Simplifying Style for Busy Midwest Women

Amy Tran
04298668
Academy of Art University
Graduate School of Fashion Merchandising
May 26, 2017 at 10:00 am
Shades of Simple

B U S IN E S S C O N C E P T
6
Executive Summary
Description of Business
Mission and Vision Statements
MARKET RESEARCH
12
Macro-Environment
Online Retail Industry
Sustainable Fashion Industry
Location Analysis
TARGET MARKET
32
Overview
Market Segmentation
Primary Customer
Secondary Customer
Tertiary Customer
WEBSITE
114
Home Page
Product Page
Blog
Analytics
ORGANIZATIONAL &
OPERATIONAL PLAN
152
Company Ownership & Structure
Organization Chart
Roles & Responsibilities
Salaries & Benefits
Return, Exchange & Shipping Policy
CONTENTS MARKETING PLAN
122
Marketing Objectives
Marketing Strategy
Marketing Channels
Marketing Calendar
Marketing Budget
FINANCIAL PLAN
162
Financial Summary
Start-up Cost
Assortment Plan
Gross Margin
Future Growth
APPENDIX
174
Financial Planning Worksheets
Marketing Research Report &
Survey Questions
Works Cited
Image Source
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
86
Brand Concept
Visual Identity
Office Entrance Façade
Office Concept
Showroom Concept
Floor Plan
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
44
Overview & Analysis
Direct Competitors
Indirect Competitors
SWOT Analysis
Competitive Advantages
MERCHANDISING PLAN
58
Buying Philosophy
Merchandise Summary
Product Overview
Vendor Profiles
Buying Calendar
01 02 03 04 05 06
07 08 09 10 11

1
Executive Summary
Mission and Vision Statements
BUSINESS CONCEPT

8 GREA
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BUSINESS CONCEPT 9 BUSINESS CONCEPT
GREA is an e-commerce platform created to provide
the quintessential modern woman finer apparel
and products to simplify their hectic lifestyle with
timeless style and solid construction. Imperatively, this
online retailer aims to focus on products with elements
of simple, minimalist and elegant aesthetics that
involve thoughtful design and mindful manufacturing
that will educate customers to buy better.
GREA targets women ages 25 to 35 of all races
and cultural backgrounds that are located in the
Midwest region. The objective is to create an online
platform where Midwestern’s have the option to shop
contemporary price points without having to resort to
fast fashion.
Operated in Fargo, ND; the online retailer offers
contemporary womenswear selecting brands that are
made in the United States or imported from Europe
and New Zealand.
GREA’s marketing plan will focus to bring awareness
to the website by investing in Search Engine Marketing
(SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Also,
including exciting content on social responsibility
and mindful manufacturing to build a community by
offering a blog to discuss Midwestern culture.
GREA expects to borrow $170,000 guaranteed by
the Small Business Association (SBA) as a five-year
loan. This estimate provides the bulk of the current
financing required. The first year of sales is forecasted
to be $605,012, then $653,413 in the second year, and
$718,755 in the third year of the plan. Profits for the
first year are expected to be approximately $858. The
company does not anticipate any cash flow problems.
Executive Summary
GREA, an e-commerce providing curated versatile
capsule collections to help alleviate the constant
pondering on what to wear on a daily basis. Essentially,
we provide collections from upcoming designers that
uses mindful manufacturing and conscious of designs.
How many times have you looked through a closet
scramblingtofindanoutfitamongsttheplethoraoffast-
fashion items only to realize they are either outdated
or torn due to cheap construction? Additionally, the
consumption of fast-fashion has negatively impacted
our environment and social system. The global fashion
industry has become a $3 trillion business. According
to the documentary, True Cost. An average American
throws away 82 pounds of textile waste each year
due to the quality of fast fashion products. (True
Cost, 2016) The raise of the conscious consumer has
exponentially risen due to the unfortunate events of
child labor, poor working conditions, and lower worker
wages. According to conscious consumer spending
index by Good.Must.Grow, “69% of women have made
purchases from socially responsible companies in the
past 12 months.”
The purpose of GREA’s well-curated collection that
provides versatility for their busy lifestyles eliminates
the use of fast fashion. Resulting a decrease in textile
waste and hopes to improve ethical practices in
production.
GREA was created from the color grey meaning neutral,
mindfulness, and peace. The “y” from grey is replaced
by the founder’s first initial of her first name. The
grey color will be incorporated into each line concept
to bring a sense of harmony from all the brands
selected in the concept. These brands are chosen by
minimalistic aesthetics of their designs including how
mindful the products were consciously manufactured
and produced. Many of the products chosen for the
line will fit the brand personality exuding conscious,
sophistication, and sincerity.

10 GREA
GREA
BUSINESS CONCEPT 11 BUSINESS CONCEPT
Mission Statement
We provide the quintessential modern woman finer contemporary clothing and
accessories to simplify their lifestyle with timeless style at the click of their fingers
online through consciously created products
Vision Statement
Creating an e-commerce platform where everyone understands the manufacturing
and production process of apparel to encourage mindfulness in what we buy.

2
Macro-Environment
Location Analysis
MARKET RESEARCH

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MARKET RESEARCH 15 MARKET RESEARCH
Economic
“Gross Domestic Product in the United
States for the first quarter of 2016 is
the value of the goods and services
produced by the nation’s economy less
the value of the goods and services used
up in production, adjusted for price
changes -- increased at an annual rate of
1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016,
according to the third estimate released
by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In
the fourth quarter of 2015, real GDP
increased 1.4 percent.” As the GDP
continues to rise, the unemployment
rates differ where they have lowered
to 4.9% as of June 2016 according to
the Department of Bureau of Labor
Statistics. It is a positive sign that jobs
keep increasing and people’s spending
are increasing. The unemployment
rate is at 4.9% for January 2016 versus
the high employment rate of 9.8 from
January 2010 (Figure 1).
Macro-environment
Source: Mintel, US Economics
Figure 1: Labor Force Statistics on Unemployment Rate
Figure 2 : Real Disposable Personal Income and Real Consumer Spending
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Mintel
Consumer spending
increased $50.2 billion
(0.5 percent) as of
December 2016, and
disposable personal
income (DPI) increased
$43.6 billion (0.3 percent).
The increase in personal
income in December
primarily reflected
increases in wages and
salaries, personal current
transfer receipts, and
rental income of persons.
(Figure 2)

16 GREA
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PESTEL Factors Opportunities Threats
New US President
People may view the president favorably.
People may cause conflict due
to their negative view of the president
President addressing
change in retail industry.
Uncertainty of the president's
affect on retail industry.
Increase in minimum wages Potential increase in purchasing. Affect product demands of retail industry.
Lower employment rates
Consumers’ preference in buying
luxury products. Companies go out of business.
An abundance of students
not paying their loans and debts More disposable income. Student loans are a priority.
US consumers spending less Student loans may be pardoned.
Customer preference for USA
made apparel More employment in US. Not enough cotton to produce.
Millennial buying less
Millennial preference for quality
products. Millennial buy less causing companies falling profits.
Casualization of dress More demand in natural fabrics. Luxurious fabrics not in use.
3D printing
Companies design and produce more
of their own products. Less usage of manufacturing factories.
Social Media usage
More penetration in marketing on all
social media Costly to advertise online
Online purchase through phones
Midwest ‘s winter season is long.
Usually more than six months,
but now less.
More buying on warmer products and
distributed in the Midwest for more sales.
Not enough products distributed for
other regions of the US.
Global warming
Distribute lightweight apparel to the coasts
More textile waste when product is not being
purchased with global warming or from winter months.
Potential sales taxed online
businesses.
Taxed dollars can be used in areas that are
beneficial for consumers. (Jewett, 2016) Need to implement increased security online.
Increased online checkout security
Consumers’ information is secured and
less identity theft.
Costly expenses to maintain the customers’
information and keep in safe space.
Political
Legal and
regulatory
Environmental
(Natural forces)
Technological
Sociocultural
Economic
Figure 3: PESTEL Analysis
Sociocultural
In a recent study from the Sourcing Journal,
consumers are more favorable towards
purchasing apparel if they are made in the
USA (Figure 4).The reasons are to promote
employment rates and keep production in the
U.S. Most of the participants in the study were
Millennial. (Salfino, 2016)
Midwestern Consumer Spending
The increase in population size and spending
in Minneapolis, MN has caused many people
to move outside of Minneapolis into suburbs
and rural towns that surround Minneapolis.
Roger, MN is a smaller rural town that has
experienced a population growth of 42% due
to people who used to live in Minneapolis that
are wanting more space for their home and
spending less money. (Smith, 2016)
Source: Sourcing Journal
Figure 4 : How Important is it to you that the Clothing you Buy is “Made in the USA?”

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According to a publication found in the Cushman &
Wakefield publication, the most developed online retail
market is the United Kingdom with the U.S. following
rank. More companies globally including those in the
U.S., opt for starting online retail shops than buying
property for a storefront to avoid property taxes.
“Online retail markets have been growing at an average
of 18% annum for the past years causing a decrease
in store foot traffic for both markets.” (Hutchins, 2016)
Additionally, companies globally are trending to reduce
internal staff by turning to vendor-hosted technology
to reduce costs and improve website and business
functions. Whereas U.S companies are still housing a
large amount of staff in the I.T department according
to “Internet Retailer.” This is in part due to major
companies like Amazon that need the staff to maintain
the business functions representing their enormous
customer base.
Market Size
Based on preliminary research, online retail sales
are forecasted to grow an upward of $395 billion in
2017 (Abramovich, 2016). Of those online sales, The
Business Insiders states, “clothing accounts for nearly
Source: Mintel, US Census Bureau, Annual and Monthly Retail Trade
Figure 5: Forecasted Online Retail Sales
Market Size
$80 billion in online sales.
Consumer Trend
On Demand Delivery- According to WGSN’s customer
profile for 2018, “consumers want the convenience
of picking exactly when their packages will arrive
– not sometime in the next two to five days or
sometime before 8 p.m.” (Bell, 2016) This new trend
was well received when Amazon offered their Prime
membership and now companies like Everlane and
Postmates are testing similar shipping deadlines to
compete. Additionally, food delivery services: including
curb-side pickup, Munchery, and Sprig offer the same
idea to meet the demands of a consumers’ busy
lifestyle.

