A successful expansion into either of these markets holds immense potential for WHISTLES.
To venture to America would be a power move. It would catapult the brand onto a massive platform for growth, maturity and power. It would increase brand exposure on a global level and could establish WHISTLES as a household name in worldwide fashion, opening the doors for commerce and trading on a much larger scale.
But the complexities of the market, it's vast size and huge selection of competitors make it an incredibly ambitious endeavour as well. As discussed, to enter America requires careful planning, extensive preparation and most of all, a massive financial investment. Such a project could also detract from the professional focus and budgets of other important areas of the company. The sheer size and complexity of the expansion could indirectly create a number of problems which could negatively affect the business as a whole. And in an industry of image and perception, to fail in the American market would be incredibly detrimental to brand reputation and status.
Along with the greater opportunities to be gained from an expansion into the American market, therefore, comes significantly higher risk as well.
As a business already successfully trading within multiple countries of the European market, expanding into Sweden would require less outside effort and expense. And while the rewards may not appear on such a large or obvious scale, it could have an enormous affect on image and reputation to fashion insiders and those in the know, something which WHISTLES might find valuable to have before attempting a much larger expansion such as America.
In order to make a proper decision between the two, much insider information about WHISTLES current internal priorities and financial status would be required. For example, what is WHISTLES most concerned with right now? Expanding the brand? Or continuing to gain credibility with the fashion set? Can it afford the extra cost of International expansion? Is it equipped to meet the increase in demand? How long will it take to see a return? What is the current response to online sales from America vs Sweden? The answers to questions like these would best help determine which move is more conducive to the brand's immediate and long term success.
Based solely on the given information previously discussed, the priority market launch would appear to be Stockholm. This approach would allow the brand to continue to it's European expansion on a more modest level. It would strategically place WHISTLES amongst other fashion insiders to increase it's exposure and familiarity within the sector. It would give options for further projects, experimentation and collaboration within the field. This could provide an opportunity for the brand to continue elevating it's status to a more respected and directional positioning within the industry before going global. Or, at the very least, it could simply give the opportunity to reach more customers in a thriving and successful market. To make this move first would better position WHISTLES for the massive possibilities which could lay ahead in America in the future.
