Kustom Kicks Shoe Company's Environmental Impact

The Kustom Kicks Company provides a website where you may buy shoes online. As a result, the company has access to both domestic and foreign markets. Because of advancements in internet technology and lower browsing fees, all countries are prospective consumers for the company's shoes. Furthermore, many of its primary clients are internet savvy and spend a significant amount of time buying online. Customers can place orders with the company via the internet. Customers can select a shoe style and also add a design feature to their purchased shoes via a portal. The entire order is then submitted, along with the associated payment, which is also done online. Shipping of the purchased product done after submitting the order. The company can only ship to countries where it has an operational presence (Renee, 2014).

Competitive forces and External environment

The Company faces competition from other shoe companies such as NikeiD which produces similar products. The organization has a history of prioritizing customers’ needs above the needs of the firm. The firm has a policy of treating customers with lots of respect and valuing their views. Therefore, the buyers have a lot of influence on what is produced by the company. The company commands stiff competition from other shoe companies such as Nike, but due to its unique products, it is not easily substituted (Mar, 2013).

Sources of competitive advantage

Organizational culture and structure – The Company’s vision is to revolutionize the way people buy shoes by creating a socially responsible brand that is recognized nationally. Its mission is to promote freedom and celebrate individuality while offering products of high quality and supporting all lifestyles.

Processes and practices – Mass customization in consumer products and integration of the manufacturing process enable the company to have a variety of customization options. The integrated manufacturing process enables the control of the process from the submission of the proposed design by the customer to the completion of the final product.

Products and intellectual property - The organization, has products that appeal to each customer’s preference. The company has some different design options which are made available to the client. Also, an easy to operate interface is provided for clients who would like to design their shoes, and the model is converted into the desired shoes. The firm also can accept shoes from clients and customize them into the design ordered by the customer.

Technology- the Company uses a software platform which a client can use to design a shoe, and the design is then used to make the customer’s desired shoe. The firm also utilizes the Large digital marketing campaigns where tools such as pay per click (PPC), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to increase the company’s online presence. PPC is a tool that enables people to click on the firm’s website to increase its rank on various such engines such as Google search engines. When potential customers go online to search for online shoe retail shops, the first website they encounter in the list generated by the search engines is the Kustom Kicks website. The company ensures that its workers are highly skilled in producing quality products (Renee, 2014).

References

Mar, A. (2013, April 29). 6 Sources of Competitive Advantage. Retrieved from Simplicable: http://business.simplicable.com/business/new/6-sources-of-competitive-advantage

Renee, O. (2014). Environmental Business Analysis. Retrieved from Chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/environmental-business-analysis-43238.html