Fahim ShahMarketing mix of Morrisons (4Ps of Morrisons)
This is a detailed analysis of the marketing mix of Morrisons (4Ps of Morrisons). Morrisons is the 4th largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. However, it is closely followed by Aldi. Competition for the marker dominance is fierce; and therefore, it is extremely important for Morrisons to review its marketing strategy regularly.
Product strategies of Morrisons
Morrisons sells a wide variety of products. Its products are categorised into Meat & Poultry, Fish & Seafood, Fruit & Veg, Fresh, Bakery & Cakes, Food Cupboard, Frozen, Drinks, Beer, Wines & Spirits, Household, Home & Garden, Health, Wellbeing & Medicines, Toiletries & Beauty, Baby & Toddler, Toys & Entertainment, Pet Shop, Clothing, Free From, and World Foods (Morrisons, 2022). This wide categorization ensures that customers can find everything they want without needing to go somewhere else.
Morrisons takes the impact of its products on people and the environment seriously. For example, it is the first UK supermarket to sell its own branded fresh milk in carbon neutral cartons. Likewise, it often offers new products to address the desire of the consumers. For instance, it has introduced a huge new line of plant-based products to help consumers bring in plant-based foods in their diets.
Pricing strategies of Morrisons
The pricing strategy is a key component of the marketing mix of Morrisons (4Ps of Morrisons). Morrisons employs a ‘permanently low prices’ strategy. It also employs a competitive pricing strategy. This ensures that customers who want to buy groceries will continue to do so at Morrisons instead of another supermarket chain like Asda or Tesco, which can be more expensive in certain regions and categories.
In September 2021, Morrisons reduced the price of more than 400 grocery essentials by an average of 23% (Jefferson, 2022). While this strategy has certainly made many customers happy, it also led to further price wars with Tesco, and Asda. In addition, this slash is not enough to compete with renowned discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Place/Distribution channels of Morrisons
Morrisons has 497 stores across the United Kingdom making its products easily accessible to consumers. Its online delivery service covers over 97% of the UK postcodes (Morrisons, 2022). Online delivery service has helped it reach a wider range of customers across the country. Morrisons has an agreement with Amazon as well which enables Prime members to shop from ‘Morrisons on Amazon’ store with free delivery.
However, an investigation in Trustpilot shows that many customers are unhappy because of the missing items and unsuitable substitutes (Trustpilot, 2022). Morrisons needs to work on that to gain affected customers’ confidence.
Promotion strategies of Morrisons
Promotion is the last component of this marketing mix of Morrisons (4Ps of Morrisons). Morrisons has a very good mix of social media and print advertising for customers to learn about its products. It also sponsors TV entertainment shows. Its campaigns are well-known for its use of beautiful images and features in different styles, fonts, and colours. However, approaching customers by focusing more on prices rather than convenience or quality could turn out to be more effective.
‘My Morrisons’, the loyalty card, has been very useful. The retailer has started offering customers instant money rather than points which they can spend immediately. It also offers discounts regularly in order to attract more customers.
Hope the article ‘Marketing mix of Morrisons (4Ps of Morrisons)’ has been useful. You may also like reading SWOT analysis of Morrisons (Morrisons SWOT). If you have liked the article, please don not forget to share it with others to support us. Other relevant articles for you:
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Last update: 12 March 2022
References:
Jefferson, M. (2021) Morrisons moves price up the agenda as it looks to become ‘more competitive’, available at: https://www.marketingweek.com/morrisons-competitive-price/ (accessed 11 March 2022)
Morrisons (2022) About us, available at: https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/about-us/strategy/ (accessed 11 March 2022)
Turstpilot (2022) Morrisons online, available at: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/morrisons.com (accessed 11 March 2022)
Photo credit: www.morrisons-corporate.com
Author: Fahim Shah
Fahim Shah has been working in the UK as a visiting lecturer in Business and Tourism for the last 10 years. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing, he went on to gain an MBA from the University of Bradford, the UK. He is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA) and a full member of the Association of Business Executives (ABE).
M Rahman
