MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PROFITABILITY OF

ONLINE CLOTHING BUSINESSES DURING THE PANDEMIC IN THE CITY

OF VALENZUELA.

QUESTION: WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGY IN

SUSTAINING THE PROFITABILITY OF CLOTHING ONLINE SELLERS IN
VALENZUELA CITY.

AIM: DETERMINE THE MOST BENEFICIAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR

SUSTAINING THE PROFITABILITY OF CLOTHING ONLINE SELLERS IN
VALENZUELA CITY.

OBJECTIVES:
1. TO DETERMINE THE PROFILE OF CLOTHING ONLINE SELLERS IN THE
CITY OF VALENZUELA.
2. TO DISCOVER MARKETING STRATEGIES THEY ARE CURRENTLY USING
IN THEIR ONLINE CLOTHING BUSINESSES. .
3. TO IDENTIFY THE MOST COMMON MARKETING STRATEGY THAT
ONLINE CLOTHING BUSINESSES USE.
4. TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MARKETING STRATEGY IN
MAINTAINING THE PROFITABILITY OF ONLINE CLOTHING BUSINESSES.
5. TO SELECT THE MARKETING STRATEGY WITH THE GREATEST
ADVANTAGE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINING THE PROFITABILITY OF ONLINE
CLOTHING BUSINESSES.
 RESEARCH APPROACH

To gain a breadth and depth understanding of the most beneficial marketing

strategies for sustaining the profitability of online sellers, the researchers conduct the
study using a mixed-method approach that includes collecting, analyzing, and integrating
qualitative and quantitative data.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The mixed-method research design used in this study is titled "Marketing

Strategies for Sustainable Profitability of Online Clothing Businesses during the
pandemic in the City of Valenzuela". Mixed method research is a combination of
quantitative and qualitative research methods used to collect data and answer research
questions. When compared to a quantitative or qualitative study, this method provides
researchers with a comprehensive set of data. Knowing that mixed-method research
combines the benefits of quantitative and qualitative research methods. (Tegan, 2013).
This research method entails more than just tabulating facts; it also includes proper data
identification, analysis, and interpretation. The researchers found it very useful because it
aims to identify the most effective and efficient marketing strategies for sustaining the
profit of online clothing sellers in the City of Valenzuela during the pandemic. In this
study, the researchers employ a deductive approach. According to Gulati (2009),
"deductive reasoning" is "reasoning from the particular to the general." If a particular
theory or case example appears to imply a causal relationship or link, it may be true in
many cases. A deductive design can use to see if this relationship or link did exist under
more general conditions.
 RESEARCH ASSUMPTIONS

Ontology

Ontology is defined as the study of being, and it is concerned with what exists in
the world about which humans can learn. Ontology assists researchers in determining
how certain they can be about the nature and existence of objects under investigation.
(Moon and Blackman, 2014). Ontology describes the way we think the world is, also
described as the science of being and is looking at what exists or how it looks like
(Fleetwood, 2005). The main assumption of a realist is that something exists, it is real and
it is always discovered by us, even we don’t know the its characteristics. An idealist and
subjectivist assume that the social reality is a created imagination of our cognition and
consciousness (Blaikie, 2007). The purpose of this study is to determine what type of
marketing strategy the online seller uses for the profitability of the business, which is
related to the ontological assumptions that objects have meaning independent of any
consciousness of them. By undergoing a mixed method research, they will be able to
collect the data needed to answer the research questions, which will lead them to discover
the reality and truth about the subject research.

Epistemology

Epistemology is concerned with the study of knowledge's validity, scope, and

methods of acquisition, such as what constitutes a knowledge claim, how knowledge can
be acquired or produced, and how the extent of its transferability can be assessed.
Epistemology is significant because it determines how researchers frame their research in
their pursuit of knowledge. (Moon and Blackman. 2014). Epistemology describes how
we distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. How we act in social and
individual situations is influenced by how we perceive reality and assign meaning to
events. Without the knowledge itself, it is knowledge to know that knowledge is available
in some way. This allows us to distinguish between what is scientifically permissible and
what is not; between what is rational and what is not, and between the guaranteed and the
uncertain (Johnson & Duberley, 2000). This study applies a mixed-method, which
merges quantitative and qualitative research. While using the method, the researcher will
gather data from various respondents with their perspectives on what the study is all
about. The following information can help to strengthen this study because it was
gathered from respondents in an attempt to discover knowledge for this study.

