel to shop .............................................................................................. 39
Graph 6: Purpose/Occasion to buy Top wear ............................................................................................. 39
Graph 7: Willing to spend on top wear of respondents ............................................................................... 40
Graph 8: Preferred brand for top wear ........................................................................................................ 40
Graph 9: Preferred category to shop ........................................................................................................... 41
Graph 10: Satisfied with the current offerings of the Levi's women's Tops ............................................... 41
Graph 11: Rating of the attributes of Levi's Women's Tops by the respondents ........................................ 42
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

The Indian casual wear market is growing and the factors including increasing middle class
population, rising disposable income, shift in lifestyles, increasing brand awareness among the
consumers in terms of quality and up-gradation of service standards, rapid shift from tailored to
ready-to-wear suits, plenteous style choices, knowledge of western fashion, the average Indian
consumer has become more picky and aware of their fashion needs ensures promising future for
casual wear segment. There is enormous opportunity for product innovation within the casual wear
segment. India has turned into a market with a plenty of opportunities and brands and retailers who
understand the needs of Indian customers better are expected to leverage the opportunities to derive
growth.
Increasing urbanization, higher discretionary spending and advancing way of life is prompting
casualization of women’s wardrobes. Smart casuals are acceptable for daily wearing and are not
strictly restricted only to Friday dressing anymore. With an increase in the fashion-conscious
crowd, growing working women population in the country, the casual wear segment will continue
to grow further. Even the aged consumers also started experimenting with casual wear segment.
Within the overall apparel market, the Indian casual wear market has grown significantly over the
last couple of years. The industry has witnessed rapid growth, triggered by increasing usage of
casual wear. (The Casualwear Market in India, 2020)

With increasing women in the workforce, and the growing economic independence of women, the
demand for women’s Western wear is at an all-time high, thanks to which women’s Western wear
is emerging a clear winner in the women’s wear market. This trend is expected to continue as more
women enter into the workforce or aspire to follow the lifestyle of working women. Within
working women, there is a clear trend indicating the growing acceptance of women’s dresses and
western formalwear.

Indian women consumers are increasingly preferring for modern retail format helping pushing the
sales for branded clothing. Women's casual wear is getting wider acceptance owing to an increase
in disposable incomes and more women joining the workforce. The Indian women's wear market

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is the fastest growing sector among other sectors of Indian market and is expected to sustain its
growth in the coming years.

The existing Indian and international brands are registering promising growth, which has made the
market competitive as many players have ventured in to tap this opportunity. But the success of
these players will depend on their ability to gauge the pulse of Indian consumers, who are
essentially a heterogeneous set of people whose tastes, choices, and preferences vary depending
on their age, income level, social status, regional influence, etc. Therefore, adopting a blanket
solution for all of India might not be the right approach. Success in the Indian casualwear market
will depend on the ability of brands and retailers to tweak their retail offerings to address the
demand of various target segments. (The Casualwear Market in India, 2020)

Although, western wear has lower entrance in Indian market yet it is seen in the ongoing years that
the women’s western apparel is gradually developing. The development might be on a lower base
however the organized retailers in the women's wear segment is fuelling latent demand. The
women's category in the past was generally under-overhauled. Presently women’s wear is getting
organized and offering a more extensive collection.

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 CHAPTER – 2
COMPANY PROFILE

Parent Company - Levi Strauss & Co.

Levi’s is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Denim Jeans. It is
one of the World’s largest apparel companies and a global leader in jeans. The company's corporate
headquarters is located in the Levi's Plaza in San Francisco, California, US. Levi’s is recognized
for its Quality, Originality, Integrity and Innovation.

2.1 LEVI STRAUSS

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2.2 LEVI’S CORPORATE OFFICE - INDIA
• Organization name -Levi Strauss & Co Pvt Ltd.
• Date of Incorporation- 31 March 1994
• Core Area – Denim
• India’s HQ. Address- ITC Green Centre, No.18, 4th & 5th floor Banaswadi Main Road,
Maruthiseva Nagar Bangalore Bengaluru KA 560005 IN.
• Levi’s India official website - www.levi.in
• Director (South Asia, Middle East & North Africa at Levi Strauss & Co)
o Chief Executive Officer- Mr. Sanjeev Mohanty

2.3 GLOBAL MARKET SEGMENTATION – LEVI’S

LEVI STRAUSS - H.O

(Sans Francisco)

USA, CANADA,
ASIA & MIDDLE
MEXICO, LATIN EUROPE
EAST, AFRICA
AMERICA

SINGAPORE
UNITED EUROPEAN
(H.O for ASIA & KINGDOM UNION
MIDDLE EAST,
AFRICA)

FAR EAST (JAPAN,SOUTH INDIA, MENA (MIDDLE

AUSTRALIA & NA, EAST,NORTH
NEWZEALAND SIA,T AFRICA,NEPAL,SRI- LANKA)

Chart 1: Global Market Segmentation – Levi’s

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 2.4 PRODUCTS OFFERED IN INDIAN MARKET – LEVI’S

Levi's India -
Product offerings

Mens Womens

Top Top Bottom

wear Others/ Accessories wear Wear
Bottom wear

Non- Non- Non- Non-

Denim Denim Innerwear, Socks, Denim Denim
Belts,Caps,Wallets

Shirts, Jeans,
Shirts, Jeans, Chinos, Woven Shirts,Tops,T-
Jackets T-shirts, Polos Shorts Shorts Shirts,Flat knits orts/Ski Chinos
psuit Sh
& Overallsrts

Chart 2: Products Offered in Indian Market – Levi’s

2.5 MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT IN LEVI’S

Chart 3: Merchandising Department-Levi’s

• The Merchandising team is responsible for the product planning and execution
throughout the fashion product lifecycle, including: gathering and prioritizing
product and customer requirements for the company, defining the product vision of
the fashion brand, and working closely with engineering, sales & marketing, and
design to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met.
• The merchandising team's job also includes ensuring that the product supports the
fashion/retail company's overall image, strategy and goals.
• Merchandising Team oversee the entire development and production process.

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• Product Managers liaise with teams such as product design, quality assurance, sales
& marketing, and manage the production process with the factories.
• The main job role of a Merchandiser is to watch and review commercial trends to
determine the best methods to make the product or service marketable or profitable
to the company.
• They are required to make merchandise plan; budget plan and works with design
team simultaneously at each step.
• Approvals of PP samples are also given by the merchandiser.

• Merchandisers Control the cost of the garment at the line plan stage.

• Based on MRP, they decide whether the sample can be in line or not.

• After the Range finalization involved with the MRP and costing Finalization.

• Merchandising Team caters to MF (Multiplication factor) and decides the MRP.

• Prepares weekly, monthly Sell through reports.

• Responsible for the entire Line presentation activities for the category.

2.6 LEVI’S WOMEN’S TOP WEAR CATEGORY

Knits
Tops
Woven

Knits
Levi’s
women's top Dresses
wear category
Woven
Sweaters &
sweatshirts

Jackets

Chart 4: Levi’s Women’s Bottom Wear Category

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2.7 BRAND IMAGE AND PERSONALITY
Levi’s strives to provide the world's casual workday wardrobe. The brand is synonymous with
quality. It is the brand of originality, individuality and nonconformity. There are four core values
at the heart of Levi’s: empathy, originality, integrity and courage. The core values are the source
of Levi’s success (Levi Strauss & Co).

