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RETAILER IMAGE
Image refers to how a retailer is perceived by customers and others, positioning refers to firms devising its
strategy so as to project an image relative to its retail category and its competitors.
The retailer image is how the consumer interprets that message. It is how the shopper perceives the store in terms
of the products available in store, the store itself and the experience he or she expects when shopping at the store.
It affects:
The positioning of the store in the mind of the customer.
The customer’s choice of store.
How far a customer is willing to travel to the store
How often a customer will travel to the store
Customer loyalty- the extent to which a customer uses the store.
Retailers have to make efficient use of space, measured according to area, i.e. square meters or square feet used.
Floor space is used for access and services such as lifts, entrances, heating and ventilating plant.
The retailer has to divide the effective space into selling areas and non-selling areas.
Selling areas- those areas where merchandise is displayed and customers can buy.
Non-selling areas- include stockrooms, toilets, rest rooms, administrative offices and storage. (Support selling
operation)
The retailer needs to balance the cost of non-selling space against the cost of alternative provision for storage or
offices.
Most retailers have to provide on-site storage for some stock.
Direct selling storage
Stock rooms
The external store is the first part of the store that the customer sees and has a significant impact on customer’s
image of the retailer
Visibility
• The store retains its physical visibility through a location that conforms to the mind set of the
appropriate group of people.
• Visibility can be increased by
• Using features to make the store stand out
• Giving the store a distinct identity by use of materials, texture and color.
• Having a fascia that is distinctive and appealing.
Suitability
The store should adjust its external fabric, shop front and signage according to:
Its situation within a shopping centre, retail park, high street or local shopping parade
The images presented by surrounding stores, such as modern or traditional: high or low price.
The general perception of local shopping area.
Accessibility
Allows customers to get to the store and evaluate the merchandise.
Parking
Congestion
Entrances
Welcoming
The external architecture can be inviting or intimidating. Retailers can design or refurbish their exterior to
make them more inviting.
Use various forms of exterior decoration.
Use materials and colors suitable to the age group that they hope to attract.
Widen entrances and walkways
Security
Internal Store
Comprises the interior of the store that the customer sees once he or she has entered the store. It consist of:
Envelope
Internal layout
Methods of display
Signage
Visual merchandising
Managing the Consumer
The purpose of internal store is to manage the consumer buying process within the secure environment of
the store.
Welcoming
Visibility
Accessibility
Suitability
security
The Envelope
The envelope is the internal structure of the store and provides the environment within which shopping
takes place.
Flooring and ceiling are part of the store envelope and have an integral role in conveying the image of the
store.
Components of a Retail Image
Target Market -Firms Positioning
-Customer Service -Store Location
-Merchandise Attributes -Pricing
Attributes of
Target Physical
Market
Firm’s facilities
positioning
Customer
Service Shopping
Experience
Overall
Retail
Community
Store Image Service
Location
Promotion Tools
Merchandise -Advertising
Attributes -Public Relations
Pricing -Personal Selling
-Sales Promotion
ATMOSPHERE
A retailer’s image heavily depends on its atmosphere, the psychological feeling a customer gets when
visiting the retailer. It is the personality of the store, catalog, vending machine, or website.
-It may influence peoples shopping enjoyment.
KEY ELEMENTS IN STORE ATMOSPHERE
Exterior
General interior
Store Layout
Displays
EXTERIOR
-A store front is the total physical exterior of the store.
It Includes
-Marquee
-Entrances
-Windows
-Lighting
-Construction Material
Marquee-
It is a sign board that displays the stores name.
Entrance-
It requires three major decisions
1. The number of entrances.
2. The type of entrance.
3. Walkways.
Windows
Lot of planning is required to develop good display windows.
-Number
-Size
-Shape
-Color
-Theme
GENERAL INTERIOR
-Floorings
-Lighting
-Colors
-Scents & Sounds
-Staffs
-Stores temperature
Interior Displays
Assortment Displays- exhibits a wide range of merchandise.
Greeting Cards, Books
Theme Setting Displays- exhibits a product in a thematic manner.
Valentine’s Day Card
Ensemble Display- a complete product bundle is displayed.
Apparels Stores
Rack Display- in which products are neatly hanged or presented.
Apparel Retailers, House wares Retailers
Cut Case Display- in which the merchandise will be in the original cartons.
