BUYING ASSISTANT HOME - SWOT ANALYSIS BY MARGARET OSEI-BONSU
CONTENTS HOUSE OF FRASER - IN STORE AND ONLINE OFFERING JOHN LEWIS - IN STORE AND ONLINE OFFERING DEBENHAMS - IN STORE AND ONLINE OFFERING HOUSE OF FRASER - SWOT ANALYSIS JOHN LEWIS - SWOT ANALYSIS DEBENHAMS - SWOT ANALYSIS
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HOUSE OF FRASER - OXFORD STREET STORE
HOUSE OF FRASER - OXFORD STREET STORE
VASES & BOWLS Add extraordinary detail to every room with a beautiful statement vase or bowl. In our hand picked collection, you’ll find elegant shapes and striking contemporary designs.
IN STORE OFFERING House of Fraser’s home and furniture department in the Oxford Street store is spacious and creative. Greeted firstly by the sailor trend clearly illustrates House of Fraser is up to date with this season Spring Summer 2013 trends. With clear displays of the stores ‘New Arrivals’ customers can see what has just arrived. In addition, the unique furniture such as ‘The fabric chest of drawers’ and ‘Linea egg tray’ gives a variety of statement pieces to choose from. The interior design books such as Rachel Ashwell’s ‘Shabby Chic Inspiration’ gives customers ideas on how to create their own Shabby Chic inspired home. Ranging from dining area to bedroom accessories the selection is a combination on classic meets modern. SHABBY CHIC Delphinium Bunch In Recycled Glass Vase Product code: 176769259 £ 45.00 8.
ONLINE OFFERING House of Fraser’s online offering give consumers home décor ideas and inspirations, fitting a wide variety of their consumers with different brands furniture. This ranges from Shabby Chic, to Linea and Pied a Terre, all having a unique style to refresh the home. With bedroom furniture being the strongest area in terms of House of Fraser’s online offering, this makes shopping from home exiting as you are spoilt for choice. With a selection of top brand bed linen and seasonal prints, House of Fraser also give tips on how to decorate and add finishing touches to your room.
LIVING ROOM Ready, steady…relax. Make your living room a comforting haven, with cosy cushions and throws, chic lamps, pretty ornaments and photo frames filled with your favourite memories. Oh, and did we mention the achingly cool 3D TV?
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JOHN LEWIS - OXFORD STREET STORE
IN STORE OFFERING John Lewis’ home and furniture department in Oxford Street is eye catching and very appealing. Its glass shelving complements all the products and makes it easier for customers to navigate across the department. Providing a list of different types of linen and cotton is an example of useful information John Lewis gives to its customers to assure they purchase exactly what suits them. Customers have a choice of personalised fabrics and a repair service encouraging them to always pop back in. With a design studio to help with inspiration John Lewis constantly guide customers to make the purchase that will mostly suit their needs.
Casually styled sofa upholstered in beautiful rich chocolate semi-aniline leather with an aged patina. The range has a stylish rounded arm and solid beech feet.
John Lewis Hudson Small Leather Sofa, Light Leg ÂŁ1,200.00
ONLINE OFFERING John Lewis online offering gives useful tips on how to season your own kitchen with their range of herb pots, glassware and pans. Its very useful home tips on special gadgets and utensils for keen chefs, makes shopping online very appealing. With additional ideas on how to cook incorporated into the home décor gives customers the best of both. Slogans such as ‘Can cook will cook’ and ‘How to make homemade treats’ is motivating and encouraging. With John Lewis also offering a ‘Price match’ on their high street competitors, assures the customer they are getting good quality homeware at the best prices.
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DEBENHAMS - OXFORD STREET STORE
IN STORE OFFERING Debenhams Oxford Street home and furniture department is fun and attractive to all types of consumers. With a catalogue titled ‘Life made fabulous’ to pick up gives customers 132 pages of inspiration for this seasons Spring Summers 2013 trends. Designer brands such as John Rocha and Jasper Conran also make browsing the department more intriguing. Debenhams have clearly focused on visual merchandising, as every home area was exciting to browse from the clock display to dining area. Providing tips on how to create your own dining room with fabric swatches, added to the pleasant overall shopping experience.