20 GREA
GREA
Source: Census Bureau, Mintel
Figure 6: Estimated E-commerce Sales from 2006 to 2015
According to U.S. Census Bureau, the most recent quarterly report on retail e-commerce sales shares have
been exponentially increasing since 2006. An estimated $341.7 billion were the total sales of 2015, however,
E-commerce represents a 7.3% market share in total online retail sales (Figure 6)
In regard to the consumers’ attitudes
toward shopping online the (Figure 7)
explains why more consumers are
increasingly going online to shop.
Among online shoppers in Mintel’s
survey, 69% of women agreed that they
buy clothing online. In the Experian
Marketing Services (EMS) Fall 2014
Study, the share of all online shoppers
who purchased women’s clothing in the
past 12 months rose 27%, up from 25%
just a year prior.
As for trends, we see in the U.S. online
retailing market that the U.S. consumer
prefer purchasing products online
than shopping in store for items they
frequently use. An example is contacts
lens medication and/or prescription
medication.
There are many crowd-funding ideas
to build a community of shoppers and
share resources through sites like
Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Consumers
are willing to give feedback on products
or services they use so companies have
invested in software that enable the
data analysis of feedback they receive.
(Walsh, 2016)
Figure 7: Attitudes toward the internet
Source: Experian Marketing Services,Mintel

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Sustainability in fashion is a concept that many
companies are including in their product offerings.
Major companies that have embraced sustainable
fashion are Eileen Fisher, Edun, Patagonia, and Stella
McCartney. These brands have taken the initiative to
rethink their processes in production and sourcing
to reduce negative impact on the environment. For
example, Stella McCartney have replaced leather
with vegan leather on (Carsten Keller, Karl-Hendrik
Magnus, Saskia Hedrich, Patrick Nava and Thomas
Tochtermann 2014)
Market Growth
According to the Business of Fashion and McKinsey
& Company, “ In emerging markets, for example,
more than 65 percent of consumers actively seek out
sustainable fashion. “ (Amed & Berg 2016) Consumers
are realizing the negative impact textile waste has on
the environment. Slow fashion is on the radar screen of
bigger corporations. Consumers and corporations are
more aware of the social and environmental impact of
fast-fashion. Now consumers are questioning where
they are purchasing their garments and how it impacts
the society. (Blair, 2015) Additionally, a new movement
of companies like Cuyana are branding themselves to
promote consumers to buy better. (Segran, 2016)
Consumer Trend
Conscious Creative is a consumer group that is growing
since the devastating events of Bangladesh and other
developing countries occurred where workers were
injured due to poor working conditions. Consumers
started paying attention to the production process
of a garment after the tragic event of Rana Plaza in
Dhaka ? The cost to produce garments has not only
led impulsive consumers to spend more dollars on fast
fashion, but garment production facilities are ignoring
the harsh working conditions and pay of garment
workers. The social and environmental impact fast
fashion has become outrageous.
In a recent survey, 35.4% agree that they are concerned
with where clothes are made and a 37.4% say they
are concerned with how clothes made showing the
Midwest consumer do care where their products are
made for various reasons like: quality and price based
on primary data research (Figure 8).
Source: Primary Research Survey
Figure 8: Psychographic’s of the GREA Primary Target Market

24 GREA
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A survey targeted to Midwest consumers
were asked if they believe they own
too much clothes? The primary data
reveals a staggering 63% of the 105
respondents admit to owning way too
much clothes, which makes it more
important for GREA to inform the need
donate, recycle, and to buy better
simply by shopping at GREA will give
consumers the confidence of quality
products that lasts.
Source: Primary Research Data
Figure 9: Midwest Believe They Own Too Much Clothes
Source: True Cost documentary
Textile Waste
Whenwasthelasttimeyou
have assessed the size of
your closet? Fast fashion
companies like Zara and
H & M can introduce new
product as quick as every
week or two weeks. An
average American throw
away 82 pounds of textile
waste each year due to
the quality of fast fashion
products. The landfills
have piled up to the point
textile waste are being
dumped in developing
countries like Haiti. (True
Cost, 2016)

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Rise in Slow Fashion
Have you started questioning the production process
of a garment after tragic events similar to Rana Plaza in
Dhaka? The cost to produce garments has not only led
impulsive consumers to spend more dollars on fast
fashion, but garment production facilities are ignoring
the harsh working conditions and pay of garment
workers. It is outrageous the social and environmental
impact fast fashion has become.
Midwest consumers do care about spending social
responsibly
A study conducted by Good. Must. Grow, a socially
responsible marketing company on identifying the
conscious consumer-spending index (CCS Index). The
study-surveyed people from all over the United States
resulted an average of 68 points in the CCS Index.
However, the highest percentage of consumers is
from the Midwest region. A high 73 points indicates
the Midwest consumers is more likely to shop socially
responsible than other regions of the United States
from companies like: TOMS and the Honest Company
in products ranging from food to apparel. (Socially
Responsible Spending 2016)
Source: Good.Must.Grow
Figure 10: Conscious Consumer Spending Index
Source: Good.Must.Grow
Figure 11: Consumers Purchasing Socially Responsible Goods

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Location Analysis
The Midwest region (12 states) of the United States
has been overlooked as a fashion hub. However,
the Midwest region represents 21% of the U.S.
population with an estimated 67,914,429. (United
States Population Growth by Region 2016) It is the 3rd
most populated region according to the U.S. Census
Bureau.
The Midwest climate has four seasons with wind-
chilling winters that can last up to nine months from
past years. Freezing temperature can drop down to
-20 degrees Fahrenheit. So many consumers tend
to purchase warm tops like sweaters and heavy
outerwear to layer during the cold temperatures.
According to NPD Group, during the holiday season
Midwestern tend to wish for more apparel than travel-
related gifts like consumers from the West coast.
(Cohen 2015) GREA can use this information to invest
in more advertising during the holidays.
Source: FiveThirtyEight
Figure 12: Midwest Region

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Many people assume that most Midwestern cities do
not have good shopping let alone fashion. However,
cities such as Columbus, Ohio is home to a respectable
liberal arts college, Columbus College of Art and Design
where major fashion retailers recruit talent. (Escape,
2013)
Moreover, major retailers like: Express and Victoria
Secret are headquartered in Columbus, which has led
to an influx of exceptional boutiques to shop. (Escape,
2013)
Another city that has an exciting fashion culture is
Chicago, filled with shopping streets such as the
Magnificent Mile and neighborhoods such as Buck
town and Wicker Park.
Location of GREA
shopgrea.com will be based out of Fargo, ND. The
products will be shipped from a fulfillment center
in North Fargo, ND. Based on secondary research,
having a fulfillment center in the Midwest region is of
great investment due to its main UPS hub and many
e-commerce fulfillment centers are in the Midwest
region including Pier 1 Imports, Lululemon Athletica,
and Zulilly. (McCurry, 2015)
Source: d3i-usa, Easton Town Center
Source: Bucktown, Shayhata
Why North Dakota?
According to Business Insider, small
business opportunities are welcomed in
North Dakota. Currently, the state has
the highest opportunity share of new
entrepreneurs in the U.S. The relatively
high density of startups also indicates a
good ecosystem for starting a business.
Also, North Dakota earns the nation’s
second-highest per capita GDP at
$66,507. (DePietro 2016)
Knowing these facts will help GREA
with less costly business registrations
expenses and the cost of living in Fargo
is relatively lower than other cities in the
Midwest. .

3
Overview
Market Segmentation
Primary Customer
Secondary Customer
Tertiary Customer
TARGET MARKET

34 GREA
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TARGET MARKET 35 TARGET MARKET
Overview
GREA’s primary target market will be catered to women
ages 25 to 35 living in Midwest region. Preliminary
research for an eco-efficiency online retailer in the
Midwest was not found, which hinted an untapped
market for GREA to spread awareness of the slow
fashion movement and the opportunity to create
brand recognition for GREA’s selected sustainable
fashion brands. As for Millennial engaging in media
channels, “Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube are all
places where consumers get their inspiration, whereas
historically they looked to print and TV advertisements.”
(Zaczkiewicz 2017)
Cultural differences in the Midwest positively impact
the buying decisions of GREA more than other regions.
Women in the Midwest tend to marry younger and
end up overseeing the household earlier than other
regions of the U.S. This means women living in the
Midwest focus more on purchasing things for their
marriage and children than getting more education
like someone from the East or West coast. (Jankowski
2015) Gathering from the target market data, GREA
will carry classic silhouettes in apparel that suits
a conservatively dressed Midwestern due to their
strong faith and colder climates. Furthermore, primary
research data show that tops is the product category
Midwest consumers tend to purchase online.
People prefer to wear minimalist styles in apparel
According to primary research data, Midwest
consumers were asked to choose styles of clothing
they purchase and many chose: Classic, traditional,
and sophisticated.
Source: Primary Research SurveySource: Primary Research Survey
Figure 13: Preferred Apparel Styles of Midwestern Consumers

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Market Segmentation
The table and charts represents
each state’s population and the
market size of potential customers.
Specifically, GREA primarily
targets females ages 25 to 35 that
represents 23.6% (17,862) of the
Midwest population.
Source: Censusreporter.org
Figure 15: Population of the Midwest
Figure 14: Midwest Population by State
Figure 16: Midwest Demographics