Chart 5: Identity Prism of Levi's

Levi’s website states, “People love our clothes and trust our company. We will market and
distribute the most appealing and widely worn apparel brands. Our products define quality, style
and function. We will clothe the world” (Levi Strauss & Co.). However, Levi’s did not change
their positioning towards premium jeans when the rest of their competitors did. Now they are
trying to rectify that with their new campaign.

As of today, Levi’s lovable brand image has helped its brand grow from a humble waist overalls
manufacturer to a global clothing company with operations in 110 countries worldwide. With its
excellent collection of products that directly reflects its iconic brand personality, Levi’s continues
to enjoy strong brand loyalty, mind and market share among its target markets. A brand indeed
can be truly loved and wanted by all if its brand image has successfully developed a strong
emotional association with its target markets, just like how Levi’s has done it since 1873.

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 CHAPTER 3
TITLE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
3.1 TITLE OF THE PROJECT
Gap Analysis for Women’s Top wear Category – Woven Tops at Levi’s

3.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The primary objectives of this research are,
• To identify and analyze the Product gaps in the Women’s Top wear category.
• To suggest logical means for increasing the Sell Through of the category.
The secondary objectives of this research are,
• To analyze the current product offerings of Women’s Top wear category.
• To analyze the sell through of Women’s Top wear category.
3.3 NEED OF THE PROJECT
Levi’s is essentially a denim wear brand, known for its high-quality denims. A major part of its
income comes from the denims. However, it is imperative that the Brand focuses on other
categories so as to maintain a balance in its contribution share. Categories that complement Bottom
wear and help to increase the basket size of each transaction.

The project aims to study Women’s Top wear for the brand that will help it step away from its
‘denim only’ image and increase its share in non-denim category.

The focus of the project is on the Levi’s Women’s Top wear category – Woven Tops. The need of
the project is to identify and analyze the means which can be used to improve the women’s Top
wear category’s profitability. The women’s Top wear category- Woven Tops is not performing
well as compared to Knit Tops. Therefore, it is adversely affecting the overall business of Levi’s.

Women’s Top wear category uplifts the imagery value of the brand. Imagery value of a brand is
realistic & unique. It increases the performance of the brand. Here, the women’s Top wear category
should be built with the brand touch with its uniqueness which leads to improve the imagery value
of the brand and sales performance.

Hence, more focus is on the Top wear category.

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3.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
• The study can be used to get a comprehensive view of the range offered by the competition
brands.
• The study also highlights trends captured and missed by Levi’s that are otherwise prevalent
in the market.
• It is a useful record of the sell through performance and option analysis of the past seasons,
vital for option plan creation for the future, Spring-Summer seasons.
• The study highlights the trend forecasts for spring summer 2021, which would be vital in
range selection for the same season by the buying team.
• This information can also be used by the product team for developing appropriate insertion
in the domestic base range.

3.5 LIMITATIONS
This study has attempted to divulge into some of the important issues. However, it is admitted
that there are some limitations in the conduct of this study which are as follows:

• The geographic scope was limited to the Bangalore, so the results are very specific to
the particular region. The trends and characters exhibited by the research may not
represent the general trend.
• The sales data is analyzed only for past two seasons due to lack of time.
• The option plan in terms of sub-category level could not be made due to lack of
experience as a buyer and a limited knowledge of the needs and requirements of the
business and the franchisee.

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 CHAPTER 4
LITERATURE REVIEW
4.1 INDIAN APPAREL MARKET
India’s textiles sector is one of the oldest industries in Indian economy dating back several
centuries. India’s textile and apparel exports stood at US$ 38.70 billion in FY19 and is expected
to increase to US$ 82.00 billion by 2021 from US$ 22.95 billion in FY20 (up to November 2019).
The Indian textiles industry is extremely varied, with the hand-spun and hand-woven textiles
sectors at one end of the spectrum, while the capital-intensive sophisticated mills sector at the other
end of the spectrum. The decentralized power looms/ hosiery and knitting sector form the largest
component of the textiles sector. The close linkage of the textile industry to agriculture (for raw
materials such as cotton) and the ancient culture and traditions of the country in terms of textiles
make the Indian textiles sector unique in comparison to the industries of other countries. The Indian
textile industry has the capacity to produce a wide variety of products suitable to different market
segments, both within India and across the world. (Ibef, 2020)

Market Size
The Indian textiles industry, currently estimated at around US$ 150 billion. India’s textiles industry
contributed seven per cent of the industry output (in value terms) of India in 2018-19. It contributed
two per cent to the GDP of India and employs more than 45 million people in 2018-19. The sector
contributed 15 per cent to the export earnings of India in 2018-19.
The textile industry has around 4.5 crore workers employed in textiles sector including 35.22 lakh
handloom workers all over the country.
The production of raw cotton in India is estimated to have reached 33.7 million bales in FY19.
(Ibef, 2020)

Indian Textile and Apparel Market Drivers:

• India represents the largest producer of jute and cotton, and the second largest
producer of silk. Due to the high abundance of raw materials coupled by cheap labor
costs, the cost of manufacturing textile and apparel is significantly lower than m any
other competing countries.

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 • India currently has one of the world’s largest young population. Currently around
half of the total population is below 25 years of age. This age group represents one
of the biggest consumer group of textiles and apparel and is expected to drive the
spending over the next five years.
• Catalyzed by increasing penetration of the internet, online retailing has witnessed
strong growth in the country. Consumers are now looking for ease of shopping,
multiple options, better offers and easy return policies. The growth in online sales
have enabled the textile industry to reach consumers residing across every corner of
the nation.
• Due to a change in buying habits, consumers are now shifting from need -based
clothing to aspiration-based clothing. Contrary to previous years, where Indian
consumers purchased fashion items as and when required, buying clothes has become
more than a basic need; it is now a reflection of aspiration, personality, and a status
symbol. Though basic textiles continue to represent a part of the consumer’s basket,
the demand for aspirational clothing has increased significantly in recent years. (Ibef,
2020)

4.2 WORKING WOMEN

The role of women in Indian families is changing and with women contributing more to household
income, their influence in family decision making is also increasing. Even women who do not
work are also stepping beyond their homes like working women and taking up male roles and
responsibilities, as family work gets redefined, driven by pressures of urban living. While this may
be more visible in metros and larger towns, the change is also happening across smaller towns and
rural areas, where the girl child is slowly being encouraged to do more and achieve higher. This
whole transition in the lives of the new age women has increased their awareness about themselves
and how they look, which in turn is driving growth in the women’s apparel market. On the semi-
urban and small-town side, this means more spend on apparel, increasing adoption of ready to
wear rather than home stitched apparel and increasing acceptance of western casuals. (Naqvi,
2020)

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 Graph 1: Number of Urban Women entering Workforce

4.3 KEY CATEGORIES IN WOMEN’S WEAR IN INDIA

In India, Western wear is broadly classified into four categories:

• Ethnic wear,
• Western wear,
• Indo-western wear,
• Inner wear.

