Target Corporation (TGT) is an international general merchandise and grocery retailer founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota that works to ensure that the customer is provided with the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of goods such as household products, electronics, pharmacy, personal care products, grocery goods, clothing apparel, and sporting goods in order to achieve customer satisfaction at a discounted price in order to remain competitive within the industry. The primary goal for Target is to overcome their various competitors within the industry in order to generate profit through continuous innovation and delivering outstanding value at each Target location in order to be the preferred shopping destination amongst the customer. In
Target Corp. sells both items produced by other companies as well as sells items they have produced themselves. Target only sells the products they produce in their stores so they don’t have to worry about filling orders for other companies or be worried about demand from another company decrease. They are in control of their own supply and only have to worry about their own stores and the supply needed in house. While Target does produce some of their own goods, I would say their product or service is the shopping experience. Target Corp wants the consumers to choose them over all the other options there are out there that may offer similar products.
Their revenues decreased rapidly in the following year and they have just began to see an increase in their profits since the data breach. This shows that the brand’s perception fell by the wayside and many people shopped elsewhere. With the cut in profits, they had to lay off a lot of employees because they did not have enough funds to pay all of their employers. Therefore, Target had less personnel due to the data breach. The company did spend a lot of money, however on trying to get their systems back up and running and they tried to get the best security upgrade possible.
However, to compete on price with Walmart and Amazon, Target announced price cuts on thousands of products. The result will undoubtedly be lower margins. Target stock is already suffering there, as operating margins got destroyed in the second quarters, falling to 6.8% from 7.7% on the
Target Corporation is the second largest discount store retailer in the United States following Walmart. Target provides high-quality, trendy merchandise at logical prices. As of today, Target has more than 1800 retail stores and 38 distribution centers in the United States. The first official store was opened in 1962 in Roseville Minnesota and have thrived every since. I will be analyzing Target’s financial statements and communicating the results to our decision makers (Target 2017).
In today’s market, Walmart and Target are two of the top competing companies within the market system. According to Loudenback and Lee (2015) research on Walmart and Target stated, “We just released a list of the 50 most powerful companies in America, and Walmart came out on top as the most powerful company in the nation with Target a close second”. Walmart was founded 60 years after Target was founded. The two companies have found different ways and techniques to stay a top of their competitors. Within my SWOT analysis, I plan on pointing out each company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Why are these changes necessary for Target to grow and succeed? Well, the answer is very simple. There has been a radical and drastic change in the demands of consumers, competitors, and the market. In addition to those changes there is many other online competitors such as Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, JC Penney, Victoria Secret, and many others that are doing everything they need to be the best in online sales. The changes other competitors are doing is demanding Target leaders to make changes and necessary adjustments on their online sales.
After working in banking and real estate, native New Yorker, George D. Dayton decides to explore Midwest markets. Dayton notices Minneapolis offers some strongest opportunities for growth and so decides to purchase land on Nicollet Avenue and forms Dayton Dry Goods Company – today known as Target Corporation (“Target through the Years”). “Target Corporation is an upscale discount retailer that provides high-quality, on-trend merchandise at attractive prices in clean, spacious and customer friendly stores” (“Corporate Fact Sheet”). Today, target operates 1,829 stores in United States, which has enabled the company to grow to the top of the retail store market. It has implemented various techniques and strategies to constantly improve and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations (“Corporate Fact Sheet”).
Since Target Corporation is accessible in different places around the world, changes in rules and regulations of different countries it operates might impact on Target’s performance. It may also cause additional costs and expenses. this is associated especially to health, security and business laws. On social environment, Target annually do volunteering. They have a Target Books for School Award which allows them to give away $500 worth of books to local
Since its founding, it has intended to differentiate its stores from its competitors by offering what it believes is more upscale, trend-forward merchandise at lower costs, rather than the traditional concept of focusing on low-priced goods. Douglas J. Dayton, one of the Dayton brothers, explained John Geisse's concept: “We will offer high-quality merchandise at low margins, because we are cutting expenses. We would much rather do this than trumpet dramatic price cuts on cheap merchandise." As a result, Target stores tend to attract younger customers than Walmart, among other competitors.
The company is a well-established and recognized brand name that is highly respected by customers after Walmart for the discounted retails of the item displayed. Target is viewed as a fun place to shop such like position as IKEA; people can play around,
Target wants their customers to feel comfortable and ready to shop when they walk in. The open layout design with bright lights, wide aisles, and uncluttered displays makes it easy to navigate through the store. For example, when customers first walk through Target’s red front doors, they have to pass by bins that are strategically placed in the entrance. The bins contain an assortment of merchandise that cost no more than $5. It encourages shoppers to rummage through the bins and fill up their carts.
A new competitor is a risk occurrence that is completely out of the control of the business. Consumers have different tastes. A new competitor may be able to tap into some of Target’s core customer based with some differentiation. Target will need to have be to tap into and respond to those customer needs by altering its products and services to match those of its competitor. If Target has effective risk management system to track external risk like changes in customer needs or wants, the retailer will be ready if another competitor tries to enter the marker to meet those needs.
Target also invests chairs and tables for customers who want to have meals or drinks in food location which is comfortable for customers. In addition, Target invests computers to help customers who want to print or design their picture and document. Moreover, Target also has modern machines and software technology which support customers create and edit by the effective way in their work. Additionally, Target always has staffs who are willing to give customers a hand to design or fix their work. Clothes are displayed in Target is high quality with special design, so it is easy to attract the customers.
2. Customers: As the recession hit, unemployment rose and people started becoming more responsible with money, the consumer priority changed. Since Target was known for style, fashionable in slightly higher price, in the end, they hurt themselves. Target should have done a lot better of a job in providing customer
