Stott's College MRK101: Coles Supermarket Marketing Strategy Analysis

This report provides a critical analysis of Coles Supermarket's marketing strategies. The analysis begins with an examination of Coles' digitalization strategy, emphasizing its online platform and mobile application, aimed at enhancing customer convenience and satisfaction. The report further explores Coles' commitment to everyday low prices, store layout strategies, and promotional mixes, including public relations and the 'Win Together' approach. The report also delves into Coles' customer service and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including community support and environmental sustainability through waste reduction and recycling programs. The conclusion summarizes the positive customer experience and the effectiveness of Coles' marketing concepts, highlighting the potential for growth in a competitive market. The report references various sources to support its claims.

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Assessment 4: Critical Analysis Paper
Coles is one of the largest supermarket company situated and headquarter of the company
is in Australia. After the visit to the Coles outlet to purchase the Nestle Top and fill caramel it
has been examined that there are various marketing strategies considered to boost the sales of
products and services in the competitive market. It can be said that marketing strategies are
important to be considered as it helps to regulate the overall operations of the business in the
market.
One of the effective marketing strategies considered by Coles is digitalization strategy. In
relation to this strategy the main aim is to provide the platform to the customers so that they can
resolve their queries. Coles recognizes the customer expectations with the rapid changes and the
main emphasis is on investing in the convenient shopping alternatives (Goodman & Sage, 2016).
By seeing the situation in the present era, the company focused on the digital channels such as
Coles online and Cole’s mobile application with the different range of the convenient delivery
options. The delivery options are provided to the customers through that they can deliver the
products at home and also to enhance the satisfaction level of customers click and collect home
delivery options that help to track the option and also ensure the end to end experience of the
overall needs of the customers (Sultan, Wong & Sigala, 2018).
Digitalization strategy has boosted the awareness of the customers in relation to the
products offered in the market and also the customers can purchase the products by sitting at
their home. Coles has considered this strategy so that expectation level of the customers can met
and also it has helped in accomplishing the set goals in relation to the competitors present in the
market. They targeted the people of all the age group and the strategy used by the company is
related with reducing the cost of the products so that it would be easy for the customers to
maintain the large base of customer (Mcllvaine,H. (2019).Therefore , it can be stated that this is
one of the best strategy that has assisted the company in grabbing the large market share. With
the help of this strategy, it would also be easy for the customers to satisfy the basic need that has
also resulted in the overall growth in the business sector.
In context to this strategy, the company used the marketing concept related to pestle
analysis in which the emphasis is given on using the latest medium to reach the large audience.
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Also, with the help of new technologies the company has improved extensive national store
network by leveraging the customer insights. With the help of digitalization technique, Coles has
boosted the shopping mission of the local customers across the different brands. Now, customers
can purchase their products by landing the right offer at the right location. Therefore, it can be
said that this strategy is beneficial for the company to boost the success ratio (Phillipov, 2017).
The next marketing strategy used by Coles is move towards the everyday low prices. This
is one of the effective marketing strategy in which the company is committed in offering the
value to the customers by delivering the nine consecutive years of the price deflation. The
company is investing in price with more products to be provided on the Everyday low prices and
with the relevant promotions (Coles, 2019).This strategy has also affected the behavior of the
customers towards the products and services offered in the market.
It is analyzed that store layout has also played the role in which Coles focused towards
bringing change in the customer behavior. The marketing concept that is used in relation to the
store layout is promotional concept. It has been examined that Coles has emphasized on
promoting the products and services by offering it at the less price as compared to the other
competitors. The company emphasizes on streamlining the cost base and also leveraged the
technology to provide a simplified store environment and also focused towards the
modernization of the supply chain. One of the promotional mix element used by the company is
public relation strategy. In this, the PR agency has been appointed Mango that focuses on
managing the consumer public relation. This strategy has helped the company to communicate
with its customers and also boosted the market share in the competitive market (Dawson, 2019).
Win together is also the marketing strategy that is considered by the Coles. In this the
emphasis is given on recognizing the team members feeling at the work and also to make the
customers proud so that they can truly win the large market share. Coles has emphasized on
building the great career with the growing talent and also by underpinning the leadership
behavior to offer the sustainable outcome over the long term (Coles, 2019).With the help of this
strategy the company has maintained the large market share and also boosts the positive image in
the mind of the customers which has resulted in the growth of the overall operations of the
business. In relation to this strategy the customer behavior towards the products and services of
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the company has been changed as they analyzed that Coles is offering the benefits that can help
in maintaining the overall activities of the company.
