Richmond University: Strategic Digital Marketing Plan for Halfords

This report presents a strategic digital marketing plan for Halfords, a UK-based retail company, addressing the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19 on the retail sector. It includes an overview of the company, organizational structure, and resource requirements. The report conducts an environmental analysis, including a PESTLE analysis to assess political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors affecting the business. It outlines corporate and marketing objectives, marketing strategy selection, and an STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) analysis, considering global expansion. The report also assesses the 7Ps of marketing and discusses implementation, control, and evaluation strategies. The analysis aims to provide a comprehensive marketing plan to help Halfords navigate current challenges and achieve future growth, with detailed references supporting the analysis.

Digital Marketing
Planning

Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................3
Main Body....................................................................................................3
Impact of Brexit and COVID 19....................................................................3
Impact of Brexit........................................................................................3
Impact of COVID 19..................................................................................4
Organisational structure and resources required........................................4
Organisational structure...........................................................................4
Resources required..................................................................................4
Environmental Analysis............................................................................5
Importance of environmental analysis.....................................................5
PESTLE Analysis.......................................................................................6
Corporate and marketing objectives of the organisation............................7
Corporate objectives................................................................................7
Marketing objectives................................................................................8
Marketing strategy selection....................................................................8
STP analysis including implication and potential expansion globally..........9
Assessment of the 7P’s...............................................................................9
Implementing, control and evaluation.......................................................10
Conclusion.................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................12

Introduction
Strategic marketing planning describes the process where multiple
techniques are developed to achieve corporate marketing goals
efficiently. It comprises setting targets, preparing products, assessing
internal and external conditions and continuously monitoring the company
techniques to ensure better results in a predetermined time frame.
Halfords, a well-known supermarket business organisation with about
7,000 departmental stores worldwide, was taken into account in the
present study (Akpan and et. al., 2020). This was begun in 1892 and
supplies automobile components and a number of tourism goods. The
article covers effects for the UK retail sector through Brexit and COVID 19.
In addition, the study has also covered operational structure, tools and
comprehensive environmental analysis. It also comprises PESTLE
research, corporate and organisational marketing techniques. In addition,
the article also covered STP and 7 P marketing. In order to achieve future
growth and success, strategic marketing strategy is often crucial in
developing successful strategies (Alonso and et. al., 2021).
Impact of Brexit and COVID 19
Throughout terms of job creation, revenue and overall growth of the
region, the UK retail industry would make a major contribution to
economic development. In the UK retail sector there are about 2.9 million
employees. Moreover, several big supermarket players gain the bulk of
the retail market. Brexit and COVID 19 have had a significant effect here
on the domestic retail sector (Beh and Lin, 2021).
Impact of Brexit
Negative impact
Ties between the United Kingdom and Europe was broken after
Brexit. Importers were affected because the changes in their customs,
laws and regulations are now not permitted to buy products. The decline
in number of buyers has had an adverse effect on the profitability of
retailers. Halfords will indeed be impacted by Brexit as EU staff members
who are skilled and capable are not currently eligible to work.

Positive impact
Brexit was analysed as imposing many import and export controls in
the EU and the United Kingdom. The local producers and manufacturers
were influenced positively as now the people are giving priority to
domestic products. As a result, profits of local supermarkets have begun
to increase, a signal that is positive for UK retail.
Impact of COVID 19
Negative impact
The entire word is currently faced with the biggest problem, COVID
19. The supply chain was affected and the revenue and profit margin of
the firms were greatly adverse. It is reported that businesses that deal
with basics are not expected to have a big impact, but the current
pandemic is likely to have significant negative impacts on other firms
working in mode and other sectors. The respective company face staffing,
the delivery of goods to consumers and more in the field of Halfords
(Burlea-Schiopoiu and et. al., 2021).
Positive impact
The latest pandemic has changed the way consumers purchase
patterns. The retail sector has moved to a more online mode, where the
majority of functions are performed through online techniques from
ordering to delivery. The retail sector also monitors revenue and
profitability increases. They reported an immediate boost in the online
sale during pandemic with regard to Halfords.
Organisational structure and resources required
Organisational structure
This corresponds to the hierarchy that company follows so that
coordination with various people can be maintained at work. The
corporate structure therefore specifies the tasks and duties of the various
people who work in the company. For this reason certain organisational
constructs such as the hierarchical structure of the organisation,
hierarchy, divisional organisational structure and more are included. With

