An Analysis Of Woolworths Australia Digital Marketing Strategy

As Aldi has already established itself as a large discount supermarket chain with over 10,000 stores in 18 different countries including Australia (2001), and holds a large market share in the grocery world due to its business culture and market leading initiatives. This report aims to provide the ALDI board of directors with:

First, there are good numbers in the higher income categories in Australia. Second, there are an increasing high income earners and middle class which present a great market opportunity. Third, the Australia’s brand conscious society is well suited to the department store concept. Also, advanced computer-based technology and stable political environment contribute to a favourable business climate. The only drawback is economic uncertainty which hinders firms future strategic direction.

“We believed from the start that if we brought the customer quality merchandise at the right price and offered excellent service, we could change retailing in the United States. Today, we are the model of what retailing should be.” – Bernie Marcus

This report will demonstrate, apply and evaluate knowledge and understanding of key managerial disciplines of the chosen high street retailer, Marks and Spencer, in different real-world global contexts. According to the report by Deloitte, the retail industry is undergoing immense changes and faces a tough competitive

Helen’s is an upmarket fashion boutique store in Sydney’s east. Falling sales have been reflected by surveys that reveal consumers view the business as outdated and no longer relevant to consumers’ needs. Strong competition in the area has placed considerable pressure on pricing. The business’s target market, 50-65 year old females, no longer dominated the now younger demographic character of the area.

Technology is/and still playing a vital role in any business. The growth of online selling in the UK and the world has led to large increase in its online sales. The raising numbers of people, who own computers, smartphones and tablets; and having access to internet which has a high positive impact for their online sales. As there is an increase in demand of new technology, developments of new tablets, computers are rising in popularity and John Lewis sells a wide range of these. For John Lewis to keep up with the demands of their customers they had to move in-line with the recent development of new

If focusing on the retail industry it involved, such as Coles supermarket, the main competition comes from its countpart, Woolworth. Coles and Safeway are the two main retailors in Australia as analysed by Inside Retailing organisation in Australia. Australia’s retail industry has developed to become a leading industry in the national market as well as in the world market. As this article indicates, all entities in the retail industry confront pierce competition. Also cited in the article, a 1966 issue of trade magazine Inside the Food Industry observed that: Woolworths and Coles are now nearing 10% of total Australian retail sales. They are opening more stores than anyone else. Up until now, this figure can be much bigger than 10 percent; and the competition between retailers is increasingly intense.

Woolworths is a supermarket chain situated within Australia and New Zealand and is owned by Woolworths Limited. Established in 1924, as a single basement store in Sydney Australia, Woolworths has become the largest food retailer within Australia,

it is important to identify key strengths of the company over upcoming threats and weak points. Macy’s differentiate itself from competition with upscale “Celebrity” brand exclusivity, merchandise based on local preferences, and unique store design atmosphere. Based on analysis performed the company weighted strategy is to move towards the online and technology advances with maintaining Macy’s upscale storefront culture, integrating new product offerings with revising promotions to satisfy its target market and expanding operations to a new markets with present demand. From opportunities analysis strategy can be divided in three fragments

In terms of the history development of Harvey Norman, appendix 1 illustrates the important evolvements. It has been one of the dominant leaders of Australian retail industry since 1970s. Based on the business performance of last few decades, Harvey Norman has shown a rapid growth compare to its competitors.

From its humble roots as a family newspaper distribution business using horse drawn carts from the first newspaper distribution warehouse, expanding by taking advantage of the spread of the rail network for both distribution and later book stalls in the stations which, in turn spread to form the company we all now recognise as W H Smith.

Best Buy, a familiar retailer in the technology world, is struggling to stay on top. Online and mass stores have cornered the market in terms of convenience, customer service and price matching. The recent closing of over two hundred stores alongside falling sales has experts predicting that the giant won’t be in business long. Using a results-only work environment (ROWE), Best Buy has removed the customer from the equation and forced many employees out. A marketing disaster, Best Buy must change its marketing strategy from sales-based to a customer-based to stay afloat.

According to Turban and King (2003), internet technology renders retailers an additional channel for branding, transactions and customer relationship management, the adaptation of which may drive down retailers’ transaction costs, and ensuring faster and higher quality of customer interactions, resulting in enlarging the existing markets and consumer base. M&S realizes this and have tried to sell clothing via high street stores as well as via internet though they have experienced cost cutting, rationalisation and management changes in order to revive their business in recent years. Internet technology might enable sustainable competitive advantage, but problems remain on how to physically organize their online retail operations.

On the other, although the majority of the information shown in the case study presents arguments for the fact that it was inevitable that Woolworths would fail as a business, it is also shown that the company was once a reputable company and generated high levels of consumer demand through the customer being able to buy “pick-n-mix sweets, a DVD, a magnifying headlight and a cheese grater “ in the same store. The revenue generated within the first six months of 2008 was £1107 million, which suggested that the firm was able to sell efficiently to an extent. If the financial department at Woolworth’s had evaluated the balance sheet and income statement from previous years, they would have potentially been able to minimize the risk of the high expenses, reduced profit margins and overall prevent the administration of the company that occurred in 2008. This point therefore indicates that it was not entirely inevitable that Woolworths would fail as a business, as measures could have been carried

This is a difficult question to answer right now as digital media is evolving everyday. What is current to us now could change in just a week. If you’re studying digital marketing, you are looking at everything from your company’s website, through to banner ads on sites, rankings in search engines, mentions in social media, company-owned social media pages, videos on the likes of YouTube, and Facebook and other media websites. The most exciting part of digital media is the majority of it is completely interactive. Geography is less important and has no limitations; it can go globally with a click of a button.