Competitive Strategy at Sportsman Shoes: Case Analysis Essay

sport Shoes has been a leader in the horse apparel industry for more than thirty years. Sportsman manufactures and sells gymnastic spot for all types of sports. The company has pursued a low-cost scheme in order to sustain their success. They sell a limited number of shoe designs and have held costs low through manufacturing efficiency and standardized operations. However, the ult five years have been a struggle at Sportsman. The shoe market has seen a rise in the availability of low-cost import stead that has threatened Sportsmans competitive position. As a result, company executives have decided it is time for a strategy shift. Sportsman executives have done extensive market research and have mulish that many niche athletic shoe markets exist where athletes are spontaneous to pay more for shoes designed to meet the needs of their funny sport.There are very few competitors in these niche athletic shoe markets, and most do not have Sportsmans past experience in keeping cont rol of manufacturing costs. Sportsman has unconquer competent that with talented shoe designers in place, they can manufacture athletic shoes to meet the needs of the niche markets using their current manufacturing facilities and employees. By purpose shoes that have features that differ from competitors and meet the specific needs of a new group of customers, Sportsman believes the company can create a competitive advantage. Further, while their shoes will not be as low-cost as they were in the past, they will likely be able to sell their shoes for less than market competitors and still come to a healthy profit. Therefore, Sportsman has decided to shift from their current low-cost strategy to a differentiation strategy and will begin production to make specialty athletic shoes.