Bass Pro Shops

Prepare a S. W. O. T. analysis for Bass Pro Shops. What types of strategies do you recommend based on your analysis? Strengths (company’s internal factors from resources and capabilities)- Bass Pro Shops have a competitive advantage, which in the text is defined as â€Å"a firm has a marketing mix that the target market sees as better than a competitor’s mix† (Perreault et al, 2011 p. 47). The way that Bass Pro Shops has this competitive advantage is that its stores have become a tourist attraction making customers want to go into their stores to experience the unique environment that incorporates attractions and learning opportunities.In addition, Bass Pro Shops have gained recognition for their outstanding customer service. The people that they employ have been trained and have the expertise in the departments that they are assigned to. Bass Pro Shops is different from other competitors because it offers educational workshops on hobbies and sporting activities. Additionally, Bass Pro Shops are much larger than traditional outdoor outfitters, which allow them to offer a broader range of inventory and merchandise.By allowing the customer to use an indoor fishing pond or the shooting range to try out certain products before making a decision, Bass Pro Shops can eliminate the tension called dissonance that many shoppers feel after making a purchase (p. 164). Weaknesses (company’s resources and capabilities)- Bass Pro Shop could face weaknesses if they are unable to hire the experienced people with the great customer service that they require. Sometimes it could be hard to find both qualities in a person.If they are unable to locate customer service representatives with the high level of experience they desire, they could overcome this problem through a structured training program. The other problem they could face is high prices. Because they are a higher quality store with a larger and higher-paid staff, their prices are obviously goi ng to be higher than other similar sporting good stores. Customers knowing beforehand of the higher prices might avoid a visit to a Bass Pro Shop altogether to avoid purchasing over-priced merchandise.In addition, an experienced shopper may know exactly what they need for their activity of choice and may realize that the item can be purchased at a common retail store such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, or even Wal-Mart. Lastly, with the store being as large as it is, some shoppers may view it as a burden to pick up just a few things because they don’t want to spend all day in the store. Customers may find it easier to go to a local sporting good store to purchase sporting goods rather than travel to Bass Pro Shop and make a whole day event.Bass Pro can overcome this by advertising its online store as a convenience to customers. Opportunities (emerge from external environment, customers and competitors) The opportunities that Bass Pro Shop has include  "getting the customers in the door† because they are considered a family-friendly tourist attraction. Bass Pro Shops have activities, themed restaurants, and entertainment, which can provide something that will appeal to each member of a family.The money that they put into their stores to make them different from others makes them more attractive to customers. It would be important for Bass Pro Shops to advertise in a great distance from the store to try and reach out to travelers that might stop by the store on a road trip. Bass Pro Shops offer the education experience as well as the shopping experience may help a customer to decide to visit their store instead of the competitors because its a one-stop shop.Lastly, having skilled and highly-trained employees to assist the customers allows for new products to reach the attention of consumers; for example, if a family enters the store with the intention to purchase camping gear, an experienced camping enthusiast, the employee, may recommend additional products based on his or her camping experiences, which will generate more sales. Threats (emerge from external environment, customers and competitors) A major threat for Bass Pro Shops is the economy.With the economy in a downturn it makes it a lot more difficult for people to justify spending the money on things that they really do not need. And since these stores are not everywhere you go it causes people to travel long distances in order to visit, which means they have to spend additional money on fuel to get there. The gas prices have been increasing to amounts that have put a damper on a lot of peoples travel plans. With all of the economic problems some customers are going to go somewhere that is more local and better in their price range.In addition, Bass Pro Shops face threats from traditional and specialty sporting stores, mass-merchandisers, and catalog and Internet-based retailers. These merchandise providers are everywhere and the 50 Bass Pro Sh ops that are currently in the United States and Canada can be quite a distance for the outdoor enthusiast that already knows what he or she may need. Furthermore, the consumer who enters a store with the intention to only touch and / or play with an item that he or she ultimately plans to purchase online threatens all retail stores.We would recommend that Bass Pro Shops continue to make their stores unique; however, making a few â€Å"smaller† stores with some of the same features, lower prices, and closer to large shopping centers would allow customers to experience the environment, which may entice them to visit the larger stores. I think that since they are such a popular store people would visit the smaller stores, purchase merchandise, and take some of the classes that were offered. . Can you think of retailers in other categories that might successfully emulate the format and execution of Bass Pro Shops? As the video case states, â€Å"the marriage between retailing an d entertainment is here to stay† (p. 635). Although there are not other retailers that have successfully emulated the format and execution of Bass Pro Shops, below is a list of companies that attempt to create a unique experience for the consumer. a.Build-a-Bear Workshops let kids personalize their stuffed animals. b. Mall of America is more than just a shopping mall; it is also a tourist destination. The mall is on the extreme side in that it houses 520 stores, 50 restaurants, and attractions galore, including Nickelodeon Universe, the nation's largest theme park, and the new American Girl store. The Mall of America doesn’t just have stores and restaurants like other malls; it also has a large theme park and an aquarium. . Home Depot and Hobby Lobby have DIY teaching workshops. d. Macy’s cosmetic department and Bare Minerals stores are set up so that products can be tried before they are purchased. e. IKEA stage their products as actual rooms instead of simply g rouping by product f. Abercrombie and Fitch usually have a unique entrance, loud new-age music, and young hip-looking sales associates to attract its target audience