Analyzing Customer Experience and Market Position of Mark and Spencer

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the customer experience at Mark & Spencer (M&S), a leading UK retailer. It begins with an introduction to the concept of Customer Experience (CX) and its importance in the retail sector. The report then delves into M&S's market position, highlighting its specialization in apparel, food, and home goods, along with its global presence and financial services. It identifies M&S's key consumers, primarily women and men aged 33-55, and discusses the application of the Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP) model to understand and cater to its target demographics. Furthermore, the report examines customer attitudes towards M&S, emphasizing the importance of quality and service, and how M&S aims to enhance customer satisfaction through various initiatives like discount programs. It also analyzes M&S's statements regarding customer service, organizational culture, and the beliefs that underpin them. The report concludes with a brief audit of consumer interactions and offers recommendations to improve the overall customer experience at M&S.

Customer Experience
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
TASKS.............................................................................................................................................2
About Mark & Spencer and its market position.....................................................................2
Key consumers of Mark and Spencer by frequency of use and by demographic..................3
Attitudes of organization customers.......................................................................................4
Statement that can be utilized to determine what M&S says about customer services and
organizational culture and beliefs underpins these statements...............................................5
Audit of all manifestation of consumers of M&S has been carried out.................................6
Set of suitable recommendations to improve aspects of consumers experience for M&S....7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Consumer experience is also known as CX, it is buyer’s holistic perception of their
experience with specific brand or company. Everything a brand can do to influence their buyer’s
perception and decision making to keep coming back or not, is the key to success. The current
assignment will be based on Mark and Spencer, who falls under list of leading clothing brands in
the UK. This study will explain some specific information about chosen brand and its market
position. It will justify who are the key buyers of M&S by demographics and frequency.
Furthermore, this report will determine relevant attitudes of target market that can be
used to define their attitudes to firm and to consumer services in general. It will clearly set out
statement that can utilized to identify what M&S says about customers services and what
organizational culture as well as beliefs underpins these statements. Moreover, this assignment
will clarify appropriate suggestions to enhance aspects of buyer experience for Mark & Spencer.
TASKS
About Mark & Spencer and its market position
M&S is a well known British international retailer brand that specialises in selling home
products, apparel, food and home goods (Scott and Walker, 2017). Organization is a leading
retailer bringing quality, home ware and clothing to millions of consumers around the world.
Their food items are known among buyer for its quality, innovation credentials and freshness.
This brand has more than 1,400 outlets across 57 nations and over 50 global websites. Along
with range of products, company also provide variety of financial services including credit cards,
savings & current accounts, mortgage and insurance. M&S engages in retail of food and other
products, they operate through UK and international geographical segment. United Kingdom
segment includes of nation retail venture and franchise operations. While it’s global segment
consist Mark and Spencer owned ventures in Asia and Europe, and the international franchise
operations. They manufacture items for women’s, men’s and children (Ritch and McColl, 2019).
M&S was founded by Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks on 1884, September in
London, UK. This brand is loved by millions of consumers across the whole world because they
sell better and high quality fashion items to people. The main objective of this brand is to create
a much more competitive localize version of Mark and Spencer in those chosen markets where
organization can attain a sustainable market share. Firm aim to build scalable and sustainable
venture globally, they continue to localize their ranges for market. It included an important
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increase to around 15 percent of locally designed apparel range including in its growing Indian
joint venture procedure, which now has 77 outlets. Mark and Spencer is the second biggest
apparel retailer by volume in England (Chow and Li, 2018). They operate and manage its largest
outlet at Marble Arch, on Oxford Street in London, which has around 170,000 sq ft of shop floor.
The second biggest is in Cheshire Oaks, which is the largest outside home town.
M&S has positioned its business as a premium brand in supermarket retail industry. As
buyers are willing to pay a premium price for brand so they have set costs higher because of this
premium organization perception in minds of consumers. It can be said that, organization by
maintain their brand image in market, effectively operates 959 outlets across UK including 615
that only sell grocery items and through television advertising, asserts exclusive luxury and
nature of items and beverage.
Key consumers of Mark and Spencer by frequency of use and by demographic
Customers play a most essential role in driving sales of M&S they are ones that indirectly
or directly affect profitability of firm (Zhang and et.al., 2019). Buyer is an individual who pays
some amount of money for thing needed to consume services and items. Without targeting
potential consumers, organization is not able to produce and sell their products. Mark and
Spencer also target specific group of buyer. Their core consumers are target under 33 to 55 year
women and men. Firm always identify these range people what are their gender and age before
designing apparels. Brand has analysed their consumer base and found that 54 percent buyer are
over age 50, they has also classified them into three different groups; occasional, core & top. It
can be said that men’s and women’s are the key consumers of M&S brand by frequency of
utilize. Organization perfectly designed their clothes in simple and basic manner for target
buyers and production department include plain, white shirts, jeans and black roll neck sweaters.
