Question: What are the different types of design

> The Gap owns several chains, including Old Navy, banana republic, INTERMIX, and Athlete. What type of growth opportunity was the Gap pursuing when it opened each of these retail concepts? Which is most synergistic with the original Gap chain?

> Assume you are interested in opening a restaurant in your town. Go through the steps in the strategic planning process shown in Exhibit 5–7. Focus on conducting a SWOT analysis of the local restaurant market, identifying and evaluating alternatives, and

> What are Neiman Marcus’s and Pet Smart’s bases for sustainable competitive advantage? Are they really sustainable, or are they easily copied?

> Compare and contrast the retail mixes of convenience stores, traditional supermarkets, superstores, and warehouse stores. Can all of these food retail institutions be successful over the long run? How? Why?

> Do a SWOT analysis for McDonald’s. What is its mission? What are its strengths and weaknesses? What opportunities and environmental threats might it face over the next 10 years? How could it prepare for these threats?

> Give an example of a market penetration, a retail format development, a market expansion, and a diversification growth strategy that a store called Performance Bicycle might use.

> Choose a retailer and describe how it has developed a competitive strategic advantage.

> Amazon.com started as an Internet retailer selling books. Then it pursued a variety of growth opportunities, including expanding to groceries, DVDs, apparel, software, and travel services; introducing e-readers (Kindle); operating the Internet channel fo

> Choose a retailer that you believe could be, but is not yet, successful in other countries. Explain why you think it could be successful.

> For each of the four retailers discussed at the beginning of the chapter (Sephora, Lululemon, and Save-A-Lot)), describe its strategy and the basis of its competitive advantage.

> Think of a recent purchase that you made and describe how economic and social environmental factors (e.g., reference group, family, and culture) influenced your buying decision. How are retailers using social media to impact your buying decisions?

> Using the multiattribute attitude model, identify the probable choice of a local care dealer for a young, single woman and for a retired couple with limited income. What can the national retail chain do to increase the chances of the retired couple patr

> How does the buying decision process differ when consumers are shopping on the Internet or mobile device compared with shopping in a store in terms of locations or sites visited, time spent, and brands examined?

> A family-owned used-book store across the street from a major university campus wants to identify the various segments in its market. What approaches might the store owner use to segment its market? List two potential target market segments based on this

> What are the benefits and limitations of purchasing a home entertainment system directly from a number of component manufacturers rather than from a retailer?

> Any retailer's goal is to get customers in its store so that they can find the merchandise that they are looking for and make a purchase at this location. How could a sporting goods retailer ensure that the customer buys athletic equipment at its outlet?

> In Exhibit 4-6, The Inner City Tenant is described. How should banks, restaurants, drugstores, and car dealers alter their retail mixes to meet the needs of this segment compared to the Top Rung segment?

> Considering the steps in the consumer buying process (Exhibit 4-1), describe how you (and your family) used this process to select your college or university. How many schools did you consider? How much time did you invest in this purchase decision? When

> Describe how service retailers, such as hotels, are using Twitter to provide information and answer questions about rates, services offered, and other amenities. How is this form of communication changing their expectations?

> Think about the merchandise sold at Office Depot/OfficeMax and Staples, and list three to four types of merchandise that fall into extended problem solving, limited problem solving, and habitual decision making for college students. Explain how the categ

> Does the customer buying process end when a customer buys some merchandise? Explain your answer.

> Which of the following categories of merchandise do you think could be sold most successfully through an Internet channel: jewelry; TV sets; computer software; high-fashion apparel; pharmaceuticals; health care products such as toothpaste, shampoo, and c

> From a customer's perspective, what are the benefits and limitations of stores? Internet? Mobile? Social? Catalogs and other nonstore channels?

> Do you participate in show rooming? Why or why not?

> What aspects of omnichannel retailing would benefit you as a consumer?

> What is your favorite retailer? Why do you like this retailer? What would a competitive retailer have to do to get your patronage?

> What are the differences between a multichannel, cross-channel, and omnichannel retailer? Provide an example of each.

> Why are store-based retailers aggressively pursuing sales through Internet channels?

> Choose a product category that both you and your parents purchase (e.g., business clothing, casual clothing, music, electronic equipment, shampoo). In which type of store do you typically purchase this merchandise? What about your parents? Explain why

> The same brand and model of tablet is sold by specialty computer stores, discount stores, category specialists, online retailers, and warehouse stores. Why would a customer choose one retail format over the others?

> Why are retailers in the limited-assortment supermarket and extreme-value discount store sectors growing so rapidly? From which retailers are they getting these additional sales?

> What is the difference between bundled pricing and multiple-unit pricing?

> Calculate the GMROI and inventory turnover given annual sales of $20,000, average inventory (at cost) of $4,000 and a gross margin of 45 percent.

