Since it was founded in 1883, Kroger has been putting in a lot of effort in the marketing area. This is one of the main reasons why the company keeps growing every year without any backlash. These efforts and hard work have helped Kroger achieve a huge number of loyal customers.
The most recent marketing technique, or as they like to call it “Kroger Marketing Mix” consists of 4 Ps that the company utilizes to improve sales. In this article, we will elaborate on the Kroger Marketing Mix for you.
Kroger Marketing Mix Strategy (4Ps)
The four Ps in the marketing mix are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. We will explain how each one works below separately.
Product
Kroger sells a huge range of grocery items, housewares, clothing, pharmaceuticals, gasoline, jewelry, and many other products under 24 different banners. A customer can buy from a wide range of diverse products like organic fruits and vegetables, flowers, meat, freshly baked products, dairy products, processed foods, and much more from a Kroger grocery store.
Kroger has become one of the top retailers in the country because not only it provides a variety of products but also focuses on giving its customers the best quality possible. Simple Truth by Kroger is the top brand selling the best organic foods in America.
Apart from this, Kroger is also putting in a lot of effort to include food products from different cuisines of the world. In 2015, it introduced HemisFares which is its authentic Italian food line. The company is also expecting to introduce food items from Spain, Japan and maybe other regions as well in the future.
Price
Along with selling a wide range of diverse products, Kroger also operates 37 manufacturing plants throughout the United States or America. These plants produce meat, dairy products, frozen and canned foods, deli and bakery products, snacks, and soft drinks. Producing its own products really allows Kroger to control their production cost in a better way. This leads to low prices on the shelf. This is why they are able to satisfy their customers with the best quality and best prices.
Products at Kroger are divided into three tiers as per quality and price. The highest one being the Private Selection line, which includes high-end products in competition with other companies. These carry the highest price tags. The second one is the Banner Brand which has the average national brands which are comparatively less expensive. The third one is the Value Brand which provides the best options for the price-conscious consumers.
Place
The Kroger Co is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are retail facilities in 35 states of America. Kroger’s manufacturing and distribution facilities are scattered throughout the country in such a way that their products are easily accessible by everyone.
In the list of Kroger’s outlets, there are various types of stores that include grocery stores,as well as convenience and department stores. The grocery stores are usually located within shopping plazas while the convenience stores can be found throughout the communities they serve. Department stores can be usually found in regular shopping malls.
The variety of venues and different locations the stores are present makes it very easily accessible to a large section of the population.
Promotion
Promotion plays a very important part when it comes to marketing and selling. Kroger has always been one step ahead of its competition with its promotion techniques.
Kroger advertises on television and billboards using their famous slogan “Right store, right price.” They also take the help of circulars as well as newspapers to promote the brand. Another way they use for compelling customers is through the Kroger Plus loyalty card that allows customers to receive email advertising for weekly specials and also download coupons.
Kroger does not just use advertising. Another interesting way of getting more customers and keeping the current ones loyal is through the kroger feedback. The survey is available online which allows customers to submit their honest feedback and win free stuff in return. This engages the customers and increases return rate as well.
The company also keeps itself involved with the community by supporting different causes like breast cancer awareness, honoring military and veterans, providing support for nonprofit organizations, etc. This also helps them gain customer trust. Other than these, there is usually one thing or the other going on like Tuesdays being a discount day for senior citizens and others like this.
This 4P marketing strategy has really helped Kroger get more customers while keeping existing customers loyal. The efforts Kroger puts in marketing and selling clearly shows in the way the company keeps growing and growing without any backlash.
