Marketing Retail Store Visit
WAL-MART
Evaluation Criteria
Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world and includes several different retail formats: discount stores, supercenters, neighbourhood markets or Sam’s Club. The visit was made at one of the numerous discount stores, operating on an average surface of 100,000 square feet, in the city’s outskirts. The location was picked so as to benefit from a wider parking area and to increase the number of potential customers for the store. The Internet was not necessarily a key factor in promotion and sales strategies, but the shop did benefit from the general Wal-Mart approach to e-shopping, including online shopping at www.walmart.comand the capacity to track one’s orders online. One of the main characteristic of any Wal-Mart store is the ability to deliver a wide range of merchandise at a consistently low price. Discount retailing was the main function of the visited store. In this sense, the targeted market segment resided mainly, in terms of revenue, on the category of consumers with incomes up to $60,000 a year. Generally, the targeted category of consumers included middle-aged individuals (age perspective), with a high school degree (educational perspective). The unique competitive positioning of the store is based on the company’s uniqueness: the ability to offer low-priced quality without prejudicing customer satisfaction.
2. Products/Merchandise
The store includes a varied range of merchandise, such as garden items, automotive-related products, electronics and computer systems, home furnishings, family apparel and sporting goods. The quality of products has been influenced by the tendency to provide most of the store’s supply from China, where the labor costs are much lower than in the U.S. Nevertheless, a decrease in product quality due to an increased emphasis on price influence has been noticed. In this sense, the examined store has chosen to provide, first of all, its consumers with low-priced products and concern itself with quality later. As any Wal-Mart store, the analyzed store has chosen to offer “generic brands,” cheaper alternatives to name brand products. This has concluded with good results on the targeted market segment.
3. Pricing
Wal-Mart stores have spread the idea of managing to offer high quality-high priced products. As previously shown, this is rather impossible in the competitive economic environment of today. The Wal-Mart store has decided to choose a low-priced – medium/low quality policy instead, opting for heavy Chinese supplying. For the targeted market segment, this is a policy that may have significant chances of success in the future as well.
4. Promotion/Presentation
The store relies greatly on the actual presentation of merchandise within the store rather than on getting to know store brands to other customers. As such, the Wal-Mart store boasted wide aisles, allowing for the larger carriers to get around, as well as a good lighting of products on the shelf. The products were arranged on the shelf with the most advantageous ones at eye-level. Special sales were generously marked, both in the brochure found at the entrance of the store and inside the store itself, with red markings shown on yellow boards.
5. Service
In terms of service, the Wal-Mart store could boast well-intended personnel, aiming rather to help the consumer than to make him induce a purchase. At least two members of the staff were available on each of the separate aisles and provided information when requested, showing good training in the department they had been specialized. Recommendations were generally designed for the best necessity of the customer and the presence of the staff was discreet enough.
TARGET
1. Evaluation Criteria
Target is considered to be the second largest discount retailer in the U.S., behind Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart’s main competitor on the low priced market segment. Target operated several types of stores, including ‘target stores’, ‘target greatland’ and ‘supertarget’. In order to comparatively match the Wal-Mart store choice, the visited store was a ‘target store’. With an approximated surface of 100,000 square feet, the store is placed in an urban area, on several floors, facilitated by a special escalator used to transport shopping carts between the different levels. The targeted consumer is situated in the upper $55,000-$70,000 income segment and the explanation for this is mainly in terms of the offered merchandise, differentiated from Wal-Mart’s in terms of quality and presentation (see below).
2. Products/Merchandise
The target store included various types of merchandise, such as electronics, music and video (DVDs and CDs), beauty products, clothing and shoes and automotive parts.
Additionally, the target stores also included a food department, mainly with non-perishable items. There are two main factors differentiating the target store from the Wal-Mart store previously analyzed, in terms of products. First of all, the Wal-Mart store did not have a food department, residing only on non-food items. On the other hand, the quality and especially the image of the products offered in the target store may be considered superior to that of Wal-Mart’s. One of the relevant examples in this sense is the fact that the target store is relying consistently on brand strategy, signing important designers like Liz Lange, for example. With a solid discount component aimed at lower income categories, the store had the capacity to attract consumers from higher income segments as well.
3. Pricing
The store could be included in the low/medium price-medium/high quality segment. The reasons for this are closely associated with those previously discussed. As such, while offering discount products to its consumers, the store aims to be a little more and turn itself into a department store, with the ability to provide high quality merchandise when necessary. This can be especially noticed in terms of shoes and clothing, but also in terms of jewelry.
4. Promotion/Presentation
The accent laid on the store’s image is noticeable in terms of product presentation and general store organization. The aisles are wider than at the Wal-Mart store, with a general better product presentation. The image of nearness to class that the store has been aiming to promote is relevantly pointed out by the fact that many refer to it with a French accent. Image is thus important to promote a positioning of the store elsewhere than strictly in the discount store segment.
5. Service
Basically, there is no differentiation in terms of service between the two stores that have been visited. The availability and capacity to provide useful information when asked, as well as proper training, was a fact for the Target employees as well.
Overall Evaluation and Conclusion
First of all, it is important to note that the two stores share part of the targeted segment of consumers, individuals with average income levels. On the other hand, Target stores have widened their perspective and included a certain diversification by operating with well-known designers and being involved in brand and image promotion. This may prove a significant advantage for Target stores in the future, as it can base its operations on a wider, more solid segment of consumers, capable of providing not only higher revenues, but better responses in cases of economic recessions.
Nevertheless, there have been signs that Wal-Mart has been adopting some of the methods used by Target. It is less likely that these will bring consistent changes to the actual operating capacities at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has been a company that has aimed nothing more than being a discount store for the last 40 years and it is difficult to change that now. Distinct and increased involvement with China and cheap Chinese labor come to show that Wal-Mart will stick to its winning policy in the short run.
We are thus dealing here with a challenge between low priced policies (Wal-Mart) and low priced with a twist (Target). While Wal-Mart has the advantage of having a consolidated set of consumers, Target will benefit in the future from its ability to build upon a larger base of consumers.
Bibliography
1. Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Martand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target
2. The Wal-Mart website at http://www.walmart.com/
3. The Target website at http://www.targetcorp.com/targetcorp_group/investor-relations/investor-relations.jhtml?url=http%3A//www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml%3Fticker%3DTGT%26script%3D410%26item_id%3D751558
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Store_brand
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
