The Rise and Fall of a Retail Giant
Abstract
Best Buy, a familiar retailer in the technology world, is struggling to stay on top. Online and mass stores have cornered the market in terms of convenience, customer service and price matching. The recent closing of over two hundred stores alongside falling sales has experts predicting that the giant won’t be in business long. Using a results-only work environment (ROWE), Best Buy has removed the customer from the equation and forced many employees out. A marketing disaster, Best Buy must change its marketing strategy from sales-based to a customer-based to stay afloat.
Best Buy Inc. has built a reputation as a ground-breaking retail giant. It is known as one of the first “big box” stores in
…show more content…
Paul, MN. The original founders were business partners Richard M. Schulze and Gary Smoliak. Schulze bought out Smoliak, and began building it into a superstore. He then expanded to include VCRs and other home appliances, and in 1985, Best Buy went public. By 1987 it gained a listing on the New York Stock Exchange and revenues reached $239 million from 24 stores. Growth was incessant. At the time, the market was fresh for such a unique store. Its current logo, a yellow sales tag, and its “pick-up and go” style setup was introduced around 1990. (Company History)
Growth
Revenue continued to double throughout the nineties. In 1995, Best Buy’s revenue was $3 billion, but there was no profit. They trained their employees to believe that customers were in charge of sales, not salespeople, and that they were there to assist in purchases, not be pushy. The consumer of the millennium was less needy for assistance in buying electronics; audio, video, and computer systems were commonplace in households of the time. Customers were allowed to help themselves to items on shelves, much like a grocery store setup, and check out when ready. This bolstered customer satisfaction rates. Revenue was above10 Billion in 1999. (Company Histories)
In 2000, the company decided to launch a website, BestBuy.com. There, customers could shop from the privacy of their homes without ever dealing with sales representatives. The site was a
Best Buy is a multinational retailer of consumer electronics, computing and mobile phone products, entertainment products, appliances, and related services. The company operates retail stores and call centers and conducts online retail operations under a variety of brand names such as Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, The Carphone Warehouse, Five Star, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and The Phone House (Bestbuy.com, 4). The domestic segment consists of all operations within the United States, while the international segment includes all operations in Canada, Europe, Mexico, and China. The Best Buy 's success is contingent on the market 's demand for electronics. The company 's strategy is to provide good customer service combined with lower prices (news.cnet.com). Best Buy 's success is directly related to economic conditions, the cost of goods, and other things like fuel prices. The company 's strategy depends upon the ability to offer customers a broad selection of name-brand products; therefore, leading its success to depend upon satisfactory supplier relationships (Bestbuy.com, 8). Best Buy, as it is included in the retail segment, is a seasonal store. Their stronger quarter is the fourth quarter, which they can contribute to the holiday season for their success.
Best Buy Co., Inc. is the largest electronics retailer in United States with international presence in Mexico, Canada and China. Best Buy Co., Inc. is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota and currently operates more than one thousand brick & mortar stores. Founded in 1966 as “Sound of Music”, Best Buy Co., Inc. evolved from a small regional audio specialty store to a multinational consumer electronics retail chain within a short span of time. The company’s current name “Best Buy” was adopted in 1983 with an aim to emphasize a greater consumer electronics branding. Best Buy Co., Inc. went public in 1987 when it got listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Best Buy Co., Inc. is a multinational company in the United States and it deals, with consumer electronics, and accounts 19% of the business. The company also operates in Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, and Canada. Some of the subsidiaries of the company include CinemaNow, Geek Squad, Pacific Sales, and Magnolia Audio Video and operates in both Future Shop label, and Best Buy in Canada. Best Buy Co. Inc and its subsidiaries operate more than 1,150 stores internationally and domestically. The company also operates more than 100 “ZoomShops” or Buy Express Automated retail Stores, operated by the Zoom Systems, in both malls and airports in the entire country of the U.S. The company is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota, U.S (Scott,
In 1987, Best Buy decided to change up the style of their stores to a more fashionably fixture store. They began the commission free sales environment, which created a more relaxed shopping experience for customers. In 1992, Best Buy earned their first $1 billion in sales revenues. Around the late 1990’s Best Buy then expanded their company to the New England territory and also began selling home theater systems and computer technology alongside their already popular TVs, VCRs, etc. Around the early 2000’s, Best Buy gave birth to an entertainment media label called Redline Entertainment. Their goal was to
