The promise of demand chain management in fashion

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the actual state of demand chain management compared with its promises of a few years ago. Design/methodology/approach – The most important literature on demand chain management of recent years is confronted with recent findings on strategies of the main supply and demand‐oriented firms in the fashion industry and on consumer behaviour. Findings – Following Hoover et al. the demand chain is defined as “the chain of activities that communicates demand from markets to suppliers”. In this paper some interesting contributions to this debates are reviewed. Then, on the basis of remaining problems in the fashion industry in the realm of failing customer satisfaction, questions whether the promise of demand chain is not a consequence of shortcomings in the field of marketing – which apparently has moved too much into the direction of strategic positioning and information push instead of market research. Research limitations/implications – Even when some of the most interesting approaches to demand chain management and key developments in the industry are confronted with one another, these selections cannot claim to be exhaustive. Practical implications – The conclusion, proposing to concentrate on efficient supply chain management, on the one hand, and better understanding consumers, on the other hand, helps fashion firms to focus their attention more clearly. Originality/value – No such overview and confrontation, as presented in this article, existed until now. Also, the view that demand chain management in a way tries to fill the gaps left by market research sheds new light on these discussions.