http://www.sears.com
http://www.searsholdings.com/about/sears/
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040904/news_1b4sears.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=PRNI2&STORY=/www/story/03-18-2009/0004990649&EDATE=
http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/sears-sheds-its-customers-hmmm/
http://industry.bnet.com/retail/1000295/retail-roundup-steve-barrys-set-to-close-sears-on-thin-ice-more/
http://www.mysears.com/discussion_boardshttp://retailhitsandmisses.blogspot.com/2008/11/problems-with-sears.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears
donderdag 6 augustus 2009
Conclusion
Conclusion
After our interviews, visiting a Sears store and doing some research on the Internet we can now come to a conclusion if Sears is a concept that could work in the Netherlands.
With people wanting everything faster these days it’s easy if everything you need is under one roof and you don’t have to drive or walk from one place to another to get all the stuff you want. Though this sounds great in theory you need to be cautions of the fact a store this big can turn a bit confusing if it’s not clearly marked where everything is, as a customer recently complained.
Sears carries a lot of major brands, this gives customers the feeling that there buying high quality products which is good because they then will come back faster to buy other products they need.
There really aren’t any stores in the Netherlands that are alike to Sears, a store that sells that many different kinds of products. All the stores are specialized in one market. Companies like IKEA which is specialized in furniture and Praxis which is specialized in hardware. So without any real competitors on the market Sears could work in the Netherlands but they will have to perfect everything they do because it’s hard to enter the market as a new company and in the Netherlands we’ve only heard of Sears through television but we don’t really know what it is. A lot of stories we read said that the customer services and deliverance are poorly, this will have to improve if you want to be successful in a country where nobody knows you because customers will go back to the store they are used to. In the USA Sears is an established brand so a lot of people are used to Sears and won’t switch that fast.
Another problem for a Sears store in the Netherlands would be the location because Sears sells so many products. People in the Netherlands go to a mall or IKEA, Praxis etc. with an idea of what they’re going to buy. When you go to the mall you want to buy clothes and not a new dishwasher so the clothes department of Sears would do well there, but the rest wouldn’t. If you build a Sears store near IKEA, Praxis etc. the departments with tools and appliances would sell well but the departments with clothes and electronics wouldn’t do so good just because Dutch people aren’t looking for those products in that location. In the USA it’s much more combined because of the big department stores like Sears, Wall Mart and Marshalls.
If Sears changes their way they approach their potential customers in the Netherlands they could certainly succeed.
After our interviews, visiting a Sears store and doing some research on the Internet we can now come to a conclusion if Sears is a concept that could work in the Netherlands.
With people wanting everything faster these days it’s easy if everything you need is under one roof and you don’t have to drive or walk from one place to another to get all the stuff you want. Though this sounds great in theory you need to be cautions of the fact a store this big can turn a bit confusing if it’s not clearly marked where everything is, as a customer recently complained.
Sears carries a lot of major brands, this gives customers the feeling that there buying high quality products which is good because they then will come back faster to buy other products they need.
There really aren’t any stores in the Netherlands that are alike to Sears, a store that sells that many different kinds of products. All the stores are specialized in one market. Companies like IKEA which is specialized in furniture and Praxis which is specialized in hardware. So without any real competitors on the market Sears could work in the Netherlands but they will have to perfect everything they do because it’s hard to enter the market as a new company and in the Netherlands we’ve only heard of Sears through television but we don’t really know what it is. A lot of stories we read said that the customer services and deliverance are poorly, this will have to improve if you want to be successful in a country where nobody knows you because customers will go back to the store they are used to. In the USA Sears is an established brand so a lot of people are used to Sears and won’t switch that fast.
Another problem for a Sears store in the Netherlands would be the location because Sears sells so many products. People in the Netherlands go to a mall or IKEA, Praxis etc. with an idea of what they’re going to buy. When you go to the mall you want to buy clothes and not a new dishwasher so the clothes department of Sears would do well there, but the rest wouldn’t. If you build a Sears store near IKEA, Praxis etc. the departments with tools and appliances would sell well but the departments with clothes and electronics wouldn’t do so good just because Dutch people aren’t looking for those products in that location. In the USA it’s much more combined because of the big department stores like Sears, Wall Mart and Marshalls.
