Trends and Challenges in Indian Retail

This assignment delves into the trends, innovations, and challenges faced by the burgeoning Indian retail sector. It examines various aspects of the industry, including operational planning, category captain arrangements, market access strategies, and ethical considerations. The analysis highlights the impact of these factors on small business performance and overall sector growth.

Marketing Planning

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................3
Task 1: Essay .......................................................................................................................................3
Task 2: PPT...........................................................................................................................................5
Task 3: Marketing Plan ........................................................................................................................5
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................5
Role of Marketing Plan in Corporate Strategy............................................................................6
Techniques for New Product Development ...............................................................................6
Product Description.....................................................................................................................6
Pricing Strategy ..........................................................................................................................6
Distribution Strategy...................................................................................................................7
Promotion and Communication Strategy ...................................................................................7
Implementation ..........................................................................................................................7
Ethical consideration ..................................................................................................................7
Time scale:..................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................8
References............................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
A marketing plan is a blueprint which features all the selling activities of an organization. In
other words, it can be referred as a business document which describes advertising and marketing
efforts for coming years (Chandra, 2015). The present study explores various aspects of marketing
planning of the given organization called Primark which is a popular retail clothing brand in UK.
The first part of the study features an essay which encompasses evaluation of human, physical and
financial capabilities for planning its future marketing activities. The second task features major
barriers which are faced by marketing planning initiatives in Primark and recommendations for
overcoming these obstacles which is covered in power point presentation. The final part of the
report features marketing plan for Primark.
TASK 1: ESSAY
Primark is a popular retail clothing chain which sells fashionable clothes to UK customers at
affordable prices. The company was originally an Irish brand with large number of stores in UK,
Ireland and Spain. It collaborated with Michaela Mitchell which turned out to be very successful.
Then, the company opened more stores in different business centres to earn greater profitability.
It can be analysed from the given case study of Primark that the marketing approach of the
clothing retailer is simple and timeless. Primark is known for selling clothes at affordable prices to
meet the needs of budget conscious customers (Chimhundu, Kong and Gururajan, 2015). The
success of the marketing plan of the company was based on sourcing of cheap supply, buying in
bulk, manufacturing clothes with simple designs in popular sizes etc. and not spending heavily on
advertising. Talking about the branding, Primark offers a broad range of products such as clothing
for infants, kids, women and men. In addition to this, the retailer also offers footwear, home ware,
beauty products and confectionery. In terms of Primark positioning efforts, Retail Company targets
mainly on men, women and kids. Primark has initially positioned itself as the cheapest fashionable
clothing brand in the minds of UK customers. However, it can be analysed that the positioning
strategy of the retailer remain ineffective as customers assumed that the products of the brand are
affordable but lacks quality. Thus, from sales figures, it can be observed that due to growing online
shopping options gave hard time to Primark business. In addition to this, the lack of effective
advertising efforts negatively impacts the business of the company. Talking about the modern
marketing approach of Primark, the retailer is making a strategic move into international markets in
the coming years. Other than UK, Ireland and Spain, Primark is planning to expand its business in
US and Italy. The company is keen to target price sensitive customers who look for cheaper fashion
clothing options.
In order to achieve future marketing objectives, Primark requires sound financial, human
and physical resources and capabilities. Resources are referred to as tangible and intangible assets

which are essential to carry out retail operations effectively. Tangible resources include equipment,
machines, etc. whereas intangible resources include brand name, knowledge, skills, etc. On the
other hand, capabilities are patterns of skills which play very important role in deploying physical,
human and financial resources of Primark. The marketing capabilities of the firm include Product
Management, Communications Management, Brand building capability, customer relationship
management and marketing planning and implementation capability (Dixon, 2015). Marketing
capability of Primark can be elaborated as the ability of the firm to develop and implement effective
marketing strategies. The strategies play very cardinal role in optimizing match between Primark's
resources and target markets to achieve higher sales and revenue.
In order to implement sound marketing strategies, it is very important to analyse the external
as well as internal factors that significantly affect marketing activities of Primark. The internal
business environment of Primark entails internal factors as those determinants that are under the
direct control of the retail company. These factors largely impact the approach and success of
marketing strategies of Primark. In order to analyse the internal factors of Primark, a structured
planning method called SWOT Analysis is done. It assesses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats of Primark business.
SWOT Analysis of Primark
Strengths
 Offers fashion clothing at affordable
prices.
 Product designs are simple.
 Manufactures designs in popular sizes.
 Low advertising budget.
 Preferred options for price sensitive
customers.
Weaknesses
 Lack of extensive marketing efforts.
 Inability to employ sound promotional
tools to reach out to large number of
target consumers (Grünig and Kühn,
2015).
Opportunities
 Great opportunities in UK and US
markets.
 Good business opportunities in
developing economies of countries like
India, China, etc.
Threats
 Since, its stores are only in UK, Spain
and Ireland, the profitability of the
company is solely depended in these
markets.
 The political and legal framework of
reigning nations may negatively impact

