Identifying Marketing Performance Metrics in the Fashion and Clothing Industry Using Content Analysis

The purpose of the current research is to identify and analyze marketing performance measures in the fashion and clothing industry. This research was conducted with the developmental research design and a mixed qualitative/quantitative approach in two steps. In the first step, the marketing performance measures of companies operating in the fashion and clothing industry were identified using the content analysis method in MaxQDA software in a library environment using a systematic review of selected articles indexed in the Web of Science database over the period 1970-2023. The second step involved a field study on 400 experts of the fashion and clothing industry using a questionnaire derived from the results of the first step conducted in the form of exploratory factor analysis. This study identifies market and innovation, customer behavior, product management, customer profitability, distribution channel management, price, and financial and internal performance measures within a comprehensive framework as the most important marketing performance metrics for the companies operating in the fashion and clothing industry, being derived from the study of scientific articles published at the national and international levels and approved by experts in this field. Hence, the current research invites the operators and decision makers of this important industry, as one of the country's strategic industries, to rethink the isolated approaches which are sometimes solely focused on financial aspects of performance in assessing the marketing performance of these companies. The comprehensive approach derived from the results of this study can help gain a competitive advantage for this promising industry in the country, which is also adorned with an original and rich cultural past.