Rethinking Strategy at Macy’s

1.) When developing a marketing strategy, I feel Macy’s should do research on the local areas style preferences, like brands preferred, maybe certain colors and sizes may also be considered. They may also have to consider climate, such as which seasonal clothes to purchase to sell. In the Midwest they may need warmer clothes for the colder months; and for the warmer climates that would obviously not be needed, but there may be more brand specific the area may prefer. They may also want to consider customer loyalty to certain local products. Keeping the store names may be helpful, as people identify the name with a part of them and their hometown. Not making such drastic changes and keeping items in the store similar or highlighting the better selling items may be helpful to help customer adapt to the change, and some may not even realize there was a change. I also feel that keeping products in the same price ranges and not going to high or to low in prices ranges may help. Lower the price and merchandise selection may insult certain customers, on the other hand lower prices may bring in new customers. Either way I feel keeping the change not so noticeable to customers may be helpful especially in areas where there is an attachment to the local store. I feel it is important to keep special things customers identify the stores with and what they feel is important as long as it doesn’t cost money. They may want to do research to see what is important to customers in the local area before making big changes, like changing names. Customers who are loyal take changing the name personal.

2.) Macy’s would have to research on the local target market. Identifying the target market will help to identify which products to offer. Offering products that the people like and getting the customers in who spend money will create