Retail Trends and Analysis of Marks and Spencer

This report discusses the retail trends in the industry and provides an analysis of Marks and Spencer, including its background, SWOT analysis, and performance. Recommendations and an action plan are also provided for the company.

Inquiry project about MARKS
AND SPENCER

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Retail trends ....................................................................................................................................3
Industry data ..........................................................................................................................3
Retail industry trends..............................................................................................................4
Background & Analysis of organisation ...............................................................................5
RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................................7
Action plan ............................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Retail industry consists of various departmental stores, supermarkets, speciality stores,
franchise and so on. They are the stores which are providing goods directly to end consumers
(Cantrell and et. al., 2020). Marks and Spencer is a British Multinational retailer which is
specialising in selling home products, clothings, food products etc. which belongs to their own
label. The following report consist of various trends in retail sector along with focusing on
background, SWOT, performance and recommendations for Marks and Spencer based upon
primary and secondary research.
Retail trends
Industry data
According to Vashisht and Mittar, 2019, Retail industry is highly dynamic and
competitive as well. Consumer is given importance in this market as the companies in this
industries adapt according to the changing demands and needs of customers. They first
developed as departmental stores and are now evolved to multi channels. However the amount of
changes brought in the industry only proves the fact that customer is considered to be king of the
market.
There have been a number of changes in shopping experience which consumers are
gaining from retail sector. The shopping experience of customers have evolved largely taking in
changes from physical stores to online stores and now to omni channel stores. The retail sector is
now providing facilities to use mobile phones and order products which will directly reach to
customers. The convenience which this method is providing customer again proves that the
evolution in retail industry is an outcome of customers needs and demands.
As per Neuninger, 2019, along with other factors in retail industry evolution also took
place in various ways the products are marketed and communicated to the consumers. During
industrialisation catalogue and direct mail were used by a number of salesman. This was
specifically used to sell the high end products. The concept of celebrity marketing was brought
thereafter which also consisted of nobility and brought goodwill to product. Consumers are now
focusing on prices and comparing quality of products before purchasing any product. They are
working on various information which is available about the product in market before purchasing
any such product. Retailers are effectively targeting the customers who are falling into their

potential criteria. Personalisation of goods in retail sector is also trending leading to bring
benefits to both consumers as well as retailers.
People always have to pay for the goods and services they are attaining from retail stores.
This mode of payment have been evolving overtime and number of benefits and convenience is
brought to consumer. The payment modes of cash and pay checks changed to debit and credit
cards. After this evolution in payment in retail sector also included cashless payment. This mode
of payment was supported by governments as well as it allowed them to keep a tap on people's
income and their spending. In this way products, method of selling and buying, payment
methods, consumer experiences as well as the communication and promotion of products and
services in retail industry have been evolving overtime.
Retail industry trends
According to Nayak, Akbari and Far, 2019, retail industry is a dynamically changing
industry. There are a number of changes that have been brought in industry from time to time.
Due to change in technology, consumer wants as well as other external factors is resulting in
rapid change in this sector as well. Some of he major trends in retail industry include introducing
omni channel networks. It is necessary to be present in more than one channel so that consumers
from every channel can be attracted towards the company. Another trend in retail industry is of
mobile wallet and other digital wallet. Most of the big economies around the world are becoming
cashless economies. This is resulting in making people to go for other options than cash.
Although there are options like credit cards etc. but most of people around world prefer mobile
wallets and digital method of payment.
Personalisation is another major trend seen in retail industry these days. A number of
companies in retail sector are effectively making special alterations in their products due to needs
and requirements of their consumer. All these changes re necessary as consumer is king of
market. Also due to high competitive market it becomes essential for companies to make sure
that they are bringing in changes according to the trends, so that they can retain old customers
and attract new customers towards them.

