Wal-Mart has seen a recent decline in same-store sales, sales sustained within a store which has been open for more than one year. As a result, the company has become determined to discover ways to increase these sustained sales. One method they have been aggressively pursuing is to target the ethnic / socioeconomic mix of the customers of these stores, in an attempt to draw in more customers. Wal-Mart's main competitor, Target, has been outperforming them in same-store sales in recent years. Will this specific target marketing help Wal-Mart to catch up with Target and increase profit, or will this aggressive marketing campaign prove to be for naught?Wal-Mart is aggressively targeting Target, one of the few mass marketers who have thrived in its shadow. Until recently, Wal-Mart's marketing strategy has been directed towards those existing customers who go to a store to pick up a small item, and entice them to purchase more; not necessarily to draw in new customers.
A protest in Utah against Wal-Mart
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English: Supermercado de Wal-Mart in Spring Branch...Wal-Mart's new marketing focus will zero in on local consumer bases, effectively changing the focus from their loyal customers to those who rarely visit a Wal-Mart store. These selective shoppers offer the biggest opportunity to Wal-Mart, those who purchase certain items regularly, such as toiletries or other sundry items, but don't often purchase the apparel or electronics during a store visit. Wal-Mart is breaking its 3,400-unit U.S. division into six smaller chains that will target specific consumer segments: affluent customers, African-Americans, baby-boomers, Hispanics, rural residents and suburban residents. By targeting a specific audience with specific merchandise, they are opening up their marketing strategy in an attempt to increase sales in existing stores. They are accomplishing this by providing an ever increasing line of apparel and merchandise targeted towards the ethnic and economic makeup of the local communities. In particular...