1. What are four to five ways that specialty retailers differ from discounters (a la Wal-Mart)?
Inventory turns: According to the data provided in the Williams-Sonoma Inc. case study (1990) average specialty store turns were just under 2x. If you look at the data from the Wal-Mart Article discount stores have turns many times that, actually turns around the neighborhood of 8x.
Margins: Discounters such as Wal-Mart go for the high volume low margin approach. Sine their whole approach revolves around offering low prices, this goes hand in hand with low margins.
Customer Service: Specialty stores focus on offering customer service. Selling their high prices and high margin offerings requires a high level of customer assistance and service from its sales force. Customers feel like they deserve and are paying for knowledge and service when they shop at stores such as Williams-Sonoma.
Atmosphere/Experience: When someone walks into a specialty store they are being sold on a concept. A specialty retailer selling higher end goods would not prevail if their physical stores had the atmosphere of a Wal-Mart for example. Wal-Marts concept is large selection at low prices. So like-wise, Wal-Mart's clientele would probably question the low prices concept if they walked into a store with displays and fixtures similar to Williams-Sonoma's. Also Williams-Sonoma is selling style, or a lifestyle. Discount retailers however, are not; they are selling the concept of wide selection at low prices.
2. What is the primary force impacting the company (Porter)?
I believe that Williams-Sonoma's primary force of competition is jockeying for position. Williams-Sonoma is constantly at odds with the competition. The company has to keep careful watch of its competition and continually fight for market share.
Department Stores: According to the case study, department stores maintained substantial purchasing power over wholesalers and manufacturers. These chains also made strides to improve operating performance and have also lowered their margins in order to drive sales. This poses a threat to Williams-Sonoma.
Specialty Stores: These competing retailers pose a number of threats to Williams-Sonoma. According to the case study these stores have expanded more rapidly than Williams-Sonoma has. This has forced the company to compete or even lose out on prime real estate locations at malls and other shopping venues. Also by increasing the share of imported and unbranded merchandise, they were able to improve margins faster than Williams-Sonoma.
This nationally recognized mass merchandiser that stood as Kohl’s other leading adversary in the market has everyday low prices that were able to compete with Kohl’s promotional events. Wal-Mart also outdid their competition when it came to number of store locations around the country. The weaknesses of this reputable company come to light when shoppers are looking to buy clothes and are not presented with nearly the selection that the department store can offer. Also, their service is not considered to be as helpful as the department stores that can input more expertise when trying on
As the private brands may not achieve or maintain market acceptance these brands may provide the adverse results expected. Financial condition and results of operation can be negatively affected if pricing, quality and other factors are not up to customer’s satisfaction levels. With all brands sold by Dollar General there is the unfortunate shrinkage that may occur. Profitability may be negatively affected by inventory shrinkage and the inability to properly manage the inventory balances. Effective inventory management is a key component of Dollar General’s business success and profitability. If the company’s buying decisions do not accurately predict consumer trends, excess inventory will negatively affect financial results. Inventory turnover has improved and the company is aware and focusing on addressing all of these risks in the most productive way possible. The biggest risk that the company is facing from a consumer’s perspective is that their sector is highly competitive. Operating in a basic consumer goods market there is already a strain on margins, and low prices are necessary to stay competitive. This restriction on increasing prices may result in a loss when costs increase. The objective is to keep overhead, salaries, marketing and all costs to a bare minimal. Other competitors have saturated the geographic market where Dollar General once was
As soon as a competitor changes their plans or a new competition comes along customers may not want to change their mind about going to a different location (Belonwu). Having a “rivalry” may help concentrate on what needs to be improved in a business depending on what their weaknesses and strengths are. Having competition may be wonderful for the consumers because they have different choices to select what kind of brand of clothing, shoes, or a variety of tools, food and etc. Being able to choose a certain type of customer, may bring in a flow of customers that they’re are trying to reach out for; such as Walmart, they chose to sell products that are family oriented while having different areas in the store pertaining to men’s, women’s, and children’s necessities. If a customer is loyal and you all of a sudden are raising prices on items where they can get goods at a lower price elsewhere, that is causing a business to be disloyal due to competition.
The success of Wal-Mart is so great, that many people believe that Wal-Mart is becoming a monopsony . Suppliers are forced to deal with Wal-Mart because of the large percentage of sales at Wal-Mart cash registers. As such, Wal-Mart also has the ability to dictate prices of the goods it receives from the suppliers. Every day, more and more retail stores close their doors for good because Wal-Mart controls such a huge margin of the retail sector.
However, on the local level, specialty retailing is defined by independently owned, unique shops that express the personalities of their owners. These small retail outlets -- shoe stores, food stores or book stores -- have become the bedrock of downtown and urban redevelopment across the country.