At the time of visiting the store, it has also been observed that customer service strategy
is also considered in which the emphasis is given on saving the time of the customers at the time
of billing. In relation to this strategy, the marketing concept which is considered by the company
is related to CSR. The management of Coles focused on corporate social responsibility by
believing that good things happen when good things are done. The company promoted the
products and services by having the main objective of delivering the quality products to the
customers. It has been stated by the company that the products offered by them has a good
quality that also plays a great role in satisfying the basic needs of the customers in the market
(Coles, 2019).
Coles also supports the different communities such as national community partners, local
community partners and health communities. These are the communities that are considered by
the company and with the help of these communities the company gives assistance to schools,
clubs and charity partners. These are the effective strategies that has given growth and also
helped in creating the positive image of the customers towards the products and services of the
company (Coles, 2019). CSR is the best strategy that is considered by Coles and also the
emphasis is on searching the new ways to secure the environment by investing in the essential
environmental projects and partnerships that minimize the environmental impact.
The company is emphasizing on minimizing the waste reduction and recycling is the
strategy which includes improving the efficiencies within the supply chain so that it could be
easy to recycle the waste ad also it will be beneficial for the sustainable packaging. To create
positive image in the market, the CSR marketing approach is used in which the customers of the
company can recycle the plastic bags and also the wide range of the plastic packaging. In this
program, the company provides recycling bins for the soft plastics to the company. The
consumer of the company can easily recycle the plastic bags and also soft plastic packaging that
are specially marked bins at the front of the stores (Coles, 2019).
At the time of visit to the Coles store, it has been observed that there are marked bins at
the front of the store that assist the customers to recycle the plastic bags. The customers have the
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choice to recycle the plastic bags into the new products that also includes the outdoor furniture.
The customers have the choice of recycling the bags such as shopping bags, bread bags, Biscuit
wrappers and cereal box liners. These are the bags that can be recycled by the customers and it
has provided the chance to the company to boost the image in the competitive market (Coles,
2019).This is one of the best marketing strategies that has created a positive image in the mind of
the customers and also created awareness about the new techniques and concepts considered for
the consumers. It has been examined that this strategy is also related with the marketing concept
CSR (Cameron, Sayers, Sacks & Thornton, 2015).
It can be concluded that the overall experience the time of visiting the Coles outlet is
positive and good. The marketing strategies considered by the company have helped in
accomplishing the set goals and objectives. It is analyzed that marketing concepts also
considered by the company such as promotion that relates with the digital market strategy. So, it
can be said that the company has the wide scope to attain growth in the highly competitive
business world.
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References
Cameron, A. J., Sayers, S. J., Sacks, G., & Thornton, L. E. (2015). Do the foods advertised in
Australian supermarket catalogues reflect national dietary guidelines?. Health promotion
international, 32(1), 113-121.
Coles. (2019).Coles in community .Retrieved from : https://www.coles.com.au/corporate-
responsibility/community
Coles. (2019).CSR.Retrieved from : https://www.coles.com.au/corporate-responsibility
Coles. (2019).Environment.Retrieved from :
https://www.coles.com.au/corporate-responsibility/sustainability/environment
Coles. (2019).Our Strategy. Retrieved from : https://www.colesgroup.com.au/about-us/?
page=our-strategy
Dawson, A. (2019). Coles names new PR agency. Retrieved from :
https://mumbrella.com.au/coles-names-new-pr-agency-425599
Goodman, M. K., & Sage, C. (2016). Transgressing Retail: Supermarkets, Liminoid Power and
the Metabolic Rift. In Food Transgressions (pp. 149-172). Routledge.
Mcllvaine,H. (2019). Digital key part of Coles’ growth strategy.Retrieved from :
https://insidefmcg.com.au/2018/10/09/digital-key-part-of-coles-growth-strategy/
Phillipov, M. (2017). Media, Supermarkets and the Strategic Manufacture of Consumer Trust.
In Media and Food Industries(pp. 155-192). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Sultan, P., Wong, H. Y., & Sigala, M. (2018). Segmenting the Australian organic food consumer
market. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 30(1), 163-181.
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