Walmart Environmental Analysis

Environmental analysis of Wal-Mart includes the external environment factors that may affect the performance of Wal-Mart. Typically external environment includes competitors of Wal-Mart, the advantages and disadvantages of these competitors, the way that Wal-Mart distinguishes itself from its competitors and macro-economic factors that affect the performance of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is one of the largest retail companies in the world with more than $ 400 billion annual sales, 4,100 branches in the United States and 3,500 stores outside the U.S. (“External And Internal Environmental Analysis Of Wal-Mart”). In the year of 2009, Wal-Mart became the highest-volume grocery store in America, obtaining a 21 percent share of the grocery marke and almost

During the past decade, Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target three retail giants generate a combined sale of $123 billion (External Analysis Wal-Mart 2015). The success of the retail industry contributes largely to the advancements of science and technology and reduced costs. In the future, the success of Wal-Mart still relies on consumers’ concerns for value shopping and saving money. The company should pay close attention to the needs of customers and provide high-value and low-price products for consumers.

Industry environment analysis includes five aspects: threat of new entrants, power of suppliers, inter-firm rivalry, power of buyers and threat of substitutes. Threat of new entrants refers to new companies in the retail industry. Customers may switch to other grocery stores. The entrance for the grocery industry is relatively low. Therefore, threat of new entrants is a major factor that affects the performance of

As a grocery store, Wal-Mart is faced with fierce competition. New companies may enter the industry and the products of Wal-Mart are faced with various substitutes. These threats urge Wal-Mart to pay more attention to its customer satisfactory. The company should also increase its uniqueness and customer loyalty. Membership may be a good way to do this.

New opportunities mainly come from power of suppliers and inter-firm rivalry. Wal-Mart should utilize its bargaining power with suppliers to lower its costs. In that way, it may provide high quality products for its consumers. It may also grow stronger and more unique through competition between firms in the same industry.

Wal-Mart is a powerful and influential grocery store in America and even in the world. It has a good reputation in terms of convenience, variety and good value for money. The greatest strengths of Wal-Mart are “the consumer understanding of low prices, their market clout, their competence in information technology, and their wide store and distribution network” (Internal Analysis of Wal-Mart 2015). The company has built good reputation among consumers during several decades’