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Primary Customer
Demographic characteristics
• Female
• All racial groups
• Ages 25 to 35
• Lives in Midwest region of the United States.
• Annual Income of $45,000 to $80,000
• College educated with B.A. or higher
The chart below is a sample of income levels from the
population of Fargo, ND.
Understanding the lifestyle of GREA’s customer is
crucial to the E-commerce’s success their values,
beliefs, interests, and activities are listed.
Psychographic characteristics
• Lives an active lifestyle
• Concerned with health
• Enjoys shopping
• Prefers quality over price
• Travels worldwide
• Aware of the social and environmental impact
of fast-fashion
• Willing to spend on moderate to premium on
clothes that have a long life span
Behaviors:
• Prefers purchases picked up at store instead
of receiving product 5 days later.
• Tracks their shipping packages to and from
destinations
• Shops online using their smart phones
• Research product online first before going to
brick and mortars to try on clothes
• Dress to Impress themselves
• Uses all forms of social media: Facebook,
Tumblr, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram
• Engages very well through Facebook through
“experiences like events that have trunk
shows, pop-up shops via retail stores or
through e-commerce.” (Zaczkiewicz 2017)
• Prefers a versatile and functional wardrobe
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5 Years Estimates
Figure 17: Income of Fargo Residents
Primary Customer Persona
Bria
Age: 29
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Profession: Project manager for healthcare
Annual Income: $80,000
Style Less is more are the basis of her everyday work
outfits. This entails a sophisticated long sleeve blouse
paired with pencil skirts and three-inch heels allowing
her to run from meeting to meetings. She prefers
classic investment pieces that will lasts for decades
especially in extra warm outerwear with wind-chill
temperatures during the winter and wool trousers.
On weekends her style is minimal with high tech
fabrication to wick moisture and running sneakers.
Her closet wardrobe colors are grey, white, navy, and
black. A lot of black!
Lifestyle Bria’s profession as a healthcare project
manager consumes most the week where she must
fly out to her clients. When there is downtime, she
enjoys international travel to places like Europe, Africa
and recently travelled to New Zealand. Travelling
can be daunting on her eating habits yet she is very
concerned about eating a healthy and protein filled
breakfast to keep her energy going throughout the
day. Hiking and running are her primary exercises and
for fun she loves exploring restaurants and shopping
for apparel and artwork.
Personality Friends will say she is a generous, kind,
and intelligent person. A board member and volunteer
for the AIDS foundation where she is motivated to
raise funds for better research and facilities.
Favorite Brands Cuyana, Kit&Ace, Club Monaco,
Vejas, Lululemon, and Rebecca Minkoff.
Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Tinder, Snap Chat,
Pinterest, and Facebook

40 GREA
GREA
Secondary Customer
• Female
• Ages 25 to 35
• Lives in Northwest region of the United States.
• High school and/or college educated with B.A.
or higher
• Lives a sedentary lifestyle
• Enjoys shopping
• Travels internationally and everywhere
• Willing to spend on high involvement luxury
apparel, fast-fashion, and local brands.
• Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest,
and Facebook
Behaviors
• Shops in store, online or use the phone to call
in orders
• Dress to Impress themselves
• Prefers a versatile and functional wardrobe
Sources: https://www.facebook.com
Secondary Customer Persona
Galina
Age: 34
Location: San Francisco
Education: B.A. in Accounting from UC Davis
Profession: Senior Buyer
Style A typical outfit for Galina includes stylized top
to bottom in black and mixing patterns of black. Most
importantly the outfits are easily layered for the SF
micro climates.
Lifestyle Galina is a wanderlust and lives an active
lifestyle whether it is celebrating with friends or walking.
She enjoys going to the theatre with her husband,
people watching, and loves being a Mom! Enjoys great
conversations with friends for vodka sodas talking
about the latest trends, relationship, and everything
leading to a good laugh.
Personality She is a creative extrovert who seeks
exploration in every way.
Favorite Brands Sephora, Alexander McQueen
Social Media Instagram and Facebook

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Tertiary Customer
• Female
• Ages 25 to 65
• Lives in the Midwest and Northeast region of
the United States.
• High school and/or college educated with B.A.
or higher
• Lives an active lifestyle
• Enjoys shopping
• Travels with family
• Willing to spend on fast-fashion
Behaviors
• Prefers purchases picked up at store instead
of receiving product 5 days later.
• Pay premium on food
• Research product online first before going to
brick and mortars to try on clothes
• Dress to Impress themselves and others
• Prefers a trendy wardrobe
• Social Media: All Instagram, Twitter, Tinder,
Snap Chat, Pinterest, and Facebook
Tertiary Customer Persona
Karen
Age: 28
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Education: City University of New York (CUNY), New
York, New York
Profession: Doctoral Student
Style A typical outfit that Karen wears at school is a
classic pair of ballet flats, knee length skirt, a short
sleeve striped shirt and navy blazer. Carrying a large
tote to run around Midtown. She tends to wear
summer dresses during the bright humid New York
summers and transitions into button downs and long
wool outerwear as fall starts to get chilly. Her favorite
color is red and tends to play with colors and neutrals
in her wardrobe.
Lifestyle Being the wanderlust that she is, Karen
spent her summer studying abroad in Spain and
travels parts of Europe
Personality She is an introvert who loves to read and
eats fast food. Hence her love for the Shake Shack.
Favorite Brands Louis Vuitton, Forever 21, H&M, and
Sephora
Social Media Whats App, Instagram and PinterestSource: https://www.instagram.com/kokigbo/

4
Overview & Analysis
Direct Competitors
SWOT Analysis
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

46 GREA
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COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS 47 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Porter’s Competitive Five Forces Model
E-commerce for the contemporary apparel industry
in the U.S. market has increased their sales into
luxury goods since the recession. However, the U.S.
only consumed a “fifth of personal luxury goods,” this
research indicates there is more growth because U.S.
consumers are still hesitating to purchase from the
luxury market. (Mellery-Pratt) Therefore, starting an
e-commerce retailer offering contemporary goods
to the U.S. market will be sustainable based on the
Porter’s Five Forces Model.
Threat of New Entrants Medium to High Intensity
The apparel e-commerce industry according to
Forbes.com says online retail sales have increased
15.7% since 2014. There are constantly new sites
entering the e-commerce market making it a threat for
my company. While it is easy to start a new business
online simply by having access to the Internet to develop
a website, there are no substantial costs needed
leading to low barriers to entry. Then, depending on the
quality of what you want the site to be, there are many
website developers that offer free to little costs of $14/
month services to build a functional website through
platforms: Wix.com and Shopfiy.com. (Gleeson)
Force Intensity
Threat of New Entrants Medium to High
Bargaining Power of Buyers High
Bargaining Powers of Suppliers Low to Medium
Threat of Substitutes Low
Competitive Rivalry High
Figure 18 Porter 5 Forces
Overview & Analysis
Bargaining Power of Buyers High Intensity
Due to many competitors in the e-commerce industry
in apparel, buyers (customers) have more leveraging
power because they are able to shop onto other
online retailers and or storefronts to find better priced
merchandise if my company does not have prices
that attract buyers. Also, they tend to shop for the
best price in the market creating more power to the
buyers versus our company, which can lower prices
throughout the market.
Bargaining Powers of Suppliers Low to Medium
Intensity
With many suppliers in the e-commerce industry for
designer apparel, prices can be lower to match other
suppliers distributing to online retailers due to a high
demand for the product from the supplier. Hence,
driving lower to moderate switching costs amongst
suppliers.
Threat of Substitutes Low Intensity
There are no major threats to substituting the
purchasing luxury apparel through online retailers
unless buyers are going to a storefront to purchase
the product.
Competitive Rivalry High Intensity
Since the dot-com age about emerged twenty years
ago, there have been many e-commerce sites that
have entered the U.S. apparel and textile industry
making our company very competitive amongst sites
like Rent the Runway, Warby Parker, and Yoox. These
sites have succeeded in providing affordable luxury
in this niche market of providing a narrow focus in
terms on differentiation in product offerings. (Porter)
Our e-commerce site will include the narrow focus
on product offerings that represent a modern and
affordable luxury.

48 GREA
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Direct Competitor1 Direct Competitor2 Direct Competitor3
Name of
Company/Brand
Zady
Brand Personality
Sincere, sophistication, and
cool
Wholesome, real and
intelligent
Timeless, innovation, and
contemporary
Compassionate, technical, and
independent
Target Customer
Profile
Women ages 25 to 35 living in
the Midwest
People ages 30 to 40 living
in the US
Women ages 30 to 50 in the
UK or living internationally
Aimed towards 20 to 50 year
old women
Product/service
Features
Good quality of sustainable
materials or organic in apparel
and accessories.
Private label seems to be
well designed and
conscious of the materials
and fabrics that require
minimal textile waste.
Private label and offers multi-
band of all sustainable
designers from Europe,
Canada and etc..
Offers multi- brands that are
either made in the USA or
sourced from abroad.
Price Point $100 to 600 $10 to $450 $30 to $600 $15.99 to $220.00
Selling Channel E-commerce E-commerce E-commerce E-commerce
Marketing
Channel
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Strengths
• Using the lean strategy, we
will have a selection of strong
brands that is relevant to our
target market.
• Reasonable shipping and
return policies are among the
strongest against competitors
like Zady and Master & Muse.
• High quality in fabrics
selected for the online retailer
• Being online and able to
• Successful private label
created in 2014 that is
manufactured in the U.S.
• Unique luxury product
offerings in apparel,
accessories, art and home
interiors
• Markets themselves as
carrying brands that are of
innovation and integrity
• Well-documented blog on
ethical fashion practices.
(Moss, 2015)
• Strong brand identity due to
public relations (Acey Ltd,
2016)
• Provides affordable price
points from a diverse group of
ethical brands
• Includes a review section of
the website where customers
can write about their
purchased products.
• Only source from labels that
are committed to Fair Trade
practices within the constraints
their unique supply chains.
Weaknesses
• Being a new start-up, cash
flow will be low until my
business builds a customer
base and purchasing increase.
• Limited assortment since
other competitors tend to have
a wider breadth and depth of
product assortment.
• Lack of competitiveness
because we will just be
entering the market
• Our customer data will start
off slim as the result of being a
new online retailer.
• Most designer products
are marked down. Possibly
slow sell through.
• Tough return policies
• Darabi’s departure in
Aug. 2015. (Inuvik, 2015)
• Only available online
• Limited amount of inventory
on hand
• Expensive international
shipping prices
• Live customer support
window constantly pops up
• Does not list any product
details on certain jewelry
• Still building online presence
with limited PR
Direct Competitors
Competitor Comparison Analysis for GREAFigure 19: Direct Competitors Comparison Analysis
Zady
Zady – founded in 2012 by Soraya Darabi and
Maxine Bédat grew up together in Minnesota started
their office in New York City. This shopping platform
is a lifestyle destination that offers multi-brands
and private label of apparel ranging from tops to
accessories. All products target customers who care
about the origins of how the products are made. Many
brands and labels follow a sustainable fashion design.
(Inuvik, 2016)
Price Point Range $36 to $450
Distribution Channel E-commerce only
Targeted Customers Consumers who care about the
origins of products.
Company Size 11 to 50 employees
Image from www.zady.com