Best Buy started in Minnesota in 1966 as Sound of Music, Inc. and began as an audio components retailer, but with the introduction of the videocassette recorder in the early 1980’s it expanded into video products. In 1983 Sound of Music officially changed their name to Best Buy and began using mass-merchandising techniques, which included offering a wide variety of products under a “superstore” concept. In 1989, Best Buy changed their retailing methods by introducing a self-service, noncommissioned, discount-style store designed to give customers a variety of consumer electronics, home office products, entertainment products, appliances and
Best Buy has been in the consumer electronics business since the 90’s with a history that dates back to the 60’s and they have
Since its start in 1966 Best Buy Co., Inc. has become a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology services and products. The company is headquartered in Richfield, MN and currently has 180,000 employees. Best Buy operates in the U.S., Canada, Mexico,
Best Buy started advertising they would match Walmart’s price. At one point, Walmart was running just five percent behind Best Buy and appeared to be hitting their target market as planned. Best Buy had big plans for China and Europe. However, they failed in both markets because the consumers did not like “Big Box” stores. As of 2011, Best Buy closed all their stores in China and merged with Five Star who sells cheaper products`. I believe Best Buy made a good choice due to what their target market desired. China Market Research Group, pointed to a few things: the Chinese won't pay for such expensive products unless they're a brand like Apple; there's too much piracy in the market which reduces demand for electronics products at a fair market price (Groth, 2011). The Europeans and Chinese do not want large, destination
The primary business model of Nordstrom has always been to provide exceptional service, selection, quality, and value. Nordstrom’s exceptional customer service comes primarily as a result of two main components. First, their attention to detail when it comes to customer experience and secondly, the level to which they empower their employees (Khan, 2014). These two factors together create a perfect customer service model that continues to generate stories that turn into legends (Khan, 2014). Rethinking “business as usual” allowed Nordstrom to break away from other department stores (Khan, 2014). For the most part, Nordstrom has
Best Buy Company, Inc. is the multinational retailer of consumer electronics in the United States. Together with its subsidiaries, which include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales and Future Shop, the company has approximately 4,000 stores located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, and Turkey.
It has a 3rd most visited website in US. Best Buy is a global leader with stores across the globe. Mainly in Canada, Mexico, and China with around 15000 employees and 400 stores worldwide.
The company was founded in 1966 as the Sound of Music Incorporated; in 1983 the company changed its name and became Best Buy (“Best Buy”, 2014). Many analysts consider the company the largest electronics retailer in the United States. Not only does the company sell consumers electronics like TVs, computers, and stereo equipment, the company also now sells other items such as mobile devices, accessories, software, and appliance. In addition the company has a large offering of services such as custom home theatre design, computer support services, and computer repair. At the present time Best Buy is considered a thriving company which reported $ 42 billion in sales in 2013 (Yahoo), and the company has unlimited growth potential as long as they continue their successful marketing plan and are able to quickly adapt as consumer habits change.
Best Buy is a retail company that was discovered by Richard M. Schulze in 1966 that specializes in all types of electronics. These electronics could be anything from cell- phones to laptops to speakers. When the company first opened in Minnesota, they went by the name of Sound of Music Inc. Back than the store only focused on stereos for the home and car. Around four years after that, Schulze bought out his partner and began to expand the company on his own. Things really started to boom around the 1980’s, and in 1983 the company renamed itself to Best Buy. They than started to focus on other type of equipment other than just audio devices, such as a device that was popular back than but seems primitive now, the VCR. The following year is
Best Buy is best known for their network of over 1,400 retail stores in the United States, but they are also one of the largest online sellers of electronics as well. In fact, Best Buy 's growth in 2015 was driven almost entirely by Web sales.
First, the company should understand that bricks-and-mortar stores still matters and maintain its strategy for those stores, because customers are able to receive the product immediately, make connections with store employees and some people perceive in-store shopping as a social activity, which is an experience that cannot be replicated online. Second, moving online will be a millstone that could help Best Buy to have cost savings on rent, utilities, as well as storefront advertising and stocking merchandise. Customers will also appreciate the online stores for its convenience and efficiency. Therefore, putting more attention on the ecommerce as well as the social media platforms would definitely help the company to generate more margins and better compete against its competitors. Third, leaning from Circuit City, Best Buy should position itself more carefully. It is obvious that a company cannot fulfill the needs of all of the customers out there, because different customers have different needs. As a result, once the company has a position of itself and its customers precisely, it should have a constant strategies and have a stable development in the