Publix Super Markets SWOT & PESTLE Analysis

Strength

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Weakness

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Opportunity

1. Focus on digital marketing/social media: Publix has been a late comer to most of the tech savvy initiatives including social media. It went on to open its Twitter account only after Walmart and Whole Foods Market began using it for their marketing. In 2015, Publix used the hashtag #MyPublixStory to engage with customers on social media for the first time. More recently it got into grocery delivery business with Instacart and is ramping up its digital technology infrastructure to offer same-day delivery via Instacart in all Publix markets by 2020.

2. GreenWise Market paving way for attracting a new segment of customers: Publix announced the opening of the GreenWise Market in Tallahassee, Florida. This store follows the rebooted store concept which was initially planned out in 2008, but which was postponed after the company revamped its vision. The new GreenWise Market has food as its primary point of focus and will be only half as big as most Publix stores. Apart from food, the store will also have a specially designated “Care” department offering products like natural soaps and supplements, and a “Find” department which provide customers with a wide selection of wine and cheese pairings. The store aims to rope in the youth, primarily students, as its target customers and hopes to build a new customer base which is attracted to the fresh food offerings, in-store eateries and lounge space that the store offers. The desire that this customer segment has for customization, convenience and organic, sustainable food is fulfilled through this store model. The company hopes that bringing in a new customer category will help to promote growth.

3. Private labels earn plump revenue and widen brand reach: The Publix stores always ensure quality and personalization for their customers. This has helped it to become one of the popular supermarket chains with a plethora of its own well-known brands. In 2017, Store Brands recognized Publix as being the Retailer of the Year. One of Publix’s goals is to maintain customer loyalty towards products and to encourage them to try out new products like the Tomato Garlic Marinated Mussels available in the Publix Premium line. The launch of its Publix Premium Limited Edition Ice cream is another example of Publix promoting its private brands. The Publix Brand has more than 3,000 SKUs and is responsible for the greater part of its private brand sales. The Harvard Business Review has revealed that while most retailers get about 14% of their sales from private label products, Publix is able to gain 20%. The company claims that the Publix brand is as good as the national brands but available at lower rates. Publix however does not promote its brands as value brands but rather seeks to establish them as standalone brands of the same caliber as other popular brands. It is to the credit of its brands that they managed to stay afloat even during the Great Recession of the 2000s.

Threat

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Political

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Economic

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Social

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Technological

1. Connecting omnichannel excellence to drive customer experience: Omnichannel initiatives have become popular with majority of the grocery chains as it is an effective way of staying updated in terms of technology. The Progressive Grocer’s 85th annual industry survey has revealed that approximately 75% of the survey participants have claimed that they plan to increase their overall tech spending in 2018. In fact, technology ranks only behind labor issues and competitive threats. The Progressive Grocer’s annual survey in 2019 also saw technology being ranked ninth. Publix in line with the industry trends has launched its Publix Delivery online shopping solution in partnership with delivery service provider Instacart.

2. Maximizing business intelligence capacity: The retail industry is one of the most diversified industries of the world. As a result, it faces a number of challenges that are unique to it like sustaining profit margins, ensuring customer retention, and expanding market shares. The retail companies thus need to develop innovative marketing strategies and product lines which reduce costs while increasing profits. Publix introduced Teradata Active Enterprise Data Warehouse to accommodate growth and more complex analytics. It moves the data warehouse functionality beyond traditional strategic analysis and into tactical operational intelligence for smarter, faster merchandising and marketing decisions and insight.

Legal

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Environmental

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