Week 6: Business Strategies

 Why do you think that convenience store business raises sales or maintains them without it cutting down on sales so far? Do you think that convenience stores only open without thinking? It will be surely natural that you think that convenience store business can maintain the sales because there is not a thing replacing the convenience store even if you think about nothing. But you may expect that sales fall under the influence of East Japan great earthquake disaster and economic recession. However, why do sales not fall very much? The reason are strategies of the convenience store business. On this topic I explain them.

I give strategies performed in the convenience store industry now.

①Reinforcement of the coffee
The convenience stores of the form to order coffee directly at a counter increase recently. We call this form "counter coffee". In addition, Ministop and Circle K Sunkus take the self-method of coffee and Lawson take the method of salesclerks selling. But Seven-Eleven and Family Mart have not yet performed it, they are also going to lay emphasis on coffee sale with each style.

②Japanese sweet reinforcement
The kind of the Japanese sweet increase recently in all convenience stores. I try to give just one case.
(i)Lawson 
The strategy of Lawson is that size of sweet is small. The reason is the result that met the demand of women and seniors that they want to eat a good thing even a little.
ex) ・straight pancake stuffed with bean jam
      ・Pure fresh cream Daifuku
(ii)Seven-Eleven
The strategy of Seven-Eleven is that sauce and the bean jam which were particular about joint development with Yamazaki Baking.
ex)・skewer dumpling sauce
(iii)Family Mart
The strategy of Family Mart is pursuit of healthy. In detail, it is making the product which we can keep with refrigeration to be able to start enough sweetness even if there is little sugar whereas we often use sugar a little too much because a Japanese sweet of the normal temperature prevents quality.
ex)・straight pancake stuffed with bean jam of an adzuki bean and the cream

(iv)Ministop
The strategy of Ministop is similar to it of Family Mart. So it is expands the Japanese sweet product of the refrigeration product.

③Differentiation
(i)Lawson
The strategy presents Lawson Store 100 and Lawson Store + is to have perishables, a side dish or daily necessities.
(ii)Seven- Eleven
The strategies are start of the door-to-door parcel delivery service, reinforcement of the seven premium, reinforcement of the factory for exclusive use of a thing of private-brand products development, ATM commission revenue of Seven Bank which is a finance section and intensive branch to the metropolitan area.
(iii)Family Mart
The strategies are cooperation of the T reward card with TSUTAYA and reducing it to private brand ratio 50%.
(iv)Ministop
The strategy is "The combo store" where a convenience store and the fast food shop which could eat in a shop fused.

 There is the strategy that convenience store business goes for as well as the thing which I introduced in this topic still more. However, I think that you was able to understand strategies of the convenience store business a little.  Next blog is "The opening of new stores". Don't miss it!