Question

Marketing Plan: Product Identification and SWOT Analysis
What needs to be done. The focus of your marketing plan can be a new product/service idea of your own or an existing product/ service.
I have chosen to do a marketing product and SWOT analysis for the company Walmart.
Here is an example but in of McDonald's I'm doing the company WALMART

About WALMART should contain paragraphs that cover like the example pictures above. Should include

The SWOT analysis that I'm doing my project is the company Walmart. I need to build a SWOT analysis on Walmart company

MCDONALD'S SITUATIONAL 2 McDonald's is the world's largest fast food chain with over $25B in annual sales and more than 35,000 retail locations in more than 100 countries (McDonald's Corporation, 2015) Core Products or Services Beyond the burgers, French fries and milkshakes that they have, they have been selling since its founding. McDonald's sells a variety of wraps, salads, sandwiches and beverages - more than 200 items in all (The Economist, 2015). McDonald's locations are typically open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night dining and many feature drive-thru service. A Brief History BUN30 APA McD. pdf BUS B30 APA McD pof breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night dining and many feature drive-thru service. A Brief History The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in 1948 by Richard and Maurice McDonald It brought production line techniques to the burger business and challenged the dominant carhop drive-in business model. Ray Kroc was one of the earliest franchisees and the key figure in the rapid expansion of the business after he bought out the McDonald brothers 1961. McDonald's became a public company in 1965 and opened its first international location in 1967. Sales and locations have continued to grow every year since (Comoletti, 2014) Key current competitors Historically, McDonald's primary competitors were identified to be the large fast food burger chains like Burger King and Wendy's. But given McDonald's size and the expansion of their menu, the competitive set must be viewed more broadly to include sandwich shops like Subway, other fast food concepts like Chick-fil-A, more upscale fast casual restaurants like Panera and Chipotle, as well as coffee shop chains like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts SWOT Analvsis locations have continued to grow every year since (Comoletti, 2014) Key current competitors Historically, McDonald's primary competitors were identified to be the large fast food burger chains like Burger King and Wendy's. But given McDonald's size and the expansion of their menu, the competitive set must be viewed more broadly to include sandwich shops like Subway, other fast food concepts like Chick-fil-A, more upscale fast casual restaurants like Panera and Chipotle, as well as coffee shop chains like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to assess the strengths, weaknesses, organization, company, project, plan, or venture opportunities, threats, and trend of an MCDONALD'S SITUATIONAL Strengths Anytime, anywhere convenience With over 14,000 locations in the U.S. alone, there is a McDonald's within a short drive of almost everyone and most are open from 6am to 11pm. The number of locations also means that McDonald's can purchase media nationally which is more cost efficient than buyinglocally Brand equity Because of its many locations, consistent brand experiences and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on marketing each year- McDonald's has developed a very strong brand. For example, they ranked 5th on BrandZ's 2014 most valuable global brand list (Rooney, 2014) The Best French Fries McDonald's french fries are universally loved- even by people who don't otherwise like McDonald's food. McDonald's fries were voted #1 in a 2015 YouGov study (Peterson, 2015) Kid appeal McDonald's is a popular destination amongst younger kids. Many locations have indoor Happy Meals which combine several kid friendly playgrounds and there are menu items such as Sho eutan APA McD pdf BUS 330 APA McD pd ehere to search playgrounds and there are menu items such as Happy Meals which combine several kid friendly food offerings in a fun box that includes a toy. The brand does a lot of advertising on kid targeted programs and Ronald McDonald is a highly recognizable spokesperson. Inexpensive With its well- known dollar menu, McDonald's is perceived by most consumers as an inexpensive place to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner- or a between meal snack Weaknesses Menu bloat In their attempt to compete with a wide range of competitors, McDonald's menu has swollen to more than 200 items. This is driving down operational efficiency as it takes longer for consumers to order and longer for the food to be prepared (Walton, 2015). Franchisees also have to invest in additional kitchen equipment and training MCDONALD'S SITUATIONAL Dining environment appeal Many McDonald's locations are outdated relative to chains like Starbucks or Panera which offer comfortable seating, amenities like fireplaces and greater cleanliness (Walton, 2015). Low customer satisfaction In a 2014 ACSI survey, McDonald's ranked last with a rating of 71 %, some 7 points below competitors like Wendy's and Subway (Comoletti, 2014). The rating reflects factors such as order accuracy, food quality, staff courtesy and menu variety. Low employee wages McDonald's does not pay its restaurant workers what most would consider to be a "living wage" As a result, McDonald's does not always attract the highest quality employees and turnover can in a constant need for re-hiring and re-training be high, resulting Threats Healthier eating trends While McDonald's menu does feature some healthier items like salads and wraps, they primari ords%204 % 2017 %2018 % 20(2) ,pdf ryais7cUM Threats Healthier eating trends While McDonald's menu does feature some healthier items like salads and wraps, they are still primarily associated with burgers, french fries, mass production and processed food. As such, healthier eating trends represent a threat to McDonald's business Aging of the population The percent of population in the United States over the age of 65 is growing. From 10% in 1970 to a projected 20 % by 2030 (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). The aging of the population is a threat for a business whose core consumer franchise has historically been families with younger children Rising social consciousness While McDonald's business or environmental practices have likely improved over time, the level of scrutiny surrounding the triple-bottom line and associated negative publicity has increased in recent years Popular documentaries like Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation have not portrayed McDonald's food or its business practices in a positive light MCDONALD'S SITUATIONAL Opportunities Positive childhood associations Regardless of people's current perceptions or level of satisfaction, most McDonald's consumers have fond childhood memories associated with the brand that can be potentially activated with the right messaging or product offerings. This creates an opportunity with the next generation of parents. The prolonged U.S. economic recession The more people's budgets are pinched, the more they are apt to "trade down" to less expensive options like fast food. With its well known dollar menu, McDonald's has economic downturn the opportunity to benefit from a prolonged Growth in specialty coffee Bu30 APA McD pd BUS 330 APA McD pd cDpdf ere to search Conclusion The Frie-day night with Redbox marketing plan should be approved for funding because it will succeed in leveraging America's favorite french fries to drive increased trial of McCafe beverages by teens and young adults. It will also increase consideration of McDonald's as an evening snack destination MCDONALD'S SITUATIONAL and help cement the brand's association with Friday night movie get-togethers. It will also help build brand affinity amongst this future generation of parents. Your document should contain paragraphs that cover the following top A description of your selected company/brand The core products/services they offer A brief history Key current competitors A SWOT analysis The product or service line you want to develop a marketing plan for investment (completed for McDonald Please see our sample situational analysis What Should I Market? The focus of your marketing plan can be a new product/service idea of yc inu've already seen

