American Eagle Profits from Sticking to What it Knows Best

As of the end of last year American Eagle Outfitters Inc. was in bad shape. The company had released an entire new line of clothing. This line was supposed to look more "sophisticated" and attract the stores older clientele. Unfortunately, all this line of clothes did was discourage customers and drastically lower sales. This year American Eagle has gone back to its normal line of casual clothes. As a result of this sales are booming and stock prices are up. What should other companies learn from American Eagle? I think that companies should realize that they cannot change the feel of their entire product line in on fell swoop. Sure, its important to try to expand your customer base and move into new markets; but, American Eagle made the mistake of doing it all at once. Other companies should learn from American Eagle's mistake and take things slowly when it comes to changing their product line.