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The Acey UK e-commerce brand founded by Holly
Allenby in 2014 after her work with TOMS. The online
retailer provides multiple brands that are innovative
and consciously created. (Conlon, 2015)
Distribution Channel E-commerce and a pop-up
shop for their first anniversary
Targeted Customers for the conscious customer who
do not want to compromise their ethics or aesthetics.
The Acey UK
Source: the-acey.com
MadeFAIR is an online retailer of ethical, sustainable,
and Certified Fair Trade clothing and accessories. They
offer products including leather bags and reasonable
handcrafts. They are based between Kampot,
Cambodia, and Denver, Colorado where their entire
inventory is shipped. (MadeFair 2015)
Distribution Channel E-commerce only
Targeted Customers for conservative consumers
who are concerned where and how products are
made. The make sure products are certified fair trade.
MadeFair
Source: https://madefair.co

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Indirect Competitor1 Indirect Competitor2 Indirect Competitor3
Name of
Company/Brand
Cuyana
Brand Personality
Sincere, sophistication, and
cool
Transparency, classic, and
minimal
Feminine, glamour, and
confident
Young, friendly, and charming
Target Customer
Profile
Women ages 25 to 35 living in
the Midwest
People ages 20 to mid 30's in
US and international
Women that are in their 30 to
40 years old
Women 30 years old and
under in the US and
international
Product/service
Features
Good quality of sustainable
materials or organic in apparel
and accessories.
Takes the middle guy out of
the distribution chain so the
products doesn't have the high
Mostly leather goods and
sourced from Italy and South
America.
product features detailed
information on how it's made
with the amount of water it
Price Point $100 to 600 $15 to $365 $35 to $315 $58 to $588
Selling Channels
E-commerce E-commerce
Brick and mortar
E-commerce
Brick and mortar
E-commerce
Brick and mortar
Marketing
Channels
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Viral Content
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Viral Content
Print Catalog
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Viral Content
Print Catalog
Display advertising
Social
Email
Search
Viral Content
Strengths
• Using the lean strategy, we
will have a selection of strong
brands that is relevant to our
target market.
• Reasonable shipping and
return policies are among the
strongest against competitors
like Zady and Master & Muse.
• High quality in fabrics
selected for the online retailer
• Being online and able to
deliver internationally and
utilizing the Customer
experience model, CEM.
• Strong relationship with
factories
• Marketing through the
transparency concept
• Offers luxury garments at
moderate prices
• Markets themselves as
carrying brands that are of
innovation and integrity
• Brand positioning as “fewer
better”
• Design and production only
takes a month vs. traditional 12
month process to produce
• Streamlined supply chain
• Strong endorsements by
celebrities
Weaknesses
• Being a new start-up, cash
flow will be low until my
business builds a customer
base and purchasing increase.
• Limited assortment since
other competitors tend to have
a wider breadth and depth of
product assortment.
• Lack of competitiveness
because we will just be
entering the market
• Our customer data will start
off slim as the result of being a
new online retailer.
• Showroom does not have
inventory on hand
• Low brand awareness
• sales growth exceeds the
available infrastructure
• Only available online and
through showroom
• Limited product assortment
• Low marketing through social
media
• Fit and construction does not
fit multiple body types.
• Service level at stores are
weak
• Low marketing activities
Figure 20: Indirect Competitors Comparison Analysis
Everlane
Everlane- Launched in 2011, it is a San Francisco based
apparelcompanylocatedintheMissionDistrict.They’re
only distribution channel is through e-commerce. The
company boasts “radical transparency” as its mission,
and gives customers the exact cost
breakdown of their clothing—accounting for materials,
labor, duties, and transport. For Everlane, their goal
is to offer classic, basic styles that are everlasting
instead of being on trend. Since the brand launched,
their collection has grown to include jackets, sweaters,
pants, button-downs, silk dresses and blouses, sweats,
and leather bags and shoes for
Women and men. (Everlane, 2015)
Distribution Channel E-commerce only with one
showroom
Targeted Customers Consumers looking for classic
items for their wardrobe. Its business model is
selling directly to customers online at lower prices
than its competitors.
Source: latimes.com

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Cuyana
Cuyana – In 2011 Cuyana was created as a brand of
women’s premium essentials that celebrates fewer,
better things. Offering apparel and accessories, made
from the most premium materials around the world
and designed with a classic, feminine aesthetic. Based
in San Francisco it has expanded their show rooms to
Los Angeles and previously Washington D.C. (Cuyana,
2015)
Distribution Channel E-commerce and showrooms
Targeted Customers Females ages 30 and over who
like leather goods and apparel at moderate prices.
Size of the company 11 to 50 employees

Image from cuyana.com
Source: cuyana.com
Reformation
Reformation – Created in 2009 by Yael Aflalo, they
design and manufacture the majority of apparel
in a factory headquarters downtown Los Angeles.
Responsible manufacturing partners in the U.S. or
abroad using sustainable methods and materials
produce all other garments. They incorporate better
practices throughout the supply chain at a fraction of
the environmental impact of conventional fashion. Its
mission is to lead and inspire a sustainable way to be
fashionable.
Distribution Channel E-commerce and stores
Targeted Customers Females with sizes fitting body
frames between 5’6 and 5’10. They are petites sizes as
well. The designs are trendy and flowing silhouettes.
Source: reformation.com

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SWOT

Strengths
• Targeting Midwest female consumers
• High quality fabrics selected for
GREA’s product assortment
• Able to deliver domestically and bring
exciting online experiences for the
customers that visit and shop on the
website.
• Using the lean strategy, we will have a
selection of strong brands that is
relevant to our target market
Weakness
• Being a new start-up, cash flow will be
low until the business builds a
customer base and purchases increase
• Limited assortment since other
competitors tend to have a wider
breadth and depth of product
assortment
• Our customer e-mail newsletter will
start off slim as the result of being a
new online retailer
• Having to build brand awareness
because it is new
Opportunities
• Continual usage of the smartphone for
shopping purchases, we will build a
mobile app to link our website for
easier shopping
• Customers are more conscious about
buying
• Niche markets are emerging such as
the hipster subculture, techies
• Chance to expand from targeting
Midwest females to other regions of
the U.S.
Threats
• Climate changes can cause a delay to
delivery, which we can alleviate,
customer frustrations by giving them a
discount on their next purchase
• Amazon has merged with Shop Bop
and receives substantial financial
backing
• Other countries are creating more
online retailers
• Emergence of substitute products like
fast fashion and high quality products
that are made in USA

Figure 21: SWOT Analysis
GREA’s website will have an efficient checkout
process, user-friendly navigation and appealing design
will be of great convenience for customers. This
website is designed to have minimalistic elements
will attract consumers to continually shop on the
site where you are able to smoothly navigate in an
organized environment. The checkout process will be
very secure so customers can save their credit card
information in an account that only they can access
with user name and password. In terms of how the
site will be user-friendly is through the organization of
the design layout of the website is consistent in each
window in filtering the categories of searching the
products and colors which adds to brand recognition.
Products
GREA selectively chose designer brands that are
thoughtful in design and emerging in the fashion
world with a focus on mindful manufacturing. The
emphasis on thoughtful design and specific styles
are complementary to the aesthetics that elements
of cool minimalist, sophistication and effortless. This
awareness on mindful manufacturing and thoughtful
design will build customer’s recognition of this website
as well as educating customers of styling the thoughtful
products. Additionally, this differentiation on brand
offerings allow niche target markets to be drawn to
strong brands this website offers.
Customer Service
A service through the website that can add value to
customers shopping experience online is having a
personal shopper that is available during peak hours
to help with product and fit information via e-mail and
phone. Eventually, we would like to expand the service
to cover 24 hours for customers who are travelling
internationally in different time zones to access the
website and get advice from our expert personal
shopper. The personal shopper service adds value
through building trusting relationships and clientele.
Return Policy
Return policies from many online retailers have strict
return policies. However, our company will allow
returns within 14 days for a full refund. 30 days for a
exchange or online credit.

5 Buying Philosophy
Merchandise Summary
Product Overview
Vendor Profiles
Buying Calendar
MERCHANDISING PLAN

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MERCHANDISING PLAN 61 MERCHANDISING PLAN
Buying Philosophy
GREA focuses on selecting brands using mindful manufacturing and thoughtful designs. The minimalistic style
is suitable for the quintessential woman who feels elegant and confident. A majority of the products are in
neutrals colors with silhouettes that provide enough coverage for women to stay warm and can be layered to
provide warmth during temperate climates in the Midwest.
We define mindful manufacturing according to a series of talks on sustainable sourcing called, “Threads
Rethinking Fashion,” the term, “mindful manufacturing” was a relatively new phrase used to describe
sustainability in apparel. It is defined as “understanding the process of manufacturing and production.”
(Threads/Rethinking Fashion: Mindful Manufacturing” 2016)
Including thoughtful (Conscious) design,which can be defined as: “Understanding the environmental impact of
design.”
Defining sustainable fashion: Covers the full scope of fashion production and or design methods that are ethical
and environmentally conscious. (Gordon &Hill 2015) Sustainable is used interchangeably with eco-friendly or
green fashion, however, eco-friendly is directed towards environmental impacts and green is like eco-friendly
in creating products that are environmental friendly and how it can socially impact consumers. By having
certifications that track fashion’s sustainability progress like Oeko-tec and GOTS we can understand which
companies are taking meaningful steps to make a positive impact to society.
Values GREA uses to curate a collection that is of mindful manufacturing and uses thoughtful conscious design.
• Uses local or small manufacturers to produce product.
• Provides safe working conditions and fair compensation
• Making a garment that leaves a small amount of carbon footprint.
• Design of garment that may use sustainable textiles that is certified by Oeko-Tex or other sustainable
certifications.
• Sourcing raw materials
• Uses responsible farming practices
• Uses lean manufacturing: a term that means, “ the systematic approach in identifying and eliminating
waste, or non-value added activities through continuous improvement by moving the product at pull of the
customer in pursuit of perfection.” (What is Lean Manufacturing 2014)

62 GREA
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Merchandise Summary
PRODUCT
CATEGORIES
10
RETAIL PRICE RANGE
$80 - $550
SEASONS
3
TOTAL UNITS IN FIRST YEAR
2620
BRANDS
14
AVERAGE UNIT PRICE
$231
SEASONS
SPRING SUMMER
FALL WINTER
ESSENTIALS
Merchandise Summary

