A Case Study of Electronic Marketing Resources at Leafy Green Office Supplies

L.L.Bean is the industry leader in providing to its customers, outdoor equipment and apparel. With growing competition and a stagnant economy, the company must continually work to maintain sales, profits, and customer loyalty. L.L.Bean does this by focusing on the competitive forces prevailing throughout the business environment. These forces include new market entreats, the power of the buyer and the supplier, the growing threat of substitute products, and their competition.

Lowe’s is also full of opportunities that bring success to the retailer in the near future. Not only has there been a huge increase in the demand for do-it-yourself home improvement projects over the past years, but Lowe’s is also planning to expand its company into a joint venture in Australia. This venture across seas opens up a new market in a completely different country. Another opportunity that Lowe’s implements for its large foundation of customers is the idea of free parcel shipping. Consumers are always in favor of saving money, especially when it comes to shipping costs. In recent years, Lowe’s has extended its store hours of operations, allowing customers to visit the store at more convenient times.

Lowe’s designed their stores to be the opposite of competitors such as Home Depot. The spacious and well-lit Lowe’s stores appealed to potential customers that may not regularly visit warehouse-type hardware stores, such as women (Rouse, 2005). Furthermore, to increase their current customer experience and satisfaction, the company sought to enhance their installed and special order sales as well as modify their programs to be better equipped to handle commercial business customers. To do this, Lowe’s created an installed sales program where customers were able to select the design and materials used for their project and then hire Lowe’s professionals to complete the installation. In addition, specialty kiosks were set up around Lowe’s stores to educate customers and simplify special order home improvements. Special orders enabled Lowe’s to offer an assortment of products without having to invest the money up front in inventory (Rouse, 2005). To increase their commercial business customer base, the company began to offer professional quality materials and initiated commercial financing programs. Their logistics strategy was another area of strategic importance. At the center of Lowe’s logistics strategy was their desire to find the most efficient way to stock their shelves with an assortment of products (Rouse, 2005). Lowe’s operated ten regional distribution centers

The organization further strengthens its daily sustainable products procurement policy while improving its offer ecological service by adopting solutions in waste disposal and optimizing energy consumption: in just one year, Staples recycled over 63 million ink cartridges (only in the US). Moreover, the company has worked hard to develop over 8000 products with positive environmental characteristics. Staples understands that a successful business is not just about its turnover and profits. It must therefore ensure that all of its employees, suppliers and partners comply with ethical and environmental

-Initiate and implement the ‘Go Green’ project to promote the sustainability features of our products to customers

The company employs and trains skilled sales personnel to promote its items. Besides, direct sales branches are strategically located in high traffic zones to attract more potential buyers and strengthen revenues. The company manages its supply chain effectively. It produces annual publications of supplier codes of conduct, a move that increases brand recognition. The company enjoys implausible trade name trustworthiness, implying that many people will

The company revenue can be spent to purchase sustainable plant and equipment. Installation of equipment means better atmospheric appeal for stores.

With limited green experiences and expertise, Clorox successfully developed Green Works, a line of environmentally friendly housecleaning products. According to Chairman Knauss, Clorox’s partnership with Sierra Club not only helped the development of Green Works but also helped The Clorox Company on their sustainability efforts. With Clorox’s substantial product development capabilities and the endorsement from the Sierra Club, Clorox effectively earned the credibility from the consumers as well as market shares. However, the US cleaner giant encountered some tough problems and dilemmas in the journey of green branding.

Besides, DFS aims to minimize its impact on natural resources by purchasing paper from suppliers which practice sustainable forestry and are close to DFS’s facilities so as to reduce carbon emission in delivery. Plus, it encourages clients to switch to paperless statements and replaced about 1,400 printers and fax machines with multifunctional devices. The above projects have led DFS to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver status. LEED is a rating system to assess the environmental performance of a company.

Staples, the world’s number one office supply chain, and Office Depot, the world’s number two office supply chain, compete with one another in the big-box retail industry. The companies’ “Strategic Group” is office supply retailers.

The environmental benefits would be significant if companies switched to a paperless office. “Each year the switch would: Save 16.5 million trees (2.3 million tons of wood). Decrease emission of greenhouse gasses by 3.9 billion pounds, the equivalent of taking 355,000 cars off the road and reduce fuel consumption by 26 million BTUs, enough energy to provide residential power to San Francisco for a year” (e.g., Abbott, K. 2008).

In 1996, there were three largest and absolutely dominant office superstores (OSS) chains in United States office supply market, Staples, Office Depot and OfficeMax. Office superstores can get access to much more convenient and cheaper supply of goods than small retailers through signing a mass of contracts with suppliers. They are mostly located in downtown business districts, and own considerable floor areas, a wide variety of product types and sizable supply size. Therefore, they can provide consumers with great user experience and convenience by

On your weekly trip to the supermarket it’s easy to find a number of products, from coffee to dishwashing soap, that flaunt their green attributes” (American Psychological Association, 2010). With such rumors of greenwashing, consumers are more confused than ever. However, some consumers know the tricks and are coming to find that there are companies whose marketing practices are legit, not exaggerated or deceiving. APA also found that, “people are willing to spend more of their hard-earned green on green products, according to a 2008 survey of 9,000 adults performed by the global business firm Boston Consulting Group” (American Psychological Association, 2010). Consumers who are willing to pay more for a product or service are assuming that they are purchasing a healthier, safer, and better quality product or service for the environment.

After the situation has been addressed by Steve Haines, Office Depot appears to be using a societal marketing concept approach. A societal marketing approach is carried out by making good marketing decisions through considering consumers’ wants, the company’s requirements, consumers’ long-run interests, and society’s long-run interests. This tactic focuses on delivering value to customers to improve the consumer and the society’s well-being.

This report the audience intended consists of external business, customers and regulators. This report highlights the contrast between virgin and recycled paper which would help the customers to choose the one which is more environmentally friendly. It also gives regulators an opportunity to see areas in paper