Country Road Findings - Social and Environmental Factors

Country Road – Macro Environment:

Social and Environmental Factors:

Fashion Market Trends

- Global demand / awareness – Consumers are more attuned to what is being produced globally and their demand in terms of design and styles have emerged as a new challenge for manufacturers catering to a specific region. Brands like Country Road have to continue to innovate in their styles and ensure their product is globally competitive.

- Pirates / cheap copies - Emerging markets such as China and India are influencing buyers decisions as well. Small factories in these countries are setup to keep an eye out for new designer wear and are quick to ‘copy' the designs and make it available in international markets including Australia. With the design royalties and development costs out of the equation is has become increasingly cheaper for these manufacturers to produce cheap copies and make them available for lower prices.

Purchasing Trends

- Online buying – A recent development in global purchasing habits is the evololution of online shopping. Most consumers are now demanding products that are available locally and have access to them as well. With the introduction of websites such as ebay, Amazon and other reliable names consumers are more confident about spending online and saving money.

- Crowdsourcing – A new online trend has emerged where consumers are online to vote for a ‘design'. It is no longer the designer's statement only, consumers have become more active in the design process.

Demographics

Population: 21,766,711 (July 2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.3% (male 2,040,848/female 1,937,544)

15-64 years: 67.7% (male 7,469,092/female 7,266,143)

65 years and over: 14% (male 1,398,576/female 1,654,508) (2011 est.)

Country