Retail Industry Trends and Analysis of Marks & Spencer's Strategies

This report examines the retail industry, focusing on key trends such as globalization, e-commerce, branding, and green technology. It provides an in-depth analysis of Marks & Spencer (M&S), exploring its history, business strategies, and market position. The report utilizes PEST and SWOT analyses to evaluate the external and internal factors impacting M&S, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It then offers strategic recommendations for M&S, including penetration pricing, competitive pricing, inventory management, and digital marketing strategies. The report emphasizes the importance of adapting to changing consumer behaviors and leveraging digital platforms to enhance performance and customer engagement. It concludes by highlighting the significance of employee support and customer-centric strategies for achieving long-term success in the competitive retail market. The report draws on academic sources and industry insights to support its findings and recommendations.

Inquiry based
learning

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..............................................................................................................................................4
Trends in Retail.......................................................................................................................................4
Analysis of M&S.....................................................................................................................................5
Recommendations...................................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
The retail industry is expanding and organisations are having global businesses with the
customers experience increasing the performance of the organisation. The customers want good
quality services and they are willing to pay and the organisations are increasing the services
because they want to attract customers and they will have to improve the performance (Hwang,
Chiu and Chen, 2015). Students may immediately create inquiries or provoked to create inquiries
about a specific learning. They may research to find out answers, take part in exercises that will
help them with pursuing answers or work cooperatively in search for answers they have all
attractive originates from the inquiries. By taking part in inquiry based learning students come to
understand that they can think inquiry based learning. The organisation chosen for the report is
Marks and Spencer which was founded in 1884 in UK by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer.
The report includes trends in retail and analysis of the organisation.
MAIN BODY
Trends in Retail
Michael Marks opened the first penny bazaar in Leeds, UK in 1884. The business strategy
was "Don't ask the value, it's a penny". At first his prices was low yet as the business developed
with time and he searched for collaborator to deal with him to expand the organisation and
Thomas spencers was willing to join his business as a partner. They began their business in 1894
with the name Marks and Spencer. They have changed from a little slow down into a worldwide
multi-channel retailer and have many employees working for them. The business strategy is help
quality, worth, development and trust to guarantee that products are according to the needs of
customers (Al Mamun, Lawrie and Wright, 2020).
Globalization refers to opening the economic resources around the globe and they are
through trade and financial resources. The businesses grow locally then they develop themselves
to different boundaries to attract new customers. The organisations get global and they have
threats from the existing competition and they themselves become threats to existing market.
Marks and Spencer is a brand that is global but they concentrate on the local UK market. They
should focus on global operations as well as the local customers.

 Ecommerce- Purchasers are presently sensible and they need to have products that are
affordable. The customers want to have a convenient purchase and the customers to
actually go each store, look at prices and purchase. The e-commerce have the made it
easy for customers to look at the costs of different products and find the best arrangement
and it will help them in choosing product. They get many discounts, money backs and
vouchers are the important factors for purchase. In 2012, M&S has the strategy where its
program called as Outlet Online that was giving to 40% discounts on the different
product range including womenswear and different booking and payment options were
give to customers (Blessinger and Carfora, 2015).
 Branding- The organisation has the market share of 15% of British dress market. The
organisation is focussing on making strategies and the most important factor is that they
are advertising the board of the organization and are informed and external factors of the
organization are improving the performance. The strategy of the organization is
appreciated and the board of the organisation didn't react correctly to the changing
external factors. For example, in 2004 organization was not in profits and a few strategies
were made for e-retailing and it was not accepted by the employees of the organisation.
There are many new brands entered in the market with different ideas and they
deliberately attracting customers (O'Connor, Jeanes and Alfrey, 2016). The organisations
rolled out many new improvements and helping customers to satisfy the needs.
 Green Technology- M&S have a Plan A where they intend to do sufficient business.
This program have the important players were the employees and customers of the
organization. The cost of this program helped them to cope with the environmental
factors and they have made strategies to reduce waste and they have made a business of
200 million. The program included the privileges of employees and they have given
services and education to customers. The organization got warm greeting from the
society and they have helped them but the message was not reached to the people. The
promotion and advertising effort have not helped the organization in improving the
performance.
 Out-of-town policy is not embracing by the M&S- M&S is not changing the
advertising strategy "no away". The promoting efforts of organization are focusing on the
rich people of the society. The M&S should focus on the women that are not the

