Analyzing Lidl's Marketing Strategies in Finland Case Study

Examining Lidl’s marketing environment in Finland by conducting a SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis is referred to look after the internal Business atmosphere of the company or the business existing in the world. These refer to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which will be applied upon Lidl marketing atmosphere.

SWOT Analysis

Table No.1: SWOT Analysis upon Lidl

Analysis

• Strengths - The Lidl has been highly fascinated to confront a solid customer base and is leveraging high-quality products at the most affordable and lowest price range. Even at the most competitive market, the company has been seeking limited association and always has been known for its conversation of stock. Their pricing strategy has been enormous which is helping the company to serve its products at the best quality and on the best budget. They have been providing and stacking products by equipping personal labelling to the items and optimising barcodes for the convenience of the customers living in Finland. Because of the private labels the Lidl has been considered by every customer in Finland and outside of the place, as they are recognised with 1200 own labelled explicit in the market.
• Weakness - The Lidl Finland has been facing issues in the home market but the CEO has been repeatedly reporting that both the K and S groups have been considered to have exempt of 95Alkos. Therefore, on the other hand, Lidl Finland has been selling wine but the alternative competitor was seen to serve beer in the market confronting to acute monopoly of alcohol. But the CEO depicted that they will be bringing more variants of wine that the customers will be loving in the market and can trigger both the groups that are a competitor of Lidl (Brock et al., 2022). Even in the foreign market, Lidl has been restricted to compete with industry giants such as Walmart or targeting the areas of the USA and the UK. Lidl suffering from ethical issues has been criticised as their practices to business have often raised to extortion confronting unlawful incidents. The alternatives that the K-groups and S-groups are serving in the market have been triggering the Lidl Finland in the industry.
• Opportunities - Increasing expansions and collaborations are the major concern that Lidl Finland has been tackling in charge. Lidl's premium product line that is confronting the Deluxe has collaborated via Hans Valimiki that has been a renowned Finnish celebrity chef. They have been functioning programs and events that have been collaborated with the popular Michellin Star chef that will also manage them to keep their credibility. Even they have already managed to arrange for “Grillimaister” to sit on the jury of the national barbeque contest that has been planned by Lidl Finland. These events have been promoting their brand commitment and circulation over the country, considering then connecting to the developed areas outside og the company’s original production base.
• Threats - S-group and K-group has been confronting operations that is minimising the operation's lowibility of Lidl Finland. As if looking out to the S group they are derived to provide importance to the customers (Awuzie et al., 2021). Therefore it needs to convict regarding these competitors have been investing in the cooperative of their regional customer's equity. Rewarding customers after any purchase they made from the company. Now looking for to the K -group, Lidl Finland has been triggered to innovation and context to entrepreneurs that has been hitting loyalty program that is serving bonus points on their every purchase benefitting the company, triggering Lidl Finland in the production space area.
  PESTLE Analysis will be assessed upon the Lidl Finland, As PESTLE Analysis has been referred to the key tool that has been prolonged to use in the external business environen to get through the effects or impacts of any subjective factors leading friom the elements of the tool.
• Political factors - The Lidl Finland has been suffering through Brexit a issue that is triggering to function the price segment. As these is creating a new challenge that has been affecting major fall in the pound that is considerably leading to raise the prices. Lidl has been sourcing their product that has been confronted from the outside market which appoints around 75% of its products within the UK. It has been managing the business to be more expensive after the affect of Brexit. The issue that the company has been facing tough placements that is explicating the discounters segmenting to keep up the price as low they could be.
• Economoical factors -The food courier has been in the hype that made Lidl to extend their impression upon the company. The impact of the pandemic has been in less upon the business, the income of the Lidl has been recognised to jump around 48% in the areas of Finland considered the third quarter. Lidl has been investing upon leadership and enhancing the service stages that are forth to expand offerings towards customer and restaurants. They met the highest range of rose to profits 18% within the four weeks which is massive than the other leading supermarket existing in the whole industry.
• Social factors - Lidl has been regulating its market in the home and accepting competition from the S-group and K-group that are enacting superiorly in the market of Finland. They have confronted shopping malls via opening a third in mall outlet in the period of April. These have been made in concern to provide shopping centres in Finland (Kardes et al., 2020). They have been provided to arrange a hometown subsidiary so that the customer to get connected. The business launched its key first in-store café that is located in Sodankya, one of the northern municipalities of Finland. This has been a concern being made intellection to the trend that added confronted regarding the taste behaviour that appreciating in the culture or business context.
• Technological factors -NFC payments has been a concern that has been functioned out by the Lidl that serve the option to pay purchases of less than “25 Euros” via placing their banking cards upon the mechanism of the payment, which will subject to consider less than an second. Finnish competitors own label goods that are cheaper than self-scanning checkout that has been an advantage to the company (Bastien, 2019). Expressing more retail self-checkout counters has been planned to settle in the culture of the business. Further Customers preferring to utilise machines to scan items and optimise smooth online convenience. There has been used in front of the K group and S group which are their competitors as these manage them to provide them a convenient user experience preventing lesser time in accessing the cashier lane. This has been an advantage could be an advantage for the company to lead with high-end customer satisfaction further in the future.
• Legal Factors - The legal factors that Lidl Finland has been suffering through in the market areas under the convenience of the legal frameworks such as the Business Social Compliance Initiative has been managing the company to enhance the condition of the work for the employees that is working in the Lidl within the non-food supply chains. Therefore within under the act of this framework, it could carrying independent social audits via the local personnel for each non-food producer.
• Environmental factors - Lidl are committed to reducing or decreasing its environmental footprint and they are centred to support the requirements to tackle the essentiality problem of plastic waste (Helmold et al., 2022). Lidl have been much aware of the issue as they are confronting to decrease the use of plastics in the products replacing and packaging them with much more sustainable alternatives.