64 GREA
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KOWTOW
16%
CARON CALLAHAN
12%
DIARTE
11%
HACKWITH DESIGN
9%
PRAIRIE UNDERGROUND
8%
TOIT VOLANT
8%
FREDA SALVADOR
7%
CAMILLE
6%
OBJECTS WITHOUT MEANING
5%
OTAAT MYERS
4%
CECILIA HAMMARBORG
4%
KAMPERETT
3%
NAADAM
3%
MATT & NAT
3%
MATT & NAT
1%
Projected First Year Sales by Vendor
BRANDS
14
KOWTOW
CARON CALLAHAN
DIARTE
HACKWITH DESIGN
PRAIRIE UNDERGROUND
TOIT VOLANT
FREDA SALVADOR
CAMILLE
OBJECTS WITHOUT
MEANING
OTAAT MYERS
CECILIA HAMMARBORG
KAMPERETT
NAADAM
MATT & NAT
PRODUCT
CATEGORIES
10
TOP
22%
DRESS
17%
SHOES
16%
OUTERWEAR
15%
KNIT
11%
PANT
9%
HANDBAG
5%
COAT
3%
SKIRT
2%
SHORT
0%
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
TOP
DRESS
SHOES
OUTERWEAR
KNIT
PANT
HANDBAG
COAT
SKIRT
SHORT
Categories
Merchandise Summary Merchandise Summary

66 GREA
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Product Overview
Tradeshows Essentials
Every year GREA will attend three trade shows:
Capsule, Man Woman, and Coterie in New York City
twice a year.
Capsule
“The fashion and lifestyle trade event that fuses the
best high-end, progressive brands and directional,
independent designers”(Capsule Brands 2017). A few
of GREA’s vendors have a booth at the show and it
gives GREA a chance to discover new brands to offer
in upcoming years.
Man Woman
Started in 2012, this tradeshow has been true to their
motto: creating tasteful brand selection. GREA will visit
the tradeshow once a year versus twice a year to visit
all the tradeshows when they are happening together.
Coterie
One of the largest trade shows that is globally
recognized as the center for business and featuring
upcoming trends. GREA will be attending this trade
show due to many sustainable brands that have a set
up at the show.
Product Overview

68 GREA
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Product Overview
Spring/Summer Fall/ Winter

70 GREA
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Vendor Profiles
Started in 2010 NY, the designer
creates contemporary and
minimalistic women’s apparel. Most
of the apparel is made in the U.S.
Caron Callahan
Business Type Wholesale
Retail Price Range $300 - 540
Lead Time 3 to 4 months
Minimum Order
2500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Vendor Profiles
Designer Cecilia started an outerwear
line in 2009 UK where she uses
recycled wool and vintage materials.
Cecilia Hammarborg
Business Type Wholesale, Online
Minimum Order
2000
net 30
Collection AW

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In 2010, Diarte started by Ana
Diarte created a brand where it is
solely designed and production is
made in Spain. Offers elevated knits
and woven apparel to women.
Diarte
Minimum Order
1200
30% Order
Confirm
70% Before
Delivery
Collection
SS
AW
Vendor Profiles Vendor Profiles
Hackwith Design House
Lead Time 8 weeks
Minimum Order
2 designs,
8 units per a
design = 16 units
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Essentials
Founded in 2013, Designs have a
simple and clean aesthetic. Made
in-house Minneapolis, MN features
knitwear and apparel in core, basic,
and limited collections.

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Kamperett
Retail Price Range $225-595
Minimum Order
2000
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Designers Anna Chiu and Valerie
Santillo launched their first collection
in 2015 creating dresses and
silhouettes that are great for formal
occasions. Now they included a wider
assortment of casual styles.
Kowtow
Retail Price Range $ 69 - 498
Lead Time 28 weeks
Minimum Order
2500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Gosia Piatek, NZ is the founder of
Kowtow starting out creating basic
tees in 2009, but has since expanded
into many categories with the focus of
using organic cotton in minimal and
loose silhouettes.

76 GREA
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Naadam
Minimum Order
No minimum
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
2014, the designer created knitwear
using raw cashmere from Mongolian
farmers. Their collection use classic
and modern styles in tops for men
and women.
Objects Without Meaning
Minimum Order
1500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Located in LA, Michelle started OM
in 2011. She strives to create honest,
effortless clothing. The collections
uses neutral colors and a blend of
natural fabrics and synthetics.

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Prairie Underground
Minimum Order
2500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Designers DAVORA LINDNER and
CAMILLA ECKERSLEY started
Prairie Underground in women’s
apparel. Silhouettes are versatile and
focus on contemporary aesthetics.
Launched in 2005 their Prairie
hoodie became one of their signature
looks.
Toit Volant
Minimum Order
1500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
Created in LA, 2013. Alnea
Farahbella designs her collection that
is minimal yet playful for women.

80 GREA
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Camille
Started in Santiago 2014, Camille
produces handmade shoes in classic
styles by Chilean artisans using
quality materials from Chile and
abroad.
Business Type Wholesale
Lead Time 2 months
Minimum Order
12 pairs or 2 styles
with 6 pairs each.
Collection
SS
AW
Freda Salvador
Business Type
Wholesale, Retail,
and Online
Minimum Order
3 Styles
4 units per style
Collection
SS
AW
Founders Cristina Palomo-Nelson
and Megan Papay began FS in 2011
where they focus on designing shoes
using classic men’s style and adding
cool effects.

82 GREA
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MATT & NAT
Retail Price Range Shoes: 85-120
Lead Time
Shoes: In stock 2
weeks or 2 months
Minimum Order
1500
net 30
Collection
SS
AW
A long standing brand that started
in 1995 Montreal, Quebec. Material
and Nature is the idea behind Matt
& Nat where they produce handbags
and most recently shoes.
Otaat Myers Collection
Lead Time 2 to 3 weeks
Minimum Order 500
Collection
SS
AW
Otaat / Myers was established in
2010 after Albert Chu and Jenny
Myers met while studying architecture
at Harvard’s Graduate School of
Design. This is their first collaboration
making handbags

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Buying Calendar
WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17
Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
AW 17 Display
SS 18 Display
Tradeshows
(Capsule) NY
Man Woman
Coterie NY
Magic Las Vegas
Lead Time
Lead Time Receive
Preview Issue PO
Issue PO
VENDOR
2017
OCT NOV DECFEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT
Caron Callahan
Diarte
Kowtow
MATT & NAT
Camille
Naadam
Toit Volant
Receive Preview
Preview
Preview Issue PO
Receive Preview
Receive
Preview Issue PO Lead Time Receive
Lead time Receive
Preview Issue PO Lead Time
Receive
Receive
Receive
Receive
Receive Preview Issue PO Lead Time
Issue PO Lead Time
Lead Time
Receive
Receive Preview Issue PO Lead Time
Lead Time
Preview Issue PO
Lead time Receive Preview Issue PO
Issue PO Lead Time
Lead Time Receive
Lead time Receive Preview Issue PO
Previe
w
Issue PO Lead Time Receive
Lead time Receive
Preview Issue PO
Previe
w
Issue PO Lead Time Receive
Lead time Receive Lead Time
Caron Callahan
Diarte
Kowtow
Naadam
Toit Volant
Camille

6VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Brand Concept
Brand Identity
Identity System
Brand Collateral
Office Concept
Showroom Concept

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VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 89 VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Brand Concept
Source: Tumblr
The brand name GREA, is comprised of the
simplistic color, grey with the “y” substituted for
the founder’s first initial. Hence, it is pronounced,
“grey-ah.” GREA is inspired by the elegance of
modernism and the versatility in mixing apparel
patterns suitable for conscious consumers.
Inspired by the cool climate from the Midwest,
GREA’s brand personality conveys minimalist and
chic elements.
Source: Tumblr

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Brand Identity
GREA
91 VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

92 GREA
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Logo Variations
Our logo symbolizes GREA’s brand of socially conscious
designs. The logo has a few variations in colors primarily in
grey and black to exude calmness, neutrality and elegance.
The letter “E” design is represented as modern, optimistic
and creativity. All of which defines the DNA of GREA.
Positioning Statement
The positioning statement, “Shades of Simple”is designed to
stand on its own with or without the logo placed at the top or
bottom of the logo.
Shades of Simple
Shades of Simple
Shades of Simple

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Color Palette
Grey
Pantone 423C
R137 G141 B141
HEX/HTML 898D8D
C22 M14 Y18 K45
Grey II
Pantone 2334U
R113 G 110 B 110
HEX/HTML 716E6E
C2 M1 Y0 K75

Black
Pantone Black 3 C
R33 G39 B33
HEX/HTML 212721
C67 M44 Y67 K95
GREA’s primary colors are shades of grey. Grey conveys
neutrality, calmness, understated, and elegance. Then
black being the secondary color is associated with
sophistication, elegance, and strength.
Typography
ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890
Open Sans Light
1234567890
Roboto Light
1234567890
Josefin Sans Light
1234567890

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Word Associations
Balance
Calmness
Cool
Elegance
Minimal
Modern
Neutral
Optimistic
Sophistication
Understated
Source: Tumblr
Words Not to Associate
Flamboyant
Extreme
Weak
Inessential
Old
Pessimistic
Source: Tumblr

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Feelings and Values
GREA wants customers to feel the
following when they shop
Calm
Refined
Enlightened
Independent
Confident
Mindfully Modern
Shop Mindfully
Simplicity with Purpose
Style in Mind
Source: Tumblr

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Business Cards
Back
2.75” X 1.1”
Front
2.75” X 1.1”
Identity System
Envelope and Letterhead Design
Back
5” X 7”
Front
5” X 7”
5” X 7”

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Branding Collateral
Hang Tags
Front
3.5” X 2”
Back
3.5” X 2”
Back with Label
3.5” X 2”
Mailer Box
10”X8”X2”, 14”X12”X4”
Packaging
Tissue Paper
17” X 23”
Dust Bag
14” X 8.5”
Sticker
1.5” Diameter

104 GREA
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Office Concept
The office is an extension of GREA’s
brand concept by selecting interiors
that is minimally designed and modern.
The color scheme are shades of cool
and warm greys to create an calm and
inviting ambiance that ignites creativity
and collaboration.