customers of M&S and the promoting efforts are not be focusing of the age of women as
they are important for M&S. The effort of the organization should not adjust totally but
the more established women are helping the organization through the promotion of goods
and services (Mupira and Ramnarain, 2018).
Analysis of M&S
The organizations are having customers in many countries and they should focus on
increasing the services of the organization to improve the performance.
External Analysis
The organization needs to have strategies that help them to be successful. There are many
factors that affect the organization and they have to improve the performance. The organization
should understand the external factors. M&S can have PEST analysis to understand the factors
affecting the organization. They will help them to understand political, Economical, Social and
technological factors that helps the organizations in making strategies (Park, 2015). It will help
M&S to understand the behavior of customers and they will make strategies to improve the
performance.
 Political factors- M&S can use PEST analysis to understand different customers because
they have customers in many countries and the labor laws of the UK and the impact on
the organization of improving and reducing the cost by having ling term relations with
customers of different countries.
 Economical factors- The retailing organizations in UK are introducing strong rivalry
from both the small and large organizations of the retail. The retailers reduce the price of
the overall industry of M&A by offering the best quality products with modern style and
are affordable.
 Social factors- There are many socio-social patterns and they had brought the exceptional
changes in attracting customers for products. They were helping the organization and
customers are brand faithful and they want products of good quality and choosing the
best option of new design products in M&S stores.
 Technological factors- The technological factors of the UK was helping the organization
and changing strategies have brought the e-commerce based buying patterns in the UK

and other western countries. There are many retailers and they had begun advancing their
stores by online promotions of goods and services (Kalsoom and Khanam, 2017).
Internal Analysis
M&S should understand the internal factors and they should make the strategies that are
important for the organization. The SWOT analysis helps M&S to make the strategies to
understand the strength and weakness of the organization and the retailing factors of UK.
 Strength- The strength of M&S is the solid brand name and they give quality services to
customers with the skilled employees and excellent products and different products
helping the organization in the mid 1990s. The SWOT analysis helps the organization in
uncovers that the organization have different style and described headquarters framework
and exacting skilled employees and internal factors of the society and brought about the
increase in the performance of M&S in the retail market.
 Weakness- The store format and promoting plans are not able to adjust to various market
socio economics factors. They have high prices and products are not according to the
needs to young generation. They should promote the goods and services and make
strategies to increase the experience of customers (Prodromou and Lavicza, 2018).
 Opportunities- The internal analysis is focusing on changing elements of the market and
offered the good services to customers of the organization. For example, they are
expanding number of products and services and customers want quality products and are
attracted to products of the organization and they will fell that they are getting
international products. Besides, individuals were additionally turning out to be brand
cognizant.
 Threats- The dangers for M&S began to arise in the last part of the 1990s because of
changes in the buying behavior of customers, the multiplication of base just as top end
retailers in the retail market, new, refreshed design garments lines in the retail market.
Recommendations
 The organizations should have strategies that are helping them in increasing the
performance. M&S should have the Penetration Pricing Strategy. This method helps the
organizations in first setting low costs to attract customers. This is helping the

