As part of our MA15 graduate spotlight series, LCF caught up with MA Fashion Retail Management student, Trishla Mehta who has undertaken innovative research into the Indian fashion market.
The ideas and debates coming out of the course will be explored in the MA15 Exhibition, open 18 – 22 February.
LCF News: Tell us about your final piece of work?
Trishla Mehta: My final project focused on online visual merchandising for womenswear mid-market in India. The rise in fashion e-retailing and the emergence of new e-commerce retailers in India has put more focus on online visual merchandising and the provision of an effective user interface. The lack of study of effects on online visual merchandising on consumer buying behaviour in this specific market fueled the need for my research.
I used an existing online store environment framework by Manganari et al. (2008) as a basis to compare and analyse the Indian womenswear best practice cases (Jabong.com and Myntra.com) against the more developed UK cases (Topshop.com and Asos.com). It considered all aspects of e-stores such as layout, background colour, font types, amount and organization of information, animation, images, interactivity and social presence.
Extensive qualitative research of all these aspects not only revealed the theoretical but also the practical implications of online visual merchandising for the Indian e-commerce market. The resulting findings helped develop the mock-ups to provide ideal user experience and user interface to Indian female consumers. These templates will help in effective display products and presentation of product information in a concise and organised manner.
LCF News: Where did you study prior to your MA at LCF?
TM: I received my Masters in Commerce after completing my Bachelors in Management Studies in Mumbai.
LCF News: What are your future plans?
TM: At present, I’d like to be involved in marketing and consulting in fashion e-commerce in India. Eventually, I would like to realise my project and develop it into a fully functional e-commerce site.
LCF News: How do you think the course will help you to realise these plans?
TM: My MA really provided me with an in-depth and all around knowledge of fashion management. It gave me a chance to work on live industry projects. It was a great opportunity for me to put my knowledge to the test and get direct feedback from industry professionals. It helped me to understand the practical aspects of the industry like working on a budget, giving presentations and working with specific client needs.
LCF News: What advice would you give to anyone considering studying an MA at LCF?
TM: Be focused, open minded and seize every opportunity you get to interact and work with the industry.
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