The development and future of the seven Princesses

The seven Princess is an independent fashion woman "as the theme of the trend of fashion brands." Seven to focus on the niche market, through a number of minority brands superimposed into a fast fashion brand pool, leading the trend of fashion in China to become the industry fashion vane. in the idea of the seven, the future in the channel, it may be off the shop, on its own platform will do fashion information, the promotion of foreign brands will be a fashion magazine, but everything is still around clothing. In a word, the next seven will not be an advertising company, may also no longer just a power company, but must be a fashion company.

May 2012, the beginning of summer, a "Amoy brand can also go how far" the industry discussion with the hot weather together with the gradual fermentation heating up, many media also rushed to the plan to comb "those disappeared Amoy brand."

For a lot of speculation, comment, as the seven He Sengjie but feel unprecedented calm, has been accustomed to the chaos of the outside world, he understood to bow to work more important, think about how in resources, team, experience, capital to do better integration, to find a more relaxation of the pace of development.

In the past few years, almost all the media to Amoy brand invariably only one voice: sales, profitability guaranteed high growth, although inevitably there is a suspicion of, but the number is too bright, want not to pay attention to all difficult. Now, when Amoy brand began to plan fission upgrade, the media attention is ambiguous, hesitate up, although realize should not continue only the sales theory, but found out these, originally did not understand these Amoy brand.

Perhaps a lot of people do not realize that, Amoy brand in the quantitative phase is considered as the wind showers generally, because the objective number is blindly magnified. Today, when fission is not easy to pursue, it is thought to be stagnant and brand value undervalued.

He Sengjie said that this year may be many already have capital into the Amoy brand in many dominant digital indicators will not be very good-looking, this is because everyone began to slow down, real solid cultivation of some internal strength, this is a normal development of the company in the process of the most critical stage, bigger and smaller, now is the demarcation point.

In He Sengjie view, perhaps only the sales of this single measure to the charm, including the seven Princess Tao brand more things can be revealed, and only talk about the experience of the seven, to understand what it is now and later to do.

Three Musketeers.

Perhaps the outside world knows very little about the first founding team of the seven three people are who, but also do not know the original team has decided that the company is now even the future trend.

Back in 1995, He Sengjie and Jianghai boat or college students, in 2000 and then met the seven Princess Cao Qing. He Sengjie is a costume designer, Jianghai boat is good at graphic design and visual design, while Cao Qing is good at product sales, product + Vision + operation of the Golden Triangle combination also determines the future of the seven triple-like growth trajectory.

Before 2004, three people in their spare time in the Onlylady Women's community forum to sell women's clothing, online retail talent began to appear in the first time. At that time, three people often go to Guangzhou Amoy goods, find a good outside in the community to send posts to sell, because the goods look unique, snapped situation often appear.

At that time, Guangzhou was regarded as the biggest foreign trade in China, the largest distribution center, three people here to see a mountain of good goods, but also saw a wide range of big-name and vice cards or even unknown to some of the minority brands, slowly for the brand design style, Design series also began to familiar with the familiar.

For three of people, this experience has not only seen China's early release of consumer demand energy, but also verified its ability to do business online, the garment industry also has a deeper understanding.

In fact, Onlylady is even now still has a strong network to buy the power of the choke pepper really behind the scenes, so, this women's forum also early witness the initial prosperity of China's online shopping.

Soon, on May 10, 2003 on the line Taobao began to fame, seven business also began slowly to Taobao transfer.

At that time, the promotion of Taobao is also very simple, in 2004, Wang-Wang group was once very hot, many like seven of the young people began to open a part-time Taobao shop, but few people will think of a brand, more simply sell goods.

In July 2009, before the company was founded, three people opened Taobao shop has been in the amateur amateurs state, but the interest in clothing business has not been reduced.

For a fashion designer, naturally want to make a belong to their own clothing brand. In 2004 this year, He Sengjie began to try to do a men's brand online channel, but the first attempt to make a brand was soon fruitless.