organizations to have business expanded and the organizations are expanding the costs.
This strategy is important to attract customers to products and services of the
organization. The organizations can attract customers with products and services
according to the needs of customers. M&S should have Competition Pricing Strategy and
this is used by the organizations and they are setting costs as indicated by the market
strategies. The increase in cost of creating anything is high at M&S when they are having
good products and services and expense, for example they have skilled employees,
making customers select the best option. The organizations should make the strategies of
cost cutting technique not influence the nature of product.
 The organization should not have more stock and when they are trendy they are attracting
customers but it involves cost and they are not sold, they are outdated. The organizations
has place markdown on these things and they will involve cost and they will have to
make the strategies for improving the performance (Uribe and et.al., 2020). This is the
method used by the Zara and they are not keeping an excessive amount of stock and
twice-in week it is presenting new products.
 The digitized world has options for all female product organizations to have better
strategies on the online deals. The normal development retail deal on online is 10.1%
every year. M&S should create intelligent site and should make the strategies to improve
the performance. The site which contains all capacities that are helping customers. For
example, installment methods, choosing the products, superstar dresses, search results,
new style, lifestyle direction, publication picks and living area, visitor editors, the
extended item photographs and top notch recordings of catwalk. It will help them to
attract the people and the organization will understand the need of customers. The
customers bits of knowledge are helping organizations to know their preferences.
 The organization has to focus on more seasoned ladies because they are attracted toward
M&S for dress. They are actually the biggest customers of the organization and they will
help the organization in increasing the benefits. M&S has dispatched another publicizing
effort that contains more seasoned ladies. They should promote the products and services
to the people who are willing to pay. This promoting effort got positive surveys from all
the people. Right off the bat, it is speaking to the more seasoned ladies. Furthermore, it is
indicating the majority rule portrayal of M&S, which is the impression of UK society.

Thirdly, these ladies are truly speaking to the general public. Accordingly, it is
profoundly in the kindness of M&S to proceed with this publicizing effort and it is
trusted that it will resuscitate the lost domain of female.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that the organization should help the employees
because they will make the organization successful. The organizations should make strategies
that will help to increase the performance and they will help customers in getting products and
services. They will be successful when they are increasing the benefits.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Hwang, G.J., Chiu, L.Y. and Chen, C.H., 2015. A contextual game-based learning approach to
improving students' inquiry-based learning performance in social studies
courses. Computers & Education. 81. pp.13-25.
Al Mamun, M.A., Lawrie, G. and Wright, T., 2020. Instructional design of scaffolded online
learning modules for self-directed and inquiry-based learning environments. Computers
& Education. 144. p.103695.
Blessinger, P. and Carfora, J.M. eds., 2015. Inquiry-based learning for multidisciplinary
programs: A conceptual and practical resource for educators. Emerald Group
Publishing.
O'Connor, J., Jeanes, R. and Alfrey, L., 2016. Authentic inquiry-based learning in health and
physical education: a case study of ‘r/evolutionary’practice. Physical Education and
Sport Pedagogy. 21(2). pp.201-216.
Mupira, P. and Ramnarain, U., 2018. The effect of inquiry‐based learning on the achievement
goal‐orientation of grade 10 physical sciences learners at township schools in South
Africa. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 55(6). pp.810-825.
Park, J., 2015. Effect of Robotics enhanced inquiry based learning in elementary Science
education in South Korea. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
34(1). pp.71-95.
Kalsoom, Q. and Khanam, A., 2017. Inquiry into sustainability issues by preservice teachers: A
pedagogy to enhance sustainability consciousness. Journal of cleaner production. 164.
pp.1301-1311.
Prodromou, T. and Lavicza, Z., 2018. Inquiry-based learning in statistics: When students engage
with challenging problems in STEM disciplines. In STEM Education: An Emerging
Field of Inquiry (pp. 117-131). Brill Sense.

Uribe, P. and et.al., 2020, June. Automatic Content Analysis of Computer-Supported
Collaborative Inquiry-Based Learning Using Deep Networks and Attention
Mechanisms. In International Conference in Methodologies and intelligent Systems for
Techhnology Enhanced Learning (pp. 95-105). Springer, Cham.