The relationship between innovation and success: The case study of Yoox S.p.a.

Abstract

In the current competitive context, the exponential growth rates of progress and technology lead to a rapid obsolescence of ideas and products, leading to the reduction of the relative life cycles and profit margins. In this context, the intrinsic characteristics of the product are no longer enough, and the ability to interpret and advance the real needs of the market becomes fundamental. The primary purpose of this paper is to highlight the strategic importance of innovation as the main tool with which the company can adapt to change or be its engine. The case study proposed here explores the development's path of an Italian innovation- oriented company: Yoox S.p.a.. The analysis, based on sturdy theoretical foundations, retraces the path growth of the company, highlighting its extraordinary propensity for innovation as its main critical success factor. While analyzing this case study, the role played by companies in generating discontinuities that break and redefine the equilibrium in the competitive context is also highlighted. Focusing on this perspective, the original strategic positioning model and the business model that allowed Yoox to reconfigure the traditional market boundaries and redesign the consumers purchasing process are described. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]