Marketing Plan for Woolworths: Global Market Expansion Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive marketing plan for Woolworths, an Australian supermarket chain, focusing on global expansion strategies. It begins with an introduction to the organization, highlighting its current market position and future expansion goals. The report then evaluates marketing opportunities, such as Woolworths' strong brand image and the potential of big data, while also identifying associated risks like competition and changing customer preferences. A SWOT analysis is presented, assessing Woolworths' strengths and capabilities. The report develops marketing strategies across product, price, promotion, and distribution, with a focus on competitive pricing and leveraging digital media. A detailed marketing plan outlines specific goals, activities, responsible parties, timelines, and associated costs, including market research, stakeholder consultation, product positioning, and promotional campaigns. The report concludes with a summary of stakeholder responses and references relevant literature.

Running head: MARKETING PLAN
MARKETING PLAN
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1MARKETING PLAN
Introduction to the organization (Woolworths)
The concerned organization Woolworths is an Australian supermarket and grocery store
which has initiated fast expansion in the global markets through the developments in the line of
propositions and the variety of the offerings (Liu, Zhang and Tang 2015). On the other hand,
the organization also enables the utilization of diverse range of social media strategies which
supported the organization in maintaining the efficiency of the operations in alignment with the
needs of the venture. The organization, along with Coles, account to almost 80% of the
Australian markets (Woolworths.com.au 2019). However, the organization is looking forward to
identify their prospects of expanding in the different emerging economies for maximizing the
scope of enhanced revenue.
Therefore, the research will identify the marketing opportunities of the organization and
the risks associated with the same. On the other hand, the report would also develop and analyze
the marketing strategies for the organization in alignment with the organizational strategic
direction. Lastly, the report will enumerate a complete marketing plan for the organization with
the objective of expansion in the emerging markets.
Evaluation of marketing opportunities
The marketing opportunities of the organization are reliant on the different factors that
are being enumerated in this section of the research:
 The strong brand image of the organization which will support the venture in grasping
the trust and confidence of the new customers On the other hand, the strong brand image
would also support the organization through a competitive advantage which will support
the same in making dynamic expansion in the markets.

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 The enhancements in the Big Data would support the organization in enhancing the
identification of the interests and preferences of the customers while operating in the
different global markets (Dixon et al. 2014). The diverse range of operations of the
organization would support the venture in improving the range of product offerings and
positioning the same in alignment with the demand faced by the same.
 The enhanced Revenue streams of the organization would support in improving the rate
of R&D operations while meeting the expectations of the customers in the diverse global
markets
 The social media integrations would support the venture in ensuring the rate of
promotions while maximizing the scope of making the customers aware of the different
propositions that are made by the organization.
Identifying the risks and returns
The risks that might be encountered by the organization is being enumerated in this
section of the report:
 The threat of new entrants might affect Woolworths in gaining a competitive position in
the markets while operating in the different economies. On the other hand, the growing
competition among the existing players in the market might affect the uninterrupted
functioning of the business units (Ramanathan, Subramanian and Parrott 2017).
 The imitable nature of the business model followed by Woolworths affected the venture
in retaining the customer base of the same.
 The changing taste and preferences of the customers would affect the interests and
growth related intentions of Woolworths while expanding in the different markets. The

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changing taste and preferences of the customers would pose an increased rate of
uncertainty to the operations of the venture.
Strengths and capabilities of the organization related to resources
Resources Value Rare Imitation Organization
Competitive
Advantage
Brand
awareness Yes Yes No
The
organization
developed a
customer
centric
culture which
supported in
enhancing the
rate of
sustenance
Strong
competitive
advantage
Project
monitoring and
control
operations Yes No Yes
Enhanced
quality of the
propositions Potential
Opportunity of
brand
extensions
Yes No Yes Developed a
huge line of
propositions
to adhere to
Strong
competitive
advantage

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the changing
needs of the
customers
Successful
implementation
of Digital
strategy Yes Yes No
Continuous
improvements
in the digital
media
strategy
would
support the
firm in
enhancing the
rate of returns Potential
Attracting the
attention of
talented human
resources Yes No Yes
The
organization
must take
steps to retain
the existing
talents in the
venture
Temporary
competitive
advantage
Business
model
Yes No Yes The
organization
must take
Temporary
competitive
advantage