Background & Analysis of organisation
M& S, is diversified company which operates globally at rapid scale. IT was started in
1884 by Michael Marks & then ahead was joined by Tom Spencer. The company sells variety of
product like food, clothes, home furnishing etc. The portfolio of corporation is wider and
broader. It has over 450 stores in home country UK (Nayak, 2019). They follows hierarchical
structure which reflects that superiors take decisions which are to be followed by employees. It is
important to analyse the organisation performance & other activities so that decision making is
carried out properly. Analysis of firm is done by many ways which through which it is easier to
carry out the processes. In context of Marks & Spencer, manager of firm is responsible for
handling all functions, operations & activities. By proper analysis, it is possible to implement
effective strategies for business. This will also leads to elimination of errors & problems which
is beneficial for enterprise. By identification of this, it is possible to examine weak area within
the entity is examined appropriately. The chosen corporation make assures that analysis is done
with proper consideration so that everything is done properly. Thus, they use SWOT Analysis as
tool for analysing the environment.
SWOT Analysis- It is a tool which is adopted by organisation to identify internal factors
affecting business. It is strategic planning method which is used after conducting deep market
analysis. With help of this analysis, decision making process is done in effective way. It critical
process which requires knowledge about market & other firms. Through use of this, given
enterprise is able to make improvements in needed areas & which also increases their efficiency.
STRENGTH
 As the company is located globally,
brand awareness is strong which helps
them to grow their business at larger
scale (Jin, 2018).
 Marks & Spencer have diversified &
wide variety of products which help
them attracting of more customers.
 With large number of outlets & stores
at different location they easily expand
WEAKNESS
 In market, company has low publicity
& due to which people have wrong
assumptions that M& S sell mostly
apparels for aged people.
 Due to manual working & old
techniques of technology the overall
cost of company increases at higher
scale. It disrupts the financial progress

their business at larger scale.
 Moreover, due to earlier existence of
brand in 19's they have strong
connection as well as networks in
market.
of corporation.
 Another weakness is that they do not
have updated effective strategy which
makes them slow enterprise in market.
OPPORTUNITY
 M & S have opportunity of adopting
segmentation process. This will leads to
increase of business process at wider
level.
 Moreover, by partnership they will be
able to access more customers through
which profit will increase.
 By adopting promotion & advertising
tools, they can change the perception of
customers. It will leads to proper use of
all resources.
THREATS
 Due to high level of competition, they
have threat of dominating of business
from other competitors. For example-
ASDA, TESCO H& M, etc.
 Furthermore, they also have threat of
getting affected by change of fast
moving market in business sector
which will affect the whole
infrastructure of corporation.
Performance of organisation against industry trends
The progress & performance of organisation against industry trend is shrinking because
of change in environment, new technologies, etc. The main rationale for decreasing performance
of M & S is that they have been unable to adopt emerging market. Moreover, they do not have
well efficient skilled employees who can generate new ideas for development (al 2019). Their
main strength is that are located internationally due to which their sustainability increases.
Weakness is that they due to manual working, they are slow in this competitive market. It is
essential for entity to be aware about performance so that progress is known in appropriate
manner. Through this, ideas, thoughts etc. can applied within a time period.

RECOMMENDATIONS
After analysing above concept, there are few recommendation which are required to be
adopted by corporation so that they will be able to enhance their productivity scale at higher
level. So, the recommendations are described below-
1. It is recommended to M & S that they should be well aware about market trends so that
it is easier for them to follow changing business environment. It will help them to attract
more customers.
2. Then, another recommendation is that by use of updated technology & techniques they
will be able to make use of resources in most efficient way. It will also have positive
impact on their cost or pricing strategy.
3. Moreover, they should use marketing approaches to deal with their competitors & rivals
like they can adopt Ansoff matrix or Porter Five Force mode. This will assist them in
running of business smoothly.
4. Also, it is recommended that they can hire new employees who are enthusiastic so that
new ideas are to be generated within the business. The HR department should
implement new policies with updated procedures that will improve their way of
managing management (Mondol, 2019).
5. In reference with M & S, they can change their infrastructure at various locations so
that well recognized by public.
6. They are also recommended that they need to improve them by providing more new &
innovative technologies to customers. It will improve their way of doing business.
7. Chosen entity can use STP approach of marketing that will assist them in identification
of their potential target market as well as customers which is beneficial for growth.
(Ervural, 2018).
8. Further, by using appropriate market analysis they are able to gain reliable information
regarding the rivals.
9. Through use of statistics & data, they can prepare future planning & do the forecasting
which is helpful and beneficial.
Therefore, the above mentioned recommendations states that it is necessary for
company to focus in these so that goals & objectives are accomplished in most efficient way. It
further results in use of correct measures & strategies to achieve higher growth. With these,

