Adoption of Quick Response and inventory management in fast fashion: two case studies in the state of Minas Gerais

Abstract The business model adopted by a company must be aligned with definition of the operational strategies that provide agility and flexibility needed for supplies, production, and distribution. Quick Response (QR) is a growing operational strategy in industries, and is intended to reduce the time spent in production stages, so that products can be developed a few weeks prior to the sales period. QR is particularly relevant to a business strategy called fast fashion, which requires high inventory turnover ratio, regular insertion of new products on points of sale, supply chain agility (SCA), and assertiveness in identifying trends. The purpose of this study is to identify how this strategy can become operational via QR and inventory management in two case studies conducted in the apparel industry in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This study adopted a qualitative approach with direct documentation as a research technique - the case study method. Results showed that one of the assessed companies operates according to the fast fashion strategy, whereas the other, due to lack of QR application and little efficiency in inventory management, was not successful in adopting this business strategy.