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steps to create
an innovative
business
model
Development of marketing strategies
The marketing strategies that are developed by the organizations are reliant on the
effective evaluation of the resource and capabilities of the ventures. In this relation, the section
would reflect on the marketing strategies that might be considered by Woolworths.
Product
 Woolworths currently offers products
under five major categories. The huge
line of products offerings of the
venture supported the same in
maintaining the efficiency of the
operations in alignment with the needs
of the customers (Rosson and Ford
2016).
 However, the organization might take
steps to increase the range of product
offerings in the different categories
with the objective of adhering to the
needs of maximum number of
Price
 The firm applied the competitive
pricing strategy with the objective of
upholding a strong competition with
the existing players in the market
(Woolworths.com.au 2019). In this
relation, the improved quality of the
products supported the organization in
imposing higher price of the
commodities (Edelman and Heller
2015).
 However, the organization might take
steps to encourage the application of
penetration pricing strategy for

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customers. The enhancement of the
line of product offerings through the
inclusion of new lines of products
would support the venture in
developing the operations of the same
while operating in the different
markets.
making the price affordable to the
customers in the emerging economies.
The penetration pricing strategy would
support the organization in
maximizing the customer base while
expanding their operations in the
emerging markets
Promotion
 Currently Woolworths have taken
steps to integrate a dual media of
promotion through the utilization of
the traditional media vehicles and the
social or digital media. It supported
the organization in developing
improved marketing operations of the
same while attracting the attention of
the prospective buyers (Leeflang et al.
2014)
 However, the firm might also take
steps to undertake celebrity
endorsements with the objective of
developing the interest of the
consumers towards the product
Distribution
 The organization focused on utilizing
the omni-channel marketing
operations would support the venture
through the utilization of online
selling and distribution through
wholesalers. The development of the
operations of the venture supported
the organization in ensuring the rate of
operations (Woolworths.com.au 2019)
 However, the organization must take
steps to improve the online selling
platforms with the objective of
encouraging the improvements
through online sales

7MARKETING PLAN
offerings while empowering the trust
and loyalty of the consumers over the
propositions.
Development of a marketing performance review
Woolworths would take steps to develop the range of status reporting apparatus with the
objective of monitoring and controlling the marketing activities that are being contemplated by
the same while attracting the attention of the customers (Woolworths.com.au 2019). The status
reporting operations of the organization would enhance the rate of operations while improving
the line of marketing activities in alignment with the strategic direction of the venture.
Marketing plan
Goals Activities Responsible
person
Timeframe Costs
Market
research
 Conducting
surveys in the
market
 Analyzing the
market trends
 Reporting on
the market
trends
Market analyst 3 months $4000/month
Consultation
with the
 Planning on the
marketing
CEO, Market
analyst,
2 months

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stakeholders activities
 Communicating
with the
stakeholders
through
meetings,
seminars and
the like
 Taking consent
of the
stakeholders
Accountant,
suppliers,
managers from
the respective
departments,
marketing
agencies and
distributors
Budgeting and
analyzing the
feasibility
 Identifying the
costs that might
be incurred by
the
organization
 Analyzing the
benefits that
would be
reaped by the
organization
through the
activity
Accountant,
CEO, Board of
management
3 months

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 Examining the
current capacity
of the company
 Examining the
market
prospects
through a cost-
benefit
assessment
Designing the
product
positioning
strategy
 Assessing the
behavioral and
psychographic
needs of the
customers and
aligning the
same with their
affordability
 Positioning the
products in the
different
markets
Market analyst,
marketing
manager of the
organization
6 months $6500/ month
Promoting the  Promoting the Marketing 2 months $800,000/

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products new line of
products
through social
media and
digital media
channels
 Promotions
through
celebrity
endorsements
 Developing the
e-commerce
platforms for
maintaining the
efficiency of
the operations
manager,
market analyst
month
Monitoring
and controlling
operations
 Developing
status reports
and circulating
the same
among the
different
stakeholder
Quality analyst
of the
organization,
customer
support team
6 months

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groups
 Controlling the
operations in
alignment with
the feedbacks
that are
gathered by the
organization
through the
CRM
Response of the stakeholders
Most of the stakeholders held the opinion that the marketing plan that was formulated by
the organization lacked in an extensive approach of reporting events and activities which might
affect the rate of operations of the venture while operating in the different markets. The
stakeholders thereby clearly mentioned that the different marketing operations must be clearly
defined in the marketing plan with the objective of maintaining the efficiency of the operations
in alignment with the needs of the venture. The response from the stakeholders would support
the organization in ensuring the efficiency of the marketing operations that are being planned by
the same.