Posters
The layout of each individual Web page and the links to move from page to page.
Displays
Web retailers can display full product assortments. Online firms usually use special themes.
Check out counters/ Drawback
This will be more complicated to web retailers
Online shoppers tend to worry more about the security and privacy of purchase transactions than those
who buy in a store.
Online shoppers often have to work hard to complete transactions.
How often a customer will travel to the store
Customer loyality- the extent to which a customer uses the store
STORE LAYOUT
Store layout is the way merchandise is laid out for inspection and accessed by consumers.
It determines the appearance of the store.
It limits the way in which customers may negotiate their way round the store, which affects customer
traffic flow or circulation.
These two aspects affect customer’s impressions of the store and so level of customer spending within the
store
FREEFLOW
The free flow system is widely used in department and specialty stores.
SPINE
This layout uses a central walkway to access the various sections of the store, with branch lines, if required ,
leading into the various sections.
The advantage to the retailer is that the layout can utilize the benefits of free flow, grid and loop systems
as appropriate.
The disadvantage is that the retailer may need to vary the shape of the central walkway and increase
expenditure on fixtures and fittings in order to break monotony.
CHANGING LAYOUTS
Store layout models reflect the experiences of retailers in managing customers and merchandise.
Consequently, stores continue to adapt the various models to their own situation as retailers seek to
provide better customer service and stock management.
The PRINCIPLES behind the different layouts are the same and can be summarized as follows:
Support store image: the store layout is one of the signals customers receive that tells them whether they
should go into rummage mode to look for bargains or into receptor mode waiting for the retailer to tempt
them.
The customer does not expect special treatment and is encouraged to move quickly as possible.
Manage space: increasing exposure of a product is likely to increase sales .space is costly and the retailer
must balance the benefits of extra exposure of the product against extra cost of space. The wider aisles are
more comfortable and improve accessibility, particularly for the elder and reduce stress.
Manage customer flow: retailer can improve store layout to accommodate higher traffic counts. More
space needs to be allowed at the points where customer tends to concentrate.
Keep cost down: This covers a number of different aspects, including efficient replenishment of stock on
display.
RETAIL PROMOTION
Retail promotion includes any communication by a retailer that informs, persuades, and/or reminds the target
market about any aspect of that firm. Retailers devote significant sums to promotion. For e.g. a typical
department store spends nearly 4% of sales on ads and 8-10% on personal selling and support services.
1. ADVERTISING
Advertising is paid, non personal communication transmitted through out of stores mass media by an
identified sponsor.
Four aspects of this definition.
Non-personal presentation: A standard message is delivered to the entire audience, and it cannot be
adapted to individual customers.
Out-of- store mass media: These include news papers, radio, TV, the web, and other mass channels,
rather than personal contacts.
Retailer usually has more geographically concentrated target markets than manufacturers.
This means they can adapt better to local needs, habits, and preferences.
However many retailers are unable to utilize national media as readily as manufacturers.
Only the retailer chains and franchises can advertise on national TV programs.
Many retailers stress prices in ads, where as manufacturers usually emphasize key product attributes.
In addition retailers often display different in one ad, where as manufacturers tend to minimize the
number of products in a single ad.
Media rates tend to be lower for retailers. Because of this and the desire of many manufactures and
wholesalers for wide distribution, the costs of retail advertising are sometimes shared by or retailers.
Two or more retailers may also share costs
Objectives
A retailer would select one or more of these goals and base advertising efforts on it:
Lifting short term sales
Increasing customer traffic
Developing and reinforcing a retail image.
Informing customers about goods and services and company attributes.
Easing the job for sales personnel.
Developing demand for private brands.
Advantages
Disadvantages:
Standardized messages lack flexibility. They do not focus on the needs of individual customers.
Some media require large investments. This may reduce the access of small firms.
Media may reach large geographic areas, and for retailers this may be wasteful.
Some media require a long lead time for placing ads.
Some media have a high throwaway rate. Circulars may be discarded without being read.
A 30- second TV commercial or small newspaper ad does not have many details.
2. PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations entail any communications that fosters a favorable image for the retailer among its
publics.
It may be non personal or personal, paid or non paid, and sponsor controlled or not controlled.
Publicity is any non personal form of public relations whereby messages are transmitted through mass
media, the time or space provided by the media is not paid for, and there is no identified commercial
sponsor.
