Developing an Integrated Marketing Plan for M&S Ecommerce

This report presents a comprehensive marketing plan for Marks & Spencer (M&S), focusing on its expansion into the e-commerce platform, particularly for its food segment. The report begins with a macro-environmental analysis from an e-commerce perspective, examining factors influencing M&S's online strategy, including the use of social media marketing and TV advertising. The core of the report centers on the development of an integrated marketing plan using the SOSTAC model. This includes a situational analysis using PESTLE analysis to understand the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. The report outlines the marketing objectives, strategies, and tactics, including product, price, place, and promotion strategies, with a focus on discount pricing, eco-friendly packaging, and integrated marketing channels. The implementation section discusses the execution of the plan, including website design, promotional activities, and supplier network arrangements. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of control and evaluation mechanisms to ensure smooth operations and customer satisfaction. The report suggests that the integrated marketing approach will cover all media channels to generate maximum awareness and successfully enter the e-commerce platform.

Marketing Plan based
on Assignment
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CONTENTS
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
A)Macro environment analysis from an Ecommerce perspective...............................................3
B) Marketing Planning Tool for developing an integrated marketing plan of M&S..................4
C) Implementation of integrated plan..........................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Marketing plans is comprehensively said to be as the blue print or outline for the whole
marketing team which supports them in developing effective marketing strategy for the future.
Development of marketing plan for businesses is highly important as it supports them in
accomplishing their business objective with the effective sales and profitability. The present
report is based on Marks and Spencer, a large scale fashion manufacturer and retailer of UK. The
company is also dealing in food sector and now planning to establish their business at E
commerce platform in order to enhance their business performance and maximise profitability by
simply approaching more number of customers (Mapheto, Oni and Matiza, 2014). This report
will include detailed information on macro environment analysis with e commerce perspective
and its influence on marketing planning. Further effective marketing plan would be developed
for the same concept and lastly marketing mix will be developed for the effective
implementation of integrated marketing plan.
MAIN BODY
A)Macro environment analysis from an Ecommerce perspective
Macro environmental analysis is refers to the evaluation of those factors that are present in
external environmental of an organisation but have its immediate impact over the operations of
an organisation. The Marks & Spencer is required to analysis the positive and negative about the
macro environment in term of E-commerce while making marketing plan so that it operates
accordingly. On the basis of overall analysis made by the manager of the company it has been
analysed that the respective company is required to make use of social media marketing, TV
advertisement etc, in order to influence interest of its potential customers towards them so that
they can maximise their sales performance at e commerce medium . (Alsaad and et. al., 2018).
Here, it can be said that the usage of social marketing would performed with the use of
social media campaigns that will help the company in attracting bulk customers on social pages.
Along with this, the usage of marketing campaign will not help them out in attracting the
customer who are already attached with the Marks & Spencer but also they will be able to
approach new customers towards them in rightful manner. In addition to this, adoption of TV
advertisement would allow them to approach massive audience that would ultimately provide
them support in influencing their sales performance in rapid manner.
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Apart from this, it can later said that usage of external marketing analysis is supportive
for the Marks & Spencer as it helps its top management team in making rightful strategies
towards their new business enhancement plan that is approaching e commerce platform for
attracting more number of customers and maximising their sales performance as well as
profitability with it. This would also support the same company in developing strong global
presence which would directly contribute in gaining competitive edge in lucrative form.
B) Marketing Planning Tool for developing an integrated marketing plan of M&S
Marks and Spencer is a multinational retailer that perform its operations throughout the
world by establishing its presence using both medium such as mortar and brick channel and
online channel. The M&S operates its online channel to offer its clothing products but now it is
planning to launch its food segment online by adopting ecommerce channel. For this it is
launching its 12 year old marketing campaign of food. Hence for implementing this integrated
marketing plan the SOSTAC model is used that help in managing the plan effectively while
dealing with market requirement.
Situational analysis:
Before entering into the ecommerce platform, M&S must perform macro environmental
analysis to get idea about opportunity or threat in market with the help of PESTLE analysis,
 Political: - This involve the influence of political affairs over the operations of
ecommerce industry which directly affect its execution. As the cyber security is become
major concern throughout the world, the government has imposed several restriction over
the execution of ecommerce channel which can be a major issues for the M&S (Kurnia
and et. al., 2015). but as it maintain its presence in ecommerce market so M&S has idea
about all the political affairs which it can take into consideration while operation
marketing plan and hence the chances of its success to expand food business over
ecommerce channel get successful.