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Office Entrance Facade Office Entrance

108 GREA
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Showroom Concept
Office: View One

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Office: View Two Storage Room

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GREA
Fixtures
The focus on fixtures is to extend the brand concept of GREA. Refer to the Appendix for fixture dimensions and pricing.
Floor Plan
Office Size: 1088 SF
Location: 300 NP AVE, Fargo, ND 58102
Rent: $1088/month

7WEBSITE
Home
Product
Blog
Analytics

116 GREA
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WEBSITE 117 WEBSITE
Home Page
SHOPGREA.COM is designed
to communicate GREA’s DNA
of minimalism and elegance. The
website’s host is through Shopify
which uses responsive design so that it
is clearly viewed on all electric devices
to provide a easy and convenient
shopping experience. GREA’s home
page features engaging content
that shows “new arrivals” product
and scrolling down the page will be
content about GREA’s personality
to evoke interest in why GREA
chose to carry the brands and their
significance.
Product Page
Products layout is
designed to show three
columns and 3 rows to
replicate the letter “E”
in GREA’s logo.

118 GREA
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WEBSITE 119 WEBSITE
Product Page
The “Brands” and
“Collection” page can
be sorted and viewed
by featured, best-selling,
alphabetically, price;
high to low, price; low
to high, and finally, the
date that the product
was added onto the
website.
Once the customer has
selected the product
a product page opens
to give details of the
product features and the
image can be zoomed
in to show the details of
the garments.
Blog Page
The blog page will
feature content that
speaks of Midwestern
culture to create a
community with new
customers including
existing cultures. Also
there will be content
educating the
benefits of shopping
mindfully and the
positive impact it has
on the environment.

120 GREA
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WEBSITE 121 WEBSITE
Analytics
GREA will measure its online
consumers’ performance that visit
shopgrea.com using web-analytics
software: Google and Shopify
analytics. These analytics software
tracks how the consumers navigate
through the website based on how
many visitors go on the site, how
many times visitors are viewing a
product, the conversion on how many
purchase after viewing a page and
other Key Performance Indicators
(KPI’s) that tell us GREA’s Return on
Investment (ROI) by calculating the
metrics.
We can track how many visitors go
on the website and determine which
page of shopgrea.com receives the
most traction. As a result, this metric
allows GREA to see where they
can optimize their marketing efforts
to receive the best ROI as well as
analyze how products are selling
through.

8MARKETING PLAN
Marketing Objectives
Marketing Strategies
Marketing Channels
Marketing Calendar
Marketing Budget

124 GREA
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MARKETING PLAN 125 MARKETING PLAN
• To capture 2,000 e-mail addresses within the first six months of website launch
• To build awareness by attracting followers on social media in the first year, specifically on the
Facebook page with 2,000 likes and on Instagram, 2,000 followers
• To achieve $600,000 in sales for the first year
• To reach a 5% net sales growth during the end of the Quarter 4 financial year
• To reach a 2% online conversion rate (the amount of visitors that purchase on the website) by
the end of the first year
Marketing Goals
Campaign 1
Community, Sure, You Betcha!
GREA will host a community event at the GREA office
in Fargo featuring a talk on ethical and sustainable
fashion in accordance with the Unglued Market Festival
that is held annually in February. This will be the first
event since the launch of the website in January. The
talk will be catered by Bakeology, a local cupcake baker
with refreshments and we would like to showcase our
shop on site (people can purchase) after the talk for
the event attendees to mingle.
The one time event will be set in the evening after the
Unglued Craft Festival in February.
We chose to coordinate with the Unglued Craft Festival
because it is a big event that showcases all locally
made and produced products in the Midwest region.
Goal
The event will specifically build brand awareness and
contribute to the $600,000 sales for the first year.
Marketing Strategy
Media Channel Mix
Social Media (paid and organic)
E-mail - only to Fargo customers
Print-Posters
PR
SEM and SEO
Website

126 GREA
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Campaign 2
An Elephant Never Forgets
A fun fact about how intelligent elephants are is
their behaviors revealing grief, altruism, play and art.
Also, elephants are quite concerned for the welfare
of others much like how GREA was born. We have
created a memory game showing expressions of
elephants when customers sign up to receive e-mails
at GREA. If they win the memory game by matching the
expressions of an elephant, the newly subscriber will
earn 15% off their first purchase.
Goal
The goal is to capture e-mail addresses after GREA
launches their website and for online conversion.
Media Channel Mix
E-mails
Website
Viral Content
Source: Google Images
Campaign 3
Flint Water Fund
We will partner with the United Way of Genesee County to purchase
water bottles and filters for families living in Flint, Michigan. When
you donate through the GREA checkout, your donation will aid with
supplying water to the Flint water fund. For a one time suggested $10
donation made, your incentive is $10 off your next purchase.
Why we chose to help Flint, MI?
For over 1,500 days, Flint has been dealing with enormous amounts
of lead in their water that has caused nationwide attention.
Unfortunately, it will take another two years for Flint to have clean
water. This is a social and environmental issue in the Midwest that
has really touched GREA’s vision which is why this partnership will be
beneficial for the welfare of many people.
Goal
PR campaign will help with brand awareness, online conversion, and
net sales growth.Media Channel Mix
Display Retargeting
E-mails
SEM and SEO
Micro-site
PR
Viral Content
Source: Google Images

128 GREA
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Campaign 4
Mindfulness
GREA’s vision is to encourage mindfulness in what we
buy. We wanted to expand on our vision by having a
contest that shows people who are mindful in what
they purchase. Creating a viral campaign, people will
post a creative photo of something they purchase
that is ethical and sustainable. An example would be
a photo of a sweater made from organic cashmere
or going to a restaurant that uses only local produce.
Once they post the photo, they will need to follow
or like the media of where they post the photo with
a hash tag saying,”#greashopsmindfully” and tag
someone that hopefully follows the thread. The three
best photos from different people will win a special
$100 gift card from GREA.
Goal
The branding campaign will fulfill the marketing goal
of building brand awareness and attract followers on
social media.
Media Channel Mix
PR
Website
Viral Content
Campaign 5
Uﬀ da Sale!
The term “Uff da” is a Norwegian phrase used to
describe emotions of astonishment, relief and/
or exhaustion. It’s frequently spoken in the upper
Midwest and hits home of where GREA started. The
Uff da sale will be in August where women can save
20% off their total purchase on shopgrea.com.
We chose to have the promotion in August because
usually kids start school and women who spend most
the time shopping for their kids need some relief and
to treat themselves. It will run for a month with the
postcards mailed out in Fargo, ND to several areas
before August. The promotion will expire in September
when they visit shopgrea.com to find out more as they
start pre-shopping.
Goal
Promotion helps the increase in sales and website
traffic.
UFF DA
SALE
SHOPGREA.COM
Media Channel Mix
Direct Mail (postcards)
E-mails
Website

130 GREA
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Campaign 6
Considering All Things Simple
GREA’s idea for a branding campaign will
focus on a series of photos or a lookbook projecting
simple things that are truly Midwestern. This concept
will feature horseback riding in a scenic open plain
field. It is everything that we cherish about the simple
Midwest culture. The concept will give a chance for our
Midwesterners to connect through our website to
build a sense of community by presenting the photos
online and through social media for followers to
engage in a two-way communication.
Goal
To build brand awareness, achieve sales, online
conversion, and net growth sales in the first year.
Media Channel Mix
Display Retargeting
E-mail
Website
SEM and SEO
Viral Content

132 GREA
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Marketing Channels
Media Channels: Traditional
Print-Posters
This channel will only be used when GREA has community events
that collaborate with local companies like the Unglued Market and
Bakeology to bring awareness to the Fargo audience that have not
heard about GREA. The posters will be posted in downtown Fargo
where the event will take place. Broadway Street is a high traffic area,
which makes it a good way to get the word out about “Community,
Sure You Betcha!”
Source: Google
Source: https://www.usps.com
Direct Mail
GREA plans to use direct mail to send
the Uff da Sale as a treat to at least 3500
recipients to Fargo’s higher income
areas that are located near schools. The
routes are in the following zip codes:
58102
58103
58104
58078
Cost Total
$869.48 Postcards are $222.72 and
mail is $646.76
Media Channels: Traditional

134 GREA
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Media Channels: Interactive
Display Retargeting
GREA will leverage retargeting for people who has
visited shopgrea.com. The purpose of using display
retargeting will greatly help increase our sales. We
will utilize the service of AdRoll which analyzes the
behavior of the customer then they are targeted with
relevant ads as they travel through different websites.
As a result, these ads will remind customers to visit
shopgrea.com to purchase the item.
Social Media
• Facebook (Organic)
As one of the most used social media platforms, we will create a
Facebook page to gain new likes because almost 86% of GREA’s
primary target uses Facebook daily. (Greenwood, Perrin, & Duggan
2016) By creating an online presence through Facebook it can help
with creating a lot of engagement with people and link to our website
capturing e-mail subscribers. Our Facebook page will have daily/
frequent weekly posts of events, new arrivals, and engaging content
to create a conversation with our existing and new followers.
• Facebook (Paid ads)
Since GREA is a start-up, we essentially will invest in Facebook ads
to gain exposure and boost them to reach more people who may
not have purchased from the website. The daily budget will be set at
$100 where we can effectively communicate our branding campaign,
promotions and events where these ads are set along side content
targeted to a specific consumer group.

136 GREA
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Pinterest
In the Midwest more females than males utilize
Pinterest to gain ideas for recipes and inspiration
on outfits or even organization tips. GREA will have
a page devoted to sharing their inspiration for an
upcoming collection and create engaging boards that
evoke GREA’s brand guidelines.
Instagram
Another popular social media platform next to
Facebook that has a concentrated focus on photos
and less caption per se. It is used when scrolling for
visually engaging content whether it is a blogger’s
#ootd or cute puppies. GREA’s Instagram account
will post daily of products and branding campaigns to
meet the marketing goal of increasing followers and
brand awareness. Plus, with live stories feature that
is like Snap chat’s; we can include daily activities that
draw the followers closer to what GREA stands for.
According to the Pew Research, Instagram is one of
the most popular platforms for females to scroll on
their downtime more than men by 38%. (Greenwood,
Perrin, & Duggan 2016) This means that GREA’s
primary target will most likely see daily updates on
Instagram that will draw them into shopping on our
website.

