¶ … Eleven (7-11, or 7-Eleven) is part of an international chain of convenience stores owned and operated by Seven & I Holdings of Japan. The company operates largely as a franchise, and is the global leader in franchising and licensing convenience stores, with almost 40,000 outlets -- surpassing McDonalds. The U.S. subsidiary is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. 7-Eleven operates stores in 16 countries, the largest markets being Japan, the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand. The estimated total earnings in 2009 were $16.9 billion, with over 45,000 total employees (7-Eleven World's, 2007). The world over, 7-Eleven is famous for the Big Gulp fountain drink, branded in a cup and an entire 32 U.S. fl oz. (.95 liter). Now they have Super Big Gulp (44 oz.); the Double Gulp (64 oz.), and the Team Gulp (128 oz.) that, while causing some consternation to nutritionists, have made the company stand out for affordable soft drinks on the go, and, as some say, one of the most telling products of the 21st century (Butterworth, 2010). SWOT

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Innovator of convenience industry leader for several decades

Has become mired in layers of managers and bureaucracy, no longer lean and mean and able to take quick action

Keep business unit structure but allow individual units to operate more independently

Even greater and more intense competition.

Strong cash flow, market presence, logo identification

Erosion of market share may decrease share price and ROI

Consider expansion of services, not decrease; offer more incentives

Low consumer confidence or perception of market. Limited assortment.

Strong brands with ability to capture an audience

ATM hacking; public perception of pricing and security.

Contract with Edaleen Dairy; pursue other contracts with industry miso-leaders

Regulatory issues. High turnover of staff.

New strategies and focus on protecting and increasing market share are top of 2011-12 plans

Competitive pressures -- others are doing what 7-Eleven did and sometimes doing it better.

The developing world; as internet access becomes more and more available, e-commerce between countries should follow; also, partner with mobile device manufacturers, etc.

Lumbering giant may not have the steering ability to move fast enough to recapture the dollars necessary to lead the market. Not a first destination for shoppers.

Franchise system has proven extremely successful for the company. Real estate availability, convenience, high margins.

Growing demand for fresh, healthy products

City/State employee issues often on bad side of town, perception of danger. Perception of high margins and pricing.

Situation Analysis -- External Factor and Internal Factor Evaluations- Because of their longevity in the industry, as well as their proactive stance on numerous regulatory issues over the past few decades, the 7-Eleven companies are well-poised for 21st century needs. One of the keys will be tied to the changing forces of real estate, particularly in large urban areas. While their reputation is stunning, there are various micro and macro forces that shape their strategic planning process:

Micro Factors

Macro Factors

Changes in psychographic needs of employees and clients.

Globalism and increased interdependence on foreign markets.

Aging baby boomers

Public perceptions of the industry.

Employee needs and desires change -- more personalized programs. Not seeing career opportunities nor liking night hours

U.S. economic lull.

Individual economies of scale and competitive environment

Demographic changes and fluid evolution of such.

Internet and electronic shopping, comparing, and communicating (also macro). Home grocery delivery

Administration changes.

Five Forces Modeling - Using Michael Porter's Five Forces Model, we find that 7-Eleven is poised quite aggressively in all five segments. It is certainly more than their tenacity that causes continual growth, and their ability to spend millions of dollars on new products and individualized services during a down-economy. Indeed, the outline of the Porter instrument helps us understand why the strategic direction of 7-Eleven is moving more towards individualized plans and systems (Porter's Five Forces and SWOT).

Existing Companies -- By maintaining market share and solvency, tend to discourage too much encroachment. Marketing strategy will need, however to keep up with Amazon.com type deliveries, as well as all-night grocers.

Potential New Companies -- Smaller niche companies that import certain very specific items might compete for a very small percentage of dollars, but it is unlikely that any will arise with the same reputation and buying power. 7-Eleven must keep pace with the times, offering some healthier fare.

Substitutes for Products Offered -- Clearly, there is a market for the convenience factor, plus certain products one can only get at 7-Eleven. Keeping this top of mind with consumers is vital.

Suppliers/Supply Chain -- This is one particular area in which 7-Eleven excels. Because of their longevity, they have developed relationships over time with some of the top people in the global food industry. This allows some negotiating of contracts and new tactics to ensure greater profitability.

Customers -- 7-Eleven was built on convenience and location;...

