FY028 - Inquiry Based Learning: Retail Trends & M&S Strategies

This report examines current trends in the retail sector, focusing on Marks and Spencer (M&S). It identifies key trends such as digital marketing, e-commerce, omnichannel retail strategies, and personalized retail experiences, and analyzes how M&S utilizes these trends to enhance its business operations. The report highlights M&S's online and offline presence, its use of digital marketing and social media, and its efforts to provide personalized customer service and convenient payment options. Furthermore, the report provides recommendations for M&S, including improving payment security, forming strategic alliances with other brands, enhancing personalized shopping experiences, utilizing search engine optimization, and prioritizing customer satisfaction by introducing new features. The analysis concludes that by embracing these trends and implementing the recommendations, M&S can strengthen its market position and improve customer experience. Desklib provides access to similar reports and study resources for students.

FY028 INQUIRY BASED
LEARNING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Key trends in retail sector............................................................................................................3
Analysis of organisation..............................................................................................................5
Recommendations........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Current trends are defined as the policies that are adopted by companies usually in the
market. This project is based on the case study of the Marks and Spencer Company. The
organisation is established in the year 1884 by the founders Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer.
The headquarter of the company is located in London, United Kingdom. The organisation has
been involved in both the medium of trading such as online mode of trading and offline mode of
trading. This report will discuss about the various aspect associated with the company.
Henceforth, report will emphasis over key trends associated with the retail sector. Furthermore,
analysis will be done in respect to company. Necessary recommendations will also give in
context to the business venture.
MAIN BODY
Key trends in retail sector
Trends are the one that involve the features and aspect that will favour thee business
venture to channelise and deliver the business operations. There are various trends associated
with the retail sector which allow the entire industry to grow in the martlet. Digital marketing is
one of the major trend part of the retail sector. Especially the e-commerce is totally based on the
digital marketing or promotions entertain in the market. This will favour the organisation to
support the best form of growth and development in the retail sector. Digital marketing allow the
sector to emerge that will further allow the company to constantly interact with potential
customer in market. This trend is well suitable in respect to the organisation for enhancing the
overall growth and development of the business venture (Dekimpe, 2020). Digital marketing
involve promotions over various channels and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and
such other platforms. All these platforms allow the company to attract millions of active
customer that can potentially support the organisation to achieve business objectives. Marks and
Spencer Company is among the major brand associated with the retail sector as the company
hold the global presence. All this influence the business scale of the venture which further
empower the company to sustain and grow in the market. The role of the digital marketing is to
engage with the customer expectation and requirement to meet the business objective. This entire
concept of digital marketing is well supportive for the company to enhance and motivate all
different business areas.

The e-commerce is also a major trend associated with the retail market. Over the period
the sector become very competent due to the e-commerce sector of the market. Retail companies
like Marks and Spencer Company are involved over thee sector to support the overall growth
and development of the organisation as a whole. The rapid growth and development of the e-
commerce could allow the Marks and Spencer Company to enhance and boost the overall
growth rate of companies. This could favour the business entity to maximise the scale of
operation in process to attract wide range of target customer in the respective target market. This
trend could change the entire situation and positions of retail sector at a global level. Investment
in the omni channel retail startles is another precise trend part of the retail market. This strategy
could completely transform the whole sector to emerge and grow. Due to this policy the whole
sector get transformed that could further empower and motivate the customer to buy various
products offer by the Marks and Spencer Company. The company is also involve accessing the
new trend that is personalised retail experience (Ferreira and Ferreira, 2018). This is a unique
and new trend which favour the companies to enhance and maximise the growth and
development of the sector. Due to this practice the customer get to know all the key trends that
can match up with the fashions sense of the customer in market. The role of this tend is to
support the company for enhancing and maximising the overall growth and development
possibility of the business venture. Personalised retail allow the organisation to establish
relations with the new potential customers along with the existing customers of company. Digital
mobile wallet also offer by the Marks and Spencer Company to its customer. In this company
allocate the feature to customer for keeping the money or value in the mobile wallet. This could
further empower the organisation for engaging the changing need and demand of the target
customer in market. Creation of new channel is also a key trend associate with the retail sector
that could allow and favour the organisation for supporting the best form of growth and
development of the business houses.
Analysis of organisation
Marks and Spencer Company is operating its business across the globe. The organisation
is also involve din both the mediums online as well offline which create a huge growth and
development opportunities for the business venture. The role of the platform play is to support
the comp[any for enhancing the overall growth and development possibilities of the business
venture. Company own the website and also presence over various e-commerce platforms like

Amazon and many more. The impact of this is that company get to deliver to the majority of the
target customer based in the retail market. Further, the company own the stores at a global level
which also allow the business venture to attract to all such customers who are not into online
shopping (Filimonau and Gherbin, 2017). Hence, it can state as a fact that the organisation is
keen to engaged with all kinds of target customer that further empower the business venture to
maximise the business growth and development possibility's. The presence of the business
venture over both the platforms online and offline make it more feasible for the venture to
maximise the business growth and development.
Company also involve utilising all different trends such as omni channel retail strategies,
personalised retail experience, digital mobile wallet and such other trends. The marketing team
of the Marks and Spencer Company also aware using the digital marketing strategy to support
the growth and development of the business irrespective to the level of competition company
face. This is also indicated as a fact that the organisation presence in the digital mediums like
Facebook, Instagram and such other make it more feasible for the company to maximise the
growth and development possibility of the organisation (Fugiel, 2021). Social media and digital
marketing are utilising by the company very strategically as it is empowering the business to
allocate all its services in the best way possible. The personalised retail experience is among the
core feature that is used by the company. This involve company allocate a personalised
assistance from the expert to suggest the bets quality and brand of cloths to the customer in
market. This favour the organisation for enhancing and maximising the overall growth and
development possibilities of the business in the market (Habersang and et.al., 2019). This
technique could allow the company to enhance the customer base of the organisation and further
to allocate the best potential of customer profile. Sustaining the customer base is the cor
objective related to the business operation which can further execute by the company with the
use of this technique. Mobile wallet also empower the customer to keep money on the wallet and
use it anytime to explore the shopping. This ensure the organisation that customer will somehow
explore the value of shopping from the website of Marks and Spencer Company. This is a very
effective tactic that support the business for motivating the customer to shop from the company's
website.
Marks and Spencer Company has the policy to achieve the high level of customer
satisfaction. This approach of the organisation has guided the company to hold the strong