Mark and Spencer in order to target specific group of buyers can use Segmentation,
targeting and positioning model (STP), which is quite beneficial for them in term of targeting
potential customers easily (Schlegelmilch, 2016). This concept is central part in marketing that is
absolutely key to serving people successfully. It refers to following activities that are;
Segmentation-
This model starts with dividing up market, which is known as market segmentation. It
refer to division of areas where Morrison want to serve, it can be divided into distinct and
identifiable segments. Demographic, behavioural, geographic and psychographic variables are
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different types of segmentations criteria. Mark and Spencer can use demographic segmentation
to sell their products and services.
Targeting-
Second part of above model is targeting, it refer to identifying which, when any of
segments uncovered must be targeted and made concentrate of a comprehensive marketing
systems. Mark and Spencer can target their buyer by using demographic segmentation like men
and women above 50 years. They can use distinct, accessible, measurable and profitable
approach to targeting.
Positioning-
The last and most important part of STP concept if positioning that means to assure that
Mark and Spencer right spot in mind of target customers. This element means by which services
or products can be differentiated from one another and thereby given buyers a reason to
purchase. Organization can choose the best digital marketing platform to position itself within
market place where target consumers are accessible.
Attitudes of organization customers
In all customers attitude are enduring assessments they make in context of service,
product or brand, based on personal experiences. Buyer’s attitudes towards Mark and Spencer
are composed of feelings, actions and beliefs. It can be defined as a feeling of unfavourableness
and favourableness that a person has towards specific things such as Clothes and other things
offered by M&S. It can be said that customers above 50 has positive attitude towards chosen
brand, they thing that organization provide quality products to people without making any
compromise, which is actually very important for Mark and Spencer in term of building their
strong brand image at all around the work (Bian and Veloutsou, 2017). It analysed that attitude
and expectations of people are always changing according to situation and they except firm to
comprehend automatically what they like & dislike, what they want and need.
M&S plan for and provide offers that are relevant to its buyer which make management
able to retain their potential customers for longer and gain attention of new ones. Company to
make its buyer attitude positive towards them offer discount card that mean people like to
purchase their products. Their new scheme will incentivise people to bring their own reusable
containers to firm market place by offering 25p discount off each food item. They hopes
discount, which will be in impact from recent time, will boost a change in consumers attitude and
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reduce utilize of disposable products on high street. The target market of M&S prefers to
purchase quality products and seek to buy soft material manufacture without using chemical to
colour. Their attitude in context of M&S is really amazing, they believe that firm produce each
item without mixing harsh chemical that affect skin.
There are many people who give their reviews and share point of view regarding
consumer’s services of M&S. They tell that he or she actually have no complaints about services,
items and delivery because it is all been quite good. Organization to solve queries of buyers and
response in context of people issues provide contact number of their customer service
department where skilled and knowledgeable applicants serves their best. All these things will
help to enhance experience of individual and change ways people think about M&S.
Statement that can be utilized to determine what M&S says about customer services and
organizational culture and beliefs underpins these statements
Mark and Spencer is very famous brand in all over the world, people seek to purchase its
products and ready to pay for these because of quality. After and before purchasing any item
people like to know more about brand for which they directly contact with consumer service
team where buyer get all information in which they are interested (Jones and Comfort, 2020).
M&S management says that before offering any service or item, workers need to comprehend
their buyer to cater them with a relevant offering in which people are interested in. Organization
always effort to enhance level of their consumer services by solving queries of buyer and hiring
skilled workers who are capable to do that. Its statement puts it concisely and beautifully, they
said that workers are lifeblood of their business and they can be differences in converting
football into consumers. Company can improve standards and offer excellent service by
investing in more applicants in its stores.
In order to enhance and improve customer services organization developing strategy, they
decide to invest in store staffing, which is quite useful and beneficial in term of increasing
consumer base and profitability even better. This statement clearly underpins beliefs of M&S
management in context of their buyers. They want to satisfy their consumers and seek to enhance
their shopping experience even better.
Organizational culture is collection of expectations, practices and values that guide and
effectively inform actions of all group members in Mark and Spencer. Handy’s four culture
model defines different types of cultures such as role, power, task and person that organization
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can use. It can be said that kind of culture brand use is consumer driven culture. It is where
everywhere in firm make a real attempt to improve customer’s services, employing right worker,
market research and training. Under this culture, manger is trying to update their systems and
technologies which make them able to improve services level even better. They also have a
positive culture where applicants and employees communicate well. With consumer driven
culture, M&S grow rather than its competitors, it is one in which worker in firm interact with
non consumers and their existing buyers in a way that shows M&S care either by solving people
issue or by referring non-buyer to other firms that can meet their needs effectively.