Pioneer message
Reminder message
Institutional message
Objectives
Public relations seek to accomplish one or more of these goals.
Increase awareness of the retailer and its strategy mix.
Maintain or improve the company image.
Show the retailer as a contributor to the public’s quality of life.
Demonstrate innovativeness.
Present a favorable message in a highly believable manner.
Minimize total promotion costs.
Advantages
An image can be presented or enhanced.
A more credible source for presenting the image.
There are no costs for a message’s time or space.
A mass audience is addressed.
Carryover effects are possible.
People pay more attention to new stories than to clearly identified ads.
Disadvantages
Some retailers do not believe in spending any funds on image related communication.
There is little retail control over a publicity message and its timing, placement, and coverage by a given
medium.
It may be more suitable for short-run, rather than long run planning.
3. PERSONAL SELLING
Personal communication involves oral communication with one or more prospective customers for the
purpose of making a sale.
The level of personal selling used by a retailer depends on the image it wants to convey, the products sold,
the amount of self-service, and the interest in long term customer relationships-as well as customer
expectations.
Objectives
Persuade customers to buy.
Stimulate sales or impulse items or products related to customer’s basic purchases.
Complete customer transactions.
Feed back information to company decision makers.
Provide proper levels of customer service.
Improve and maintain customer satisfaction.
Create awareness of items also marketed through the web, mail, and telemarketing.
Advantages
A sales person can adapt a message to the needs of an individual customer.
A sales person can be flexible in offering ways to address customer needs.
This attention span of the customer is higher than with advertising.
There is less waste; most people who walk in to a store are potential customers.
Customers respond more often to the personal selling than to the ads.
Immediate feedback is provided.
Disadvantages
Only a limited number of customers can be handled at a given time.
The cost of interacting with each customer can be high.
Customers are not initially lured in to a store through personal selling.
Self service may be discouraged.
Some customers may view sales people as unhelpful and as too aggressive.
4.SALES PROMOTION
Sales promotion encompasses the paid communication activities other than advertising, public relations,
and personal selling that stimulates consumer purchases and dealer effectiveness.
It includes
Displays,
Contests,
Sweepstakes,
Coupons,
Frequent shopper programs,
Prizes,
Samples,
Demonstrations,
Referral gifts,
And other limited- time selling efforts outside of the ordinary promotion routine.
Objectives
Sales promotion goals include the following:
Increasing short term sales volume.
Maintaining customer loyalty.
Emphasizing novelty.
Complementing other promotion tools.
Advantages
It often has eye- catching appeal.
Themes and tools can be distinctive.
The consumer may receive something of value, such as coupons or free merchandise.
It helps customer traffic and maintains loyalty to the retailer.
Impulse purchases are increased.
Customers can have fun, particularly with contests and demonstrations.
Disadvantages:
It may be hard to terminate certain promotions without adverse customer reactions.
The retailer’s image may be hurt if trite promotions are used.
Frivolous selling points may be stressed rather than the retailer’s product assortment, prices, customer
services, and other factors.
Many sales promotions have only short-term effects.
It should be used mostly as a supplement to other promotional forms.
Point of purchases Window, floor, and customer displays that allow retailer to remind
customer and stimulate impulse purchases.
Prizes Similar to frequent purchase programs, except that the retailer gives
prizes immediately, such as glasses, silverware, and others.
Usually, one piece of a set is obtained with each purchase.
Demonstrations Products are shown cleaning up floors, mixing foods, and so on.
Services are also demonstrated (e.g. judo instructions).
Referral gifts Presents or gifts are given to current customer when they bring in new
customer.
Match books, Items that contain the retailer’s name are given to customer.
pens, calendars,
shopping bags etc.
Special events Include fashion shows, autograph sessions with book authors, art
exhibits, and holiday activities (such as children’s rides).
CONTROL PROCESS
What to
Determining control variables Control?
By integrating and regularly monitoring their strategies, firms of any size or format can take a proper view
of the retailing concept and create a superior total retail experience.
Four fundamental factors especially need to be taken in to account in devising and enacting an integrated
retail strategy:
1. Planning procedures and opportunity analysis.
2. Defining productivity
3. Performance measures
4. Scenario analysis
Situation analysis
Objectives
Identification of
Consumers
Overall
Strategy
Specific
Activities
Control
PLANNING PROCEDURES AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS
Planning procedure are enhanced by undertaking three coordinated activates. The process is then more systematic
and reflects input from multiple parties:
Senior executives outline the firm’s overall direction and goals.
