Comparison of Two Companies in the Same Industry Using the Basic Functions of Marketing

Wal-Mart and K-Mart are two companies in the same industry. They both run chains of

discount stores across the world. Wal-Mart is the largest discount store in the world while KMart is third.

One of the reasons why Wal-Mart has been more successful than K-Mart is the use of

responsive marketing technique. Through the use of this technique, the company seeks to acquire immediate feedback from the customers. The response, feedback and purchase of the customer are then measured and individual advertisements attributed to them (Evans & Berman, 2010). One of the main reasons why this method has been successful is because there are no

intermediaries in the discount chains and the seller is able to interact directly with the buyer. This makes communication easier and the client is able to give a response or feedback more easily.

However, K-Mart falls short of being a responsive marketing company. The company does not emphasize much on acquiring the feedback of the customer. On the contrary, the company stocks all manner of goods and services and the customer is left with the choice of taking up the one that pleases him or her. This might be a good method since the customer is given a wide range of products and services to choose from. However, it is important to note that

ignoring the response of the customer may be disastrous to the company. A customer may fail to find what he or she wants and eventually goes to K-Mart’s competitors in the hope that he will find such a product.

All in all, it is very important for organizations to engage in responsive marketing, as done by Wal-Mart, so as to satisfy their customers.