Threadless
Threadless Hypothesis:
If the owners of Threadless decide to accept offers to sell its T-shirts at large retailers such as Target, we believe that it will end up hurting the business in the end. Threadless is successful as a business because of its strong community of 500,000 members worldwide who vote, critique, and interact with others. If Threadless sold large quantities of T-shirts to a retailer such as Target, the essence of what Threadless is as a business is lost. If Threadless’ shirts were sold in Target, they would just be another shirt on the wall. Customers would have no idea where the shirt came from or who designed it. The brand’s personality is lost because the communication between artists and customers, voting on t-shirts, the humor of the website, and the overall community Threadless is so famous and successful for is gone.
Another reason we believe that it is a bad idea to sell to large retailers is because the fashion industry is always changing. This is why Threadless t-shirts sell out so fast because they are selling shirts that customers vote on and want to purchase. If Target was to put in an order of say 500 shirts of one design, what would happen if that design was not selling? This is why the online community is so effective because everyone is always voting on the best designs and the owners of Threadless know exactly what is selling at that point in time. Threadless T-shirts currently range in price from $5 to 70 dollars, with many of the more popular shirts being in the 20-30 dollar range. Target’s current graphic t-shirts are much cheaper in price ranging from $4.98 to 13.98. If Threadless did business with Target, they would have to sell their cheaper styles, which are usually the ones that do not sell as well.
Many customers of Threadless like the company so much because of the uniqueness of each shirt, and the fact that they are supporting an artist at the same time. Most people who are interested in buying
If the owners of Threadless decide to accept offers to sell its T-shirts at large retailers such as Target, we believe that it will end up hurting the business in the end. Threadless is successful as a business because of its strong community of 500,000 members worldwide who vote, critique, and interact with others. If Threadless sold large quantities of T-shirts to a retailer such as Target, the essence of what Threadless is as a business is lost. If Threadless’ shirts were sold in Target, they would just be another shirt on the wall. Customers would have no idea where the shirt came from or who designed it. The brand’s personality is lost because the communication between artists and customers, voting on t-shirts, the humor of the website, and the overall community Threadless is so famous and successful for is gone.
Another reason we believe that it is a bad idea to sell to large retailers is because the fashion industry is always changing. This is why Threadless t-shirts sell out so fast because they are selling shirts that customers vote on and want to purchase. If Target was to put in an order of say 500 shirts of one design, what would happen if that design was not selling? This is why the online community is so effective because everyone is always voting on the best designs and the owners of Threadless know exactly what is selling at that point in time. Threadless T-shirts currently range in price from $5 to 70 dollars, with many of the more popular shirts being in the 20-30 dollar range. Target’s current graphic t-shirts are much cheaper in price ranging from $4.98 to 13.98. If Threadless did business with Target, they would have to sell their cheaper styles, which are usually the ones that do not sell as well.
Many customers of Threadless like the company so much because of the uniqueness of each shirt, and the fact that they are supporting an artist at the same time. Most people who are interested in buying