Trader Joe's Essay

A store's marketing strategy is essential for a business to ensure they are reaching the correct target audience. Trader Joe’s is a grocery store that sells private label goods and was founded in 1967 in Pasadena, California, by Joe Coulombe. Before founding the American grocery store chain, the founder Coulombe worked for Rexall, an American chain drugstore. During his time at Raxell, he was assigned by his employer to work on the development of the launch of Pronto Markets; at the time, the store was looking to compete against 7-Eleven. Unfortunately, this project was an unsuccessful business adventure for Raxell, and the corporation ordered Coulombe to close down Pronto Markets. Coulombe decided to buy the store brand instead and rename

While walking around the store, I discovered Trader Joe’s sales strategies reveal no continuous discounted sales and no online e-commerce or membership programs. The employees are extremely friendly and provide excellent customer service. Also, all products in the store are privately labeled. They also don’t focus on traditional advertising; instead, they use word of mouth, which has become a powerful tool for Trader Joe’s. If shoppers are debating if a product would taste good, they are given the option to try any non-cook item and eat a sample in-store before purchase. Their target market includes a middle-class Caucasian population ranging from 35-50 years old who earn more than $80,000 per year. They are health-conscious label readers, are concerned about the ingredients and their origin, and are open to unique product cuisines. These consumers are also educated and appreciate good customer service. However, product accessibility is for metropolitan cities and the

For instance, Trader Joe’s in Pasadena and Tustin have a wooden display sign of the city; in each letter of the art piece, they show top sights and character mascots that represent the area's identity. For Pasadena, they included the Rose Bowl, The Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena City Hall, cities marching band, etc. This representation of art aids to the store's sales strategy. By including local art and sights that represent the city, they create a comfortable, prideful, nostalgic shopping environment. As a shopper, you feel you support the local community's small mom-and-pop shop, which has an old-fashioned atmosphere. The brand colors Trader Joe’s uses are red and sand; red captures customers' attention because it's bold and exciting. Combined with the softness of the sand, the color gives warmth, is friendly, and approachable, allowing them to feel welcome. When promoting, in-store branding is hand done with quirky dad jokes and phrases about the product being displayed. They also print their newsletter, announcing new products for the current season and sharing homemade recipes. For social media, they have Instagram & Facebook accounts were product announcements are made. Trader Joe’s approach has convinced consumers to buy the generic Trader Joe’s brand. Shoppers trust the company has done its homework in finding the best and health-conscious alternative. Trader Joe’s peanut