Retail Mix

BRM 246

Retail Mix

The store I choose to observe is Wal-Mart. I choose Wal-Mart because it is the largest retailer in the world, and to be the largest retailer in the world it must have a pretty good retail mix to have made it to the top.

Customer Service

When it comes to customer service, you do not really put Wal-Mart in the top category on this list. I believe their executives have also realized this because they are trying ways to get their customer service oriented associates to stand out. Like their Customer Service Managers and Self Checkout Host all wear yellow vest to draw the customer attention to them. Also, with Wal-Mart pushing to be in the eCommerce race with their Online Grocery Pickup you see the attention to customer service in this department. The associates that bring your groceries to your car are super friendly and always have a smile on their face, and if they make an error they go above and beyond to fix it. It is like Disney level customer service. So, Wal-Mart has identified that their retail mix was not the best in customer service, but they are working on ways to improve it.

Store Design and Display

With 11,000 plus stores, Wal-Mart store design and display changes. If you have ever visited multiple Wal-Marts you know they each are set-up a little differently, and that can be very frustrating for the customer. Some stores the pet department is near grocery at the back of the store, and in some it is near garden center at the front. This can cause frustration as far as comparing store to store. When reviewing just a single store for the most part, they are laid out with a purpose. Grocery and fresh on one side of the store and general merchandise on the other. Wal-Mart does a good job with seasonal sets. For example, if you have walked in a Wal-Mart lately you will get the sense of fall with apples and pumpkins in the grocery entrance, and fall toppers in all of their signs.

Communication Mix

Wal-Mart main method of communication is advertising. You always see Wal-Mart commercials with families, it begins with the family coming home with Wal-Mart bags in hand. Then, ends with the family gathered around the table, kitchen, etc. with the stuff they bought at Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart is all about saving people money so they can live better.

Location

Wal-Mart’s are placed throughout the world, but when you look locally you will find most people live within a 20-35 minute driving distance of a Wal-Mart or Wal-Mart type store, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

Merchandise Management

Wal-Mart stores push millions of items out of a single store in a year’s time. All Wal-Mart have a backroom where backstock merchandise is held in steel. Wal-Mart also place merchandise on topstock located on the sales floor. This also for easier and quicker stocking of key items. Wal-Mart keeps track of all of their merchandise using a merchandise management system.

Pricing

Wal-Mart shoots to have the lowest prices on the market. You see it branded throughout stores on the little blue toppers “everyday low prices.” Wal-Mart is able to do this through the amount of merchandise it buys from suppliers, and how they partner with suppliers and stay seasons ahead.