Women’s T-shirts and tops categories are also growing fast owing to increasing participation of
women in workforce and a generic inclination for western wear categories. The women tops and
shirts market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14 %. The women’s T-shirts market witnessing
growth in tandem with the growth of all other casual wear categories and is expected to grow at a
CAGR of 17.5 %. (An overview of the women’s wear market in India, 2020)

4.4 PROMISING CATEGORY IN WOMEN’S WEAR

Contributing 38 per cent to the total apparel market of the country, the women’s wear segment is
fast moving with proliferation in the number of working women, which has led to increased
purchasing power of the Indian women. Although the women’s wear space is still largely
dominated by unorganized players, in the recent times, many modern players of national and
international repute have started entering the market. Technopak sizes up the market and outlines
the opportunities teeming in this segment. (An overview of the women’s wear market in India,
2020)

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4.5 INDIAN WOMENS WESTERN WEAR MARKET GROWTH
The women’s wear market in India contributes 38 percent of the total apparel industry. Denim is
high growth category among women’s western wear and is expected to grow by a promising rate
of 17.5 percent for the next 10 years to become a market of Rs 10,209 crore from Rs 2,035 crore
currently. Initially, denim brands used to focus primarily on men, but with change in demand and
preferences of women, they have started catering to women consumers as well. Stretch denims
have seen a huge demand among women. (An overview of the women’s wear market in India,
2020)

Women’s t-shirts and tops categories are also growing fast owing to generic inclination for western
wear categories. The women Tops and shirts market is valued at Rs 2,236 crore and is expected to
grow at a CAGR of 14 percent to reach Rs 8,291 crore by 2026. The women’s t-shirts market of
Rs 933 crore is growing in tandem with the growth of other casual wear categories and is expected
to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent to reach Rs 4,484 crore by 2026. (An overview of the women’s
wear market in India, 2020)

4.6 GAP ANALYSIS

A Gap Analysis can help understand and prioritize business needs by helping identify any
deficiencies or shortcomings that need to be overcome. Once gaps are uncovered, it becomes easier
to quantify them and identify the work effort that will be required to address them. From here, you
can help prioritize them so that the greatest gaps can be addressed first. A Gap Analysis can give
decision makers a comprehensive overview of the entire company or particular function such as
accounting, information technology or operations. This allows directors and executives to
determine whether the department or organization has the resources to meet their mission, goals,
and objectives. The Gap Analysis helps the business focus its efforts and make informed decisions.
In addition, a company can allocate limited resources and design efficient budgets by taking into
account its main concerns. Priorities are categorized as high, medium and low; the classification
does not necessarily mean the priority has a higher ranking over others for attention or resources
but may help when conducting further investigation into issues. The gaps between expectations
and experiences generally lead to dissatisfaction. Having the realistic ability to reach identified
strategic goals and targets puts you, your team and your organization at a distinct advantage. This

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inevitably leads to better projects, enhanced reputations, more business and higher profits. An
efficiently conducted gap analysis looks to improve the entire operation and ethos of the business.
Gap Analysis provides a clarity on where you are and where you could go, baselined against
project delivery best practice, that can add real value to your business. Identification of Gaps,
covers both current and anticipated gaps between current and future states of transportation safety
planning. Suggested Bridging Options, describes various bridging options to help overcome
existing gaps. (Gap Analysis, 2018)

4.7 SALES PERFORMANCE/SELL THROUGH

Sell-through rate is a retail inventory key performance indicator that can help stores track product
sales, strike a good inventory balance, and, ultimately, earn relatively more profit. For many retail
businesses, inventory represents opportunity. If you want to sell more, you have to have more
product in inventory. In fact, some retail buyers will even tell you that “if you want to sell more,
you have to buy more.” Unfortunately, good retail inventory management isn’t always that simple.
When a store has too much inventory it may have to slash prices to free up working capital, which,
in turn, lowers margins and profit. Conversely, if a store sells out of a product, it suffers an
opportunity cost, since it could have sold more if it had more. Sell-through rate, which is
sometimes spelled sell-thru, is one of a few KPIs — key performance indicators — that can help
retailers properly manage product inventory. (MANAGEMENT & FINANCE, 2017)

Sell Through = Number of Units Sold ÷ Initial On-hand Inventory

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 CHAPTER 5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
The research undertaken was completed in two phases. First phase consisted of an exploratory
research, in-order to better understand the brand & brand offerings, market and market trends.
Various sales data of the brand over a period of time was consulted. This was done to better
understand the managerial questions. So that the research question could be defined better and
clear understanding of the problem was achieved, the factors impacting the situations were studied
and identified for further use in the research. In the second phase a conclusive research design was
utilized in-order to generate insights and arrive at findings to further suggest future course of
action. The research bases itself on the findings of phase one (i.e. exploratory research). In this
phase, further observation techniques like visiting different stores of the brand, stores of the
competitors’ brand. It was done in-order to identify the Gaps available in Levi’s w.r.t. the
competition and demand in the market. This phase concluded with a survey where a structured
questionnaire was used to elicit the responses from various respondents who were selected for the
study. The respondents were subjected to a series of questions ranging from demographic
information to their consumption as well as preference information.

5.2 DATA COLLECTION

The research required information in the form of primary data as well as secondary data. Primary
data w.r.t competitor’s information was collected through a detailed observation, which was
carried out in competitor’s retail space. Primary data w.r.t consumption of brands & product
categories, purchase preferences, demographic details like age, occupation were collected. A
survey was conducted in-order to collect the above-mentioned information. Secondary data was
collected via various research journals, various online portals & Levi’s data base.

5.3 TARGET POPULATION DEFINITION

Target population: Women Levi’s consumer
Time: March 2020
Location: Bangalore

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 CHAPTER – 6
ANALYSIS – SALES, MARKET STUDY, CONSUMER SURVEY
6.1 SALES ANALYSIS
6.1.1 Sell Through – Women’s Tops – Woven and Knit Tops
Sell-through (H1-18)

Count of Sum of Sum of Sum of

Category PC9 ST SI ST%
Knits 77 66081 137250 48%
Woven 48 30059 66826 45%
Table 1: Sell Through – Women's Tops for H1-18

Sell-through (H1-19)

Sum of Sum of Sum of

Category Count of PC9 ST SI ST%

Knits 75 78636 154041 51%

Woven 52 34138 77036 44%

Table 2: Sell Through – Women's Tops for H1-19

(SI = Sell-in; ST= Sell-through)

• The above table shows the Women’s top wear Category- Woven & Knits Sell through of
Spring-Summer 2018 and Spring- Summer 2019.
• Knit Top category has 48% sell through in H1-18 while woven tops category has 45% sell
through.
• Knit Top category has 51% sell through in H1-19 while woven tops category has 44% sell
through, which needs more focus and its sell through should improve gradually.

Page | 16
6.2 MARKET STUDY ANALYSIS

6.2.1 Women’s Top Category

Market Study was carried out to find the Competitors offerings in woven top category, in-
order to find & rectify the product gaps in Levi’s – Woven top category.
• Woven Top wear market study was based on following attributes,
• Fabric/Material
• Style
• Colors
• No. of Options
• Price

Fabric/Material

• Need to analyze how competitors have built the line with the different fabrics & made its
markets presence.
• Need to analyze whether any different fabrics can be added to the Levi’s Woven Top wear
product line or not.
• Here also option count and brand language needs to be considered.

