For this Assignment, I have chosen Wall Mart being the largest company in the World, with its closest rivals Tesco, Target Company and the Kroger Company. The other successful companies include Tesco in the U.K, THREE in the U.K and Target in the United States. The competitive positioning has been intense to Wall Mart since 2004-2008 periods, but it did not derail the company to lead still with a net worth of over $400 billion. Target has tried in continuous growth but is still struggling on a net worth of $70 billion. The calculations can just show that the two companies are far different in the retail business. (Rayners & Clare, 26).Some of the factors that can lead to such difference in value and incentive are the ability of a company to showcase their products to the outside world from the organization itself. It is called competitive positioning. Tesco is famous in the U.K in supermarket supply chain but cannot still match the positioning of Wall Mart in the global market. However, in 2007, the Target Company was flying high at a steady speed unlike Wall Mart due to their strategies in the selling of their products and Wall Mart had problems then, to counter such tactics. The percentage difference in retailing by Target was over 16% unlike Wall Mart’s 7% in the same year (Rayners & Clare, 29).
The survey data is provided in this section. According to the trends in retail supply chains in the world, the competitiveness of business is as a result of the difference in product positioning. Many companies like in the examples above should engage in extensive research so that they can know their target audiences and their competitive partners. Some big restaurants in the world have also engaged in such competitions in that; they apply strategies and modes of evaluating the retail processes and in turn, implement them to their marketing stores. The effect is good for any business since it is a show of reactiveness. According to the survey was done by Wall Mart regarding product positioning and the outcomes of data results, it is noted that the company still has supports and sponsors all over the western world ( Rayners & Clare, 41).
Survey on the Super Marts Supply chain
Wall Mart 1 2 3 4 5
Reputation Less reputation
Tesco 1 2 3 4 5
Food deliveries Physical purchases
Target Co. 1 2 3 4 5
Electronic Gadgets Efficient Gadgets
Wall Mart 1 2 3 4 5
Consumable goods Non-consumable
Kruger Co. 1 2 3 4 5
High Warranty Low Warranty
Tesco & Wall Mart 1 2 3 4 5
Good CSR Poor CSR
The positioning strategies and the advantages aligned with it made it reasonable to be given the standard it deserves. The survey had half of the people (12) agreeing with Wall Marts strategies and mapping of their products. Six people were for the Target Company due to its percentage jumps in profits, however, less but the remaining four (4) persons were divided as to which Company they support based on their product positioning styles. It is evident that these retail and mega supply malls compete on quality and good service deliveries to their esteemed consumers (Rayners & Clare, 46).
The mapping below tries to explain the competitiveness embroiled by retail supermarkets in the world. Many competitors always target the influence that their products have on the purchasing power in the minds of the consumers. The above malls are only trying to improve on their buying criteria as a strategy to counter customers from the existing competitive supply chains. The companies can do further analysis on the positioning of products as done by their competitors. It helps in knowing the other organizational weaknesses and strategies to help one better outline their criteria in the gaps left by the mapping of the supermarkets. Retail positioning helps these sores in doing effective marketing by applying strategies that are useful in enhancing improvements. The retailers need to develop and follow the policies involved in merchandising ad supplies of products (Rayners & Clare, 50).
Product mapping merits
Product mapping is just a symbol used by marketers to try and explain to the consumers about the assets and the system that is suitable for the competitive positioning. It normally shows a perception in the minds of the prospective customers. Competition in such companies are mostly direct, indirect; the poor lifestyles consumers engage in and the lack of good CSR by the management. The retail business should embrace differentiation of its products by doing a favorable positioning. It is through recognition of employees, having a company image, giving promotions to your staff and so on. The positioning typically outlines the line, the brand and the logo of the company and the reasons as to why the competitiveness of the particular retail is undeterred (Rayners & Clare, 32).
Retail marketing analysis of product positioning
The threats and opportunities in the retail business are aligned with the SWOT analysis models of research. That is the Strengths of the positioned products, their weaknesses, the opportunities that are achievable and the threats to be incurred. In this scenario, the companies above need to show the consumers what is unique, outstanding and better in their products. The retail can start by explaining the operational and managerial skills that differentiate them from other specific super marts. Secondly, the retail business must lay out issues that are withstanding change. For instance, what does the company need to improve on, where is money being lost, what can the company implement to bring change? And many more (weaknesses). Thirdly, the organization must cease their opportunities when they appear (Rayners & Clare, 19).
Recommendation
This analysis can be done by knowing the needs of the customers, by understanding the company’s trend of the market and also by identifying the highest level that it can reach from right competitive positioning. Lastly, the company should be able to determine the threats their products and services are facing and find possible solutions. Most of it is usually financial and corporate social responsibility to satisfy the clients’ needs. It is simply identifying your competitors and the socio-political influence that can bring down your reactiveness in the market sphere. Once all these SWOT analyzes are looked upon, and then there is the easy time in planning a retail or restaurant strategies that are later used in countering the product positioning (Rayners & Clare, 72).
Work Cited
Rayners, Clare. How to Sell To Retail. London: Kogan Page. 2013. Print.