Maxx benefits from chaos by picking up the pieces, merchandise at a discount, when other retail stores close, or have overruns, or unexpected changes in demand and in return pass these savings on to their customers who shop for value (Levine-Weinberg, 2016) This is the demand-side benefits of scale when the consumer rather pay less for name brand merchandise than to pay more for the same designer in the department store. The stores that where having difficulty in the retail market left themselves vulnerable by not defending their position and T.J. Maxx proactively attacks this opportunity with its purchasing power and passes the savings to its customers. This proactive process of attacking and defending is what Wee (2016) calls the holistic and balanced perspective of handling competition. Moreover, this business warfare strategy of attacking struggling competitors is called offensive marketing warfare strategy (Grewal, 2014).
These companies are direct competitors of Macy 's and sell similar items as Macy 's. There are many indirect competitors of Macy 's. The company faces fierce competition from emerging apparel companies such as Forever 21, H&M, Zara. The company also faces major competition worries from Amazon.com and other online retailers which provide convenience to customers and avoid the costs of having a brick and mortar presence (Bailey,
In the warehouse segment, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club competes harshly with Costco. Costco has fewer warehouses but greater sales and revenues. Costco customers also shop at Costco more frequently than Sam’s Club customers and, on average, spend more each visit as well. Costco’s dominance may be the result of better innovation. Costco offers luxury items and was the first to sell fresh meat and produce, and gasoline. This is important because innovation is a key factor in assessing competitors in an industry.
Another thing to consider is a statement made on CNNmoney.com in regards to Dollar Generals consistent store growth that they are only "cannibalizing sales at their other stores and eroding their profits"
Nordstrom retail stores have large hallways, and everything is presented in a very classy manner. The color scheme includes pale yellows, whites, and gold, to provide a more elegant appearance in the store in order to make the shopped feel special. The design is also seen through product organization. Compared to stores like Macy’s, which organize their products based on brand, Nordstrom organizes their products based on lifestyle. Because of this, it is easier for shoppers to find clothes similar to their style as opposed to by brand. In effect, shoppers will purchase more products. This also is a type of experiential retailing, where Nordstrom customers are able to experience the elements of their lifestyle within one section. More so, the product presentation will draw people’s eyes to products, even if they are not looking for it. This gives Nordstrom a competitive advantage in relation to other similar retail stores because it makes their store look more glamorous and high-end. While other stores may focus on value, Nordstrom utilizes the retail positioning strategy to make a customer feel more high-end and
Another item to consider between the two stores is the quality of the products being offered.
Wal-Mart is known to beone of the best supply chain companies in the world. Throughout the years Wal-Mart has adapted strategies that keep up to their name. Unlike many retailers, Wal-Mart purchases goods directly from manufacturers, skipping a few steps of the supply chain cycle. Buyers use advanced negotiation skills to make sure they are receiving the best price on purchases. Wal-Mart also has their own trucks picking up from warehouses, reducing the price significantly on transportation. Long term relationships with vendors are extremely emphasized to understand prices and cost structure. These practices build Wal-Mart to its name and keeps low prices for retail customers all over the world. Supply Chain studies have shown that in 1998, Wal-Mart would fill up stock in 2 days compared to their competitors which would complete it in 5. Part of the reason Wal-Mart would replenish so
Penney's approach to strategy is best measured using a SWOT analysis, which maps out the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. For instance, J.C. Penney's strengths include a strong liquidity position, an efficient supply chain, and a broad product and service offering. J.C. Penney's liquidity position grew to lend the industry from 2014 to 2015 (J.C. Penney Company, Inc., 2015). Strong liquidity against its competitors provides J.C. Penney with an advantage while funding any potential opportunity that arises in the market. Its supply chain facilitates the flow of goods between two thousand four hundred domestic and foreign suppliers, distributors, and stores (J.C. Penney Company, Inc., 2015). Its efficiency enables J.C. Penney to generate higher margins, which allows for lower prices for customers. Moreover, it allows the business to operate in a cost effective manner. The broad product and service offerings help the company serve the diverse needs and preferences of its customers. J.C. Penney also has the largest apparel, home furnishing, and general merchandise catalog in the United States (J.C. Penney Company, Inc.,
The rivalry aspect of Porter’s Five Forces that influence’s the grocery industry finds that there is a high degree of competition for consumer’s business among the dominate retailers as well as those companies trying to take any share of the market they can get. The large retailers engage in intense competition among each other as well as other stores that are competing for sales. Price wars drive down the profit margins for individual items and new and improved store design to bring in customers increases fixed cost. Improved distribution lines affect distribution and storage cost is competitive adjustments that the major retailers use to stave off the increasing competition. The last area of rivalry that the major companies use is the relationships they have with their suppliers to sign exclusive deals or lower cost than those prices paid by competing firms. As more retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target add groceries to their sales floor the competition increases as well as the stores that offer individual grocery items in their stores such as Dollar General, Walgreens and CVS. The grocery rival...
Department stores do not manufacture products nor create their own brands of merchandise, their products are not differentiated. As a result, consumers have low switching costs, customer loyalty is low, as they can easily purchase similar products elsewhere. These lower the barriers to entry, allowing new entrants a chance to gain customers.