Final answer:
Zara utilizes the speed to market strategy to attract customers, capitalizing on current trends by rapidly updating their collections with fast fashion principles, which is effective compared to sourcing differentiation or keeping styles for longer periods.
Step-by-step explanation:
The strategy that best describes how Zara attracts customers is speed to market. Zara's approach focuses on quickly updating collections with the latest fashion trends, a process known as "fast fashion." By rapidly turning designs from the catwalk into items in store, they capitalize on current trends before they wane. This strategy is complemented by their efficiency in production and logistics, enabling Zara to refresh their inventory more frequently than competitors. Contrary to keeping styles available for an extended period, Zara's model relies on a sense of scarcity and urgency, which encourages customers to purchase items quickly. This is in stark contrast to the strategy of sourcing differentiation in which a brand might focus on sustainable or recycled materials to attract a specific market segment, a strategy that has been embraced more broadly in recent times, as seen with Inditex's commitment to sustainability.