Retail Management: Marketing and Communication Strategies Analysis

This report examines the functions of retail management, emphasizing the application of marketing communication strategies within the industry. It analyzes integrated marketing communications (IMC) campaigns as promotional strategies to offer personalized consumer experiences, particularly focusing on Wal-Mart's strategy in New Zealand of offering discounted brand-name products to increase consumer loyalty. The report details retail marketing communication techniques, including advertising, email, and word-of-mouth, for information sharing and persuasion. It further explores industry-specific strategies in New Zealand, such as sales promotions and digital marketing, and discusses the use of retail marketing mix strategies like the 4Ps and 4Cs. The report also highlights the role of integrated marketing communications in achieving marketing campaign objectives and concludes by emphasizing the importance of contemporary retail environments and personalized shopping experiences, including Wal-Mart's IMC strategies to address changing consumer needs.

Running head: FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Functions of Retail Management
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
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2FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Executive Summary
Retail can be explained as the sale of goods to the public in small quantities for consumption
rather than for resale. Considering same, it can be stated that retailers have several functions and
one among them is application of the industry specific marketing communication strategies. The
report focused on analyzing the integrated marketing communications campaigns as promotional
strategies in offering consumers with highly personalized experiences. The report revealed that
to increase consumer loyalty and attain a huge base of target consumers preferring own priced
goods in New Zeeland; Wal-Mart has implemented the strategy of offering “discount brand
name products”. This strategy focuses on offering low priced retail goods in the market along
with offering satisfactory levels of services to the target consumers.

3FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
Statement A (1.1).........................................................................................................................4
Statement A (1.2).........................................................................................................................5
Statement B (1.3).........................................................................................................................7
Statement C (1.4).........................................................................................................................7
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................8
Statement D (2.1).........................................................................................................................8
Statement D (2.2).........................................................................................................................9
Statement E (2.3).......................................................................................................................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................15

4FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Introduction
Competitive advantages within the retail sector is sustained by the retail organizations
through innovation and focusing on the fact that the retail consumers have ever-changing
demands that results in the retailers to offer exceptional consumer experience. The retail
companies are attaining strategic competitive advantages of introducing exceptional offerings in
the store, developing the role along with offerings of their stores (Agrawal, 2017). The objective
of the report is to analyze the major functions of retail management that facilitates the industry to
attain competitive advantage along with sustaining exceptional consumer services. Moreover,
the report will also focus on analyzing the integrated marketing communications campaigns as
promotional strategies in offering consumers with highly personalized experiences.
Task 1
Statement A (1.1)
Retail can be explained as the sale of goods to the public in small quantities for
consumption rather than for resale. Considering same, it can be stated that retailers have several
functions and one among them is application of the industry specific marketing communication
strategies (Ahmad & Salleh, 2019). Retail marketing communication techniques are used that
includes mediums such as advertising, e-mail, publicity and word of mouth in order to attain two
targeted outcomes that are indicated below:
 Information sharing: Retail marketing communications through advertising stores and
schemes that acts as a primary function in providing information regarding products and
services to the consumers. Retailers offer information regarding the brand along with

5FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
products or the services offered by them through certain effective retail marketing
communications that can further increase consumer awareness and brand preference
among the target consumers (Anitsal, Moon & Anitsal, 2015).
 Persuading: Retail marketing communication strategies such as distribution of discount
coupons having motivating value proposition aspects focuses on persuading target
consumers to visits stores along with purchasing the products. This can further facilitate
in increasing consumer engagement and loyalty among the target consumers towards
purchasing products of the company. This can also bring the outcome of brand recall that
can facilitate in retaining consumers over a long time.
Statement A (1.2)
There is increased relevance of having industry specific retail marketing and
communications strategies that are evidenced in case of the retail sector of New Zealand (Ayers
& Odegaard, 2017). Supporting such statement, two marketing and communication services that
are provided by the retail sector to the wholesalers are indicated below:
 Sales Promotion based marketing and communication services are employed by the retail
companies in New Zealand that ha the intention to temporarily boost sales of a service or
product through adding to the basic value provided to them. For instance, Tesco New
Zealand follows ,marketing and communication services such as “buy one get one free”
along with “purchase twelve cases and attain a 10% discount” for attaing increased
attention from the wholesalers.
 Sending direct e-mails to wholesalers an also serve as an effective marketing and
communications services used by retail companies of Australia that can include
information regarding the retail companies product and service offerings along with the

6FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
exceptional deals offered by them (Banerjee & Mishra, 2017). For instance, Tesco New
Zeeland employs direct e-mail as its marketing and communications service through
which it promotes wholesale discounts on its food as well as non-food product ranges
along with offering value based deals.
Two marketing and communications services that are provided by the retail industry to its
target consumers are indicated below:
 Digital Marketing and communications strategy is used by the retail companies of New
Zealand in attracting the target consumers of the region. In the retail industry, digital
marketing tools evolves rapidly in engaging consumers within the marketing activities,
generating consumer attention along with attaining maximum exposure for the retail
companies services and products (Bernon, Cullen & Gorst, 2016). For is]instance, Tesco
New Zealand is employs several digital marketing tools such as websites to search
engines, content along with social media marketing hat facilitates the company in
promoting its brand services, ideas and experiences.
 Advertising Marketing and Communications Strategies are employed by the retail
organizations of New Zealand that serves as a paid form of promoting and presenting
ideas, goods or services by a recognized sponsor. For instance, Tesco New Zealand
promotes its brand among the target consumers through positing engaging content
regarding its food and non-food segments on radio, television, newspaper and magazines.
Such promotional content developed by Tesco is developed as per the consumer profile
characteristics or behavior that is ensured by the retail company through weakly or online
banner ads that persuades consumers to visits the company’s e-commerce store
(Bustamante & Rubio, 2017).

7FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Statement B (1.3)
For maintaining a consumer oriented approach for marketing, the retail companies of
New Zealand employs specific retail marketing mix strategies such as 4ps that has been
transformed to 4Cs in marketing. For instance, in considering the case of Tesco New Zealand it
is evidenced that the company makes efficiently use of marketing mix and 4 C strategies in
attaining competitive advantages and for offering exceptional values to consumers. The retail
marketing mix used by Tesco in New Zealand includes product, place, promotion, personnel,
price and presentation and the 4 Cs strategies used by Tesco is focused on connections, choice,
convenience and conversation. These strategies are deemed to be effective in the retail sector for
developing an Omni-channel network focusing on offering quality services to consumers
(Chernev & Hamilton, 2018). For instance, Tesco uses marketing mix and 4 Cs strategies for
attracting target consumers in New Zealand. These strategies facilitates the company in
promoting its wide range of predict offerings at its various departmental and e-commerce stores
through introducing “Tesco Metro, superstore and Extra “and through introducing “Club card”
for offering personalized offers and discounts. The 3 Cs strategy of the retail company focuses
on consumer communication and offering consumer benefits in terms of its lo pricing strategies,
valuable offers on food and non-food rages and through offering “Club card Vouchers”.
Statement C (1.4)
Integrated marketing communications within the retail industry is considered as a way of
obtaining the objectives of the marketing campaigns. Moreover, it has also been elucidated by
Fernie and Sparks, (2018) that this facilitates in developing a well-coordinated use of distinct
promotional methods that are coordinated with one another. Such statement is evident from
analyzing the case of the retail industry of New Zealand that there two such instance of the retail

8FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
sectors that has successfully attained their IMC objectives through implementing efficient
promotional methods. One such case is Tesco New Zealand is observed that employs
promotional methods such as promotional coupons such as brochures, flyers and cards to
increase brand loyalty of consumers towards the brand. Moreover, Powershop Company in New
Zealand employs “Word-of-mouth” marketing through social media channels in communicating
promotional messages regarding its offerings that has attained a huge base of brand aware
consumers in a short span of years. Moreover, regular direct e-mail promotional tools is also
used by the retail company that includes engaging content regarding visuals and increased
information regarding the company’s products (Goworek, McGoldrick & McGoldrick, 2015).
This strategy has facilitated the company in attaining the IMC objective of increase purchase
intention among consumers through appealing their needs.
Task 2
Statement D (2.1)
To remain competitive, the retail industry focuses on developing a contemporary retail
environment through offering unique consumer experiences by addressing their changing
demands Focused on same, the retail industry is observed to developing the offerings of their
stores through focusing on developing strategies on developing better, smarter along with
personalized shopping experiences (Johansson & Öjerbrant, 2018). For instance to offer more
personalized consumer services as per their demands of easy an fast shopping certain retail stores
such as Tesco and Wal-Mart has redesigned their department stores through integrating the
multichannel experience. Moreover, these retail companies have implemented “Buy Online,
Pickup in Store” in ensuring mainstream retail offering that offers the consumers with increased

9FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
flexibility of shopping. The retail companies operating within the industry is focused on offering
more personalized shopping experience to the consumers through implementing the marketing
strategy of “Intelligent Retaining” in alignment with its departmental stores. In this strategy, the
retail consumers are now focusing on implementing machine learning along with Artificial
Intelligence technology for designing seamless and brand experience that can connect all the
touch points of consumers in-store as well as on the online medium (Joseph, Somal, Ilavarasan &
Kar, 2017).
Statement D (2.2)
Company Description of Wal-Mart in New Zealand
The retail orgaanzations that is selected for analyzing IMC strategies in addressing
changing consumer needs and business growth opportunities in New Zealand is Wal-Mart.
The type of retail sector to which Wal-Mart belongs is to grocery retail segment and
offers products such as freshly produced grocery items, household supplies, and dairy and bakery
products along with pharmacy.
Wal-Mart is a multinational company that is observed to have its business operations
quite established in the retail sector of New Zealand where it holds a leading position (Kaushik
& Rahman, 2015).
The target market demographics of Wal-Mart is new eland is observed to include male
and female consumers that belongs to the individuals and households with low income or
belongs to the middle class. The occupation of the target market is generally students, manual
workers, flow level employees and middle level managers. These consumers have the lifestyle of
looking for products with cost advantages as they are cost conscious people.

10FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
The location where Wal-Mart is observed to distribute its offerings in New Zealand is
through both departmental and convenience store and in the online shopping platform.
SWOT Analysis of Wal-Mart New Zealand
SWOT analysis for Wal-Mart in New Zealand is carried out in analyzing the
opportunities through emerging consumer trends along with evaluating the strategic strengths
attained by the company in addressing identified threats to attaining such opportunities (Keller,
2016).
Strengths
 Position as a largest retailer in the
world and in New Zealand
 Strong position and competitive edge
with having effective operations,
marketing campaigns and power over
suppliers
 Wal-Mart have also technological
competitive edge as it employs voice
and video communication with
employees fir streamlining sales flow
(Nyadzayo & Khajehzadeh, 2016)
Weaknesses
 As Wal-Mart uses cost leadership
strategy it faces the weakness of having
low profit margins
 Wal-Mart in New Zealand faces ross
curtail diversity issues among its
employees that facts their workplace
motivation
Opportunities
 As consumers look for diversified
Threats
 Wal-Mart in New Zealand faces intense

11FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
ranges, Wal-Mart can develop bread
portfolio to expand itself in consumer
market
 Consumers in New Zealand are health
conscious and focused on same, Wal-
Mart can introduce healthier options
such as organic and gluten free foods as
per the demand
 Consumers in the nation look for
shopping convenience based on which
Waymart can develop Omni-channel
store design fir better shopping
experience (Ramanathan, Subramanian
& Parrott, 2017)
 Consumers prefer attaining brand
knowledge from social media
considering which Wal-Mart must
attempt to post constant engaging
content on social media channels
regarding its new offerings
price competition because of global
price deflation on outsourcing
manufacturing services
 Wal-Mart as faced several lawsuits
regarding unfair employee treatment
and promotions that has tarnished its
public reputation and image (Patti et al.
2017)
Strategic Management in Dealing with Consumer Demands and Trends

12FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Strategic management initiatives of Wal-Mart in New Zealand such as SWOT based
environmental canning along with strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation has
facilitated the retail company in addressing consumer demands. For instance, focused on the
emerging consumer trends and its position in the nation, Wal-Mart has implemented a
competitive strategy of “saturation” in store expansion. For offering exceptional convenience to
consumers the retail company operates its operating stores using laser-guided conveyer belts that
simultaneously received goods as per consumer demands and fills orders on the other (Richey &
Skinner, 2015). To increase consumer loyalty and attain a huge base of target consumers
preferring low priced goods in New Zealand, Wal-Mart has implemented the strategy of offering
“discount brand name products”. This strategy focuses on offering low priced retail goods in the
market along with offering satisfactory levels of services to the target consumers. In addition,
Wal-Mart in New Zealand has also attaining competitive advantage in the retail industry though
maintaining efficient supply chain and strategic placement of products in its stores by
implementing new technological innovations that improves operational efficiency. Moreover, for
attaining competitive edge of being a low cost provider Wal-Mart focuses on decreasing
operational costs by eliminating the cardboard packaging to using more convenient packaging’s
(So, King, Sparks & Wang, 2016).
Concussion and Recommendations Regarding Managing Consumer Trends and Demands
From analyzing the effective competitive strategies implemented by the retail company
such as Wal-Mart it has been elucidated that better management of consumer trends can be
ensured through implementation of effective marketing strategies. It has been observed that
through implementing competitive strategies such as implementing consumer centric sales by
promoting “Everyday Low Pricing strategy” and “Satisfaction Guaranteed” as done by Wal-Mart