Online Class Notes (Tibo)

I can from the vendor role to the brand itself -> I can go from vendor to a position in the brand itself.

I have not had some more knowledge about Muji before -> I didn’t know much about Muji before. / I wasn’t familiar with Muji.

As I went to the Muji store I felt they are a little low. -> I didn’t have a good impression of Muji when I went there. The product display and the food displayed in the store are simple so it gives the impression it is not so premium.

The hotel is not so popular, not many people stay there.
It can express the Muji style. It is some simple and stands for the Japanese aesthetic.

They use wooden colors

There are some differences. For the brand positioning both of them belong to fast fashion and they are big players in this field.
From the brand positioning Uniqlo is focused on the entry level market
and they target young people. The price in Uniqlo is lower than Muji

For Muji I found their target age is wider. It is 18-50.
They focus on simplicity. They fulfill needs in a simple way

Muji provides you with the things you really need and the price is followed by refinements
They feel luxury brands have an additional factor, they want to echo back to the originally thing -> They are very different from luxury brands, they provide simple goods with a good quality. They embrace simplicity

to them simplicity is luxury / to them simplicity is refinement

They know consumers compare them to Uniqlo so on some aspects of the brand positioning they have made some differences to be different from Uniqlo.
They focus more on the offline experience. The website of Uniqlo has a comprehensive product catalog.

Muji is different, the decoration is part of their differentiation strategy.

If the people who have some unique style / if you are fashionable / if you are following fashion you won’t choose Muji.

Middle class consumers or young people may choose Muji.

I also competes with Ikea and Ikea is more cost effective than Muji.

I used some products from Zara home and the price of them is all around 100-300.
It is a little expensive but the product are good and if I can afford the price I will always choose that -> If you can afford it they are great

The price is not much lower than Zara but there is a big gap in quality.

I buy the candles, the flavor is chocolate -> I like their candles with chocolate scent  / they have chocolate scented candles

I have one feeling that Muji has not the clear considering on different markets. They just want to move the Japanese market strategy to China. They think the Japanese style can be applied to the Chinese market.
I think for most consumers in the Chinese market it cannot be applied to the whole people as we have so many choices.
-> I feel the Muji strategy might work in other countries but it doesn’t really work in China. I feel there are so many alternatives in China, Muji is not really competitive.

they are not so many people that appeal to the Japanese style -> Japanese style doesn’t appeal to many people around me. / For social circle the Japanese style is not so appealing.

They need to consider how they define their brand positioning in the Chinese market.

One or 2 years ago you could find the Chinese price and the Japanese price on the label and some consumers found the price was not the same at all. / it wasn’t just a question of exchange rate / goods in China were priced much higher.

If the quality is the same why is the price so different?

Vocabulary

social circle (n) people around you
My social circle is more into Korean culture

appealing (adj) attractive
The offer was not very appealing

convenience store (n) family mart , 7/11
You can buy anything at the convenience store

flavor (n) taste
My favorite Ice cream flavor is chocolate

scent (n) smell
They have candles with chocolate scent

catalog (n) book or database of all the products
They have a full catalog on the website

simple (adj)
It is a simple design

simplicity (n)
Apple is a premium brand focused on simplicity

entry level market (n) Cheap goods for the masses
Uniqlo targets the entry level market

income tax (n) tax you pay on the money you make
He had to pay a high income tax because he makes a lot of money

import tax (n) tax on product you bring from other country
German cars in China are expensive due to high import taxes.

Pronunciation

tax

task

define

chopsticks

cups

Uniqlo

aesthetic

plate