regard to Halfords the position and duties with each and every person are
specified in a hierarchical organisational framework. Reports are
specifically identified in this context to eliminate uncertainty and
misunderstanding in the workplace. All decisions are made in the
organisation by senior management and are then communicated to those
who work in the organisation (Colbourn and et. al., 2020).
Resources required
In industry, several services are needed to function in a meaningful
way. The most important services used by Halfords are as follows:
Staff: HR function are a key component of an enterprise that cannot
run without. It is said that a company's prosperity rests with its
employees. Top-level administrators develop policies and plans but
execute them and team members obey. They employ qualified persons for
commercial purposes within a fixed amount of time, with regards to
Halfords.
Finance: Funds for any business operation are needed. Without the
fund, company operations cannot be performed. There are many sources
of funding, including bank loans, bonds, leverage and more. There are
more. They use capital, borrowing and other resources to obtain sufficient
funding in relation to Halfords (Dayour and et. al., 2020).
Environmental Analysis
Environmental analysis is described by the sales director as one of
the key strategic instruments used to specifically assess the different
internal and external environmental factors that influence the functioning
of the enterprise. It allows enterprise to consider the extent of incentives
and the threats to which the corporate entity is free to take corrective
decisions. A variety of internal and external factors are available in the
market that are beyond the control of the company and can affect the
operation of the company so it is important for the company to analyse
these factors and the extent of opportunities and threats to develop
appropriate strategies (De Vito and et. al., 2020).

Importance of environmental analysis
In the performance and loss of the company the environmental
review plays an important role. Any of the main environmental
considerations in the Halfords sense are as follows:
 Environmental research allows them to collect the knowledge
needed to provide products and services in accordance with the
patterns and activities on the industry.
 Proper environmental analysis allows companies to prepare for
transition and to cope with it effectively.
 The environmental review also helps enterprises to consider their
power, vulnerability and required measures to address their
available vulnerabilities.
 It helps companies also examine their chances and threats.
 Examination of the amount of rivalry available allows enterprises to
achieve sustainable benefits in the industry.
In the growth and advancement of the enterprise the environmental
analysis is very vital. It allows businesses to analyse their internal and
external market, so that the required plan can be formulated efficiently
to cope with the transition. In strategic marketing strategy it is very
important. Successful environmental analysis can allow the selected
organisation to consider the business changes and to effectively
formulate policy, and different techniques are available for
environmental analysis. PESTEL research is considered in order to
analyse how Brexit and pandemics impact Halfords.
PESTLE Analysis
Political factors: This covers existing laws, policies, regulations and
guidelines that have major implications on an organization's activities in
the current government. The retail sector in the UK is analysed for being
heavily influenced by the country's present political climate. Because of
Brexit and COVID-19, several big reforms have been made and current
laws have been implemented that have led to changes in the current
organisational activities. Due to the constant pantomime, many social

distance standards have been drafted that would have a direct impact on
the retail sector. In the framework of Halfords, administrators are obliged
to analyse developments that are taking place within the political climate
of the region.
Economic factors: Variables like aggregate revenue, production,
supplies, costs and more like this are involved. The UK economy is now hit
by a pandemic. The job opportunities were limited when the supply chain
was interrupted in the retail sector. Brexit also has a detrimental effect on
procurement of employees and other materials that have negatively
affected the retail production process. In Halfords, the chains of demand
and supply have been broken due to change in economic conditions as a
result of COVID 19. Also in key areas such as vehicle components, the
company booked increases in pandemic internet revenue.
Social factors: It has to do with attitude, purchasing behaviour,
consumer preferences. In this respect, consumers play an important role
in the industry and may affect consumer trends. Brexit has significantly
impacted consumer buying ability. They are now starting to offer
household goods more priority, which is positive for UK retail. In Halfords,
increased sales were reported in times of a pandemic due to changes in
consumers' purchasing patterns and behaviours. However, owing to the
shortage of workers, the equilibrium between demand and supply was
difficult to manage effectively.
Technological factors: New technologies is now seen as an
important business component. So advanced strategies and tools are
necessary for firms to use in the best possible manner to manage
business operations. In COVID 19, technology is becoming critical, and it is
the only way for an individual to satisfy his or her needs. The retail sector
is therefore adjusting the way they operate before. Mostly in Halfords
background, technology since the pandemic has been increasingly
focused. Most commercial operations are performed using technologies
from receipt of an order to supply products and services. On the other