Answer 1

Walmart Inc:

Description- Walmart Inc is an American company that operates multiple hypermarkets, grocery stores, departmental stores all across the world. It is the world's largest company is terms of revenue, which was in excess of 500 billion US Dollars in 2018. the company employs more than 2 million people.

Core Products and services- Since Walmart operates retail stores and grocery stores, it offers a huge list of products and services. Grocery, medicines, toys, electronics, apparels, sporting goods, gift items, frozen foods, meat, dairy products and so on. It also offers many services like Photo studio, wireless services, Financial services at select locations.

A brief history- Walmart was founded in the year 1962 by Sam Walton. The first store was opened in Arkansas. By 1968, stores were opened in Oklahoma, Claremore, Missouri. In 1969, the company was incorporated at Wal-mart Inc. by th1 1980's the company had more than 1000 stores.Walmart kept on growing with a rapid phase, and it started operations in multiple countries, gradually becoming the largest company in the world, in terms of revenue.

Key current competitors: The key competitors of Walmart as on date are Amazon, eBay, Costco, IKEA, Home Depot, Alibaba. Walmart faces competition from offline as well as online retailers.

SWOT analysis:

Strengths:

• Scale of operations- Walmart operates on a very big scale in multiple countries. With such scale, Walmart benefits immensely from Economies of Scale.
• Strong supply chain network: With a large number of stores and logistics facilities, Walmart has a very formidable presence.
• Large employee base: Walmart has a huge asset base of over 2 million employees who work continuously towards the company's growth.
• Low prices- Walmart is one of the cheapest places to shop in the world. Hence its attracts a large number of customers on a daily basis.

Weaknesses:

• Lower profit margins: Even though Walmart has the largest revenue in the world, its profit margins are not so high.
• Simple business model: Walmart operates on the model of big volumes and lower prices, which may not be as effective in the future, with intense competition in the market.
• Large business to manage: Since Walmart operates multiple stores in various countries, it may get difficult to manage everything with the same efficiency and desired outputs.

Opportunities:

• Information Technology- Walmart can improve its efficiency and profits by making investing and make full use of latest advancements in Information Technology.
• Expanding in developing nations- Walmart can propel its growth rate by investing and setting up more stores in developing countries like India where market potential is huge.
• Entering Premium segments- Walmart can initiate its entry in premium segments or luxury products. So far, Walmart has been a low price store, however it may expand its horizon by having stores which offer premium products.

Threats:

• Intense competition: Walmart faces competition from traditional stores as well as online stores. In the age of technology, people are starting to prefer doing their shopping from the comfort of their homes. This may dent Walmart current business model.
• Global economy and Political scenario- With its presence in several countries, Walmart is susceptible to major economic downturns and political shifts in those countries.

As Walmart continues to grow world wide, it should be careful about the competition in the market, It should keep innovating to keep itself a cut above the others. Walmart should also focus on using more Technology to make its systems more advanced and fail proof. It should target more expansion in developing countries with big market potential.