Style

• Style/Fit is the attribute, where the imagery value of the brand is enhanced or highlighted.
• Woven Top wear category is a fashion product, styling factor is very important.
• Need to analyze how competitors has built its imagery value with Woven Top wear
category.
• And how Levi’s can built the imagery value through a strong product line with fashion
sense matching the brands language.
• Styling gives more attention to the consumer.
• Highly styled product with limited offering or minimal styling with good option count also
will increase the imagery value of the brand.

Page | 17
Price

• Brands pricing strategy combined with Style/Fit, Detailing, and Fabric & Colors are
considered with the price points.
• Pricing should be competitive, justify the brands pricing strategy, should fit with the
options offered & customer should be satisfied with the pricing offered.

Colors

• Currently 15 options, i.e. Indigo, White, Black/Pink, Blue/Rose Pink, Blue/White/Red,

Grey/Olive, Red, Rose Pink, White/Black are offered.
• Need to find any other colors can added to the line, which will build the product line &
push the sales.

Competitors Offerings,

Competitors for Levi’s Women’s Top- Woven Tops are identified based on Brand language,
Product lines offered, price segment, popularity, etc. The study was conducted through
observations at competitor’s retail stores. Competitor’s website also browsed for more
information. Identified competitors for Levi’s Women’s Top wear category are, Vero Moda, Only,
UCB, Pepe Jeans, Gap and U S Polo.

Page | 18
6.2.2 Market Study – Woven Tops
United Color of Benetton Woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

Yellow/Black
Printed top Round neck with short sleeves Polyester 1899 2
and Red/white

Dark blue,
3/4 raglan sleeves, knotted laces at neck and on 100% black, white,
Solid Top 2099 6
sleeve end. viscose pink, sky blue,
military green

Floral Print Viscose

3/4 sleeves, has a round neck, short flared sleeves Blue & Pink 2099 1
Top rayon

Short sleeves, has a round neck and button

Solid Top Polyester White & Red 1699 2
closures

100%
Navy Blue,
Printed Top Short sleeves, has a round neck viscose 1899 2
Red & white
rayon

Blue, red,
Checked 100%
Wrap top with layered detail, has a V-neck, and white, black,
Wrap Top Viscose 2499 4
short sleeves yellow, pink
with Belt Rayon
and mint green

Yellow, Blue,
Solid Top Sleeveless with mandarin collar Linen 2299 4
Beige & Pink

Three-quarter sleeves with waist tie-ups detail, Red, White &

Solid Top Polyester 2499 3
has a keyhole neck Blue

Total 24

Table 3: Woven Tops- UCB

Page | 19
Key Highlights from UCB woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 24
Starting Price 1699
Pricing
Exit Price 2499
1699
1899
Price Points (Rs) 2099
2299
2499
Polyester
Types of fabric Viscose
Linen
Printed Top
Types of wovens tops Solid Top
Checked Top
Blue & Pink
White & Red
Red, White & Blue
Navy Blue, Red & white
Yellow, Blue, Beige & Pink
Colours
Yellow/Black and Red/white
Dark blue, black, white, pink, sky blue, military
green
Blue, red, white, black, yellow, pink and mint
green

Table 4: Key highlights - UCB Woven Tops

Page | 20
Vero Moda Woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

AOP wovens Pink, white &

High Neck 100% Polyester 1999 3
top Grey

Solid Top 3/4 sleeve Cut Work Top 100% Cotton Green 3299 1

Printed Beige, White &

Short sleeves, with concealed zip closure 100% Polyester 1799 2
Regular Top Yelllow

Solid Top Bow Tie Neck Top 100 % Polyester Sky Blue & white 2299 2

Yellow, Black,
Strip Top Striped Smoked Top Cotton 1999 3
White & Blue

100% Cotton-
Solid Top Puff sleeves top Yellow & Beige 1299 2
Organic

Pink, Blue, Red &

Solid Top Tie-up neck top 100% Polyester 2299 4
Black

Strip Top Striped Flared Sleeves Top Viscose Dark Blue 1499 1

Blue, Black,
Printed Top AOP top 100% Polyester 2499 1
White & Beige

Printed top AOP wrap top Polyester Blue 2299 1

Total 20

Table 5: Woven Tops- Vero Moda

Page | 21
Key Highlights from Vero Moda woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 20
Starting Price 1299
Pricing
Exit Price 3299
1299
1499
1799
Price Points (Rs) 1999
2299
2499
3299
Polyester
Types of fabric Viscose
Cotton
Printed Top
Types of wovens tops Solid Top
Stripe Top
Green
Blue
Dark Blue
Yellow & Beige
Sky Blue & white
Colours
Pink, white & Grey
Beige, White & Yelllow
Yellow, Black, White & Blue
Pink, Blue, Red & Black
Blue, Black, White & Beige

Table 6: Key highlights- Vero Moda Woven Tops

Page | 22
Only Woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

Solid Top V-neck with short sleeves 100% Lyocell Yellow 2499 1

95% polyester
Green &
Solid Top V-neck with short sleeves and 5% 1299 2
Yellow
elastane

Round neck with short Viscose Pink, White &

Printed top 1999 3
sleeves Rayon Blue

V-neck with short sleeves, 89% cotton, Olive Green,

Solid crop top 2299 2
and tie-ups closure 11% linen Cream colored

Square neck with short Viscose

Printed top Green & Red 1999 1
sleeves Rayon

Solid Top Wrap top with full sleeve Viscose Blue 1999 1

Solid top Flared sleeveless top 100% Cotton Yellow 2299 1

Round neck with long 100% Navy blue,

Checked top 2299 2
sleeves polyester white and pink

Total 13

Table 7: Woven Tops- Only

Page | 23
Key highlights from only woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 20
Starting Price 1299
Pricing
Exit Price 3299
1299
1999
Price Points (Rs)
2299
2499
Viscose Rayon
95% polyester and 5% elastane
Cotton
Types of fabric Polyester
89% cotton, 11% linen
Viscose
100% Lyocell
Printed Top
Types of wovens tops Solid Top
Checked Top
Yellow
Blue
Green & Red
Colours Green & Yellow
Pink, White & Blue
Navy blue, white and pink
Olive Green, Cream colored

Table 8: Key highlights- Only Woven Tops

Page | 24
U S Polo Woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

Mandarin collar, short

Solid top Pure Cotton White 1899 1
sleeves, button closure

Keyhole neck, three-

100%
Printed top quarter sleeves, button Blue & white 1699 2
viscose
closure

Keyhole neck, three-

Embroidered Viscose
quarter sleeves, button Blue & white 2199 1
top Rayon
closure

