Individual E-Portfolio Report: Marks and Spencer Marketing Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive marketing analysis of Marks and Spencer (M&S), a leading UK retailer. It begins with an introduction to M&S, its product offerings, and reasons for investigation. The main body of the report delves into the marketing environment, including PESTLE and SWOT analyses to assess external and internal factors. It examines stakeholder analysis, customer behavior, and segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies. The report highlights M&S's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as its approach to customer behavior and market segmentation. Finally, the report concludes with a summary of findings, emphasizing M&S's position as a significant retailer in the global market and the importance of strategic adaptation and innovation.

Individual E-Portfolio for Marks and
Spencer
1

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Analysis.......................................................................................................................................3
Applications of M&S...................................................................................................................4
Customer behaviour.....................................................................................................................6
Segmentation, targeting and positioning.....................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
2

INTRODUCTION
Marks and spencer is one of UK leading retailer with over 21 million customer’s visiting the
physical stores every week. It is based on the British multinational retailer with headquarters in
London. It specialises in selling wide range of products such as clothing, home items and food
items, mostly of its own label. Marks and spencer was founded in 1884 by Thomas spencer and
Michael marks. It has opened 959 stores across UK and also including 600 selling food items in
global marketplace.
Product and service
M&S had launched a convenience format, branded simply delivered various food items.
In 2010, it supplies wide range of food products in the global marketplace. It offering various
clothing item for women, men and children, focused on the demand of customer on the basis of
trends (Bauder, Bodnar and Schmid, 2020).
M&S provide the online services where potential consumer can purchase item through
official website. M&S is expanding the business rapidly in the new niche market. in additional, it
including online flower service that always attract more and more customers in UK.
Reason of investigation
The primary reason of investigation is to identify the aim of M&S and analysed that how it
will use innovation within product as well as service. Afterwards, organization has launched in
market to attract large number of population. Furthermore, it also examined the current position
of M&S in global marketplace.
MAIN BODY
Analysis
Marketing environment is based on the combination of both internal as well as external
factor that always affect on the overall business ability to establish a strong relationship with
potential consumers (Clayton and Higgins, 2020). The marketing environment is made up of
external or internal so that it has required to identifying greatest strength and control overall
business activities in proper manner.
M&S have considered the marketing environment for purpose of survival and growth in
the competitive marketplace. The analysis of external environment that enable M&S to
3

understand change in business culture, which bring ahead of its tough competition. Another way,
it always support for adopting new culture and response towards marketing demand, trends.
Applications of M&S
Pestle analysis
 Political: it is important factor for M&S in term of political decision and other legal
circumstances. M&S faced the critical situation or condition due to change of political
policies. it directly affecting on the business culture. The government has changed the
business policies and procedures, which plays important role in term of growth and
development.
 Economic: This factor may be increased the pressure on M&S business because
government has raises its VAT from 17% to 20%, which causes of decrease sales in
marketplace (Dlamini and Barnard, 2020). Economic recession has directly affecting on
the sales and production. Nowadays, M&S has gained better position as economic
conditions improved in proper manner.
 Social: M&S has figured out new fashion and change customer preferences, taste. The
price sensitive of potential client has produced more competitive environment.
Sometimes, M&S faced the issue for understanding changes in social trends.
 Technological: Modern technology has played important in the retail enterprise where
M&S need to improve their technology and then introduced new product in marketplace
(Kanakaratne, Bray and Robson, 2020). It is conducting survey on website as good
technique to get client feedback and their demand.
 Environmental: Global warming is one of the common issue for M&S so that
organization focus on the environment friendly. M&S is selling their product and service
but make sure that items being disposed by client. In this way, it can save environment
and different natural resources.
 Legal: M&S sells their product for consideration of high standards and always follows
proper rules, regulation for business.
4

SWOT analysis
Strength
The greatest market experience is certainty as
strength of M&S
The brand recognition has becoming great
reputation in term of quality of product and
services (Kanakaratne, Bray and Robson,
2020).
Threat
M&S faced the high competition level in
marketplace.
Weakness
M&S has declined sales due to recession
Continuously changing perception of consumer
towards M&S
Opportunities
Exploring the expansion of great opportunities
through modern technology
Table: 1
Stakeholder analysis
In M&S, stakeholder analysis is carried out the significance business growth and
development. It provide the great support that help to change the strategic decisions. M&S can
be used as technique or method to identify important people, who are needed for improving
overall business operation and function. In this way, it is helping M&S to achieve desirable goal
and objective.
In M&S, it can be categorised the both internal as well as external stakeholder that plays
important role in business activities (Kanakaratne, Bray and Robson, 2020). it including
managers, employees, suppliers, investors, government and distributors. These are considered as
various stakeholders for managing and controlling the entire business tasks.
5