If Sears changes their way they approach their potential customers in the Netherlands they could certainly succeed.
Interview with manager
Interview with marketing manager Manny of the Sears appliance outlet store in the Arizona mills.
Date: august 1 2009
Names: Petra, Jens , Bas
Location: Sears appliance outlet, Arizona Mills
1:
What is the main target group of Sears?
- Our target group is really everybody. In this store we see a lot of college kids’ and younger people because the prices are lower. But in general Sears has something for everyone.
2:
Can you tell us something about the way Sears promotes its self?
- Sears offers their clients credits. At Sears you can buy a product and pay it up to 6 months later. Sears also has a policy that if you find the same product in another shop for less money, Sears will pay you the difference. Every week we also advertise in both regional and national newspapers. There are also a lot of TV commercials of sears. Sears send business cards and packages to big companies in order to attract their attention.
3:
After a new promotional campaign, do you see a lot of new costumers buying that promoted product?
- Yes we do actually. Usually we see a lot of new people buying that product. They are different then regular customers in the way that they normally don’t become a regular costumer and just want bargains.
4:
Can you tell us something about the management structure? Are there for instance a lot of managers per store?
- Yes there are. You have a Lead supervisor and a supervisor at the top. Then a assistant and a floor manager. This outlet store only has 5 managers because we don’t have that many departments; a regular Sears store can have up to about 11 managers in charge of different departments.
5:
Can you tell us something about where the Sears stores are located?
- There are about 2 outlet stores per state and in total there are more than 2300 Sears stores located throughout the US, Mexico and Canada.
6:
Do you as a manager need to obey to a lot of rules given by the higher management?
- Yes, we have to do what the company tells us. Sometime that means that we have to make changes in the way we deal with personal or sometimes they want to make some changes in the way the stores look. We also need to give new staff a week long computer training and we have to learn them how they should treat the customer.
7:
What are the main Competitors of Sears?
- Well, Sears is really in a class of its own. There are other companies who sell the same product but not in the way we sell them. We only sell products that last long and are quality wise much better than the products of the competitors.
People come to Sears because they know what to expect, high end products.
8:
What are the main partner companies of Sears?
- Well we deal a lot whit the CD Bank and the HSBC Bank. These are both credit banks. Also K-Mart is a part of the Sears Group.
9:
How does Sears tries to stay ahead of the competition?
- Well simply by offering a huge array of product and by selling only high end product which will last for a long time. When costumers buy something at Sears they will almost always come back.
10:
What is the message that Sears tries to tell to its customers?
Want something to last? Come to Sears?
11:
How does Sears optimize its distribution channels?
- Sears has its own Trucks. Its own distribution center and tries to make as many product possible in the US.
12:
Did the economic crises had an effect on Sears?
- Well certainly not this outlet store! We didn’t see a drop in costumers especially because we are cheaper than a regular store. Also the regular sears stores are hardly been effected by the crises. People just keep on buying and they chose Sears as the place to buy their product.
13:
Final question: How did you become a manager at Sears?
I started working as regular employee. And just by helping costumers and showing lead I became promoted. And if you show that you work as a team, show lead, and just do you job you will eventually become a manager.
Thank you very much for your time and have a nice day!
- Your welcome!
End of interview.
Date: august 1 2009
Names: Petra, Jens , Bas
Location: Sears appliance outlet, Arizona Mills
1:
What is the main target group of Sears?
- Our target group is really everybody. In this store we see a lot of college kids’ and younger people because the prices are lower. But in general Sears has something for everyone.
2:
Can you tell us something about the way Sears promotes its self?
- Sears offers their clients credits. At Sears you can buy a product and pay it up to 6 months later. Sears also has a policy that if you find the same product in another shop for less money, Sears will pay you the difference. Every week we also advertise in both regional and national newspapers. There are also a lot of TV commercials of sears. Sears send business cards and packages to big companies in order to attract their attention.