Tie-up neck with long Off-White,

Printed top Pure Cotton 1899 3
sleeves blue and red

Boat neck with short Black &

Printed top 100% modal 1499 2
sleeves white

Mandarin collar with short Black &

Checked top Polyester 1599 2
sleeves white

Round neck with short Cotton

Solid top Black 1699 1
sleeves modal blend

Total 12

Table 9: Woven Tops- U S POLO

Page | 25
Key highlights from U S Polo woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 12
Starting Price 1499
Pricing
Exit Price 2199
1499
1599
Price Points (Rs) 1699
1899
2199
Pure Cotton
Polyester
100% viscose
Types of fabric
100% modal
Viscose Rayon
Cotton modal blend
Printed Top
Solid Top
Types of wovens tops
Checked Top
Embroidered Top
White
Black
Colours Blue & white
Black & white
Off-White, blue and red

Table 10: Key highlights- U S Polo Woven Tops

Page | 26
Pepe Jeans Woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

round neck top with ruffle

Black &
Printed top detail, has long sleeves, Polyester 1799 2
White
button closure

woven styled back top,

Black &
Solid top has a V-neck, short Pure cotton 1399 2
White
sleeves

round neck, with three-

Solid top Viscose White 2099 1
quarter sleeves

Has a V-neck, with short

Printed top Polyester Red 1699 1
sleeves

round neck top with cut- Navy blue

Solid top Pure cotton 2299 2
out detailing, long sleeves & white

Yellow,
Striped crop woven crop top, has a V-
Pure Cotton white & 1499 3
top neck, short flutter sleeves
Black

Round neck, long sleeves,

Solid top Polyester Red 1599 1
button closure closure

Total 12

Table 11: Woven Tops- Pepe Jeans

Page | 27
Key highlights from Pepe Jeans woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 12
Starting 1399
Pricing
Exit Price 2299
1399
1499
1599
Price Points (Rs) 1699
1799
2099
2299
Pure Cotton
Types of fabric Viscose
Polyester
Printed Top
Types of wovens tops Solid Top
Stripe Top
Red
White
Red
Colours
Black & White
Navy blue & white
Yellow, white & Black

Table 12: Key highlights- Pepe Jeans Woven Tops

Page | 28
GAP woven tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

Round Neck top with embroidered detail, and

Solid Top Viscose Rayon Black & White 2499 2
short sleeves

Long cuffed sleeves, Spread collar, wrap front 55% cotton, 45%
Checked Top Black & White 2999 2
styling viscose rayon

Sleeveless, tiered layer and patterned with a

Printed Top Viscose Rayon Red & Blue 1299 2
ditsy floral print

Short sleeves with schiffli embroidered detail, Mustard yellow,

Solid Top Viscose Rayon 2799 3
has a tie-up neck Black & White

Striped Top Long sleeves, slightly puffed with button cuffs 100% Cotton White 2999 1

Short sleeves, elasticized smock cuffs, Round

Printed Top 100% cotton Red & White 1499 2
neckline with shirring details

Printed Top AOP, Cascading ruffle trim cap sleeves 100% Polyester Multicolored 2299 3

76% viscose rayon,

Solid Top Short Sleeves, Solid Regular Top 19% cotton, 5% Navy Blue 1799 1
spandex

Total 16

Table 13: Woven Tops- GAP

Page | 29
Key highlights from GAP woven tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 16
Starting Price 1299
Pricing
Exit Price 2999
1299
1499
1799
Price Points (Rs) 2299
2499
2799
2999
Viscose Rayon
100% Cotton
Types of fabric 100% Polyester
55% cotton, 45% viscose rayon
76% viscose rayon, 19% cotton, 5% spandex
Solid
Checked
Types of wovens tops
Printed
Striped
White
Navy Blue
Multicolored
Colours Red & Blue
Black & White
Red & White
Mustard yellow, Black & White

Table 14: Key highlights- GAP Woven Tops

Page | 30
Levi’s woven Tops

TYPE OF NO. OF
IMAGE PRODUCT FIT/STYLE COLOUR PRICE
FABRIC OPTIONS

Red, Rose Pink,Blue

Printed Top AOP, Round neck and short sleeve 100% Viscose 1599 4
& White/Black

Printed Top AOP, mandarin collar, Long sleeve 100% Viscose Black & Pink 1899 2

Solid Top Round Neck, Full Sleeve 100% Viscose Blue & White/Red 1899 2

Printed Top Round Neck, Full Sleeve 100% Cotton Blue, Grey & Olive 2199 3

Solid Top Round Neck, Full Sleeve 100% Cotton White 2199 1

Striped Top Round Neck, Full Sleeve 100% Cotton Blue & Rose Pink 2199 2

Solid Top Mandarin Neck, Full Sleeve 100% Tencel Indigo 2499 1

Total 15

Table 15: Woven Tops- Levi's

Page | 31
Key Highlights from Levi’s Woven Tops

Wovens Tops category analysis

No. of options offered 15
Starting Price 1599
Pricing
Exit Price 2499
1599
1899
Price Points (Rs)
2199
2499
100% Viscose
Types of fabric 100% Cotton
100% Tencel
Solid
Types of wovens tops Printed
Striped
Indigo
White
Black & Pink
Colours Blue & Rose Pink
Blue & White/Red
Blue, Grey & Olive
Red, Rose Pink,Blue & White/Black

Table 16: Key highlights- Levi's Woven Tops

Page | 32
6.3 KEY FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS FROM MARKET STUDY FOR THE
LEVI’S Woven Tops
Price gap in Levi’s Woven Tops

Weighted Average Price: A weighted average is a method of finding the average value of a group
of numbers, which takes into account how many times each number occurs, or its importance.

Here, weighted average price is calculated as: Number of options are multiplied at each price point.
Then, add up all of these results. Finally, divide by the total number of options.

UCB Vero Moda Only U S POLO Pepe Jeans Gap Levi's

No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of
Price Price Price Price Price Price Price
options options options options options options options
1899 2 1999 3 2499 1 1899 1 1799 2 2499 2 1599 4
2099 6 3299 1 1299 2 1699 2 1399 2 2999 2 1899 2
2099 1 1799 2 1999 3 2199 1 2099 1 1299 2 1899 2
1699 2 2299 2 2299 2 1899 3 1699 1 2799 3 2199 3
1899 2 1999 3 1999 1 1499 2 2299 2 2999 1 2199 1
2499 4 1299 2 1999 1 1599 2 1499 3 1499 2 2199 2
2299 4 2299 4 2299 1 1699 1 1599 1 2299 3 2499 1
2499 3 1499 1 2299 2 1799 1
2499 1
2299 1
24 20 13 12 12 16 15
2182.33 2079.00 2045.15 1757.33 1740.67 2292.75 1979.00

Table 17: Weighted Average Price calculation

Findings

Weighted Average Price of the brands in Descending Order:

Weighted Average
Brands Price
Gap 2292.75
UCB 2182.33
Vero Moda 2079.00
Only 2045.15
Levi's 1979.00
U S Polo 1757.33
Pepe Jeans 1740.67
Table 18: Weighted Average Price comparison

Page | 33
 • UCB, Vero Moda, Only and Gap have more price point in this category.
• U S Polo and Pepe Jeans have less price point in this category.
• Pricing should be competitive, justify the brands pricing strategy, should fit with the
options offered & customer should be satisfied with the pricing offered.
• Vero Moda, Only and Gap offer woven tops at 1299, Levi’s entry price for woven tops is
1599.
• Levi’s knit Tops entry price is 999. It should offer woven tops also at entry price between
1000-1500 as 70% respondents prefer to buy Top wear from Rs. 1000-1500.