hand, they must also spend a lot to make sure the technology functions
smoothly between businesses (Filimonau, 2021).
Legal factors: It has several laws that corporate entities must obey
in a substantial fashion. It has been reported that Brexit made multiple
amendments to current retail industry legislation, rules and regulations in
the UK. Furthermore, COVID 19 led market habits to adapt through the
establishment of social dissociations, sanitation and more standards. They
observed a decrease in physical purchasing owing to a pandemic in
comparison to Halfords. The consumers are not able to enter the shops
because of a pandemic shutdown was enforced. So, the company must
make amendments in its internal policies in accordance with government
requirements for successful corporate operations.
Environmental factors: At current, environmental protection is
critical for industries. Today, the pandemic is hugely challenging in the
entire world. Organizations are also expected to follow environmentally
sustainable policies by recycling and re-use materials in a safe
atmosphere. With respect to a chosen corporation, environmentally
sustainable corporate practises are needed, which would also help to
develop a good image in the market place of the enterprise.
Corporate and marketing objectives of the organisation
Strategic goals are an integral aspect of a company and may be
short-term or long-term, helping companies to meet the general strategic
goals of the company. Targets are a clear direction that enables
businesses to understand their operations. It is the organization's
fundamental duty to strive against targets and goals, and help improve
the organization's overall efficiency. Through Halfords' perspective, the
company's aims are very important in order to gain a key market share.
For the successful execution, both the company's marketing and
corporate goals need to be concentrated on the enterprise and the
consumer. The business and marketing goals in Halford's sense are as
follows:

Corporate objectives
Company priorities are the form of goals that are often adopted by the
upper management for the organisation as a whole, they offer a clear
explanation of the more concrete goals required for different business
functional operations. For Halfords, the organisational goals are:
 The corporation's principal goal after locking is to increase
employee morale.
 To provide the staff with necessary preparation to learn and
embrace the latest changes and successfully perform the
appropriate tasks.
 Develop the enterprise in emerging market areas to gain an
additional client base.
Marketing objectives
Marketing goals are the kind of priorities to identify the brand, to
identify the marketing objectives, to establish specific paths for the
successful implementation of the marketing goals. Here are some of the
marketing goals to be pursued by Haldords's marketing team:
 To recover the leadership in the retail sector.
 Aim at raising the share of the market to 50%.
 To raise goods and services visibility in order to increase sales.
 To restore competition by rising profit and sales after lockout.
Marketing strategy selection
The choosing of marketing strategies is an integral component of the
marketing preparation. In order to ensure business success and product
creation an organisation should take the correct choice. The Halfords
should take the following into account in order to pick the right business
strategy Ansoff's model of growth:
Ansoff Matrix: This is among the most important marketing tools used
by the company to analyse and pick its most important development
strategies. It comprises primarily the following four strategies:

Market penetration: The aim of this approach is to increase the selling
of existing goods to an existing market, to reduce the price of the
commodity or use a variety of marketing methods.
Product development: Again next approach is product growth, which aims
to maximise sales by introducing new goods or services on an established
market, principally through the introduction of differentiated or exclusive
products in the existing market, with a view to growing our consumer
base (Gribble and et. al., 2020).
Market development: The other approach is the business expansion,
whereby the organisation, mostly with the intention of increasing its size,
focuses on penetrating a new market with their current products and
services.
Diversification: The very last approach is diversification, which is why
the company is focused on penetrating a growing industry with the
introduction of a new product.
In above discussions it can be inferred that given company can choose
a market penetration Strategy to enhance its sales and efficiency by
reducing the price of the goods or increasing their advertising operations,
in order to schedule and select the Strategy and recover competition after
market quarantine.
STP analysis including implication and potential
expansion globally
STP analysis: The STP research is for segmentation, targeting,
placement. It is an invaluable tool that allows companies research their
products and services to allow them to understand how their products and
services are made aware of these services in order to develop a certain
role in the consumer's minds. The following is discussed in connection
with given corporate the STP analysis:
Segmentation: The market segmentation is among the main strategies
that can take a company to success or failure. The marketing strategy
requires to contain all the necessary marketing segments, such as mass,