Customer behaviour
Customer buying behaviour refers to actions which taken by potential client before
purchasing a particular product as well as service. This process may include search engine, social
media network and engaging with official website. In this way, it can identified that various
action performed by customer towards enterprise. Marks and spencer is trying to understand and
satisfy the customer need or requirement. Thus, it help for increasing the rate of profitability in
global marketplace (Simões, 2020). In this way, it is great advantage of M&S is to target the
potential client on the basis of their preferences, demand. M&S has launched a new item before
doing market research. That’s why, it is beneficial for M&S in term of growth and development.
Generally, M&S can use social network application that always support for targeting the
potential consumer and believed to identify buyer’s behaviour factors (Kanakaratne, Bray and
Robson, 2020). Moreover, consumer buyer process is based on the decision-making process used
by potential client regarding market transaction before and after purchase of good or service.
 Customer can recognise the problem and identify suitable item accordingly.
 The client want to perform research and fulfil their recognised needs
 Comparing with another item and selecting best quality of product.
 Make a decision of purchase
In recently, young generation people has been used the product and service for consumer
because M&S always implement innovation. This will help for increasing the demand to achieve
desirable goal of business. Potential client have paid more money, if they were completely
satisfied with products.
6

Segmentation, targeting and positioning
In M&S, segmenting, targeting and positioning is based on framework that summarise or
simplify the process of entire market segmentation.
Market segments, Target market, Position of M&S
M&S have segmented on the basis of gender, where providing the exclusive range of item
for women, men and children’s.
Basically, it is targeting the age group of 20 to 50, who are influencing with the stylish
products (Wang, Li and Liu, 2020). In this way, M&S have set their price higher due to premium
brand on the basis of customer perception.
M&S has positioned itself as premium brand in retail industry. It is willing to pay maximum
price. By considering the premium brand strategy to maintain the position in the global
marketplace.
Competition: there are considered the top competitors of M&S such as John Lewis, Aldi,
Tesco and Partnership. These are providing the various product and service according to M&S so
that it is very difficult for maintain the position in marketplace (Wibowo, 2020). But M&S
always tried to launch innovative idea, which may attracts large number of potential consumers
in global marketplace.
Alternative competitors offering benefits, advantage of potential client so that they can
increase overall business sales, production in marketplace.
CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it has concluded that M&S becoming as great retailer in global
market which have maintained the position, reputation and brand value. The documentation has
summarised about the pestle analysis, swot analysis, customer buying behaviour, and stakeholder
analysis. The investigation about M&S, provide the brief idea about the greatest strength,
weakness, threat and opportunities. Afterwards, it can be improved through effective strategies
and innovative idea. As per analysis, it can be identified the current position of M&S in
marketplace.
7

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Bauder, D., Bodnar, T. and Schmid, W., 2020. Bayesian inference of the multi-period optimal
portfolio for an exponential utility. Journal of Multivariate Analysis. 175. p.104544.
Clayton, D. and Higgins, D.M., 2020. ‘Buy British’: An analysis of UK attempts to turn a slogan
into government policy in the 1970s and 1980s. Business History. pp.1-21.
Dlamini, M. and Barnard, B., Customer expectation, satisfaction and loyalty among grocery
retail.
Kanakaratne, M.D.S., Bray, J. and Robson, J., 2020. The influence of national culture and
industry structure on grocery retail customer loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer
Services. 54. p.102013.
Simões, E.N., 2020. A decision support system application module-for PESTLE analysis-
competitive intelligence algorithm (Doctoral dissertation).
Wang, W., Li, W. and Liu, K., 2020. Portfolio formation with preselection using deep learning
from long-term financial data. Expert Systems with Applications. 143. p.113042.
Wibowo, H.Y., 2020. Proposed business strategy for improving retail business (Case study: PT.
Angkasa Pura Solusi). Research, Society and Development. 9(3). p.7.
8