3:
After a new promotional campaign, do you see a lot of new costumers buying that promoted product?
- Yes we do actually. Usually we see a lot of new people buying that product. They are different then regular customers in the way that they normally don’t become a regular costumer and just want bargains.
4:
Can you tell us something about the management structure? Are there for instance a lot of managers per store?
- Yes there are. You have a Lead supervisor and a supervisor at the top. Then a assistant and a floor manager. This outlet store only has 5 managers because we don’t have that many departments; a regular Sears store can have up to about 11 managers in charge of different departments.
5:
Can you tell us something about where the Sears stores are located?
- There are about 2 outlet stores per state and in total there are more than 2300 Sears stores located throughout the US, Mexico and Canada.
6:
Do you as a manager need to obey to a lot of rules given by the higher management?
- Yes, we have to do what the company tells us. Sometime that means that we have to make changes in the way we deal with personal or sometimes they want to make some changes in the way the stores look. We also need to give new staff a week long computer training and we have to learn them how they should treat the customer.
7:
What are the main Competitors of Sears?
- Well, Sears is really in a class of its own. There are other companies who sell the same product but not in the way we sell them. We only sell products that last long and are quality wise much better than the products of the competitors.
People come to Sears because they know what to expect, high end products.
8:
What are the main partner companies of Sears?
- Well we deal a lot whit the CD Bank and the HSBC Bank. These are both credit banks. Also K-Mart is a part of the Sears Group.
9:
How does Sears tries to stay ahead of the competition?
- Well simply by offering a huge array of product and by selling only high end product which will last for a long time. When costumers buy something at Sears they will almost always come back.
10:
What is the message that Sears tries to tell to its customers?
Want something to last? Come to Sears?
11:
How does Sears optimize its distribution channels?
- Sears has its own Trucks. Its own distribution center and tries to make as many product possible in the US.
12:
Did the economic crises had an effect on Sears?
- Well certainly not this outlet store! We didn’t see a drop in costumers especially because we are cheaper than a regular store. Also the regular sears stores are hardly been effected by the crises. People just keep on buying and they chose Sears as the place to buy their product.
13:
Final question: How did you become a manager at Sears?
I started working as regular employee. And just by helping costumers and showing lead I became promoted. And if you show that you work as a team, show lead, and just do you job you will eventually become a manager.
Thank you very much for your time and have a nice day!
- Your welcome!
End of interview.
Our Experience at Sears
Our Experience at Sears
On Saturday august 1st we went to the Sears Appliance outlet store in the Arizona mills.
The Sears store was conveniently located in the Arizona Mills Mall. There were a lot of parking spaces and also a pick up point for customers.
The first thing we noticed was the absence of a normal store layout. There was no check-out desk and everything was located in one big hall. There was also very little decoration. Just Logo’s on the walls and signs to guide you around.
The Sears store we visited was an Appliance outlet store. That means that they only sell appliances which other Sears stores couldn’t sell. The people we saw walking around were between 30 and 70 years old. Because there are only 2 outlets stores in the entire state a lot of people come to Sears to find a bargain.
When we walked around through the shop an employee approached us and asked if we needed any help. We asked her if we could speak to the manager and she replied that he would be back in about an hour.
After observing the costumers we noticed a few things. The first thing was that the costumers were almost always looking for promoted products. We saw a few people coming in, buying a printer which was promoted and walking out.
An older couple strolled around the store looking at washing machines. They were helped by an employee who was very polite to them. There was also a young woman who sat together with a sales person at a table and I think they were discussing the price.
In general we got the impression that all the customers were satisfied with Sears. The staff was very friendly and so was the manager despite he was very busy. We spend about 1.5 hour inside the store and really got the impression that thing were running smoothly. At any given time there were about 8 employees on the floor and about 25 costumers.
On Saturday august 1st we went to the Sears Appliance outlet store in the Arizona mills.
