Improving the Shopping Experience at Target Essay

Improving the Shopping Experience at Target - Essay Example This paper will look at the overall shopping experience of customers at Target Corporation and suggest specific steps on how these experiences can be enhanced. In order to do this, this paper would want first to identify the distribution channels that Target uses. The following paragraph aims to acquaint readers with the different "places" used by Target to market its products. Place is one of the four essential components of a marketing mix. Place generally refers to the distribution channel of business organizations. It is irrefutable that "place" had evolved over time due to different external factors in the business environment. From small shops, retailers now sell products through malls, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and department store. The popularity and the commercialization of the internet marked the proliferation of dotcoms. Online presence now allows retailers to sell and market products to customers with a mouse click. Thus, in considering the overall shopping experience of a customer in Target, both of these channels should be considered. Target traces its root in 1902 when Michael Dayton opened a retail store called Godfellows in Downtown Minneapolis. From its humble beginning, the company is now the sixth largest retailer in the United States, lagging behind major players Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Kroggers Sears Holding Corporation, and Costco. The company is also recognized as 27th on the list of Fortune 500 (Target Corporation 1). Target is typically viewed by customers as "having everything under one roof" as their products ranges from household goods, cosmetics, electronics, garments, books, grocery items. In order to enhance buying experience, Target retail shops usually brings together video rental store, pharmacy, portrait studio, one-hour processing lab, optical store, tire and oil change shop, and fast food outlets like Starbucks Coffee, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Unlike its competitors, the company recognizes itself not just a discount store but a discount department store by its more upscale store format and younger target market (Target Corporation 5). 3. Areas of Improvement Generally, customers who report excellent shopping experience at Target greatly appreciates the value brought about by lower prices, wide selection, and the convenience of finding everything under one roof. In terms of online shopping, Target is often complimented because of its website which is user-friendly and very easy to navigate. It should also be noted that Target delivers ordered products promptly, often sooner than its customer expects. However, as with other business organizations the shopping experience both on the Target's physical distribution channel and cybershop. 3.1 Customer Service One of the most common complaints of customers when shopping on Target's discount department stores and online stores is poor customer service. Customers report that the company's employees are less approachable, unaccommodating, and are sometimes rude. Others complain about the lack of employees to assist them in their purchases. In online stores, customers criticize the lack of knowledge of some of the customer representatives. This poor customer s