Top-down plan and bottom- up or horizontal plans are combined
Specific plans are enacted, including checkpoints and dates.
A useful retailer tool for evaluating opportunities is the sales opportunity grid.
DEFINING PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity refers to the efficiency with which a retail strategy is carried out; it is in any retailer’s interest to
reach sales and profit goals while keeping control over costs. On the one hand, a retailer looks to avoid
unnecessary expenses.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
By outlining relevant performance measures- the criteria used to assess effectiveness- and setting standards
(goals) for each of them, a retailer can better develop and integrate its strategy.
BENCHMARKING
It means the retailer sets standards and measures its performance based on the achievements of its sector of
retailing, specific competitors, high-performance firms, and/or the prior actions of the firm itself:
Benchmarking can identify good business practices, innovative ideas, effective operating procedures, and winning
strategies to be adopted by a firm to accelerate its own progress by ensuring quality, productivity, and cost gains.
It involves investigating how things are done elsewhere and where they are done differently or better, to see
whether a firm could adapt the processes of another organization to improve its own processes”
GAP ANALYSIS
Through gap analysis, a company compares its actual performance against its potential performance and then
determines the area in which it must improve.
Gap analysis has four main steps.
1. Set performance standards.
2. Measure performance.
3. Determine gaps in performance.
4. Adjust strategy and tactics as needed.
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To ensure that gaps are minimized in relationship retailing, firms should undertake the following
Customer insight
Customer profiling
Customer life-cycle model
Extended business model
Relationship program planning and design
implementation
SCENARIO ANALYSIS
In scenario analysis, a retailer projects the future by studying factors that affect long-run performance and then
forms contingency (“what if”) plans based on alternate scenarios (such as low, moderate, and high levels of
competition).
RETAIL AUDIT
A vital evaluation tool is the retail audit, which systematically examines and evaluates a firm’s total retailing
effort or a specific aspect of it. The purpose of an audit is to study what a retailer is presently doing,
appraise performance, and make recommendations for the future. An audit investigates a retailer’s
objectives, strategy, implementation, and organization. Goals are reviewed and evaluated for the clarity,
consistency and appropriateness. The strategy and the method for deriving it are analyzed. The application of the
strategy and how it is received by customers are reviewed. The organizational structure is analyzed with regard to
lines of command and other factors.
Good auditing includes these elements: Audits are conducted regularly. In depth analysis is involved. Data are
amassed and analyzed systematically. An open minded, unbiased perspective is maintained. There is a willingness
to uncover weaknesses to be corrected, as well as strength to be exploited. After an audit is completed, decision
makers are responsive to the recommendation made in the audit report.
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Logical times for auditing are the end of the calendar year, the end of the retailer’s annual reporting year (fiscal
year), or when a complete physical inventory is conducted. Each of these is appropriate for evaluating a retailer’s
operations during the previous period. An audit must be enacted at least annually, although some retailer’s desire
more frequent analysis. It is important that the same period (s), such as January- December, be studied to make
meaningful comparisons, projections and adjustments.
A retail audit includes more than financial analysis; it Reviews various aspects of a firm’s strategies and
operations to identify strengths and weaknesses. There are two basic types of audits.
A Horizontal retail audit analyses a firm’s overall performance, from the organizational mission to goals
to customer satisfaction to the basic retail strategy mix and its implementation in an integrated, consistent
way. It is also known as a “retail strategy audit”.
A Vertical retail audit analysis in depth a firm’s performance in one area of the strategy mix or
operations, such as the credit function, customer service, merchandise assortment, or interior displays. It is
focused and specialized.
An audit form lists the area to be studied and guides data collection. It usually resembles a questionnaire and is
completed by the auditor. Without audit forms, analysis is more haphazard and subjective. Key questions may be
omitted or poorly worded. Auditor biases may appear. Most significantly, questions may differ from one audit
period to another, which limits comparisons.
The last auditing step is to present findings and recommendations to management. It is the role of management-
not the auditor- to see what adjustments to make. Decision makers must read the report thoroughly, consider each
point, and enact the needed strategic changes. They should treat each audit seriously and react accordingly. No
matter how well an audit is done, it is not a worth while activity of management, fails to enact recommendations.