The Sears store was conveniently located in the Arizona Mills Mall. There were a lot of parking spaces and also a pick up point for customers.
The first thing we noticed was the absence of a normal store layout. There was no check-out desk and everything was located in one big hall. There was also very little decoration. Just Logo’s on the walls and signs to guide you around.
The Sears store we visited was an Appliance outlet store. That means that they only sell appliances which other Sears stores couldn’t sell. The people we saw walking around were between 30 and 70 years old. Because there are only 2 outlets stores in the entire state a lot of people come to Sears to find a bargain.
When we walked around through the shop an employee approached us and asked if we needed any help. We asked her if we could speak to the manager and she replied that he would be back in about an hour.
After observing the costumers we noticed a few things. The first thing was that the costumers were almost always looking for promoted products. We saw a few people coming in, buying a printer which was promoted and walking out.
An older couple strolled around the store looking at washing machines. They were helped by an employee who was very polite to them. There was also a young woman who sat together with a sales person at a table and I think they were discussing the price.
In general we got the impression that all the customers were satisfied with Sears. The staff was very friendly and so was the manager despite he was very busy. We spend about 1.5 hour inside the store and really got the impression that thing were running smoothly. At any given time there were about 8 employees on the floor and about 25 costumers.
Branded Customer experience of Sears
Sears is a big store with a lot of products and with a long life expectancy. In the stores you see that the product sell itself by the well known brands. The decoration of the store is a bit simple. However the costumers experience every product they like to have in one store, which is practical. What the costumers also like is the fact that sears has a drive throw that means that you can order online and pick everything up at sears they also do delivery’s.
The following is a summary of the review from sears.com.
“ Sears is known as the place America shops and it has been operating its Sears.com web site for many years now as a supplement to the physical location stores. Customers like the fact that they can shop at Sears.com and, if an item has to be returned, they can take it to an actual Sears location for a refund or credit. Reviewers also like the low clothing prices and the generally good quality offered by Sears.com, but they do not like the customer service and slow delivery. “Good Price, Great Quality” is how one reviewer sums up the experience, while another reviewer says “I Would Avoid Sears at All Cost”. These contrasting viewpoints and others like them rank Sears.com as an average at the shopping websites overall.”
New Consumer
A new consumer is an individual who focuses on creating his own identity and who is looking for self-expression, meaning and quality in life.
Sears is aware of the changes of the consumer and tries to provide for them. This new generation buyers will want to us every way possible for ordering the product’s they like, an example of these method is phones for calling and internet, computers of internet orders, by car or at the store. However it is really important to get a personal interaction with the store.
The following is a summary of the review from sears.com.
“ Sears is known as the place America shops and it has been operating its Sears.com web site for many years now as a supplement to the physical location stores. Customers like the fact that they can shop at Sears.com and, if an item has to be returned, they can take it to an actual Sears location for a refund or credit. Reviewers also like the low clothing prices and the generally good quality offered by Sears.com, but they do not like the customer service and slow delivery. “Good Price, Great Quality” is how one reviewer sums up the experience, while another reviewer says “I Would Avoid Sears at All Cost”. These contrasting viewpoints and others like them rank Sears.com as an average at the shopping websites overall.”
New Consumer
A new consumer is an individual who focuses on creating his own identity and who is looking for self-expression, meaning and quality in life.
Sears is aware of the changes of the consumer and tries to provide for them. This new generation buyers will want to us every way possible for ordering the product’s they like, an example of these method is phones for calling and internet, computers of internet orders, by car or at the store. However it is really important to get a personal interaction with the store.
woensdag 5 augustus 2009
The marketing mix
The Marketing Mix
Place:
Sears stores are in places where the customers are, like shopping malls and other places with other big department stores. There are about 2300 stores spread throughout the USA and Canada so that there is always a store nearby.
Sears owns his own shipping companies so the distribution is easier to do then with an external business.
Like many other companies Sears is also online, with an online store. The products you buy online can be delivered but you can also pick them up t your local Sears store.
