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"mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative


Many companies are exploring mass customization as a way to demonstrate market leadership and capture price premiums. Examines Adidas' recent "mi adidas" initiative, aimed at delivering customized athletic footwear to retail customers. Discusses the practical implications associated with expanding the initiative from a small pilot to a wider operation with retail presence. Enables the reader to evaluate an interlinked set of issues, from marketing, retailer selection, and information management through production and distribution, project management, and strategic fit. Offers three alternative routes for moving forward as of October 2001 and challenges participants to decide the future direction of "mi adidas."

Authors :: Ralf W. Seifert

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Manufacturing, Marketing, Project management, Supply chain, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of ""mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative" written by Ralf W. Seifert includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Adidas Mi facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Manufacturing, Marketing, Project management, Supply chain and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing commodity prices, increasing energy prices, increasing transportation and logistics costs, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Adidas Mi, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Adidas Mi operates in.

According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.




SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix


SWOT analysis of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Adidas Mi
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Adidas Mi




Strengths "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Adidas Mi in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative Harvard Business Review case study are -

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Adidas Mi in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Innovation driven organization

– Adidas Mi is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Adidas Mi has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Training and development

– Adidas Mi has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Adidas Mi is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Adidas Mi has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.

Analytics focus

– Adidas Mi is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Ralf W. Seifert can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Adidas Mi has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Adidas Mi has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

Organizational Resilience of Adidas Mi

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Adidas Mi does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry

– "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Adidas Mi to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Adidas Mi to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Strong track record of project management

– Adidas Mi is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

High brand equity

– Adidas Mi has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Adidas Mi to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.






Weaknesses "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative are -

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Adidas Mi has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Adidas Mi has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Adidas Mi needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

High dependence on existing supply chain

– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Adidas Mi supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Adidas Mi vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Adidas Mi has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Adidas Mi has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Adidas Mi 's lucrative customers.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Adidas Mi is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Lack of clear differentiation of Adidas Mi products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Adidas Mi needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Ralf W. Seifert suggests that, Adidas Mi is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.

Need for greater diversity

– Adidas Mi has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.




Opportunities "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative are -

Building a culture of innovation

– managers at Adidas Mi can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Strategy & Execution segment.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Adidas Mi to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Adidas Mi has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Adidas Mi to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative case study. Adidas Mi can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Developing new processes and practices

– Adidas Mi can develop new processes and procedures in Strategy & Execution industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Adidas Mi can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Adidas Mi has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Adidas Mi to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Adidas Mi can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Adidas Mi can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Adidas Mi can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Adidas Mi operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Adidas Mi can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.

Identify volunteer opportunities

– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Adidas Mi can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Buying journey improvements

– Adidas Mi can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.

Loyalty marketing

– Adidas Mi has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Adidas Mi is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.




Threats "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative are -

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Adidas Mi can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.

Increasing wage structure of Adidas Mi

– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Adidas Mi.

Instability in the European markets

– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Adidas Mi will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.

New competition

– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Adidas Mi in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Capital market disruption

– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Adidas Mi.

Aging population

– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Adidas Mi high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Adidas Mi can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative .

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Adidas Mi is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Adidas Mi can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Adidas Mi demand

– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative, Adidas Mi may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Adidas Mi in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants. We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –

First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.

Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.

Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of "mi adidas" Mass Customization Initiative is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Adidas Mi needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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