TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– To examine how companies in the maturity stage of the product life cycle can implement and maintain a successful niche market strategy to increase competitiveness in the face of new competition, with particular reference to the global textile industry.Design/methodology/approach– Responsible executives in eight firms in the textile and apparel/clothing sector in the USA were interviewed face‐to‐face or by telephone, or completed an online questionnaire. The sample contains leaders in the industry.Findings– Research results suggest that niche marketing is an effective strategy for countering price competition in a mature industry and can use a niche market strategy. They identify key success factors, the most important factor of which was found to be a thorough understanding of the targeted consumers. It is concluded that the marketing mix plays a more important part than is generally suggested in the literature, by communicating non‐price product attributes to the niche market.Research limitations/implications– The small sample limits generalization beyond the companies that participated in the study and comparable firms in the US textile and apparel/clothing industry.Practical implications– This research study shows, within its limitations, that niche marketing is a promising global competitive strategy for mature industries. The study proposes practical guidelines for putting it into practice.Originality/value– This study generally confirms the literature, but comes to some original further conclusions.
VL  - 24
IS  - 7
SN  - 0263-4503
DO  - 10.1108/02634500610711860
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500610711860
AU  - Parrish Erin D.
AU  - Cassill Nancy L.
AU  - Oxenham William
PY  - 2006
Y1  - 2006/01/01
TI  - Niche market strategy for a mature marketplace
T2  - Marketing Intelligence & Planning
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 694
EP  - 707
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -