Entering the Finnish market 2021 : case company: Uniqlo

Since making a big hit in Japan, Uniqlo, a famous global brand, has become more and more popular worldwide. Realizing Finland is an untapped market for Uniqlo’s products, the authors' research to figure out the potentialities and barriers of this market. From that, set up an appropriate entry strategy for Uniqlo to join in. The authors apply both quantitative and qualitative in the study. An online list of questions is conducted on social media channels to a large-scale consumer survey. In addition, the authors apply the qualitative technique by interviewing face-to-face customers and professors related to the industry. The study shows the background of the case brand and deep research about the Finnish market by applying the PESTEL and SWOT tools. In addition, the authors also study consumer behavior through data collection and analysis. The competitive advantage is discussed to determine the strengths and limitations of the brand compared to local competitors. Finally, there is an appropriate entry strategy suggested according to the Entry mode theory and data analysis. The result of the study is that Finland is a potential for Uniqlo when consumers tend to accept international brands. Otherwise, there are difficulties Uniqlo must face when opening a physical store during the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumer behavior has changed since the pandemic broke out. Therefore, the case company should join the market by an online base platform at the beginning. Conducting market research and analysis after the pandemic for making further market development strategies is suggested