Promotion:
Sears releases a new promotion campaign every week with new products and items on sale. Sears also make commercials on national television featuring celebrities like Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and the Backstreet boys, these commercials are obviously meant for kids and teenagers but there are also commercials for adults which feature more product and price information. Sears promotes itself as cheap and high quality. The slogan “life well spent” also implies this. The Sears logo is simple and recognizable it’s just Sears and nothing else, you can also see this in the stores it’s all about the products.
Products:
Sears sell almost everything you need except food. Sears focuses mainly on living by selling furniture, clothing and appliances. Sears says it sells the best products that there are on the market, so you have a sustainable product. As for competitors they say that they sell products of lesser quality which will breakdown faster.
Price:
Along with the high quality Sears says they sell there products for the lowest possible price, so you can have a good brand and nor pay a lot for it. This is very good for business because a lot of people don’t have that much to spend but still want a good product, so they go where it’s the cheapest. You can say Sears uses a method selling products for the lowest price so that a lot of customers can afford it.
People:
Sears has about 350.000 employees. Per store there are about 11 managers depending on the size of the store. All the employees get certain training so that they can inform the customers about the products they sell. Sears also trains a lot of repairmen who don’t have to work for Sears so they also now the products which makes them easier to repair.
Place:
Sears stores are in places where the customers are, like shopping malls and other places with other big department stores. There are about 2300 stores spread throughout the USA and Canada so that there is always a store nearby.
Sears owns his own shipping companies so the distribution is easier to do then with an external business.
Like many other companies Sears is also online, with an online store. The products you buy online can be delivered but you can also pick them up t your local Sears store.
Promotion:
Sears releases a new promotion campaign every week with new products and items on sale. Sears also make commercials on national television featuring celebrities like Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and the Backstreet boys, these commercials are obviously meant for kids and teenagers but there are also commercials for adults which feature more product and price information. Sears promotes itself as cheap and high quality. The slogan “life well spent” also implies this. The Sears logo is simple and recognizable it’s just Sears and nothing else, you can also see this in the stores it’s all about the products.
Products:
Sears sell almost everything you need except food. Sears focuses mainly on living by selling furniture, clothing and appliances. Sears says it sells the best products that there are on the market, so you have a sustainable product. As for competitors they say that they sell products of lesser quality which will breakdown faster.
Price:
Along with the high quality Sears says they sell there products for the lowest possible price, so you can have a good brand and nor pay a lot for it. This is very good for business because a lot of people don’t have that much to spend but still want a good product, so they go where it’s the cheapest. You can say Sears uses a method selling products for the lowest price so that a lot of customers can afford it.
People:
Sears has about 350.000 employees. Per store there are about 11 managers depending on the size of the store. All the employees get certain training so that they can inform the customers about the products they sell. Sears also trains a lot of repairmen who don’t have to work for Sears so they also now the products which makes them easier to repair.
The Concept
The location
Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S.
Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs.
The target group
The target group for Sears is families and all their needs with products like furniture, mace up, books, clothing, electronics, garden, toys etc.
The concept
Sears touches the customers in a variety of ways and through the various formats. Their goal is to make products, brands, and services more responsive to the needs of the customers and to build a long term trusting relationship with the customers.
Their vision statement is the following:
"Sears Holdings is committed to improving the lives of our customers by providing quality services, products and solutions that earn their trust and build lifetime relationships."
Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S.
Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs.
The target group
The target group for Sears is families and all their needs with products like furniture, mace up, books, clothing, electronics, garden, toys etc.
The concept
Sears touches the customers in a variety of ways and through the various formats. Their goal is to make products, brands, and services more responsive to the needs of the customers and to build a long term trusting relationship with the customers.
Their vision statement is the following:
"Sears Holdings is committed to improving the lives of our customers by providing quality services, products and solutions that earn their trust and build lifetime relationships."
vrijdag 31 juli 2009
The history of Sears
Sears, Roebuck & co is an American chain of international department stores founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century.
