Laplex Investments (Pvt.) Limited, founded in 2014, quickly secured a significant market share in Zimbabwe’s wig industry. However, increased competition from low-priced wig imports from Zambia and China significantly eroded Laplex’s sales. The company’s inability to accurately forecast shifts in consumer preferences further exacerbated inventory accumulation. By late 2024, operational challenges intensified, forcing founder Jianfeng Zhao to contemplate strategic options: sell the company, relocate production to a neighbouring country with lower labour costs, or pursue digital marketing and digital transformation strategies. What choice should he make?
Laplex：假发市场的颠覆者还是退出者？(Laplex: Disruptor or Exiter in the Wig Market? - Simplified Chinese version)
Xiaoying Zhang, Su Liu, Meng Yuan, Yanhui Gai
Product #:W49182
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:International Business, Marketing
Setting:Zimbabwe, 2024
Your Price:$10.54
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Learning Objectives
通过本案例，学生将有机会完成以下任务：
- 分析海外建厂的动机与挑战
- 分析国际业务常见困境，包括成本管控、本地响应能力、库存管理、数字化转型及多渠道销售整合。
- 评估数字营销策略，并确定其与传统营销的优化整合方案。
- 运用数字化转型画布设计并实施高效的数字化转型举措。
Using Laplex as a case example, students will explore the complexities faced by businesses operating internationally and how digital marketing and transformation can enhance competitive advantage. The case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in international business, strategic management, and marketing management.
Using this case, students have the opportunity to undertake the following:
- Examine the motivations and challenges associated with establishing factories overseas.
- Analyze common international business dilemmas, including cost management, local responsiveness, inventory control, digital transformation, and multi-channel sales integration.
- Evaluate digital marketing strategies and identify their optimal integration with traditional marketing.
- Apply the digital transformation canvas to design and implement effective digital transformation initiatives.