> The cost of a product is $150, markup is 50 percent, and markdown is 30 percent. What’s the final selling price?

> Why is Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, facing slower growth than in the past? What can it do to accelerate its growth?

> A department store’s maintained markup is 38 percent, reductions are $560, and net sales are $28,000. What’s the initial markup percentage?

> Why do some customers have a low or negative CLV value? What approach can retailers take with these customers to minimize their impact on the bottom line?

> Consider a recent retail service experience you have had, such as a haircut, doctor’s appointment, dinner in a restaurant, bank transaction, or product repair (not an exhaustive list), and answer the following questions: a) Describe an excellent service

> How can retailers provide high-quality personalized service? Use an optometrist’s office that also sells eyeglass frames and fills prescriptions for contact lenses as your example. How does this retailer’s service compare with the service provided by 1-8

> What do off-price retailers need to do to compete against other formats in the future?

> Gaps analysis provides a systematic method for examining a customer service program's effectiveness. Top management has told an information systems manager that customers are complaining about the long wait to pay for merchandise at the checkout station

> Consider a situation in which you received poor customer service in a retail store or from a service provider. Did you make the store’s management aware of your experience? To whom did you relay this experience to? Have you returned to this retailer or

> Assume you're the department manager for menswear in a local department store that emphasizes empowering its managers. A customer returns a dress shirt that's no longer in the package in which it was sold. The customer has no receipt, says that when he o

> Consider customer service at IKEA. How does this retailer utilize a self-service model to gain a competitive advantage over traditional furniture stores?

> Both Nordstrom and McDonald's are noted for their high-quality customer service, but their approaches to providing quality service are different. Describe this difference. Why has each of these retailers elected to use its particular approach?

> How can signage and graphics help both customers and retailers? Consider the following types of retail formats that you likely have visited in the past: discount store, department store, office superstore, and card and gift store. Describe which retail f

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of offering virtual dressing rooms from the retailers’ perspective?

> As an architect for retail space, you are responsible for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. How would you make sure that a store’s retail layout meets both accessibility requirements and enables the company to reach profitability objectives?

> A department store is building an addition. The merchandise manager for furniture is trying to convince the vice president to allot this new space to the furniture department. The merchandise manager for men’s clothing is also trying to gain the space. W

> What sorts of competitive pressures are confronting traditional grocery stores? What options do these stores have to ease these pressures?

> Assume you have been hired as a consultant to measure a local discount store’s floor plan and space productivity. Look back at Chapter 6 and decide which analytical tools and ratios you would use to assess the situation.

> One of the fastest-growing sectors of the population is the over-60 age group. Customers in this age group may have limitations in their vision, hearing, and movement. How can retailers develop store designs with this population’s needs in mind?

> Some staff pharmacists working for retail chains refuse to dispense the Plan B “morning after” contraceptive pill because of their religious beliefs. In another situation, Muslims and Jewish checkout clerks working for supermarket chains refused to touc

> When evaluating retail employees, some stores use a quantitative approach that relies on checklists and numerical scores similar to the form in Exhibit 15-5. Other stores use a more qualitative approach similar to the form in Exhibit 15-4, whereby less t

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of compensation programs described in this chapter? Considering the disadvantages only, how can department managers ameliorate lessen the effects of the disadvantages?

> What's the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards? What are the effects of these rewards on the behavior of retail employees? Under what conditions, would you recommend that a retailer emphasize intrinsic rewards over extrinsic rewards?

> Name some laws and regulations that affect the employee management process. Which do you believe are the easiest for retailers to adhere to? Which are violated the most often?

> Give examples of a situation in which a manager of a McDonald's fast-food restaurant should utilize different leadership styles.

> Drugstore retailers such as CVS place diabetic test strips and perfume behind locked glass cabinets and nearly all over-the-counter medicines behind Plexiglas panels. What are the pros and cons of these locked glass cabinets from the retailer’s perspecti

> How do on-the-job, Internet training, and classroom training differ? What are the benefits and limitations of each approach?

> There are services and products involved when buying or renting a car, and in both cases, the customer drives away in a car. But buying a car focuses more on the product, whereas renting involves the service. Explain four ways in which marketing for a

> As an intern for Dunkin’ Donuts, you have been asked to develop a social media campaign for a new glazed muffin. The objective of the campaign is to increase awareness and trial of the new line of muffins. How would you go about putting together such a

> Assume you work for a large consumer-packaged goods firm that has learned its latest line of snack foods is selling very slowly in retail stores. Recommend a strategy for listening to what consumers are saying on blogs, review sites, and the firm’s webs

> Why do some online retailers include editorials and customer reviews along with product information on their websites? Explain how this may influence the consumer’s buying behavior.