 Economic: - There remains a economic stability ion developed nations like US,
European countries, UK etc. are proves to be opportunity area from where it can start
marketing its food business. But the relations of UK is not much good in term of trade
with EU countries after Brexit which may have negative influence over the marketing of
M&S as it has its origin in UK and due to this factor it may face heavy tariff, taxes etc.
that may result into declining of revenue.
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 Social: - It involve the factors like customers choice and demand which directly
influence the growth or failure of an organisation. As Marks & Spencer make use of
social media for promoting its existence on ecommerce channel for its food section it
would eb quite helpful to mark its huge presence on ecommerce industry as larger
number of people throughout trey world uses social sites (Al-Somali, Gholami and Clegg,
2015). This help in getting a border customer base, but the major issue lies here that there
are already larger number of retailers already operating at online channel so more option
can reduce the chance of getting the choices of customers regarding M&S which in turn
affect its marketing plan.
 Technological: - The ecommerce platform is getting more and more advanced and also
adjust range of new or innovative technical based features which are very much helpful
for the companies operating in Ecommerce industry as it help them in enhancing their
quality fo services when competitors are bringing new innovation it easily get overtake
and update a new version of it. This is a quite risker for the M&S as if it is required to
regularly upgrade the technology as per the changes take place in market to survive. But
as the M&S is already being operating at Ecommerce platform it already have well
maintained technological backgrounds would eb helpful in marketing its food segment
too (Kitchen and Burgmann, 2015). Hence it directly affect the marketing plan by
influencing the activities to be undertaken as they must be aligned with eth current
scenario of Ecommerce.
 Legal: - The government or other regulatory authorities are putting many efforts to keep
the customers safe from unethical practices at ecommerce platform. This give rise to
product regulation which ensures the safety and security requirement of people this can
affect the marketing plan of M&S as it has to adjust its practices or product accordingly.
But the positive factors behind it is that by maintaining with these regulations it become
easier for M&S to create its positive brand image.
 Environmental: - It involve the influence that a business operations bring over its
ecologic environment through operation. There are several standards and regulations
imposed by government toward the environmental safety that each organisation is
required to consider, while maintaining at ecommerce platform, if M&S failed to operate
with these terms then its marketing position get affected a lot (Duralia, 2018). But as
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several organisations started adopting the eco friendly packaging material, so that can
also be adopted by M&S for its food segment at ecommerce platform which in turn
require a little change in marketing plan built support a lot in getting a strong position in
marketplace.
Objective:
The main objective of Marks & Spencer is to maximise the sale of its food segment by
25% with the end of first year after entering into Ecommerce platform.
Strategy:
The main strategy over which eth Marks & Spencer will operates is that at the starting of
this marketing campaign the customers who become the first 300 member of online channel will
get a free membership subscription for 6 months where they get their products delivered without
any delivery charges and also get with some discount coupons that they can use to get food items
at lower price (Šerić, Gil-Saura and Ruiz-Molina, 2014). Other than this, it will be using a eco
friendly packaging material for products so that it get develop with a positive brand image and
easily get accepted among the market while dealing with present competition.
Tactics:
For successfully entering into the Ecommerce platform and achieving adequate
profitability or sales of business, M&S formulate its tactics based on four main elements of
related with product such as,
Product: - While entering to the Ecommerce platform the main focus of Marks &
Spencer is to offer products related with its food items that it offer in its physical stores. It main
focus will remain to the products that are non-perishable food items so that they can be reserved
for long and deliver without being worried about its damage.
Price: - In order to get border market share and huge acceptance over the online platform
the Marks & spencer will make use of discount pricing strategy where the customers are offered
with certain discount on food items that help in grabbing tehri attention.
Place: - The food items of Marls & Spencer will be offered at the online platform by
developing a new domain where customer can access the products that are assorted and
categorised in well manner which make it easier to find the product or tehri choice (Payne,
Peltier and Barger, 2017). Other than this the social media platform are also connected with this
where customers can directly make shopping from their in more convened manner.