No. of options gap in Levi’s Woven Top wear category

Findings

No. of options of the brands in Descending Order

Brands No. of options

UCB 24

Vero Moda 20

Gap 16

Levi's 15

Only 13

U S Polo 12

Pepe Jeans 12
Table 19: No. of options in descending order

• UCB, Vero Moda and Gap offers more options in this category.
• Only, U S Polo, Pepe Jeans Offers less option in this category.

Suggestions

• Levi’s should add more options in this category.

Page | 34
Style Gap in Levi’s Woven Top wear category

Findings

• No Checked and Embroidered Tops are offered.

• Gap & Only offers checked tops.
• U S Polo offers embroidered tops.
• Tops are not offered by Levi’s whereas Only and Pepe Jeans offers Crop Top.
• There is not any option of wrap tops.
• Vero Moda, Only and Gap offers wrap top.

Suggestions

• Levi’s should add Checked and Embroidered Tops in their line.

• Levi’s should also explore other styles and should add crop tops and wrap tops in their line.

Color Gap in Levi’s Woven Top wear category

Findings

• Black color option is not available in Levi’s Women’s Tops- solid woven tops (Feedback
from Levi’s store Indiranagar & M G Road).
• Gap, Pepe Jeans, U S Polo, Vero Moda and UCB had one options of black color.
• Black color is a standard color & all-time best seller.

Suggestions

• One option of Black color is suggested to add in the option plan of Levi’s woven top.

Fabric/Material Gap in Levi’s Woven tops.

Findings

Specification of fabric/material used in Levi’s Woven Tops:

• 100% Viscose
• 100% Tencel

Page | 35
 • 100% Cotton

Suggestions

• Levi’s should add other fabrics also like Linen, Polyester, etc. for woven tops.
• UCB and Only uses Linen fabric for woven tops.
• UCB, Vero Moda, Only, U S Polo, Pepe Jeans and Gap use Polyester fabric for woven
tops.

While selecting the new fabric, the following parameters should be considered:

• It should give maximum comfort when worn,

• It should provide full ease of movement,
• It should be more soft, nor stiff,
• It should be light weight,
• Drapability should be good.

Page | 36
6.4 CONSUMER SURVEY ANALYSIS
6.4.1 Women’s Tops category
Consumer Survey was carried out to study & identify the consumer preferences and their specific
needs for Women’s Top wear category. A survey was collected from 157 respondents from various
Levi’s stores in Bangalore.

This survey was conducted to know the consumers preferences and their specific needs for
Women’s Top wear category. It will help the brand to understand its target customers well and to
determine their occupation, lifestyles, fashion preferences and shopping habits so that it can
provide products according to the customer preference.

Questions were framed in a manner that would provide both qualitative as well quantitative
answers at the time of analysis. Google Forms was the tool used to conduct the survey. The same
was shared with all respondents in the target group. Additionally, informal interactions were
carried out the store to draw inferences regarding brand performance from time to time. In order
to carry out analysis of Levi’s women’s top wear competing brands in the country, an interaction
with store managers at the stores was conducted in order to study their offering and where Levi’s
is positioned in comparison.

Age Distribution of Respondents

Total

33% 23-39 Yrs.

39-54 Yrs
55%
Below 23 Yrs.
12%

Graph 2: Age Distribution of Respondents

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 55% of the respondents are in the age group 29-39, followed
by 33% in the age Below 23 years and 12% in the age 39-54 years.

Page | 37
Occupation Distribution of Respondents

Total

3%
Homemaker
33%
Professional
64% Student

Graph 3: Occupation Distribution of Respondents

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 64% of the respondents were Student, 33 % were
Professional and 3% were Homemaker.

How often do you buy Top wear?

Total

22% Once a month

38% Once in 2 months

3% Once in 6 months
10% Once in a year
Quarterly
27%

Graph 4: Duration of buying Top Wear of respondents

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 38% of the respondents buy top wear monthly, 27% buy top
wear once in two month, 22% respondents buy top wear Quarterly, 10% buy top wear once in a 6
month and 3% respondents buy top wear once in a year.

Page | 38
Which medium/channel do you prefer to shop from?

Total

Exclusive Brand Outlet (EBO)

(Brand Outlet)
23%
National Chain of stores (Eg:
45% Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle,
Central, etc.,)
32% Online (Eg: Myntra, Ajio,
Levi.in, etc.,)

Graph 5: Preferred medium/channel to shop

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 45% of the respondents prefer Online channel to buy top wear,
followed by 32% prefers to buy from NCS (National Chain of stores) and 23% buy top wear from
EBO (Exclusive Brand Outlet).

For what purpose/Occasion do you buy Tops

Total

11%
3%
Casual wear Party wear

Work wear

86%

Graph 6: Purpose/Occasion to buy Top wear

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 86% of the respondents buy top for casual wear, 11% of the
respondents buy top wear for work wear and 3% respondents buy top wear for party wear.

Page | 39
On an average, how much are you willing to spend on Top wear

Total
1%

6%
1000-1500
23%
1500-2000
2000-2500

70% 2000-4000

Graph 7: Willing to spend on top wear of respondents

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 70% respondents willing to spend 1000-1500 on top wear,
23% respondents willing to spend 1500-2000 on top wear and 6% respondent willing to spend
2000-2500 on top wear.

Brands preferred for Top Wear

Graph 8: Preferred brand for top wear

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 44.6% respondent prefer Vero Moda, 42% respondents
prefer Levi’s and ONLY, 40% respondent prefer UCB and 20% respondent prefer M&S.

Page | 40
What category do you shop for most?

Graph 9: Preferred category to shop

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 77.1% respondent shop for Tops, 51.6% respondents’ shop
for Dresses, 47.1% respondents’ shop for Shirts, 43.3% respondents’ shop for branded t-shirt and
28.7% respondents’ shop for Graphic t-shirt.

Are you satisfied with the current offerings of Levi's Tops?

Total

44% No
56% Yes

Graph 10: Satisfied with the current offerings of the Levi's women's Tops

Inference: Out of 157 respondents, 56% of the respondents are satisfied with the current
offerings of Levi’s top whereas 44% of the respondents are not satisfied with the current
offerings.

Page | 41
On a scale of 1-5, How would you rate the following attributes for Levi's women's Tops (1
being poor - 5 being excellent)

Graph 11: Rating of the attributes of Levi's Women's Tops by the respondents

Inference: Fit and Quality attribute of Levi’s women’s tops are very good. Design and Price are
average.

Any feedback/suggestion for Levi's Tops

Page | 42
Figure 1: Feedback for Levi's Women's Tops

Page | 43
6.4.2 Findings from Consumer Survey – Levi’s women’s tops category
• Majority of the customers belonged to the age group 23-39 Yrs.; Millennials.
• Majority of the customers buy women’s tops for casual wear.
• Majority of the customers are satisfied with the current offerings of the Levi’s women’s
tops.
• Brands preferred for women’s top wear are Vero Moda & Only.
• Majority of the consumers suggested to add more styles and price points.