While the customer has psychographically changed; less loyal, more willing to return an item, the steadfast support of the NOW generation gives it a marketing edge (Peck and Payne, 1999).
Strategic Marketing Map- For the past decade, 7-Eleven has shifted much of its marketing strategy to emphasize competitive pricing with grocery stores, not just convenience shopping by brand or last minute needs. They realized that many grocery stores were staying open later, many even 24/7, and needed to vie for that consumer's dollar on such everyday items as mile and bread. This strategic direction was also put in place to remove the stigma that 7-Eleven stores are much higher priced than many other locations (7-Eleven Shifts Marketing, 2002). More recently, they tested a GMR Marketing campaign in which users can get free drinks using UPC bar codes on their mobile phones. For instance a consumer sends the word "Fast or Rapido" to a number and gets a free beverage. This is designed to build marketing and customer loyalty, to give clients a reason to come into the stores, and to promote certain drink items (slurpees, flavored drinks, etc.). The bilingual (English/Spanish) test and design was purposeful and reflects the organization's view of the changing demographics of the United States, particularly focusing on the Latino group in which form a core portion of their business within certain geographic areas.

Overview:

Marketing Considerations

Convenience

Shopping

Specialty

Unsought

Customer Purchasing Behavior

Located in neighborhoods in almost every suburb and major city; usually on an easy egress for traffic. Open 24 hours, resulting in last minute or impulse purchases.

Sampling of a number of grocery and medical (OTC) items, pastries, coffee, soft drinks, etc.

Convenience factor, Slurpee products, cigarettes and beer; Red Box videos, new promotions.

Perception of crime, ATM hacking, unsavory characters.

Price Issues

Competitive in some areas, higher in others; staples (milk, bread, etc.) are leveling out.

Limited stock.

Few unique or specialty items.

Perception of high price and low quality.

Distribution

Strong point; many franchises in many neighborhoods.

Sometimes only grocer in poor neighborhoods after 5pm.

Exclusivity retains image.

Items often focused on sugary, high-carb items that are relatively inexpensive for certain demographic.

Promotion

Television ads, some radio spots. Does not promote too much.

Testing cross marketing ideas, cell phone and certain demographic promotional ideas.

Has an opportunity to clean up- change image.

Cannot always force franchise owners to modernize or clean.

Competitive Analysis -- As we know, 7-Eleven stores are found in a number of suburbs and towns with a niche quality that is different from the local supermarket. 7-Eleven is actually an example of a small business (Franchised) that has many of the attributes of larger corporations: customer, employees, stakeholders, inventory, etc. In the United States alone, there are more than 8,200 owned, operated and franchised 7-Elevens. Once complete saturating the market, in May 1998, however, 113 7-Eleven stores in the Midwest and Southeastern region would be sold and converted to the Kum & Go Stores; and the Minnesota stores to Super America. This was likely due to market saturation, unprofitable stores, and rubrics of performance. The company splits franchise profits 50/50 with owners, with the initial term of 15 years. The fees are non-transferable, yet the company was ranked Number 11 in the Top 75 North American Food Retailers by SupermarketNews, who also noted that it was the 24th largest retailer in the United States (Schulz, 2011).

There are six key strategic competitive factors that define the customer benefit relationship of 7-Eleven to the neighborhood culture and other competitors:

Location -- Offering lower travel costs, east of parking, known quantity

Hours of Operation -- Open when needed, 24/7, 365 days per year, even on Holidays

Customer Service -- Generally rated good; pleasant and able to give good advice and knowledgeable about stock

Range of goods sold -- Plenty of impulse and must have items

Store Presentation -- Makes shopping easy, speedy, stores try to be clean and hygienic

Price -- occasional perception of price gouging, but for many consumables, lots of consumer savings (Kenny, 2001).

From each of these factors, 7-Eleven derives competitive benefits. These factors are considered and weighed to ensure that an appropriate decision point is made within the customer's basis for value. Then, we define 7-Eleven in a competitive atmosphere:

Issue

7-Eleven

Grocery Store

Big-Box (Target, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer)

Discount Club (Sam's, Costco, etc.)

BP/Mini Marts, Kwik Stops

Location

Neighborhood Saturation

In Larger Strip Malls

In Larger Strip Malls or Stand Alone

Usually Stand Alone

Neighborhood Saturation

Convenience

High, 24/7, 365 days

Medium, Variable Hours

Medium, Variable Hours

Low, Limited Hours

High, 24/7, 365 days

Price

Item Dependent

Sales and Coupon driven

Perceived as inexpensive

Lowest Prices

Item…