As Hangzhou Yuhang person's Cao Qing, the father makes the foreign trade of the sofa fabric export business, she has seen many of here hundreds of clothing factory of big and small. During the period from 2006 to 2009, Cao Qing in charge of foreign trade sales in his father's factory, and can often go abroad to foreign clothing retail stores, and also bring back some clothes in their own Taobao store to sell. Although at that time did not know Taobao shop will one day from the sideline into the main business, Cao Qing or first registered two clothing brands.

According to Jianghai boat recall, 2008, Taobao began to have the first focal map, that is, can be visually playing tricks. But he observed a period of time, found that very few people can play well, not enough goods, is not to send out goods, but also do not know how to retain flow to do precipitation.

Until 2009, three people finally decided to open a company, full-time to do Taobao. For He Sengjie, can do a clothing brand, may one day be able to do a lot of clothing brands. For Cao Qing, doing clothing business is the greatest pleasure, for Jianghai boats, when Taobao has been able to make their own good fun visual design.

Now, they also ridicule: "For three of people, seven princess This company is like a child, He Sengjie is a father, Cao Qing is a mother, Jianghai boat is an aunt." ”

Two times of "darkness"

When three people decided to devote themselves to doing their own brand, the unexpected first dark moment came.

July 2009, because of the rush to hit the brand, push products, seven othermix in the first batch of factory choice did not care too much, in the design after the cheerfully to play version of the shipment, can't wait to hang in the shop to sell.

Finally, the short board in the supply chain quickly led three of people to a big lesson. That year from July to September, nearly 400 of the rating as a continuous storm-like hit, together with some unqualified autumn outfit, also slashing smashed over ...

In order to prevent further deterioration of the situation, the seven will have to declare one months in September to stop the new model, the selection of a good factory, and set up quality inspection departments, the implementation of full product inspection, and deal with the aftermath of the matter.

Affected by this, the next October, November, the seven are carefully moved forward. However, entering the December, and because of the snail-like delivery speed led to the second dark moment of arrival.

At that time, the seven Princess introduced 100 limited new 70 percent activities, one-day sales reached tens of thousands of pieces. In the face of such a large order, seven but not the use of ERP system, including filling out the delivery of all the delivery process can only be done manually.

Despite the company's nearly 80 people deployed, continued to work overtime, the 10,000 packages still toss 7 days. And the high rate of failure of manual operation again ushered in nearly 300 in the evaluation of the difference.

Afterwards, the seven princess quickly to expand the customer service team to more than 30 people, at the same time to enable the ERP system, in the selection of suppliers also began to have a certain standard, choose to be able to adapt to the seven fast fashion manufacturers, and occupy each other at least 30% of the production capacity to ensure product quality and

As the seven-Cao Qing in the post-"walk slowly, and so on Soul" letter wrote: "In the injury and injury to complete the cocoon of pain or rebirth of nirvana." "The two emergency brakes that were brought in the two dark moments really gave the seven of them a new life, albeit with some pain," he said.

Now, He Sengjie often for a dozen version of the clothing toss three times, because for a brand, in addition to the design, in addition to vision, in addition to operations, the most important part of the supply chain.

Almost every one of the Amoy brand has experienced such a roaring and the size of the lesson, and finally in a number of experience, just know what can be, which can not, which can be temporarily, which later, from the green to mature.

In the Jianghai boat view, in fact, every Amoy brand fall more than the traditional brand more, but also more than the survival of the traditional brand more powerful.

Facts have also proved that it is this low-cost situation of rapid growth and breakthrough capacity, so that including the seven of the dozens of Amoy brands in 2010, 2011 have been the wind cast favor.

By the age of 25 to prop up the fast fashion

As a designer of the He Sengjie chose a different road with the south, do not do designer brand, also did not follow the vast majority of Hangzhou-sent women blindly cater to the market and wavering road, but the learning target in the fast fashion line Zara.

In He Sengjie's view, Zara's market capitalisation is far more than the luxury brands such as LV, which is now the result of the market power of fast fashion. Zara as the representative of the fast fashion brand just between high-end brand and the popular brand has opened a main design of the fast fashion road, and has been the extension of the intermediate market, even in some areas than has been in the mass market positioning of the popular brand.