Page | 44
 CHAPTER 7
RESULT & CONCLUSION

7.1 CONCLUSION FOR LEVI’S - WOMEN’S TOP - WOVEN TOP WEAR

CATEGORY
• If the category is performing really well, it is healthy to build and expand the range.
• Levi’s Women’s Top – Woven Top category needs to rectify the issues & satisfy the
customer needs and expectations in-order to gain successful position in the woven tops
product segment with the improved sales numbers.

Key Findings from Market Study – Woven Tops

• Competitors had more solid tops options. i.e. UCB-06, GAP-03, VERO MODA-04.

Key Findings from Consumer Survey s

• Customer’s age group – 23-39 years.

• Preferred price range – 1000-1500
• Preferred Top wear category- Tops
• Purpose of buying top wear- Casual Wear

7.1.1 Suggested & Existing Option Plans – Levi’s Woven Tops

In the existing plan

• Currently 15 options, i.e. Indigo, White, Black/Pink, Blue/Rose Pink, Blue/White/Red,

Grey/Olive, Red, Rose Pink, White/Black are offered.
• Style- Solid, Printed, Striped

Page | 45
In the suggested plan

• More Price Point should be added.

• More fabrics should be used in woven tops.
• Product focus is more on Fashionability of the product.
• Since market has options of Crop Tops and Wrap tops, it should be offered.
• Style- Checked and embroidered should be added.
• Black color should be added in woven tops- Solid.
• Currently two styles – Crop Tops and Wrap top styles are suggested. Once the sales
performance is good, then the line can be expanded and more options/styles can be
added.

Page | 46
 CHAPTER 8
LEARNINGS
8.1 LEARNING OUTCOME
The entire duration of the project presented me with various opportunities to gain a hands-on
experience of working in a Merchandising department, and understand the roles and
responsibilities involved therein. Some of the key learning gained in this period are listed below:

• An insight into the buying behavior of customers of Levi’s through store visits,

• Understanding the relevance of time management and working with deadlines.

• Interaction with store staff and consumers during store visits help to gain an insight into the
psyche of the consumer.

Key Merchandising activities learned,

• Understanding of the workings of a merchandising department and the duties involved

therein.
• Option Plan, which is the key responsibility of Merchandiser in the Brands.
• Option plan is made by keeping in mind the possible attributes like past sales – good
performer & bad performer, current trend, consumer’s preferences, brand’s language,
budget etc.
• To control the cost of the garment at the line plan stage & to plan appropriate line for the
season.
• Assisted in H121 Option plan making & range finalization.
• Product planning and execution throughout the fashion product lifecycle.
• To work closely with Production Development, Sales & Marketing, and Design teams to
ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met.
• How important is the historical data.
• Responsible for the entire Pre & Post Line presentation activities for the category.
• Analyzing weekly, monthly Sell through reports & setting strategies to improve the sales.

Page | 47
8.2 REPORTS
• Assisted in preparing past season Sales reports - Channel wise & Category wise for H118,
H1-19 & H1-20 (Value, Quantity) in order to understand the sales trend.
• Assisted in preparing Sell through reports for H1-20 & H2-19 to analyse the best & poor
performing products.
• Assisted in preparing SS20 Orders Analysis report to analyse the top & bottom booked
styles in H120 line presentation.

8.3 SOFTWARE
Software learned,

• FlexPLM

8.3.1 PLM Software

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the way toward dealing with the whole lifecycle of a
product from beginning, through building structure and manufacture, to service and till the product
is disposed. PLM integrates individuals, information, processes and business frameworks and
gives a product data to organizations and their extended enterprise.

8.3.2 FlexPLM
PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation) FlexPLM, in conjunction with Windchill technology,
was developed specifically to address the needs of the Retail, Footwear and Apparel industry.
FlexPLM enables Retail, Footwear and Apparel companies to manage the entire product
development process, from assortment planning to design, to full specification development, to
sourcing and costing, and pre-order confirmation.

Page | 48
Levi’s FlexPLM 9.2.M010

Figure 2: FlexPLM - Home Page

Figure 3: FlexPLM – Seasons - Dashboard

• Worked for H220 (AW20) & H121 (SS20).

• Generated Product code and its color way codes using the PLM.
• Carry forwarded Product codes from past seasons.

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Learnings,

• To use the PLM tools options &its functions related to Merchandising.

• To feed the data & to extract the data related to Product.
• To analyze past seasons data related to product and to use the data for the next season.

8.4 LINE PRESENTATION

• Levi’s had their Line Presentation (Road Show) for their next season (H2-20).
• It was a 5 days Business event, where seller and buyer meet.
• All the primary customers, Franchisee owners, buyers from EBO’s, MBO’s been called to
the Line Presentation where they see all the collections for the forthcoming season and
placed order as per their end customer requirements and planned sales or open to buy.
• Buyers come from every part of the country and punch order for every individual garment
they like.
• 1st & 2nd day for EBO’s.
• 3rd, 4th & 5th day for MBO’s & Online channels.
• Being a part of the Line Presentation, helped me to understand the hard work and stress
that goes into bringing out new collections for each season.
• Interaction with different buyers from different retail channels helped me get the great
exposure of in-depth business functions.

Work Assigned during the Line Presentation,

• Samples follow-up
• Initial Tagging
• Assisting in Photo shoot
• Stickering
• Updating Samples records
• Final Tagging
• Packing
• Sequencing the garments along with its tags and Spec Cards for road show
• Assisting buyers with order placement and products.

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 CHAPTER-9
ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE 1- SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

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Page | 52
Page | 53
ANNEXURE 2- H1-20 Line Sheet
COLOR(PRIMARY) FABRIC QUALITY PRODUCT
IMAGE SEASON PC5 CATEGORY SUB CATEGORY MRP Release Month SLEEVE
SEASON (PRIMARY) NECKLINE / COLLAR

100% BCI Compact

H1 20 23771 KNITS BRANDED TEE 999 MAR 2020 YELLOW SS Crew Neck
Cotton SJ 160 GSM

100% BCI Compact

H1 20 23771 KNITS BRANDED TEE 999 MAR 2020 GREEN SS Crew Neck
Cotton SJ 160 GSM

100% BCI Compact

H1 20 80829 KNITS BRANDED TEE 1199 JAN 2020 GREY MELANGE SS Crew Neck
Cotton SJ 160 GSM

100% BCI Compact

H1 20 80829 KNITS BRANDED TEE 1199 JAN 2020 Red SS Crew Neck
Cotton SJ 160 GSM

100% BCI Compact

H1 20 23771 KNITS BRANDED TEE 1199 FEB 2020 GREY MELANGE SS Crew Neck
Cotton SJ 160 GSM

100% OE COTTON
H1 20 57977 KNITS BRANDED TEE 999 FEB 2020 BLACK SINGLE JERSEY, 220 SS Crew Neck
GSM

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ANNEXURE 3- Levi’s FlexPLM 9.2.M010

