TITLE:
Business Model and Wearables: What Convergence and Collaboration in the Area of Connected Objects and Clothing?
AUTHORS:
Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, Amina Yagoubi
KEYWORDS:
Innovation, Ecosystem, Wearables, ICT, Fashion Industry, Cooperation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies,
Vol.5 No.1,
March
30,
2017
ABSTRACT: The general context of our study is that of the
emergence of an ecosystem of innovation and business in relation to IT in a
world market in full restructuring. We studied the case of the fashion industry
to determine how actors interact and how companies seize new business
opportunities. Our qualitative research is based on an exploratory approach; an
abductive method allows us to go back and forth between literature review, data
analysis and interpretation. Traditional industries are subject to strong
global competition, and we ask ourselves the following question: in the context
of the 4th Industrial Revolution, how do the clothing and fashion industries
remain competitive? Should they increase strategies for innovation, creativity,
and the integration of new digital technologies? In short, our paper shows how
firms are adopting new business models in a digital context. We found that the new business model is based on the
use of various skills, the establishment of intersectoral cooperation (IT,
design, textiles, health, etc.) and the search for innovations. These elements
are at the heart of the strategy chosen to penetrate a niche market that of
intelligent objects and garments. These processes are reflected in a dynamic of
intersectoral convergence, which provides new avenues for innovation on the
basis of new digital technologies.