In fact, now gap in the United States, Sweden H&m, Spain Zara, Germany C&a and known as the world's four fashion killers, each trying to design a par with high-end brands, but the brand market value far more than their brand idol, This has also become one of the reasons why He Sengjie choose to be a fast fashion brand rather than a designer brand.

So why not study h&m and learn about Zara? Because H&m stressed that the designer with the Cross-border cooperation, Zara only selected ordinary designers, but through the design of blending, fabric richness, color richness, product portfolio richness, multi-layer overlay can expand the market, it is obvious to learn Zara more feasible.

From the age of the seven consumer groups, mainly concentrated in the 25-year-old to 29-year-old, and has been firmly occupied the majority of the entire population proportion. Zara Target customer group positioning in the 20~35岁, this age group of consumer groups fashion sensitivity, but most do not have the ability to buy top clothing brands.

Seven and Zara target consumer groups overlap also let He Sengjie more believe that they make the choice. At present, the industry has a consensus is that the 25-year-old is the core of fast fashion consumption age, for the design, the brand has a certain degree of awareness, and in the consumption of the most active period of purchase.

However, He Sengjie also deeply realized that this age group of female consumers is also the main consumer of online shopping, and the network of primary brand enthusiasm is very high, this point in the current consumer brand choice is not high in China more obvious.

Online shoppers are more interested in design than in branding, according to a new online-shopping survey. For the seven, it should be a good thing, this shows that the traditional mature brand for online shopping for the mainstream of the brand's radiation power in the weakening, and as the emphasis on the design of the online brand seven if you can with such a huge network to buy groups grow together, the opportunity is greater.

According to relevant reports, the Spanish apparel brand Zara in September 2010 launched online retail three months, the average daily order volume of 5000, turnover and more than any one of the brand offline shop. Because of the excellent online performance, Zara has even publicly indicated that it will launch online stores in China in the autumn and winter of 2012.

Perhaps the news may be optimistic that Zara has helped seven to prove to some extent that online retailing can make the fast fashion model a better play.

Has many years of online retailing, especially in Taobao retail experience, compared with the traditional brands at home and abroad, He Sengjie first step to better understand China's online shopping groups.

He Sengjie and Jianghai boats are very fond of films, like to study the clothing of the film, the film recorded the history of fashion, clothing design with the help of this contagious image to express, it also makes them aware of the importance of vision for fashion design.

In China, more and more Chinese are growing up in the network, accustomed to receiving information through the image of the younger generation, more and more cherish the expression of individuality, "I" feel more and more strong, which also allows the design and visual expression have a greater consumer market space, and good at design and vision of the seven early has been proven to be a distinctive style of the online brand.

Up platform, down brand

In He Sengjie's vision, seven must always focus on the niche market, small brands, through a number of small brands superimposed into a fast fashion brand pool, and through a niche market overlay into an extension of the expanding market pool, in short is a small audience, but many brands, so the public.

The reason why we must emphasize the minority, is because in the Chinese clothing brand has been "mass market" tired, can not become a complete sense of the clothing brand.

In Jianghai boat view, China's apparel industry has been "only the channel brand, and no brand", that is, only channel brand, and no real sense of the brand, only to please the market brand, but rarely has the market appeal brand. For example, such as Youngor, Tang Lions basic brand positioning in a generalization of the mass consumer groups, this brand positioning blind, it is tantamount to no positioning.

On the online retail Amoy brand although still weak, but has to a certain extent, the hope to occupy a large market, borderless expansion of the brand era has passed.

This is also evident in the women's clothing. The people who are familiar with Hangpai women's Congress see more clearly, seeing a dial of the Hangpai women poured out, but also know there will be a set of new ladies brand again, but only one soft rib-blindly follow the market, leading to inbreeding, the brand image has been blurred, herding effect has been popular in China's apparel industry.

Today, most of the mature clothing brands are beginning to pursue multi-brand integrated shop model, but a little different, Zara is the design style without the mix, and I.T to maintain multiple brands. Seven of the multi-brand integrated shop model is, Taobao C shop similar to Zara, cat shop similar to I.T, but this is not deliberately for it, because Taobao C store does not support a number of stores, day cat support multi-brand more than shop.