The Debenhams home and furniture range has everything you need to turn your house into a home. Furniture can be shopped by room to make looking for that specific item easier, or our luxurious range of bedding can be shopped by colour to ensure you find exactly what you are looking for.
Classically styled and boasting a modern design, this good value Larkfield wall clock will add a touch of contemporary elegance to your living space. Larkfield wall clock Item No.3270142624 ÂŁ18.00
ONLINE OFFERING Debenhams online offering is very appealing as offers home furniture from popular designers such as: Matthew Williamson, John Rocha and Jasper Conran. With a collection of modern furniture and detailed descriptions of their products, allow customers to have the sense of the products texture. The large garden range is very exciting as many stores garden range is very limited. Its high quality garden furniture set at great value is probably Debenhams strongest area.
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SWOT STRENGTHS House of Fraser offer a unique range of homeware that is appealing due to the attention to detail that is played throughout the store and on the website. By focusing on decoration and minor details, the customer has many tips and inspirations to choose from to create their own home. This is a strength as they focus on how each room can be put together and coordinate beautifully. WEAKNESSES In comparison to all the exciting departments House of Fraser have and the large range of demographics they appeal to, it’s quite easy to forget they also offer home and furniture. The home and furniture department could be advertised more so a wider range of potential customers could know about the fabulous home dÊcor House of Fraser have to offer.
OPPORTUNITIES With House of Fraser beautifully decorating the stores making the environment relaxing yet interesting the store could be brought to life online. With video clips giving tips or advice on how to decorate your home, customers could enjoy the in store experience from the comfort of their own home.
THREATS It is very apparent that there is a lot of competition within home and furniture, especially from John Lewis and Debenhams. With both stores offering similar products in some areas Debenhams appear to have a upper advantage in enticing customers as constantly seem to have reduction sales/offers. House of Fraser could emphasise more on its unique range to build a loyal customer base.
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SWOT STRENGTHS John Lewis offers the ultimate customer service, constantly creating new ways to assure all their customers are always content. The company also have many products, which you can customise; this is a bonus as consumers can feel they have a bit of individuality. With repair services John Lewis never fail to put their customers first.
WEAKNESSES Each year there are new and exciting trends coming out, even within homeware. John Lewis seems to miss some of these important trends that really could add to the brands sales. Its home and furniture can be repetitive so customers always know what to expect. A lot of the younger generation decide not to browse there as feel they will see generic homeware pieces.
OPPORTUNITIES There is always time for change. John Lewis already seem to have a wide range of customers they appeal to, by following trends an incorporating this into their homeware will allow them to keep up with their competitors.
THREATS Pricing recently has played a factor in many customers’ choices when making a purchase. Other brands are also producing good quality materials and for a lower price margin. John Lewis may need to find other alternatives than quality to keep their customer from shopping elsewhere.
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SWOT STRENGTHS Debenhams offer very unique vintage inspired homeware pieces, which appeal to both their older and younger consumers. With wall decorations such as ‘Happy, Ever, After’ and fun office organisers, it’s very tempting to pick up many of their home accessories. At great prices, Debenhams offer lovely on trend pieces to complete the home.
WEAKNESSES Fist impressions are very important. Unfortunately the store was not as well kept as its competitors. Many items had been misplaced around the store with minimal staff around to maintain the store ambiance. It’s very easy for customers to be deterred from shopping if the store is unkempt.
OPPORTUNITIES Debenhams have great style guides for their customers to follow on how to decorate their homes. If this was strongly emphasised across the homeware department this could boost sales for the brand. It is very easy to miss these great tips as hidden and camouflaged within the department.
THREATS Debenhams fail on giving the customer satisfaction appeal that its competitors deliver. With minimal staff to assist within homeware you are left to make conclusions and assumptions on particular stock. With homeware people want to make sure they’re making the right decision, it’s very important to have staff to help you make them.
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