Sears was a railroad station agent in North Redwood, when he received a shipment of watches from a Chicago jeweler which the local jeweler didn’t want. Sears purchased them himself and sold them with profit to other station agents. He started a business selling watches through mail order catalogues. He moved to Chicago where he met Roebuck who joined him in his business.
In the 19th Century Farmers only came to town to sell there crops, and to buy supplies from the local stores often at a very high price. In the Sears catalogue prices where clearly stated so customers new exactly what they bought and what they had to pay, the popularity grew rapidly.
By 1895 they where producing a catalogue with the largest variety of items that anybody back then could have thought.
The first Sears store opened in 1925, in1929 they took over the Becker-Ryan department store, in 1933 they tore it down and built the first windowless department store. In the 1930’s they started to diversify by starting to sell insurances, real estate and introducing the Discover credit card, the credit card operation was sold in 2003. Also in 2003, Sears opened a new concept store branded Sears Grand.
Sears Grand stores carry everything that a regular Sears carries, plus health and beauty, toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, home decor, pet food, cards and party supplies, books, magazines, electronics, music, movies, and an edited assortment of groceries. In 2004 Kmart merged with Sears, in 2005 some Kmart stores where converted to Sears Essentials, only to change them later to Sears Grand’s.
The company was the largest retailer in the US until the early 1980’s. In 1993 Sears stopped producing catalogues because of sinking sales and profits. This year Sears bought the search engine Delver.
Today sears is one of the biggets department stores in the United States with over 2300 stores and a annual revenue of $23.6 billion
Sears was a railroad station agent in North Redwood, when he received a shipment of watches from a Chicago jeweler which the local jeweler didn’t want. Sears purchased them himself and sold them with profit to other station agents. He started a business selling watches through mail order catalogues. He moved to Chicago where he met Roebuck who joined him in his business.
In the 19th Century Farmers only came to town to sell there crops, and to buy supplies from the local stores often at a very high price. In the Sears catalogue prices where clearly stated so customers new exactly what they bought and what they had to pay, the popularity grew rapidly.
By 1895 they where producing a catalogue with the largest variety of items that anybody back then could have thought.
The first Sears store opened in 1925, in1929 they took over the Becker-Ryan department store, in 1933 they tore it down and built the first windowless department store. In the 1930’s they started to diversify by starting to sell insurances, real estate and introducing the Discover credit card, the credit card operation was sold in 2003. Also in 2003, Sears opened a new concept store branded Sears Grand.
Sears Grand stores carry everything that a regular Sears carries, plus health and beauty, toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, home decor, pet food, cards and party supplies, books, magazines, electronics, music, movies, and an edited assortment of groceries. In 2004 Kmart merged with Sears, in 2005 some Kmart stores where converted to Sears Essentials, only to change them later to Sears Grand’s.
The company was the largest retailer in the US until the early 1980’s. In 1993 Sears stopped producing catalogues because of sinking sales and profits. This year Sears bought the search engine Delver.
Today sears is one of the biggets department stores in the United States with over 2300 stores and a annual revenue of $23.6 billion
Introduction
Welcome to our weblog!
We are:
Petra van Engelen
Age 23
2nd Year Leisure management
Jens Timmermans
Age: 16
1st Year Tourism management
Bas Steuns
Age: 17
1st Year International Tourism management
We have chosen Sears as our subject.
Sears is a massive chain of stores throughout the US and Canada. They sell everything from clothes to TV sets and from lawnmowers to washin machines. In Holland there is nothing that comes even close to Sears. The reason we have chosen sears as a subject is because we wan't to investigate if the concept of Sears would be succesful in the Netherlands.
We are:
Petra van Engelen
Age 23
2nd Year Leisure management
Jens Timmermans
Age: 16
1st Year Tourism management
Bas Steuns
Age: 17
1st Year International Tourism management
We have chosen Sears as our subject.
Sears is a massive chain of stores throughout the US and Canada. They sell everything from clothes to TV sets and from lawnmowers to washin machines. In Holland there is nothing that comes even close to Sears. The reason we have chosen sears as a subject is because we wan't to investigate if the concept of Sears would be succesful in the Netherlands.
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