Kmart Marketing Strategy & Marketing Mix (4Ps)
Marketing Strategy of Kmart analyzes the brand with the marketing mix framework which covers the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). These business strategies, based on Kmart marketing mix, help the brand succeed in the market. Let us start the Kmart Marketing Strategy & Mix to understand its product, pricing, advertising & distribution strategies:
Quick Glance:
Kmart Product Strategy:
The product strategy and mix in Kmart marketing strategy can be explained as follows:
Kmart is a large retail establishment headquartered at Illinois, US. It was established in 1899. They sell variety of products under its marketing mix product portfolio which includes apparel, toys, jewellery, office supplies, pet supplies, health and beauty products, OTC medicines, home décor, electronics, hardware, sports equipment and accessories, bedding and bath accessories, food items like poultry, baked goods, frozen foods etc.
Kmart offers a good shopping experience to all its customers and serves kids, adults, elders and has products for most of our needs.
Image: company website
Kmart Price/Pricing Strategy:
Below is the pricing strategy in Kmart marketing strategy:
Kmart had a wide range of products with a price disconnection as it claimed itself to be a discount department store but the prices were either very expensive or too cheap. Now, Kmart has been focusing on a permanent low-pricing model.
Many big brands were removed and replaced with their own brands. Hence it moved from being a discount store to Every Day Low Prices (EDLP) concept. Now the average selling price that can be found at the store is around $7.
Read more about Kmart
Kmart Place & Distribution Strategy:
Following is the distribution strategy in the Kmart marketing mix:
Kmart operated at various locations but the future of this retail chain is in jeopardy. Its parent company Sears Holdings has shut down many Kmart stores and now it is open at 300 locations. They also operate through their website that ships to various states in US.
Kmart also has a global presence and has stores in other countries like Puerto Rico, Guam etc.
Kmart Promotion & Advertising Strategy:
The promotional and advertising strategy in the Kmart marketing strategy is as follows:
Kmart changed its brand positioning from a store that had everything to appeal everyone to a brand that specifically targets women and mothers in particular. They included catchy pop songs in their commercials instead of the normal jingles to portray themselves as hip, funky and fun brand. The brand has made its presence felt on social media by pages like Kmart hacks and shelfies that show DIY makeovers and home styling. Their “Big Gas Savings” commercial became quite popular. Their price reduction from discounted store to EDLP was the most popular promotional strategy for the brand. “Attention Kmart shoppers” and “BlueLight Specials” are the store announcements that had been used to grab the attention of shoppers.
Since this is a service marketing brand, here are the other three Ps to make it the 7Ps marketing mix of Kmart.
People:
Kmart has a great company culture and friendly atmosphere. They engage the employees in regular motivational programs and training & development. Although there have been reported complaints regarding the cashiers and service desk employees. Their customer complaint number has been reported to be equally inefficient.
Process:
The in-store merchandising of Kmart proved to be successful when they went for a massive reduction in their production line from 50,000 around 12,000. The big brands were replaced with Kmart’s own private brands. The in-store merchandising, stock control, sourcing and logistics were simplified. As a result, the stores became easier to navigate and more responsive to impulse purchasing. Kmart believed in being honest with the customers and offered simple, honest pricing. Kmart also reduced the number of domestic wholesalers for imported merchandise which further helped them to keep their prices low. Kmart also introduced a lean process that helped them reduce the shipping costs.
Physical Evidence:
Kmart followed many new strategies while reducing their production line. Focus was laid on clean stores and they were divided by rooms in the home rather than by categories. It resulted in being more intuitive, easy to navigate and customers were attracted towards impulse buying. Hence this completes the marketing mix of Kmart.
About Kmart:
Kmart is a popular retail store based out of USA which is owned by Sears Corporation. The store was found in 1899 and has since then grown to become a popular brand in America.
In 2005, Kmart was acquired by Sears Corporation and has its presence in and around US in more than 300+ stores. At its peak, the retail chain had more than 2000 stores spread across North America.
This article has been researched & authored by the Content & Research Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.
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