local or personal, to increase sales efficiently. This tactic has to be taken
into account by the organization for successful and workable strategic
marketing planing after the Tesco lockout. Buying preferences must be
considered before segmentation by studying customer behaviour, taste
and desire (Kaseda and Levine, 2020).
Targeting: The next approach is aimed at the commercial viability, but
the promoting community still ultimately determines when the future
target demographic for improving the results must be fully understood
prior to market preparation. In case the company selected is re-analysing
its target market for further progress and expansion since this COVID
pandemic.
Positioning: The role of the brand is another tactic that has to be taken
into account for strategic marketing plans in order to reclaim a spot within
the minds of customers. The goods must efficiently fulfil the demands of
the customers. The future target group should be informed by creative
methods.
The Halfords were one of the well-known bands with their worldwide
distribution outlets. Given the current COVID 19 scenario and Brexit, the
company's global development would have a multinational impact
because of the lockdown, to successfully prepare its marketing campaign
to carry out its worldwide expansion venture (Nassif and et. al., 2020).
Assessment of the 7P’s
Product: The product of the company includes car parts and other
related equipment. The product development in the given firm is taken
the most care of and is delivered to company’s customers by taking into
considerations several effective techniques.
Price: The price policy adopted by the preferred company is cost
leadership, which enables the company to sell its goods to the consumer
at a comparatively cheap price. The present pandemic situation requires
the viability of each company to retain its cheap management strategy in
order to recover their competitiveness.

Place: As both the company is primarily using the online and offline
distribution networks, the COVID 19 and the lockdown situation have
mostly affected the offline distribution channel, as the company must rely
on its online distribution channel to enhance its profitability in this current
situation.
Promotion: Promotion strategies help make consumers aware of the
products and services. Since Brexit and COVID 19 had a significant impact
on the company's advertising activities due to shutdown corporation, they
use various types of promotional tools, such as television and
newspapers, the social media marketing in order to communicate the
products and services to their potential clients. With the increased usage
of digital technology companies, they will concentrate on promoting their
goods and services through different social media platforms.
Process: Halfords defines the procedure as a set of activities carried
out by the organisation to accomplish such goals, so that it can be
understood easily by the consumer. This pandemic that brought
operational working of business in loackdown procedures after the offline
operation are becoming complicated, though, allowing the firm to
concentrate on the provision of internet resources and to rely on its click
and service scheme.
People: Workplace with more than 500, 000 employees, a huge number
of customer assistants are still continuously working for the success of the
firm. However, as viewed by the COVID 19 and the lock-down period,
companies are obliged to reduce their employees who have had a large
impact on the employability of the company.
Physical Evidence: The final phase is the physical proof, with the tangible
picture of the firm producing physical proof, the selected business has a
clear brand image, an appealing logo and the efficient physical proof.
After lockdown companies will concentrate on enticing customers via their
online websites to strengthen their physical evidence (Nissen, 2020).

Implementing, control and evaluation
Implementation is characterized as the critical phase of
implementing stuff after the competition is analysed and assessed in
detail, the company needs to execute the action plan. Halfords requires
the managers to create the strategic marketing plan for efficient results,
just after strategy marketing plan has been carried out for growth and
development but also for regaining a share of the market since analysing
the market, the firm will put the necessary measures in the provision of
organizational implementation of the policy plan. Efficient measure and
monitoring of the plan are the next step, challenges are taken into
account and managed successfully, the plan is reviewed after the checks
are carried out, and any departure from the plan has to be effectively
addressed for its successful execution by the organisation (Philip and et.
al., 2021).
Conclusion
From the analysis mentioned above, it can be learned that effective
marketing strategy is extremely important for corporate growth, allows
the company to develop necessary plans to achieve those goals and
targets and helps businesses to increase overall efficiency and
successfully improve profitability and productivity. This study describes in
depth the effect on retail business of the COVID 19 and Brexit and the
feasible strategic marketing strategy necessary after the lockout. It also
covers numerous areas such as environmental research, corporate and
marketing targets, marketing campaign selection, marketing
segmentation, targeting, and positioning. In addition, the assessment of
the 7P thus effectively highlights its application, monitoring and review.

References
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