> A retailer plans to open a new store near a university. It will specialize in collegiate merchandise such as apparel, accessories, and school supplies. Consider the pros and cons of each of the following media: TV, radio, city newspaper, university newsp

> Outline some elements in a communication program that can be used to achieve the following objectives: (a) Increase store loyalty by 20 percent. (b) Build awareness of the store by 10 percent. (c) Develop an image as a low-price retailer. How would you

> What factors should be considered in dividing up the advertising budget among a store's different merchandise areas? Which of the following should receive the highest advertising budget: staple, fashion, or seasonal merchandise? Why?

> What are the positive and negative aspects of direct marketing from the customer’s perspective?

> Men’s Wearhouse purchased black leather belts for $15.99 each and priced them to sell for $29.99 each. What was the markup on the belts?

> Maintained markup is 39 percent, net sales are $52,000, and reductions are $2,500. What are the gross margin in dollars and the initial markup as a percentage? Explain why initial markup is greater than maintained markup.

> Why would sewing pattern manufacturers such as Simplicity (www.simplicity.com/patterns/) and Butterick (https://butterick.mccall.com/) ask $12.95 (or more) on each pattern and then two times a year offer patterns for sale at $1.99 each? How could this ma

> Distinguish between variety and assortment. Why are these important elements of retail market structure?

> What types of retailers often use a high/low pricing strategy? What types of retailers generally use an everyday low-pricing strategy? How would customers likely react if a retailer switched its pricing strategy from one to the other? Explain your respon

> What are retailers doing to be more socially responsible in buying merchandise? Why are they becoming more socially responsible? Do you buy products that you believe were produced in a socially responsible manner, even if they cost more?

> When you go shopping in which product categories do you prefer store brands or national brands? Explain your preference.

> Why have retailers found exclusive store brands to be an appealing branding option? Choose a department store, a discount store, and a grocery store. What exclusive store brands do they offer? How are they positioned in relation to their national-brand c

> Explain why a grocery store, such as Kroger, offers more than one tier of store brands within a particular product category.

> Does your favorite clothing store have a store-brand strategy? If yes, how does it build store loyalty? If no, how could a store brand create loyalty?

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of manufacturer’s brands versus store brands? Consider both the retailer's and customer's perspectives.

> What are the differences among counterfeit, gray-market, and black-market merchandise? Is the selling of this type of merchandise legal? Do you believe that the selling of these types of merchandise should be allowed? Provide a rationale for your positi

> You have decided that you don’t want to take the final in this class. Explain how you would negotiation this request with the instructor. Consider place, deadlines, past relationship, possible objections, options for mutual gain, and how to maintain a pr

> Assume you have been hired to consult with Forever 21 on sourcing decisions for sportswear. What issues would you consider when deciding whether you should buy from Mexico or China or find a source within the United States?

> In this chapter, some socially responsible activities engaged in by retailers are described. Take the perspective of a stockholder in one of these companies. What effect will these activities have on the value of its stock? Why might they have a posit

> How do retailers add value to the products bought by consumers?

> Do the intended consumers react differently to green products depending on their countries of origin? If so, why?

> Why is the Internet a relevant source of health and fitness information for people, and how can it be used for marketing purposes in this area?

> For each of the following products and activities listed below: a. List two relevant core values and explain your choices. b. Describe how each value either encourages or discourages buying the product or engaging in the activity. The products and acti

> The Citrus Growers of America are planning a promotional campaign to encourage the drinking of orange and grapefruit juices in the late afternoons – an occasion when many people reach for a soft drink. Describe how the organization can use two measuremen

> In what ways do the three forms of cultural learning differ from one another? How can each be used effectively in marketing and advertisements?

> You are the owner of two furniture stores: one catering to upper-middle-class consumers and the other to lower-class consumers. How do social class differences influence each store’s: (a) product lines and styles (b) advertising media selection (c) the c

> To what extent is technology an aspect of social class? Does it require its own social group?

> Which status related variable—occupation, education or income—is the most appropriate segmentation base for: (a) family vacations (b) opera subscriptions (c) subscribing to online.wsj.com (d) shopping at Whole Foods supermarkets (e) buying from freshdir

> Why do marketing researchers use objective, rather than subjective, measures of social class?

> Amazon has introduced a new electronic reader that is more expensive than previous models but has many more features. How can the company use the adopter categories in marketing this product?

> What is market segmentation? How is the practice of market segmentation related to the marketing concept?

> What are the implications of the sleeper effect for the selection of spokespersons and the scheduling of advertising messages?

> You are the marketing vice president of a large soft-drink company. Your company’s advertising agency is in the process of negotiating a contract to employ a superstar female singer to promote your product. Discuss the reference group factors that you wo

> List and discuss factors that affect the credibility of formal communications sources of product information. What factors influence the perceived credibility of informal communications sources?

> How can marketers use social networks, brand communities, and weblogs to locate new customers and target them?

> Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the four methods of measuring opinion leadership.