the business of Primark.
 Economic slowdown is the biggest
threat.
Porter's Five Force Model
The analysis of external business environment of Primark can be done by using Porter's Five
Force Model.
This model is an important tool that helps Primark in developing effective marketing
strategies. There are five factors that need to be analysed through this model. These are: Buyer’s power: The bargaining power of buyers is very high in the given case. It is because
of the presence of many retail clothing brands in UK and US (Hood, Clarke and Clarke,
2015). The fashion clothing brand has very large customer base. Supplier’s power: The supplier’s power is relatively low due to the presence of large
number of suppliers in UK's retail market. This is very beneficial for the company as it
procures raw materials at very low prices. Therefore, it can be analysed that Primark is able
to keep the prices of its products comparatively low by purchasing materials at low prices. Competition: Primark faces hard competition from rival firms. H&M and Marks and
Spencer’s are among the top competitors of Primark. Threat of substitution: It is higher as the competitors can come up with cheaper fashion
apparels in target market which can affect the profitability of Primark.
 Threat of new entrants: It is higher for clothing retail sector in UK. Thus, the company
needs to formulate good marketing strategies to reduce the threat of new entrants in the
market.
Thus, it can be concluded that it is very important to carry out marketing efforts in order to
achieve higher sales and profitability in the target market. The internal factors of Primark can be
analysed by using SWOT matrix. In addition to this, the company can identify external factors by
using Porters five force model to formulate sound marketing strategies.
TASK 2: PPT
Covered in PPT
TASK 3: MARKETING PLAN
Executive Summary
In order to enter into Dubai markets the marketing manager of Primark need to develop an
effective marketing plan to describe its marketing efforts. For developing a sound marketing plan
the manager will carry out market research to identify the needs of target customers. This will give

insight of consumers preferences regarding retail clothing. The manager will identify the external
business environment of Dubai in order to formulate sound marketing strategies. The manager will
then implement marketing tools and techniques to reach out to target consumers in Dubai markets.
The manager of Primark will take marketing mix elements into consideration while planning
marketing tools.
Role of Marketing Plan in Corporate Strategy
A marketing plan is an integral part of corporate strategy of Primark. The company aims to
grow its retail clothing business in target markets which include UK, US, Spain and Dubai. Without
marketing plan the company may not be able to meet its long and short business goals. A sound
marketing plan gives direction to Primark's business operations. Planning marketing strategies help
in gaining competitive edge over competitors as it allows the retail firm to proactively involve in the
success of its sales (Lorette, 2016). In addition to this, marketing planing integrates different aspects
of Primark business. It also helps in forecasting the sales of the retail company.
Techniques for New Product Development
Primark in order to sustain in Dubai market need to consider the following techniques of
product development:
 Test marketing: It is a technique used by Primark to test the success of its marketing
campaign in Dubai markets. It is a useful tool that provides insight into the effectiveness of
its marketing efforts. In addition to this, Primark can evaluate several factors by carrying out
test marketing. These factors include performance of the product, customer satisfaction level
and effectiveness of distribution channels in the target markets in Dubai.
 Experimentation: This technique can be used by the Primark manager to design a small
batch of products to be experimented in the target market and then evaluate the responses of
consumers. For example : Primark can launch a particular design of apparel to be sold in
Dubai market which is targeted towards females. If the design is liked by consumers then
the company can manufacture the design in bulk.
Product Description
The product which need to be introduced in Dubai markets by Primark is fashion clothing
for women and children. The marketing plan of the company will deign the product by assessing the
choices and tastes of target consumers (Sambandam, 2009). Since Dubai is an Islamic nation, the
product development team of Primark will make a note of this aspect before developing the apparel
design .
Pricing Strategy
The pricing of fashion apparel is kept reasonable to meet the demands of price sensitive
consumers of the target markets (Paul, 2015). It can be analysed that the target consumers of

Primark in Dubai are dependent individuals such as women and children who belong to low socio-
economic status.
Distribution Strategy
The distribution of Primark products in Dubai markets can be done through setting up a
space in malls as well as through street vendors. As Dubai has well built commercial spaces it is
very convenient for the clothing retailer to set up a retail store for making its products available to
consumers.
Promotion and Communication Strategy
Primark can employ various promotional and communication tools to advertise its products
in the target market (Grünig and Kühn, 2015). It can make use of television and radio advertising,
social media marketing as well as promoting through newspapers.
Implementation
There are certain performance indicators that need to be considered while implementing the
marketing strategies. Following are the key performance indicators which is determined by Primark
which are vital for steering its marketing efforts in Dubai.
 Status of new customers (Chandra, 2015).
 attrition rate of customers
 waiting time of consumers orders
Ethical consideration
While developing a marketing plan for Primark, ethical issues need to be taken into
consideration (Hogan, Olson and Capella, 2015). For example : while carrying out market research
the information of respondents need to be kept private in order to safeguard their personal details.
Other than this, the data and information of competitors cannot be used in marketing planning as it
may lead to legal implications for Primark.
Time scale:

CONCLUSION
Thus, it can be concluded that marketing planning is one of the important activities of an
organization which significantly contribute to the success of its marketing objectives. It is very
important to identify external and internal factors that greatly affect the operations and business of
the retail firm. SWOT analysis is used to identify internal determinants. On the other hand Porters
Five Model is a useful tool to analyse the external factors that affect the business of Primark.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Online
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