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Walmart pricing strategy
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Walmart is the world’s largest retailer. Its revenue was considered as GDP it would be 23 countries ahead of Sweden. Walmart has 4 different segments Walmart stores, Sam’s club, international, and other private labels. Walmart has great strengths like efficient supply chain cross docking and inventory management, service innovation, strong penetration and is the world’s largest private satellite communication system. With every company they also have weakness like poor public image, unable to adapt internationally and strict labor laws. Walmart have come across some great opportunities over the years. They have opportunities like globalization in the middle class globally, e-business and inorganic growth leading to consolidation. They have also encounter some threats …show more content…
Walmart needed high levels of growth to continue to survive and saturation of domestic market. Global retail expansion has attracted many large-sized companies with targets to increase business profits and market share. Global expansion not only attracts large organizations but also small to medium-sized companies, companies new to international expansion, as well as those who are already expanding in the international arena. However, there are also well-known retailers who failed in their expansion in certain global markets due to regulatory, legal and cultural challenges, competition, and attempting to change local shopping behavior. The lower pricing strategy was their basic strategy to expand Walmart’s philosophy, “Every Day Low Price” to all parts of the world. The only challenge was the distribution system; the company had given in to union demands from the state-run. Walmart was not influenced. The marketing strategies still involved huge discounts and great values on all of their products, similar to strategies in their home country: maintaining low prices every day, especially middle-class customers, yet maintaining profits. They also suggested
According to Smithson, Walmart can expand its markets to new and emerging markets especially in the third world countries, which can significantly increase its revenues. Secondly, the company can reform is employment practices and improve the quality standard and in doing so, attract more customers and improve its brand image. On the other hand, the company faces threats such as the rising healthy lifestyle trend I that the company in most cases does not provide customers with healthy goods. At the same time, the company can capitalize on this aspect and increase its revenues. Aggressive competition from other discount retailers such as Target creates a great threat to the company (Smithson, 2015).
Wal-Mart’s competitive environment is quite unique. Although Wal-Mart’s primary competition comes from general merchandise retailers, warehouse clubs and supermarket retailers also present competitive pressure. The discount retail industry is substantial in size and is constantly experiencing growth and change. The top competitors compete both nationally and internationally. There is extensive competition on pricing, location, store size, layout and environment, merchandise mix, technology and innovation, and overall image. The market is definitely characterized by economies of scale. Top retailers vertically integrate many functions, such as purchasing, manufacturing, advertising, and shipping. Large scale functions such as these give the top competitors a significant cost advantage over small-scale competition.
The top two reasons for such success in ranking first in retail store market, is because Wal-Mart is convenient globally and so are there prices in the competitive market . Wal-Mart has three segments which are superstores, discount stores, and Sam's Club stores, all of these are scattered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, and Asia. One downfall was from Sam's club because too many were opening all over internationally it decreased the number of customers per location. Overall despite the company's decline on Sam's club sales, the Corporations did well over all with the figures brought in and conditions.
Wal-Mart is the World's largest grocery retailer and control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. ·
Wal-Mart is a brand that is well known around the world, especially in the USA. It has gradually developed into the largest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart’s globalization efforts have been happening rapidly. But have they been successful in all aspects of their international expansion or not? This is the main thought that is going to be discussed in this essay. The questions I will be looking at are based on a case called “Wal-Mart takes on the world” from the book of International Business The Challenge of Global Competition eleventh edition – Ball, McCulloch, Geringer, Minor, and McNett. Questions are the following:
In the United States Walmart is the number one largest retail market and is a major competitor in all surrounding markets in which it operates. In spite of having the biggest piece of the pie, despite everything it confronts a solid competition from Costco. Jurevicius (2016) expressed that “the company can also affect the competition by selling selected items at a loss, thus driving competition out of the market”. Walmart could raise wages and advantages fundamentally without raising costs, yet still gain a solid benefit over its most prominent rival Costco.
It would be an understatement to say that Walmart is a big company. In fact, Walmart is the largest corporation in the world with sales 2.2 million employees and over 11,000 stores as of 2014 (Our History.) How is it that a business that began with one store has been able to grow to such great proportions? Much of this success and growth can be attributed to Walmart founder, Sam Walton (1918-1992). His seemingly simple business model has revolutionized retail and even earned him a Medal of Freedom from President H. W. Bush (Our History.) This man’s influence on Walmart is unmistakable, and his values still stand as the model of the company.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in the discount, variety stores industry. It was founded in 1945, Bentonville in Arkansas which is also the headquarters of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart operates locally as well as worldwide. It operated 1209 discount stores, 1980 super centers, and 567 Sam’s Club by January 31, 2006. It has also extended its operations to many international countries. It runs its retail stores in two forms: Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart Stores. The Sam’s Club sells assorted product lines such as hardwares, electronics, jewelry, and to mention a few. The Wal-Mart stores also offer similar products in addition to the following: health and beauty products, apparel for women, men and children, household appliances etc (www.yahoo.finance.com). The Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Values and Code of Conduct, Corporate Governance: Directors, Executive Management, Committees and Stakeholder will be the key elements that will discussed in this report as it relates to Wal-Mart. In addition to that, the major trends in the general/macro environment and industry will be analyzed.
