Essay Example: Macy's - A Retail Store Overview

What retail store are you visiting? What type of store is it?

Macy's is a group under a retail chain of departmental stores that is based in New York City in the United States. This retail store forms my basis of a departmental store that is going to visit. Macy's operates two brands, namely, Bloomingdale and Macy's.

What is the store location in terms of the mall, strip center, lifestyle center, power center, urban business district, free standing, etc. Which retailers are adjacent to your retailer?

In New York, Macy's is situated in the 151 West 34th Street New York, NY 10001. The retailers that are adjacent to this store are Manhattan Mall, Urban Outfitters, Hotel Pennsylvania, The Pennsy Food Hall, Zara On trend apparel and accessories center and Modell's Sporting Goods. The retailers that are adjacent to Macy's include Victoria' Secret and Pink, Manhattan Mall and Urban Outfitters.

Does the retailer offer merchandise, services or both? What types of merchandise and services are provided to customers?

Macy's does offer a range of merchandise and services to its clients. The departmental retail store offers the following merchandises to its customers that include; children, women and men's apparel, home furnishings, consumer goods, cosmetics, and accessories.

Choose a specific department in the store. If you have been assigned a particular department/product category, you must address that when answering the questions below:

Variety List 5 product categories from the variety of merchandise offered in this department.

The men's clothing department has got shoes, coats, sportswear, denim and young men's bottoms. Macy's also stocks the short-sleeved t-shirts that at a retail price go at $7.99. It also stocks running jackets and seamless sports tops.

Assortment List 5 products offered from each category of merchandise.

The bottoms' section stocks: trousers, shorts and fitting jeans going at a retail price of $9.96. The denim sector stocks include; skinny Warren, Slim Oliver, and Slim Jay. Macy's also has casual wears, sweaters, jumpers, and jackets. There are also men socks.

List the Brand names and Private Label names within the product assortment.

There are some private brand names of the products within the assortment. They include the men's wears which are accorded names like, the Pea coat branded Club Monaco Wool. There is also the Kenneth Cole Classic Pea coats. Macy's also has the Harris Wharf London Boxy brand of the double breast coat. Also, there is a stock of London 2016 men's collection branded Sean Suen.

What are the price ranges in the merchandise assortment in MACY'S; both for regular prices and sale prices

The price ranges in the merchandise assortment in Macy's by including all the clearance goods from the stores as well embracing special buys from all the well-known and acknowledged brand that are priced between 20% and 80% shy of their regular prices.

Select 2 different zip codes where your retailer currently has a retail store location. Define the demographics and psychographics of the target customer for your retailer for each region. Is the client's profile similar or different, explain.

Macy's has other stores apart from the one in New York namely; Macy's Bellevue square located 400 Bellevue Square WA 98004 and Macy's Northgate Mall located 401 NE Northgate Way 602 Seattle WA 98125. Both of the stores have a similar customer profile, which is a distinctive feature of departmental stores.

Do you see any special sales or promotions advertised in the store?

Yes, Macy's store has a sale promotion. If one purchase merchandise worth $25 or more than that, there is a 10 dollar off. However, this excludes furniture, mattresses, and specials. The promotion code is given as SHOP25.

Does the retailer have a shoppable website? Do they have their own mobile app?

The store has got a shoppable website by having special invitation promotions to the customers. The advert "Never Miss a deal with Macy's APP" invites the willing customers to download it and do their business transaction using it. The mobile app and the website have got sufficient information of all services and products offered.

Describe the store design and merchandise displays.

The Macy's store has applied the store-within-store shops that have a business layout. The plan includes up to date interior designs that are so attractive to the customers. The store has equally adapted the window display in order to draw the attention of the customers.

Would you have a better shopping experience in the store or online? Why?

Shopping online from Macy's would be a better experience. This is so because of the efficient online shopping and a reliable mobile application. The two helps one save money, have better information on the products offered and save time.

With increased focus on Omni-channel retailing, how can this data help retailers present a seamless and consistent experience, select locations and plan their retail strategy to meet customer needs better and wants?

Macy's and other retailers can make use of their Omni channel data by making all the customers the star of any show they go. They should also turn to all the sophisticated solutions that are hopeful, meet them and try to exceed the customers' prospects. All the solutions that are centered on information management, customer engagement, and location intelligence should allow the retailers to cultivate a single view of the client, optimize their interactions better with the clients and comprehend customer relationship that aid in enhanced customer service that cuts across all channels.

Name 2 intra-type and intertype retailers that compete with your chosen retailer. Please explain why you have chosen as primary competition.

The intra-type of Macy's include Bon Ton and Amazon. The intra-type competitors of Macy's are Big Lots and Lord& Taylor Stores. All these organizations offer merchandise and services exactly like those offered by Macy's Retail Store. This means that they are Macy's biggest competitors in business.