138 GREA
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E-mails
A powerful form of marketing that will be used to
send information about our products to customers
that willingly subscribe to receiving updates to shop
on GREA. The e-mail newsletter sign is available
on shopgrea.com at the footer of the website. As
GREA continues to gain e-mail addresses through
our “An Elephant Never Forgets” campaign, the
Uff da promotion and from social media, we will use
Mailchimp as our e-mail service provider (ESP) due
to its friendly price point for start-ups. The Mailchimp
service is $25 per month when we have accrued over
2,000 e-mail addresses. Also, we plan to send out
e-mails at least once a week.
Source: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/growing-business/

140 GREA
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Search
Since GREA is only e-commerce, we will focus heavily
on Google’s search engine in bringing GREA to the first
page on SERP (Search engine results page) by choosing
popular keywords to attract customers to GREA’s
website and/or microsite utilizing SEM and SEO.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
A form of Internet marketing that involves the
promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in
search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through
paid advertising.
Keywords
Ethical fashion, green clothes, green fashion, and
sustainable fashion.
SEM

142 GREA
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
A process that gets traffic from “free” or organic searches to increase the ranking on SERP. SEO is very effective
in getting more clicks than SEM because it appears in the organic feed where customers believe is more
trustworthy than the paid ads. Therefore, customers click on the SEO listing with greater frequency. GREA will
invest heavily on SEM and SEO to get the listing ranked “above the fold” resulting in higher click frequency.
Another strategy to get a listing ranked higher on the SERP are keywords, especially using long tail keywords
because these keywords are three or four words that are very specific.

144 GREA
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Viral Content
We want to design viral content that will digitally
capture consumers’ attention and be shared among
people. There are a few campaigns that are essentially
viral content because they each have a hook such
as: An Elephant Never Forgets, Flint Water Fund,
Mindfulness, and Considering All Things Simple.
The main goal of these campaigns will help fulfill our
marketing goals. Using An Elephant Never Sleeps
campaign as an example, the seeding plan is posted
on social media and the website. The content shared
is an image of a happy elephant that is submitted
to the Viral Thread Facebook Page. With the help of
Viral Thread, the post will link to shopgrea.com where
customers can play the memory game. The game
matches numerous elephant’s expressions when
potential customers choose to play after providing
their e-mail address. If they win the memory game by
matching the expressions of an elephant, the newly
subscriber will earn 15% off their first purchase.
PR
To bring awareness of GREA’s CSR and “Community,
Sure You Betcha” campaign. We plan to reach out to
the following websites to mention us:
United Way of Genesee
Unglued
Bakeology
Fargo Monthly
Refinery29
Ethical Fashion Forum
The Lissome
These websites not only will help increase GREA’s
awareness of the campaigns, but it helps with getting
backlinks that essentially makes searching for the
e-commerce and microsite easier through SEO.

146 GREA
GREA
Website
Besides having an e-commerce to effectively sell
products and building a microsite to communicate
the Flint Water Fund. GREA’s online presence allows
control over the content we place on the microsite
to aid in the Flint Water Fund campaign and other ad
campaigns. Also, on our e-commerce, the customers
can access details of the products and brands that we
carry 24/7 versus asking for the details in-store that
is open within business hours nor untrained sales
associates with limited knowledge of the products.
Hosting Site Service Shopify
Domain Name shopgrea.com
Media Channels: Interactive Media Channels: Interactive

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Desktop Version of shopgrea.com
Marketing Tools February March April May June July August September October November December January
CAMPAIGNS
Community, Sure You Betcha
Considering All Things Simple
Uff da Sale
Flint Water Fund
An Elephant Never Forgets
Mindfulness
TRADITIONAL MEDIA
Posters
Direct Mail
PR
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
GREA Website
E-mail
SEM
SEO
Display Retargeting
Facebook and Instagram Ads
Pinterest
MARKETING CALENDAR
Marketing Calendar

150 GREA
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Marketing Tools February March April May June July August September October November December January YEAR TOTAL
CAMPAIGNS
Community, Sure You Betcha $1,000 - - - - - - - - - - - 1,000$
Considering All Things Simple - - $500 - - $500 - - $500 - - $500 2,000$
Uff da Sale - - - - - - - - - - - - -$ DM
Flint Water Fund - - - - - - - - - - - - -$ 507.46
An Elephant Never Forgets - - - - - - - - - - - - -$ 170
Mindfulness - - $300 - - - - - - - - - 300$ 646.76
TRADITIONAL MEDIA 1324.22 to
Posters - - - - - - - - - - - $175 175$
Direct Mail - - - - - $870 - - - - - - 870$ 5000 postcards
PR - - - - - $100 $100 - - - - 200$
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Website
(domain & template included) $41 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 $29 360$ instagram (insta
E-mail - - - - - $25 $25 $25 $25 $25 $25 $25 175$
SEM $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $2,000 $3,000 $3,000 $6,000 $3,000 $2,000 $6,000 $6,000 $2,000 51,000$ 200 clicks/day a
Display Retargeting Ads $3,600 $3,600 $3,600 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $3,600 $2,000 $2,000 $3,600 $3,600 $2,000 33,600$ Google PPC is .2
Facebook and Instagram Ads $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $3,000 $6,000 $1,000 $5,000 $6,000 $3,000 45,000$
Pinterest - - - - - - - - - - - - -$
MONTHLY BUDGET $16,641 $15,629 $16,429 $5,029 $6,029 $7,424 $12,754 $11,154 $5,554 $14,654 $15,654 $7,729 134,680$
MARKETING BUDGET

9ORGANIZATIONAL &
OPERATIONAL PLAN
Organization Chart
Salaries & Benefits
Return, Exchange & Shipping
Policy

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ORGANIZATIONAL & OPERATIONAL PLAN 155 ORGANIZATIONAL & OPERATIONAL PLAN
GREA is an e-commerce platform that will be privately owned and founded by Amy Tran. Raised in Minnesota
and Toronto, Ontario, Amy has a fond desire to create a business that fuses the Midwest culture and the city
lifestyles together. Hence, the creation of GREA .
Organization Chart
GREA’s company structure entails a team to handle the daily tasks and future growth starting with the Founder/
Owner, General Manager, E-commerce Specialist, Social Media Assistant, Warehouse Assistant. An organizational
chart depicts the company structure.
Founder/Owner
General Manager E-commerce Specialist
Warehouse Assistant Social Media Assistant

156 GREA
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Founder/Owner
• Develop long and short term strategies and tactics
for growth.”
• Develop brand and messaging to attract and
retain customers.
• Develop and manage budgets for marketing,
operations, and technology.
• Develop, negotiate, and manage vendor
relationships to ensure continuity and maintain
margins.
• Research trends and buys products.
• Recruit, manage, and develop personnel to
support business growth.
• Develop a culture of success and employee
satisfaction.
• Manage operations to ensure customer
satisfaction.
• Meet revenue and profit targets.
General Manager
• Manages online brand/merchandise strategies.
• Works with the Founder/Owner to meet revenue
and profit targets.
• Assists with managing the vendor relationships
and ensuring good communication.
• Manages the bookkeeping and accounting.
• Gives direction to the Social Media Assistant and
Warehouse Assistant.
• Supports the E-commerce Specialist on IT
operations and provide customer service support.
• Conduct Fulfillment operations.
• Assists in researching trends and buying products.
• Analyzing business analytics through Shopify and
Google.
E-commerce Specialist
• Monitoring and maintaining software systems
and networks.
• Troubleshooting system and network problems
and diagnosing and solving software issues.
• Providing customer service support.
• Managing Inventory files and inputting data.
• Produce business analytics for weekly and
monthly reports.
• Complete orders for delivery by scheduling
pickups/drop-offs at the nearest USPS location
• Maintains inventory controls by collecting stock
location orders and printing requests.
• Maintains safe and clean work environment by
keeping shelves, pallet area, and workstations
neat, maintaining clean shipping supply
area, complying with procedures, rules, and
regulations.
Warehouse Assistant
• Prepare fulfillment orders for delivery.
• Maintains inventory controls by collecting stock
location orders and printing requests.
• Maintains safe and clean work environment by
keeping shelves, pallet area, and workstations
neat, maintaining clean shipping supply
area, complying with procedures, rules, and
regulations.
• Provides customer service support.
Social Media Assistant
• Assisting with generating visual content for social
media marketing campaigns.
• Assisting with analyzing Google and Shopify
analytics.
• Prepare fulfillment orders for delivery.
• Provides customer service support.

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Salaries & Benefits
Founder/Owner: $3750/month
(Full-time)
General Manager: $3000/month
(Full-time)
E-commerce Specialist: $750/month
(Part-time)
Warehouse Assistant: Unpaid intern
ship (Part-time)
Social Media Assistant: Unpaid intern
ship (Part-time)
Health Insurance
GREA will provide health insurance for full-time
employees to encourage work life balance and
possible tax credits for the business.
Holidays
Part-time and full-time employees are eligible to earn
a ten-day paid vacation and holidays after a year of
employment.
Employee Discount
Employees shopping at shopgrea.com will receive
30% off full-price items. Excludes combining with
promotional discounts, markdowns, and sales.
However, if employees donate at least 10 pieces of
their clothes and able to show proof with a receipt,
they will earn an additional 5% off plus the 30% off full-
price items through shopgrea.com.

160 GREA
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Return, Exchange & Shipping Policy
EXCHANGES
Shipping is complimentary on all exchanges; however, if you are based outside the US you will need to pay taxes
and duties on this.
RETURNS
Try your purchases on in the comfort of your own home and if you need to send them back, you have 14 days to
return item(s) and receive a full refund. Returns received within 30 days from the date you received your order
will be for exchange or store credit. Delivery costs will not be refunded.
Please make sure your items are returned new, unused and with all GREA and designer garment tags still
attached. Returns that do not meet our policy will not be accepted and will be sent back to the customer.
For more inquiries, contact our customer care team by e-mailing info@shopgrea.com
SHIPPING
Orders placed Monday Friday before 12 PM CST will begin processing that day, excluding holidays, and will ship
within 1 to 2 days. Once your order has shipped, you will receive a notification with a tracking number.
Domestic orders will ship via UPS. Please allow up to 5 business days to receive your order after you receive
tracking.
Please contact shopgrea.com for details on international shipping.
If you have questions about typical shipping times to your address, please e-mail info@shopgrea.com for more
information.

