Free «Wal-Mart and Target Companies Atmospherics» Essay Sample

Target and Wal-Mart Companies are one of the leading retailers in USA who sell and also compete against each other where Wal-Mart is leading in sales. To keep this competition both Companies use different methods of marketing strategies to increase the number of sales. Target Company mainly targets its sales to the more wealthy people in the society because its pricing is high while the Wal-Mart Company targets people who are low income earners because of the low prices of its products (Anton, 2010). All these are marketing strategies which involves a specific kind of atmosphere in these companies which are consciously created to boost the sales by making sure that, customers come back to shop thus creating customer loyalty. Atmospherics involves mainly manipulating the physical characteristics of a business environment in order to influence the mood of the customer to buy.

The flow layout of these two companies is similar which is called the big-box store layout (lycos. 2011). This layout involves having a large retail building which sells different kinds of merchandise under one roof. Some of the characteristics of this layout are it covers a large floor area; large enough to support a wide range of merchandise, the building of the store is; free standing, mainly rectangular in shape, walls are built mainly on concrete and has and ample parking space. Due to having variety of items in a single place, it is convenient for the customers because they don’t have to move from one shop to another which boosts the sales of these shops.

The target stores are made up of various floors selling different products. It has made is efficient and convenient for the customers to shop by providing vertical transport customers by providing lifts and escalators. In 2008 the Wal-Mart made layout redesigns to some of its stores which meant to attract more customers. The redesigns include: repositioning of the departments which had wider aisles, new directional properties, open layout and had lower shelves. The pharmacy was relocated closer to the entrance of the store, which had low counters to enable the customers ask questions. The exterior of the stall has mainly a neutral tri color palette while the interior colors are made in such a way to distinguish between different departments such as: grocery department, general merchandise department and the garden centers. This understanding and appropriate use of color in these stores influences the customers though they may not know it (Marketing Teacher, 2011).

The Wal-Mart has also increased the interior space of the store to accommodate a wider variety of goods and positioned them in such a way for easy access by the customers. For example; it has expanded the electronics and computer department and placed it along the walls for convenient and easy access (Noblesville, 2008).

Other atmospheric factors that these two stores employ to attract more customers is by use of different scents and smell at different departments of the store. The sweet aroma from the bakery is an appetizer while the smell of wine from the liquor store makes one want to take some. Music playing in these stores is meant to entertain and lift the spirits of the customers, which makes them vulnerable to buying new products.

The major goal of these two stores is to provide a pleasant shopping atmosphere to the customers which will make them want to come back. I personally find the target stores more pleasant because they are cleaner, have wider aisles and are more lighted than the Mal-Mart stores but the Mar-Mart stores carries the day because they are more economical to shop in .