One of the greatest things about shopping at big-box stores nowadays is how fierce the competition is.
This may not sound like something great if you are, say, operating one of these stores. But if you’re a customer, you only stand to benefit.
Click here to read the story at usatoday.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is a membership program as it relates to businesses?
- Do you belong to any membership or loyalty programs? If so, what is one example?
- What is a big-box store?
- What is brand loyalty?
- Why is brand loyalty important to big-box stores?
- Are you, your family, or friends loyal to any one brand of big-box store?
- Why do you think big-box stores offer membership programs?
- Why might some companies charge a fee for joining a membership program while others are free?
- Target is reportedly considering the launch of a membership program. Why?
- Who might represent direct competition to Target?
- How might a membership program help them from a competition perspective?
- How might they also benefit from a brand loyalty perspective?
- What types of perks do Target’s competitors offer, based on what you learned in this news story?
- What types of perks do you think Target will need to offer to encourage consumers to participate? Be prepared to discuss your answers in class.