When Sam Walton died in 1992, some industry insiders doubted that the Wal – Mart chain that he had founded some 30 years earlier would retain its prominence as a discount retailer. Lost for good they feared, would be the “magic spark” that Walton used to light fires under the chain’s 1.3 million associates. And, as Wal – Mart stock failed to enjoy the same bull – market growth as many other companies in the mid – 1990s, the pundits appeared to be correct. Today, however, with stores in all 50 U.S. states and nine other countries, Wal – mart has rebounded, leading the pack of discount stores with record earnings. In fact, with $218 billion in annual sales and 100 million customers per week, Wal – Mart is the world’s largest retailer and was named “Retailer of the Century” by Discount Store News.
The first Wal-Mart store opened in July of 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas by Sam Walton who believed that the future of retailing was in discounting and to avoid competing with established giants like Sears and Woolworth, Wal-Mart’s stated out of the large cities in the beginning and this strategy help avoid competition, while in rural areas Wal-Mart began growing their customer base by offering ways to save money and shorter travel distance, Sam Walton felt the best way to make customers happy was to provide the low prices every day (Farhoomand, 2006). The company needed to continually find ways to control the operating costs so the savings would then be passed on to Wal-Mart customers in the form of lower prices than the competitors. Walton was opposed to having any kind of employee unions for its company and saw them as a disruption and an inconvenience (Farhoomand, 2006). The continued search for lower prices made him aware of business related travel cost, Wal-Mart executives stayed in low cost hotels when they traveled and the cost related to the services provided by suppliers, Wal-Mart helped suppliers improve operations and efficiency to produce lower cost. Walton wanted the suppliers to correct any nonessential or insufficiencies existing in their business structures as a way of gaining lower prices and higher value products for its Wal-Mart stores. To further push savings Wal-Mart forced cost down by eliminating the middleman and buying directly from the manufacturers. This cost saving also applied to executive salaries Walton felt providing employees with stock options, training opportunities, and allow employees to grow and develop would be a better way to engage and involve them in his vision (Farhoomand, 2006).
At the first, Wal-Mart only operates its business in home country. However, Wal-Mart became more integrated and independent by expanding internationally. In 1991, Wal-Mart start expands the business at international level which includes 26 countries outside of the United State such as Mexico, China and Canada. Now, Wal-Mart totally has more than 6100 stores in foreign country. The step taken by Wal-Mart is to improve and maintain their achievement outside of the home country. Wal-Mart’s strategy which expands their market at international level gains a lot of benefit to their business.
Jenny(包君英) Mrs. Cary Ann Vincent Applied English 131 12 June 2015 Research Project General Topic: Economic in America Restricted: Wal-Mart stores in America More Restricted: Wal-Mart stores impact the America economic Topic Chosen: Why Wal-Mart Stores Affect Local Economies so Successfully? Outline I.Introduction a)With the development of the world economy, retailing industry has played a growth outstanding role in the economic. Wal-Mart, which is almost a household name in the world, its success is not absolutely accidental. b)This article consisting of three parts, first is some basic information about Wal-Mart, second is analyzing reasons for its success, last is summary and points.
In today’s world, we’ve attained one the most advance economies the world has ever seen. Transactions have become more efficient and the world can make exchanges from any location. Economies of countries are now intertwined due to international business and alien companies. Companies would find themselves starting in one part of the world, then creating firms and expansions all over the globe. A lot of these reasons are for global competition, which is unescapable due to the internet and resource distribution, availability, and cost.
Wal-mart has a reputation for caring for its customers, of course their employees, and for the prospective public. So Wal-Mart can be an industrial leader for the world of shoppers with an eye for lower affordable prices, company decision makers would continue it's systematic strategies that it's founder and president established years ago. Sam Walton believed in three guiding principles in his strategy planning they were to provide the customer with good value and service, to have a good relationship with its associates, and to be involved with the community.
...because it will affect shareholders interests if company not doing well their business. This paper discussed the reasons why Wal-Mart doesn’t doing well in global market. The main reason that Wal-Mart faced currently is internal and external problems. The internal problems included management and employees’ conflicts, while the external problems are suppliers and environment conflicts. These conflicts may cause Wal-Mart loss shareholders’ confidence to invest in their company and company’s share price also will affect. It will cause Wal-Mart difficulty to fight with their competitors in global market and spread their business to new market. To avoid these problems arise, Wal-Mart should find some solutions to resolve the conflicts. So that Wal-Mart can maintain a good relationship with their stakeholders and shareholders rather than break their relationship.