Marketing Capstone MKT 4893-002 Homework 6
30 points. Due June 23.
Submit on Canvas
Instructions
Read the Harvard Case, “Toys R Us May be Dying, But Traditional Retail Isn’t.”
Study it thoroughly.
Study my PowerPoint slides. Please click on each hyperlink I have provided.
Your Homework must be at least 2 full pages.
There is a 10-point penalty if your homework is less than 2 full pages.
Q1. 10 points.
Study pages 1 through 3 of the PDF of the Harvard Case you purchased.
Answer these questions.
Your answers must be based on information directly from the Harvard Case and NOT from my slides. If your answers are not clearly based on facts from the PDF, you will earn zero points for this question.
Describe the reason Toys R Us initially became successful. What was their unique selling proposition? What made them different from and better than competitors?
Describe the business environment in which Toys R Us initially thrived. You want to discuss why it made sense for them to build large superstores in the suburbs & why big box stores made sense for them.
Describe the concept of the “Retail Apocalypse.” Describe why and how so many retailers are not keeping up with changing consumer shopping habits. Focus on describing specifically how Toys R Us became doomed when they didn’t change quickly enough.
Describe the Toys R Us traditional business model. Focus on describing the extent to which Toys R Us developed a robust website that empowered people to shop online. Compare the Toys R Us business model to Amazon and other online retailers.
Describe how retail is being reinvented to meet the needs of today’s consumers. You want to specifically describe how Apple has changed the design of its retail stores to give consumers what they want.
Describe how Apple has designed its retail stores to give consumers a “high touch” shopping experience instead of a “high tech” experience. Describe the concept of high touch, how it differs from high tech, and how focusing on high touch changes the way that Apple interacts with its customers in the store. Make sure you describe the goals of high touch retail and the goals of high touch retailers.
Describe tactics being used by innovative retailers to fundamentally change how they do business to court today’s consumers. Make sure you describe the following examples:
Changes made by Whole Foods since Apple acquired the brand.
Changes made by shoppable showrooms (Bonobos Guide Shops, etc.).
Changes made by Blue Ocean brands (Lego Discovery Centers, etc.).
Describe recent changes made by Toys R Us to create “pop up” stores inside of many Macy’s locations, including North Star Mall here in San Antonio. Describe how big a pop-up store might be, how Macy’s and Toys R Us are promoting these stores, & the products you would find there. Describe how these stores are being marketed. Discuss if you feel the Toys R Us partnership with Macy’s may save the company (or not).
How to Format the Homework
Use a 12-point font.
Use 1-inch margins.
Double-space your writing. Do a spell check.
Save the file as your last name, MCap, Hwk 7 (Example, Juarez, MCap, Hwk 6.).
Submit your file as a Word of PDF document or as straight text.
If you working in Pages, please save your work as a PDF.