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Promotion: For promoting its online presence with food marketing the Marks and
Spencer will make use of integration marketing channels such as social media sites, sponsorship
on Britain’s Got talent, Tv Advertisement and ad campaign.
Action:
After evaluation all the opportunity or favourable factor present in market, next is to take
action toward executing the plan. So first of all the M&S has to design its own website on
ecommerce platform related with eth food segment, arrange all the features and assort the
categories more appropriately (Porcu, Del Barrio-Garcia and Kitchen, 2017). After designing the
whole website the promotional practices will be undertaken tio make people aware about it and
then arranging the supplier networks so that products can be delivered on timely manner.
Control:
For success the control plan is crucial where a regular check will be performed over the
online practices to ensure that their remain smooth operations and customer do not found any
difficulty that may ruined their experience. Other than this feedback will be taken to find area of
improvement along\ with a analysing of planned work with actually executed, so that adequate
actions can be undertaken to resolve issues if any.
C) Implementation of integrated plan
As per marketing mix plan created, it is consider to be helpful in generating value at
marketplace as by using free subscription and discount pricing method it become easier to attract
customers toward it and at the same time provide them more satisfactory services when they get
food services that worth their spending (Payne and et. al., 2014). Other than this the integrated
marketing approach will also be helpful and wise choice as it help in covering all the media
channel that help in generating maximum awareness.
For executing the integrated marketing plan it is decided that before and after the
development of its website fro product sale several advertisement will be imposed over social
media sites along with photographs to grab the attention of people and after getting a huge
frequency of viewers and positive response, M&S will perform TV advertisement and
sponsorship over the Britain got talent where it offer food to eth audience which help in getting\
customer response toward it and make them attracted to connect with eth online channel.
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CONCLUSION
On the basis of above specified report, it has been analysed that marketing plan is
acknowledged as the layout or blue print for whole marketing team according to which they
execute their each and every activity within the timely manner. Later on, it has been said that
businesses are required to analyse their external macro environment in detailed manner so that
they can develop effective marketing plan for their business which would fryer provide them
support in attaining their sales targets as well as profitability. Social media campaigns are
acknowledged as the best marketing method that supports businesses with new idea to attract
maximum number of customers and succeed their business.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Alsaad, A. and et. al., 2018. What drives global B2B e-commerce usage: an analysis of the effect
of the complexity of trading system and competition pressure. Technology Analysis &
Strategic Management, 30(8), pp.980-992.
Al-Somali, S.A., Gholami, R. and Clegg, B., 2015. A stage-oriented model (SOM) for e-
commerce adoption: a study of Saudi Arabian organisations. Journal of Manufacturing
Technology Management.
Duralia, O., 2018. Integrated marketing communication and its impact on consumer
behavior. Studies in Business and Economics, 13(2), pp.92-102.
Kitchen, P.J. and Burgmann, I., 2015. Integrated marketing communication: Making it work at a
strategic level. Journal of Business Strategy.
Kurnia, S. and et. al., 2015. E-commerce technology adoption: A Malaysian grocery SME retail
sector study. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), pp.1906-1918.
Mapheto, L.M., Oni, O.A. and Matiza, T., 2014. The Utilisation of Integrated Marketing
Communication Strategies by Small Retailers in Mankweng, South
Africa. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(15), p.111.
Payne, C.R, and et. al., 2014. Shopper marketing nutrition interventions. Physiology &
behavior, 136, pp.111-120.
Payne, E.M., Peltier, J.W. and Barger, V.A., 2017. Omni-channel marketing, integrated
marketing communications and consumer engagement. Journal of Research in
Interactive Marketing.
Porcu, L., Del Barrio-Garcia, S. and Kitchen, P.J., 2017. Measuring integrated marketing
communication by taking a broad organisational approach. European Journal of
Marketing.
Šerić, M., Gil-Saura, I. and Ruiz-Molina, M.E., 2014. How can integrated marketing
communications and advanced technology influence the creation of customer-based
brand equity? Evidence from the hospitality industry. International Journal of
Hospitality Management, 39, pp.144-156.
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