Marketing and operational strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of a Hong Kong footwear enterprise

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the research trends in fashion industry during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Besides, it also provides an overview on the new marketing and operational strategies, and reveals the corresponding business challenges of a footwear enterprise in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review is first conducted to identify the research trends in fashion industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative exploratory case study is then used to illustrate how a footwear enterprise has coped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The case study has showed that omni-channel retailing, collaboration with e-tailers, quick response system and mixed production strategy are adopted in the targeted case during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the targeted case has also faced the challenges in the areas of sales, customer relationship management, and demand forecasting and inventory planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

This study provides managerial insights on the real practices used to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes various academic future research directions in fashion industry based on the real-world observations.

Citation

Chan, H.-L., Kwok, Y.-K. and Wong, S.-M. (2022), "Marketing and operational strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of a Hong Kong footwear enterprise", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-10-2021-0270