10FINANCIAL PLAN
Financial Summary
Start-up Costs
Assortment Plan
Gross Margin
Future Growth

164 GREA
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FINANCIAL PLAN 165 FINANCIAL PLAN
Financial Summary
GREA is a fashion E-commerce offering multi-brands from ethically focused designers where 100% of their
revenue is generated from the website. As a result, we forecasted earnings of $605,012 for the first year of sales
and a gross margin of 53.1%.
Daily Outlook
In order for GREA to earn the annual forecast of $604,532 in sales the
breakdown for KPI goals are:
Key Performance Indicators
Monthly Sales $50,418
Average Unit Retail AUR $230.74
Average Sales per Day $1681
Sales per hour SPH $70
Goal Units per day 2620/230.74= 11
Traffic Conversion Rate 3.12%
Visitors to Website per day 11/3.62= 304
Units per transaction UPT 153/230.74= 1
Traffic conversation rate is calculated at 3.62% according to site
http://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/ecommerce-
conversion-rates/
Financial Summary
GREA is a fashion E-commerce offering multi-brands from ethically focused
designers where 100% of their revenue is generated from the website. As a
result, we forecasted earnings of $604,176 for the first year of sales.
Below is an overview of the GREA’s metrics generating the first year sales and
future growth.
Start-up Capital $200,243
Start-up Loan $60,239
Initial Mark-up 60%
Sales per Transaction $153
Projected First Year Units 2620
Projected First Year Sales $605,012
Projected First Year Loss $858 (0.1%)
Projected First Year Expenses $295,874
Expected Inventory Turnover Rate 1st Yr. 4.12
2nd
Yr. 4.57
3rd
Yr. 5.52
Gross Margin 1st Yr. $321,447 (53.1%)
2nd
Yr. $352,299 (54.0%)
3rd
Yr. $384,327 (53.5%)
Second Year Growth 8%
Third Year Growth 10%
Metrics Generating the First Year Sales and Future Growth

166 GREA
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0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
ESSENTIALS
FALL
SPRING
Grand Total
Seasonality Chart
High Peak Months
Jul, Aug, Sept. Nov. and Dec.
These months make up 12.3%, 12.4%, 10.3%, 9.8%,
and 9.3% of the annual sales respectively. The high
peak months are predicted to have the highest traffic
due to the summer markdowns to make room for the
fall inventory, back to school, and holidays. Also, Black
Friday and Cyber Monday will incur more traffic to the
GREA website with seasonal discounts.
Low Peak Months
Jan and Oct
Unfortunately, new inventory will not be delivered until
mid-February, which is where we need to be creative
in generating interest for sales. Also customers may
not be purchasing due to their holiday spending.
High peak months: Jul, Aug, Sept. Nov. and Dec.
These months make up 12.3%, 12.4%, 10.3%, 9.8%, and 9.3% of the annual sales respectively. The high peak months are
predicted to have the highest traffic due to the summer markdowns to make room for the fall inventory, back to school,
and holidays. Also, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will incur more traffic to the GREA website with seasonal discounts.
Low peak months: Jan and Oct
Unfortunately, new inventory will not be delivered until mid-February, which is where we need to be creative in
generating interest for sales. Also customers may not be purchasing due to their holiday spending.
High Peak
Months
% of Annual
Sales (High %
indicated in
green)
FEB 6.5%
MAR 7.6%
APR 7.4%
MAY 7.3%
JUN 9.4%
JUL 12.3%
AUG 12.4%
SEP 10.3%
OCT 5.0%
NOV 9.8%
DEC 9.3%
JAN 2.6%
Low Peak
Months
% of Annual
Sales (High %
indicated in
green)
FEB 6.5%
MAR 7.6%
APR 7.4%
MAY 7.3%
JUN 9.4%
JUL 12.3%
AUG 12.4%
SEP 10.3%
OCT 5.0%
NOV 9.8%
DEC 9.3%
JAN 2.6%
High peak months: Jul, Aug, Sept. Nov. and Dec.
These months make up 12.3%, 12.4%, 10.3%, 9.8%, and 9.3% of the annual sales respectively. The high peak months are
predicted to have the highest traffic due to the summer markdowns to make room for the fall inventory, back to school,
and holidays. Also, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will incur more traffic to the GREA website with seasonal discounts.
Low peak months: Jan and Oct
Unfortunately, new inventory will not be delivered until mid-February, which is where we need to be creative in
generating interest for sales. Also customers may not be purchasing due to their holiday spending.
High Peak
Months
% of Annual
Sales (High %
indicated in
green)
FEB 6.5%
MAR 7.6%
APR 7.4%
MAY 7.3%
JUN 9.4%
JUL 12.3%
AUG 12.4%
SEP 10.3%
OCT 5.0%
NOV 9.8%
DEC 9.3%
JAN 2.6%
Low Peak
Months
% of Annual
Sales (High %
indicated in
green)
FEB 6.5%
MAR 7.6%
APR 7.4%
MAY 7.3%
JUN 9.4%
JUL 12.3%
AUG 12.4%
SEP 10.3%
OCT 5.0%
NOV 9.8%
DEC 9.3%
JAN 2.6%

168 GREA
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Start-up Costs
GREA will launch its E-commerce site the beginning
of February 2017 with Start-up costs of $200,042.
Majority of the start-up costs will be funded by the
business loan at an interest rate of 3.6% The division
of costs is shown in the chart that includes: working
capital, initial marketing costs, beginning of the month
inventory costs fixtures and etc.
An explanation of Start-up Costs are broken down in
the following:
Rent GREA’s office will be located in downtown
Fargo, ND. The suite space is 1088 sq./ft. and rent is
approximately $1088/ month or $13,056/ year.
Technology and Phones
For our POS system and software we chose to use
Shopify since it helps keep track of inventory while
purchases are made online. Also, if we plan to host
a future pop-up store, we would be able manage the
inventory flow through purchasing a card reader.
The cost for the Shopify system is a monthly fee of
$299 that includes sales reports, analytics, and retail
support. In addition to Shopify, there’s the need for
computer desktops, printer and phones to operate
efficiently. The total cost for everything is $8468
Selling Floor Fixtures and Backstock
The cost is $19,064 due to GREA’s brand guidelines,
which will impact the interior and fixtures that is
ethically made and convey minimalist aesthetics. For
further detail on furniture and fixture costs please
refer to the appendix.
Marketing Start-up
Creating a website through Shopify will be helpful in
managing inventory flows. However, in order to build
awareness of GREA’s e-commerce, we need to invest
in SEM and SEO, which can cost $2000 to $6000 a
month. As a result, the costs is $134,680 to launch
the website and the initial marketing campaign.
Contingency Reserve: Like most start-ups we will be
operating with a net cash of -$113,244, so we have
included $20,000 in start up costs to have some sort
of cash flow to operate GREA e-commerce.
Shopify Hardware Prices
Label printer $249
Swipe card reader $19
Shipping Scale $89
Shipping labels $24
Total hardware costs $381

170 GREA
GREA
Assortment Plan
GREA assortment plan is divided into
two seasons which include collections
for the Autumn /Winter, Spring/
Summer, and offering Essentials to
provide warm knits and tops for our
Midwestern customers living in a tundra
for most of the year. GREA’s products
will be offered in ten categories and
sourcing from fourteen different
vendors. Gathering from primary data,
our customers mainly purchase tops
and knits so providing a depth of styles
are crucial to generating sales.
Our top vendors are Kowtow, Caron
Callahan, and Diarte that make up 16%,
12%, and 11% of our sales respectively.
These brands convey GREA’s aesthetics
and have been reputable amongst the
Ethical Fashion Forum Group whose
focus is on mindful manufacturing.
Markdown Plan
GREA’s first year of markdowns are 14.6% with
discounts consisting of promotional, employee and
seasonal. The bulk of the discounts occur during the
high peak months to accommodate traffic and make
room for new inventory.
SHORT
0% SKIRT
2% COAT
3% HANDBAG
5%
PANT
9%
KNIT
11%
OUTERWEAR
15%
SHOES
16%
TOP
22%
DRESS
17%
KOWTOW
16%
CARON CALLAHAN
12%
DIARTE
11%
HACKWITH DESIGN
9%
PRAIRIE UNDERGROUND
8%
TOIT VOLANT
8%
FREDA SALVADOR
7%
CAMILLE
6%
OBJECTS WITHOUT MEANING
5%
OTAAT MYERS
4%
CECILIA HAMMARBORG
4%
KAMPERETT
3%
NAADAM
3%
MATT & NAT
3%
MATT & NAT
1%
Projected First Year Sales by Vendor

172 GREA
GREA
With the launch of GREA in the spring, the GM % after
the first year is 53.1%, similar to the industry and
competitors, Nordstrom and Nattakarn (final thesis).
Proﬁt & Loss
GREA will profit for the first year at 0.1% or $858 partly
due to major expenses like marketing with 22.3%
wages of 14.9% and travel with 3.4%. These expenses
are crucial to operating and building GREA, which will
be discussed in further detail. The fact that GREA is
profiting at 0.1% is within comparison to the industry
average and competitors for the first year.
Gross Margin
Marketing Expenses
GREA’s first year of marketing expenses will account
for 22.3% of total expenses partly due to hiring a web
designer, building awareness by investing in SEM to
optimize SEO, and it includes one event, Community,
Sure You Betcha!
Wages
GREA’s Founder/Owner will earn $3750/month
General Manager will earn $3000/month
Travel Expenses
We will set aside a budget to use for attending the
Capsule, Man Woman and Coterie tradeshows that
is held in New York twice a year. The budget includes
the costs of plane tickets, show admission, and hotel
accommodation.
Future Growth
• Adding more brands to the assortment plan
• Introduce a new class /category to the existing assortment
• Optimize marketing efforts in year 2
• Potential Pop up shops to celebrate Anniversary or events
• Build a loyalty program
• 2nd year growth is at 8%
• 3rd year growth is 10%
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
BOM Sales Purchases EOM Avg Inv Turn
Future Growth
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

11APPENDIX
Marketing Research Report &
Survey Questions
Works Cited
Image Sources

176 GREA
GREA
APPENDIX 177 APPENDIX
Please refer to the GREA thesis book for financial references.

178 GREA
GREA

180 GREA
GREA

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