With the increasing competition from online grocery retailers (Amazon and physical store retailers online sales), store-based retailing specialists (Aldi, Trade Joe’s, Costco, and Whole Foods), and supermarket chains (Kroger, Mariano’s, and Walmart) the team will be charged with identifying what this large grocery retailer can do to differentiate its in-store experience with specific focus on millennial shoppers.
Two parts of the plan are in-store differentiation applied to all stores or large groupings of stores and specific differentiation of individual or small groups of stores that vary based on the geographic location of its individual stores.
Both strategies need to contain specific tactics (activities) along with return on investment guidance (projections) for recommended activities. For example, if team recommends prepared foods to go as one of its ideas, what would this look like (made in-house or contracted out, food types, packaging, where positioned, pricing, etc.)?
More information will be provided to the team.

Client

Major grocery retailer in the Midwest.

Project Mentor

Dr. Peter Kaufman (Professor, Marketing)

Competencies needed by faculty and students involved

• Research & Creativity
• Graphic Design (ability to develop and present concepts/ideas/renderings)
• Baisc financial knowledge

Final Deliverable

Set of prioritized recommendations that the retailer should consider supported by research (online searching, industry trends, and some store visits, etc.). Recommendations would also contain visuals (creative material) of proposed concepts.