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ANNEXURE 4- Sell-through of H1-20
National Week6
Month-January Unit Rev AVU Inventory
SUB cat LY TY Growth LY TY Growth LY TY Growth H1 20 H1 19 Growth
MB Total 44,076 48,014 9% 104,224,971 108,250,331 4% 2365 2255 -5% 547,394 411,024 33%
MK 16,083 22,277 39% 16,994,128 22,192,509 31% 1057 996 -6% 211,978 276,118 -23%
MW 17,056 19,064 12% 28,723,783 30,798,033 7% 1684 1616 -4% 220,537 260,597 -15%
MHWW 6,259 9,141 46% 14,974,061 19,384,847 29% 2392 2121 -11% 26,505 36,621 -28%
MT Total 39,398 50,482 28% 60,691,973 72,375,389 19% 1540 1434 -7% 459,020 573,336 -20%
Men Total 83,474 98,496 18% 164,916,944 180,625,720 10% 1976 1834 -7% 1,006,414 984,360 2%
WB Total 17,237 21,558 25% 40,797,733 47,918,557 17% 2367 2223 -6% 212,303 225,280 -6%
WT non HWW 9,293 8,161 -12% 11,294,263 7,676,525 -32% 1215 941 -23% 119,352 75,150 59%
WT HWW 2,629 5,849 122% 5,644,664 10,366,375 84% 2147 1772 -17% 13,698 64,323 -79%
WT Total 11,922 14,010 18% 16,938,927 18,042,900 7% 1421 1288 -9% 133,050 139,473 -5%
Women total 29,159 35,568 22% 57,736,660 65,961,457 14% 1980 1855 -6% 345,353 364,753 -5%
G.Total 112,633 134,064 19% 222,653,604 246,587,177 11% 1977 1839 -7% 1,351,767 1,349,113 0%

Week1
NATIONAL Unit Rev AVU Inventory
GENDER CATEGORY Bricks LY TY Growth LY TY Growth LY TY Growth H1 20 H1 19 Growth
Mens BOTTOMS M-Core Bottom 5162 5044 -2% 11967120 10948336 -9% 2318 2171 -6% 106,394 92,460 -13%
Classic 5 Pkt 12463 13328 7% 26447503 24413523 -8% 2122 1832 -14% 157,361 86,405 -45%
Classic 5 Pkt(Supra>3700) 5745 9481 65% 15513929 24005804 55% 2700 2532 -6% 74,914 65,620 -12%
MFL (< 2399 MB) 8 2 -75% 8185 4398 -46% 1023 2199 115% 282 5 -98%
Styled Denim 9961 6741 -32% 21342450 15219046 -29% 2143 2258 5% 93,170 66,512 -29%
M-Icons 217 176 -19% 655685 601621 -8% 3022 3418 13% 3,779 2,993 -21%
M- RedLoop™ 5579 7173 29% 19704103 22509284 14% 3532 3138 -11% 52,838 47,308 -10%
M-White tab 4732 5783 22% 8203717 10164217 24% 1734 1758 1% 53,658 47,475 -12%
Shorts 209 286 37% 382280 384103 0% 1829 1343 -27% 4,998 2,246 -55%
KNITS MFL Graphics(<=999) 1245 2715 118% 985611 1815095 84% 792 669 -16% 30,186 38,824 29%
Graphics (1000 & above) 5431 8138 50% 5341147 7910095 48% 983 972 -1% 60,934 98,656 62%
Polo 6654 7712 16% 7792432 8925435 15% 1171 1157 -1% 96,413 108,703 13%
Other Knits 2753 3712 35% 2874939 3541884 23% 1044 954 -9% 24,445 29,935 22%
WOVENS MFL (<=1999 Wovens) 4051 2212 -45% 4340952 2737272 -37% 1072 1237 15% 24,014 34,499 44%
Shirt Shop(>=2000-2999 Wovens) 9426 11517 22% 16930992 17527756 4% 1796 1522 -15% 143,030 157,568 10%
Standards - (Denim & Chambray) 1364 1931 42% 3016376 3878583 29% 2211 2009 -9% 30,034 27,360 -9%
Supra Shirts (>=3000) 2215 3404 54% 4435463 6654423 50% 2002 1955 -2% 23,459 41,170 75%
WINTER M-Jackets 2618 2389 -9% 8521057 7070839 -17% 3255 2960 -9% 12,132 8,419 -31%
M-Sweaters 1242 1602 29% 2105892 2652920 26% 1696 1656 -2% 4,834 6,124 27%
M-Sweatshirts 2335 4713 102% 4122298 7799903 89% 1765 1655 -6% 8,937 18,143 103%
M-Trucker 64 437 583% 224814 1861185 728% 3513 4259 21% 602 3,935 554%
WOMEN BOTTOMS W-Core Bottom 2079 2169 4% 4978103 4546897 -9% 2394 2096 -12% 57,134 55,314 -3%
Fashion Fits 482 871 81% 858021 2536701 196% 1780 2912 64% 3,451 6,920 101%
High Rise 2491 3863 55% 5682756 8365478 47% 2281 2166 -5% 21,646 42,806 98%
MFL (<= 1999 WB) 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 - -100%
Shaping (<Rs 3700) 2570 2874 12% 5988370 6766026 13% 2330 2354 1% 25,633 25,207 -2%
Shorts/Skirts 28 135 382% 49101 244651 398% 1754 1812 3% 671 1,621 142%
Skinny (<Rs 3700) 4272 4677 9% 9004018 8760008 -3% 2108 1873 -11% 39,591 39,183 -1%
Super Skinny (<Rs 3700) 2168 2161 0% 4381041 3893834 -11% 2021 1802 -11% 21,331 13,766 -35%
Supra (>=3700 WB) 3073 4207 37% 9671190 11967026 24% 3147 2845 -10% 38,484 34,991 -9%
W-Icons 12 32 167% 33903 100518 196% 2825 3141 11% 470 522 11%
W-WHITE TAB 62 569 818% 151231 737419 388% 2439 1296 -47% 3,827 4,950 29%
KNITS Flatknit 2815 2852 1% 4086405 3692794 -10% 1452 1295 -11% 27,789 18,063 -35%
Knits (<=999) 1088 2358 117% 781074 1644472 111% 718 697 -3% 13,175 29,634 125%
Knits (1000 & above) 2849 2951 4% 2687987 2339260 -13% 943 793 -16% 38,630 27,453 -29%
WOVENS Dress 49 204 316% 103068 399285 287% 2103 1957 -7% 660 3,002 355%
Wovens (<=1599) 313 308 -2% 304057 281613 -7% 971 914 -6% 3,754 4,341 16%
Wovens (> 1600) 2179 2666 22% 3331672 3912674 17% 1529 1468 -4% 35,344 43,684 24%
WINTER W-Jackets 1214 892 -27% 3300062 2278975 -31% 2718 2555 -6% 6,256 3,589 -43%
W-Sweaters 356 134 -62% 613494 227460 -63% 1723 1697 -1% 1,524 289 -81%
W-Sweatshirts 1031 1233 20% 1648984 1906898 16% 1599 1547 -3% 5,696 6,838 20%
W-Trucker 28 412 1371% 82124 1359470 1555% 2933 3300 13% 222 2,580 1062%

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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