Audit of all manifestation of consumers of M&S has been carried out
Mark and Spencer is one of the United Kingdom leading retailers of food, home and
clothing products. It can be said that over 15.8 Million shoppers visit their 500 outlets in country
each week, where workers welcome all the people. They provide range of options in front of
individual customer who wish to buy quality product with better pricing structure that only M&S
can offer. Organization to satisfy their buyers conducts market research that helps to identify
current market trends and people needs. They now more focused on what matters most to
customers in specially women’s wear and service as chairman looks to turn around 12
consecutive quarters of sales declines in their general merchandise, which include home ware
and apparel. Company says that their business is undergoing a big change to become more
consumer focused than ever before, as management looks to deliver long term sales progress
following a time of heavy investment.
Firm concentrate on product innovation which makes them able to improve and increase
consumers experience and attitude towards M&S. They also focus on specialness in their food
venture that continues to outperform target market. Organization is now global leader in healthy
food as they provide healthy food items to people according to their choice and preferences.
Consumer focused is a just not a simple word for M&S, what is means is that firm want to be in
touch or contact, close to each customer and listen to what they are saying consumer service
department online via social media sites and websites as well as in store. Central to tactic plan is
that M&S need to comprehend and engage more closely with buyers. They try to make people
part of its business and give them change to share their attitudes and perceptions about brand. As
a member, people are more than a buyer and they will get most from firm with tailor made
attempts, priority access & invites to greater events.
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Set of suitable recommendations to improve aspects of consumers experience for M&S
Every brand within clothing industry attempt to gain attention of new buyers and retain
existing one, as they are using different approaches and methods. Mark and Spencer also work
harder to do same thing. Its management can consider and implement possible suggestions that
can maximize customer base.
 Loyalty reward schemes are the best and excellent approach Mark and Spencer should
use to gain attention of new people and also gather data that assures firm make right
offering to each customer. Benefit of utilizing data that firm can gather from consumer’s
interactions is that M&S service to people can be improved and personalized. It helps to
predict what people will ask for further and tailor communication approaches to each
person’s preference (Budianto, 2019).
 It can be said that to improve consumers experience in effective and ethical manner,
Mark and Spencer must do with Omnichannel. Instead of using a multi channel method,
firm should go omnichannel that permit people to interact and direct communicate with
consumer service department after sales and be serviced via any source. It reduces
disjointed programme and connections silos between different functional and operational
units of M&S.
 To know buyer and their preferences better, M&S must arrange an event where workers
directly communicate with people who are interested to purchase firm products. It is one
of the most effective ways which in return provide several benefits to M&S in term of
increasing experience of people while shopping at Mark and Spencer own store.
CONCLUSION
From above analysis, it has been concluded that M&S to retaining their potential buyers
and driving new towards purchasing using many approaches and techniques that are beneficial
for them. By making changes according to above suggestions they enhance consumers
experience and services level effectively. Furthermore, it has been summarized that by using
demographic segmentation workers successfully targeting their buyers that are men and specially
women above 50, who are highly interested to buy M&S items or clothes.
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REFERENCES
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Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Budianto, A., 2019. Customer loyalty: quality of service. Journal of Management Review, 3(1),
pp.299-305.
Chow, P.S. and Li, C.K., 2018. Towards Closed-Loop Fashion Supply Chains—Reflections from
Retailer-Facilitated Used Apparel Collection Programs. In Contemporary Case Studies
on Fashion Production, Marketing and Operations (pp. 219-239). Springer, Singapore.
Jones, P. and Comfort, D., 2020. Customer Engagement: Storytelling and the UK's Leading
Retailers. In Handbook of Research on Contemporary Consumerism (pp. 57-71). IGI
Global.
Ritch, E. and McColl, J., 2019. Are you being served?: Exploring consumer perspectives of retail
brand integrity and Brand Purpose. In Academy of Marketing Science.
Schlegelmilch, B.B., 2016. Segmenting targeting and positioning in global markets. In Global
marketing strategy (pp. 63-82). Springer, Cham.
Scott, P. and Walker, J.T., 2017. Barriers to ‘industrialisation’for interwar British retailing? The
case of Marks & Spencer Ltd. Business History. 59(2). pp.179-201.
Zhang, L and et.al., 2019. Modeling and simulation in intelligent manufacturing. Computers in
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