manager of corporation will be able to make decisions regarding development/ growth of
business.
Action plan
An action plan is defined as written plan in document which depicts the actions which
are required for accomplishing of goals or objectives (Blockeel, 2016). It is to be carried out in
systematic way so that everything is done appropriately. In reference with chosen firm, with
help of this action plan it will guide them to adopt important steps which are essential for
achieving growth.
s
Action Responsible
department
/employee
Start Date Due date Required
resources
Potential
blockers
Outcome
Update
technology
IT team
will be
responsible
for updated
of
technology.
2/ 08/2020 22/09/20 Efficient
employees,
high end
computers,
networks
with high
bandwidth.
(Carneiro-
da-Cunha,
2016).
Capital,
time,
innovate
ideas.
The
outcome
will be that
they will be
able to use
online
websites &
applications.
New
Infrastruct
ure
Front desk
Managemen
t, Human
resource
department
01/07/20 04/10/20 Architecture
s, designing
concepts,
new tools,
Difficult to
use innovate
designs,
structure
layout.
Store of
Marks and
Spencer will
look
attractive
due to
which it will
be well

recognized
Hire
consultants
HOD, CEO,
HR manager
05/07/20 08/09/20 Connections
, Internal
referrals,
online
networks.
Required
specification
s, Salary
expectations
,
Hiring of
consultant
assist
business to
get new
ideas &
strategies
for growth.
New polices
HR
manager,
HOD
06/07/20 09/09/20 Knowledge,
reliable
information,
Resist from
employees,
deep
research
New
policies will
deliver a
new change
in work
environment
.

CONCLUSION
The above report helps in concluding about various trends as well as evolution of retail
sector overtime. The evolution in this sector is a result of change in demands and needs of
consumers. There are a number of such retailers who are changing their operations and training
their human resource effectively to meet the requirements of consumers. Discussions have been
made about retail trends, data , SWOT analysis, performance of firm. Then recommendations as
well as action plan are being discussed briefly. The change in trend taking place in Mark and
Spencer along with various changes can be concluded. All these changes if applied efficiently on
the organisation will help company to effectively deal with dynamically changing retail industry.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cantrell, J. and et. al., 2020. History and Current Trends in the Electronic Cigarette Retail
Marketplace in the United States: 2010–2016. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 22(5).
pp.843-847.
Vashisht, 2019, July. Artificial Intelligence as a Tool in the Online Fashion Retail Industry to
Communicate Fashion Trends. In International Conference on Fashion communication:
between tradition and future digital developments (pp. 276-282). Springer, Cham.
Neuninger, 2019. The effect of concentration of retail power on the specialist knowledge of retail
staff in the food and beverage sector: A case study of wine retail. In Case Studies in Food
Retailing and Distribution (pp. 25-36). Woodhead Publishing.
Nayak, 2019. Recent sustainable trends in Vietnam's fashion supply chain. Journal of Cleaner
Production. 225. pp.291-303.
Jin, 2018. A Case Study of Marks and Spencer lost China. Journal of Industrial
Convergence, 16(2), pp.15-23.
al 2019. HR practices of Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Primark, and Sainsbury’s (Doctoral
dissertation, University of Science & Technology).
Mondol, P., 2019. Performance Analysis of GlaxoSmithKline Bangladesh Limited.
Ervural, 2018. An ANP and fuzzy TOPSIS-based SWOT analysis for Turkey’s energy
planning. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, pp.1538-1550.
Blockeel, 2016. A fresh look at the freeze-all protocol: a SWOT analysis. Human
reproduction, 31(3), pp.491-497.
Carneiro-da-Cunha, 2016. Evolution and chronology of the organisational performance
measurement field. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 17(2),
pp.223-240.
Yadav, 2017. Analysis of research trends and constructs in context to lean six sigma
frameworks. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management.
World Health Organization, 2017. Global action plan on the public health response to dementia
2017–2025.
Norrving, 2018. Action plan for stroke in Europe 2018–2030. European Stroke Journal, 3(4),
pp.309-336.