For the main brand of the seven-princess, this integrated shop model can be considered as a brand up platform, down to do brand.

In He Sengjie's vision, at the incubation stage of the brand, must maintain their character, the beginning of a very clear brand of the district, a small number of market to do a small number of brands, do not coincide with each other, until the future of the brand enough, the brand impact of clarity enough when, can have the confidence to do brand mix, Design mix and match.

Generally speaking, do 1cm brand, but dig 1m deep, no matter up to do the whole platform, or down to do a brand, are so.

Students who learn to be alike

Zara is very many, but most of them are just the shape, but the spirit of less. For the seven, Zara must learn, but try to learn their God, even if it is slow to do not matter.

What the industry most admired about Zara is its fast-speed supply chain. For the precise calculation of the fashion cycle, the strict control of the production cycle makes Zara run fastest in the fast fashion brand.

This speed comes from the strong own supply chain assurance, unlike H&m's complete outsourcing, Zara has been emphasizing the dominant design of its own factory, while the general basic outsourcing. Seven in 2011 the second half of the acquisition of a veteran Shanghai supplier, the fancy is that it holds high-quality supply chain as well as upstream and downstream resources, can help seven to solve the design requirements of the early stage of fabric and design later production quality problems. In addition, the outsourcing plant also occupies a certain proportion of the supply chain, to ensure long-term stability and cooperation.

In addition, Taobao is generally obsessed with the explosion of money. In Cao Qing view, the explosion of the brand, the design will leave a lot of mishap, seven in the operation of ideas will not create a single explosion, but a balanced push the whole category. This point Zara also control very clearly, will not easily replenishment, most people think it is deliberately to do hunger marketing, in fact it is mainly to ensure the normal operation of the rapid supply chain, and hunger marketing is only a knock-on effect.

In the design, is He Sengjie think the most can be learned is that Zara's designers on average only 25 years old, they may not be famous, but dare to try cutting-edge design, at any time shuttle in Milan, Tokyo, New York, Paris and other fashion watch fashion show. Zara's buyers are known as "cool Hunters" and are also designed to capture the most fashionable elements of the world's largest market cities on the streets. Now seven princess each child brand is also the designer adds buys the hand to guarantee the new frequency each week.

Zara's "Fast" comes not only from the quick design, but also from the speed at which the design information is transmitted from the front to the back, which stems from a special organizational structure with a brand as its core. Seven Princess now six brands are operated by six independent teams, each team is the designer buys the hand, the Operation Manager plus the product manager cooperation, the market, the finance, the HR and so on department resources share, the team has the 10%~20% option to encourage. If a team of designers can lead a new brand, it can achieve rapid replication of the team framework.

However, it is not easy to comb the brand and brand team according to this framework, the most important thing in the seven 2012 is this, He Sengjie called "Physical Fitness" program.

In marketing, Zara has always relied only on its store window display as a brand promotion strategy, and h&m more emphasis on advertising and a variety of fashion media to promote. Seven is also to store and package, online promotion of the main learning Zara fashion magazine window display, and offline promotion is also trying to work with Ruili and other brands in line with the brand positioning of the magazine, and focus on seven rather than a child brand.

In the Jianghai boat view, Zara Window magazine display is not from the point of view of saving the cost of advertising, but this kind of display can well convey the brand concept, and produce a very high conversion rate. Seven also insisted that there are 20% of the image of the store, but do not care about sales, conversion rate, but must be put to show a brand design attitude, this in a new brand incubation stage is very important.

Zara has a lot of copycat imitators. Theoretically, almost all Taobao women's big sellers are represented by the sales guarantee has become the next Zara possibility. But to step back, perhaps among the many imitators, the seven chattered most, also learn most like.

In the idea of the seven, in the future in the channel, it may be the opening of the store, in its own platform will do fashion information, in the foreign brand will be a fashion magazine, in the technical development will be launched online fitting room, but everything is still around clothing. In a word, the next seven will not be an advertising company, may also no longer just a power company, but must be a fashion company.