presence in the market irrespective to the level of competition company need top cater in the
market. The organisation follow the fast grievance policy where issue of customer can easily
resolved by the company. This practice has played a significant role in the overall growth and
development possibility of the business. Company also offer the easy and safe online payment
option which make the shopping experience of customer even more memorable (Makris, Hansen
and Khan, 2019). This is a good tactic as in case of online shopping the biggest concern
customer hold is regarding the safety of payment that is done. This technique allow the company
to ensure the safety aspect of the customer in respect to the payment. Company also run a skill
development campaign that work on the skill and potential of the employee to deliver the high
customer oriented services.
Recommendations
Marks and Spencer Company should work on its payment structure. The online shopping
is immensely based on the payment security and also the authenticity of the delivery. Company
should ensure that the customer must get the product that is ordered and also at the price that was
permissive. This is a very essential fact which support the customer for achieving the smooth
business approach. This will further improve the customer satisfaction for the company that
eventually will support the business for enhancing the business growth and development
possibilities. The role of this policy is to support the business to maximise the customer base
(Nandonde, 2019). The management of the Marks and Spencer Company must also formed the
strategic alliance with all other brands and companies that will further improve the shooing
experience of the target customer in market. The more brands will also improve the choices of
the customer that eventually favour the company to improve the overall level of customer
experience for the company.
This is important for the company to constantly build up strategic term with all different
brands associated with retail market so that more options can allocate to the customer in market.
This will further motivate the customer to sustain at Marks and Spencer Company. The role of
this is to maximise the level of customer satisfaction company hold in the respective target
market. The organisation should also improve its personalised shopping experience that is
delegated to the customer. The company can appoint to more experience professional who can
easily identify the choices and preferences of the customer that will further support the company
to allocate better services to its customer. This is a necessary improvement that may support the

company for enhancing the growth and development by taking competitive advantage in the
retail sector (Narasimhan, 2020). Company should also utilise more search engine optimisation
to improve the brand image. This is a very effective strateg7 which can support the organisation
for supporting the better growth and development opportunities in respective target market.
Search engine will strategically allow the company to cherish the brand image and also to attract
to more number of customers.
This is also recommended that the organisation may hold more analytical tools to assess
the improvement made in results generated out of business operations entertain by company. The
analytical tools like pay per click and many more which will favour the business top enhance the
growth and development need of company (Nyame-Asiamah and Ghulam, 2019). This strategy
is very effective for the company in respect to maximise the growth and development of the
company. Henceforth, it can state as a fact that the business venture would get competitive
advantage by using this practice. Marks and Spencer Company must prioritise to the customer
satisfaction level by introducing new features constantly that can make the shopping experience
unique and more prominent. This will allow the company to easily attract to more number of
customer and also to improve the brand image in respective target market.
CONCLUSION
Marks and Spencer Company can get access to all the key trend associated with the retail
sector. The personalised shopping experience, mobile wallet and many more services that can
favour the company to improve the level of customer experience. These practice will also favour
the customer for taking competitive advantage under the respective target market.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Dekimpe, M. G., 2020. Retailing and retailing research in the age of big data
analytics. International Journal of Research in Marketing. 37(1). pp.3-14.
Ferreira, J. and Ferreira, C., 2018. Challenges and opportunities of new retail horizons in
emerging markets: The case of a rising coffee culture in China. Business
Horizons. 61(5). pp.783-796.
Filimonau, V. and Gherbin, A., 2017. An exploratory study of food waste management practices
in the UK grocery retail sector. Journal of Cleaner Production. 167. pp.1184-1194.
Fugiel, P. J., 2021. Risk Governance and Precarity in the Scheduling Process: Three Studies of
the US Labor Market and Retail Sector (Doctoral dissertation, The University of
Chicago).
Habersang, S. and et.al., 2019. A process perspective on organizational failure: a qualitative
meta‐analysis. Journal of Management Studies. 56(1). pp.19-56.
Makris, D., Hansen, Z. N. L. and Khan, O., 2019, April. Adapting to supply chain 4.0: an
explorative study of multinational companies. In Supply Chain Forum: An International
Journal (Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 116-131). Taylor & Francis.
Nandonde, F. A., 2019. A PESTLE analysis of international retailing in the East African
Community. Global Business and Organizational Excellence. 38(4). pp.54-61.
Narasimhan, A., 2020. Corruption, leader narcissism and the dynamics of board governance: The
case of Marks & Spencer, 1999–2000. In Dynamics at Boardroom Level (pp. 171-176).
Routledge.
Nyame-Asiamah, F. and Ghulam, S., 2019. The relationship between CSR activity and sales
growth in the UK retailing sector. Social Responsibility Journal.