Cai, 2017. The impact of the “air pollution prevention and control action plan” on PM2. 5
concentrations in Jing-Jin-Ji region during 2012–2020. Science of the Total
Environment, 580, pp.197-209.

APPENDICES
 Which section you find most properly organised in Marks & Spencer?
Respondent 1: I find apparels section most organised
Respondent 2: All the sections are properly organised in Marks and Spencer
Respondent 3: I have faced difficulty in finding sizes sometimes in merchandise section that can
be improved further
Respondent 4: Most properly presentable section is footwear section
Respondent 5: Sometimes according to number of customers in a particular section this feature
of organisation varies in Marks and Spencer.
 Do you believe that Marks and Spencer has more updated products as compared to
other competitors such as Morrisons, Zara ?
Respondent 1: I find Zara makes better merchandise quality
Respondent 2: Marks and Spencer has high variety as Compared to Zara
Respondent 3: There can be more innovation in their bottom-wear that can be invented by Zara
Respondent 4: Yes, Marks and Spencer has a edge in their products that is of high quality and
timely up-gradations
Respondent 5: All designs at Marks and Spencer are timely updated
 Have you felt a situation where any of your complaint is not timely addressed by our
customer service department?
Respondent 1: No, my all complaints have been timely addressed by the customer service
department
Respondent 2: Yes once I faced issues regarding timely refund of my online returned orders
Respondent 3: I have never faced such experience but otherwise Marks and Spencer has a well
trained staff
Respondent 4: Yes it takes a period of 3-4 days but issues are timely resolved by customer
service executives
Respondent 5: There is no proper responses many times and line is mostly busy

 What one change you feel can better the overall services at all different physical
outlets of Marks & Spencer?
Respondent 1:I feel that there has to be more timely additions in clothing segment of Marks and
Spencer
Respondent 2: Prices are little high according to quality in Marks and Spencer that can be
modified.
Respondent 3: There can be more innovation in products specially in accessories segment I feel
Marks and Spencer has outdated collection
Respondent 4: No I does not feel any change is needed to be done any Marks & Spencer
Respondent 5: There can be proper display in clothing and footwear section in Marks and
Spencer. Do you feel that there is requirement of a change in layout in any of sections you in
Marks and Spencer?
Respondent 1: No there is no Change required in layout section of Marks and Spencer
Respondent 2: Yes there has to be Change in segmentation of products that is sometimes
products gets mixed and there is difficulty to find.
Respondent 3: There is high rush in evenings at billings section that leads to wastage of time
Respondent 4: There has to be more billing counters on every floor
Respondent 5: Carrier trolleys must be replace with some alternative options as they are small
and are difficult to handle What as a regular customer you feel is your priority e commerce website or physical
outlets?
Respondent 1: online available Website as there is wastage of time in physical stores
Respondent 2: I prefer online purchasing but sometimes there are issues in case of refunds 7
returns
Respondent 3: There are more options that are present on online sites
Respondent 4: Physical stores are not upgraded and there are new launches first on e commerce
sites
Respondent 5: Both are preferable options it depends on time and the type of requirement Are you easily able to get product you want at every visit in Marks and Spencer?
Respondent 1: Yes mostly I find products easily at assigned and correct places.

Respondent 2: Sometimes I feel it is because of customers that products are not at their assigned
places
Respondent 3: There are some issues that arise when I am looking for something that I saw exact
on online site
Respondent 4: Yes I always get the product I am looking for and if not staff of Marks and
Spencer is always present to assist.
Respondent 5: sometimes it happens but otherwise everything is properly organised in divided
sections