Axiology

Axiology is a branch of philosophy that studies value judgments. (Saunders,

Lewis, and Thornhill, 2012). Axiology, in particular, is concerned with assessing the role
of the researchers' value at all stages of the research process. (Li Y., 2016) Axiology is
primarily concerned with the objectives of the research. This branch of philosophy
research seeks to determine whether you are attempting to explain or predict the world or
merely understand it. (Lee and Lings, 2008). Axiology is a philosophy branch that studies
values and asks questions such as "What do we value?" or "What values should our
research be guided by?". Furthermore, Axiology ponders as to what value or outcome our
research will produce. Axiology also questions whether our study is objective or whether
the researcher's values and opinions influence how we conduct research. All information
and data gathered will be examined and analyzed as is, with no subjectivity or
stereotyped added. Whatever findings arise from the study will never be controlled by the
researchers' perspective. Moreover, the researchers intend to assess the fruitful marketing
strategies in maintaining the profitability of online clothing businesses without gauging
or saying nasty remarks and opinions. The confidentiality of the information of the
respondents' answers will be secured and protected by the researchers. 

SAMPLING

The researchers will conduct a survey-interviews under several barangays in

Valenzuela City, including Canumay West, Dalandanan, and Gen. T. de Leon, Mapulang
Lupa, and Lingunan, who sell clothes online, it will help and assist the researchers in
achieving the goal of this study. Cluster Random Sampling will use in this study, in
which we divide the target population into barangays and select samples from each. We
selected five (5) barangays from a total of thirty-three (33) barangays, and we will pull
out sixty-eight respondents (68) from it that we needed in research with a confidence
level of ninety percent (90) and an expected ten percent (10) margin of error.

The researchers used the formula below to calculate and determine the appropriate
sample size for the study.

Formula:

Sample size = [(z-score)2 * SD (1-SD)] / (margin of error)2

where,

Z-score = 1.645 (based on Confidence level of 90%)

SD = 0.5

Margin of error = 10%

Computation:

[(1.645)2 * 0.5 (1-0.5)] / (0.10)2

[2.706025 * 0.5 (1-0.5)] / 0.01

[2.706025 * 0.5 (0.5)] / 0.01

 (2.706025 * 0.25) / 0.01

0.67650625/0.01

Sample size = 67.650625 or 68

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
Ethics are the moral principles that a person must follow regardless of where they
are or what time they are. Ethical behavior requires doing the right thing at the right time.
In academic research, ethical decision-making focuses on providing significant benefits
to the participants. Following ethical principles in research is critical for maintaining the
study's integrity. (Enago Academy, 2021).
The researchers guarantee that they will fulfill their responsibility to the
participants by adhering to the ethical guidelines for the benefit of everyone involved in
this study. This will govern the actions and ensure that the research is conducted under
the highest ethical standards. The researcher will comply with strict ethical principles
when collecting data:

1. Informed consent – Before conducting the study, the researchers should earn
permission from the respondents. The respondents must be well informed about the
research.

2. Respondent privacy – Those who participate in the study can rest assured that their
personal information will be kept private. Each respondent's identity will be addressed
with the utmost care.

3. Data confidentiality and respondent anonymity – The confidentiality of all data

obtained from respondents is the researcher's top priority. We rest assured that all
information gathered will be kept and used solely for research purposes. Respondents
have the option to withhold personal data to maintain their anonymity.

4. Participation is voluntary, and participants have the option to withdraw at any time.
Respondents have the right to decline participation in the research being conducted in
their respective barangays. They have the opportunity to rescind all of the information
they provided as a study respondent.

THEORY

Edmund Jerome McCarthy (February 20, 1928 – December 3, 2015) was an

American marketing professor and author. He proposed the concept of the 4 Ps marketing
mix in his 1960 book Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach, which has been one of
the top textbooks in university marketing courses since its publication.