Figure No.1 : PESTLE Analysis

Porter's five forces will be applied upon the Lidl Finland, Porter Five forces has been a model that supports managers of businesses and confronts to execute analysts understanding the competitive landscape and about the position of the company.

• Threat of new entrant - S-group and K-group has been the major competitors existing in the home market of finland. This business has been providing an tough competition that is coming from these two groups. These means they are just serving consumer goods in the market but the competitors has been providing more options to the customers that includes machinery trade, tourism and hospitality services and home improvement services. It has been consistently serving an issue to the company so that they can alter out new products in the market accepting that they are also one of the largest supermarket chains in Finland.
• Bargaining power of suppliers - The bargaining power of suppliers has been high as in the in the case to serve beer in the market both the S and K groups were really active and they are highly relying upon their suppliers due to the fact Lidl has optimised to provide an strategy to acute various typoes of wones in the market. Therefore Lidl has been vastly rely upon the suppliers because of coffee, mushrooms, meat, confectionary that has been provided by the company upon the weekly basis.
• Bargaining power of buyers - Lidl has been confronting to acquire an great base of customer in the market. As they seem that the competition in store purchasing has been serving and competition to them (Helmold et al., 2022). Therefore due to the insights and preference of the customer small shopping centres has been decided to launch in the market. Buyers has been looking forth to online options and in this case S group has been doing well, as their business fortune regarding owing customers managing more precise purchases through providing them bonuses and rewards.
• Threat of substitute services or products - S group and K group has been giving tough competition as if the projects recognise then alternative products or services are been leveraged by the S group which much more acceptable then the Lidl in both the regions they are existing. S-Group has been composed with 1004 outlets in the Finland that is the highest of all known. Therefore it expell a much probability to attract customers in every region than Lidl.
• Competitive rivalry - The competition that both the S group and K group has been segmented provides a wide-angle competition, due to the fact that these both has been highly fascinated to carry large amount of items and product range, connected to string foreign subsidiaries and acquires a large number of stores all over Finland. Both has a strong business model optimising Lidl to evolve in the market. Personalised services and membership cards are one of the strategic approaches that they commit in the market. Both has been triggering Lidl and been running high entrepreneurship and leveraging plans to attract customer at the front foot.

Figure No.2: Porters Five Forces

Based upon the EPRG framework, what was Lidl’s approach to international marketing when entering Finland

Assessing when Lidl entered Finland

In context to Finland, within the period of 2002, the set up of the business has finally stood tyo replicate at the moment. These are procured regarding the overcrowded premises and a city that has been known for the small music groups existing in the place. But they enter into Finland looking up to the store they located in a town that is acquainted with 15,000 residents that has been living on the western part of Finland. They were regarded as the most and first ten Finnish subsidiaries that Lidl was stood to launch. After entering the market of Finland and Lidl stood to serve similar kinds of items that others were already serving in the same place. These consider that the discounters or bargain hunters felt low to fetch multinational brands on a low price therefore, unfortunately, they did not receive any grocery items as per their estimated demands.

Analysing Lidl’s approach to international marketing at that time

Time, when Lidl committed to entering into the market of Finland, has opted ot face competitors that were one of the leading retail chains operating in the same market. But these competitors have been doing well in the Finnish business atmosphere. But when the market committed to be saturated and they found they can lay their approach through leveraging their own private labels focusing on the citizens of the company or business. For example, they were stacked with their stock of items that they are carrying in the market, and they have grown their items lost from 800 to 1300 which was massive. NFC payments have been launched by Lidl within its operation has been a massive evolution that contributed to pay purchase convenience. They have been targeting UK and USA for their international call but they need to be made aware of the subsidiaries that they need and the expansion strategy to bring down supermarket evolution. In-store cafes and small shopping centres and affordable quality prices were been recognised to function or be planned in Finland and exhibit the operation to the forefront.Analysing examples of this approach recognised upon Lidl’s entering Finland

Lidl has been committed to adopt approaches that were meant to be strong and cohesive as a reflection to the competitive market, the company has thought to provide their products on low prices that could deeply connect the customer with the company. This was an approach that they counter before they opted to enter the market of Finland (Bastien, 2019). They wanted to accelerate their flow of stocks to the market and wanted to produce that item with their own label tag. They wanted to expand their warehouses and staff force which was consecutively small as per what really needs to have. Technological advancement and consideration to the monopoly of wine has been a consideration for Lidl to seek while moving ahead in Finland and in the international market.

Analsying the strengths of this approach in Finland

The first strength that Finland has been seeking out is the low pricing over their items which are a competitive sense of producing products to the customers or audiences living in Finland. There has been reported after they incremented their product in 2002, fro when they stood to expand their subsidiaries along with their stores n the parts of western Finland. This has made the company to confront low pricing to overtake S-group and K-group the leading super retail chains in a similar market. Innovation and campaigns regarding their grocery item have been an approach that was enacted preferably over the customer's mind, managing additional support to provide NFC payments and communicating to launch in-store cafes and bakeries in Finland.

Analysing the weaknesses of this approach in Finland

Both the competitors S group and K group has stood to attract key segments of the business and its circulation over the market. This signifies the higher investment for the verge of customers providing them optimal membership cards, controlling this customer to stay attached. On the other hand, the K group was adding value to the retail that offers local products confronting bonus points and serving benefits that have been a weakness to Lidl Finland.

Assessing aspects that Lidl could have done better

Lidl would have expanded the production base into the international market by confronting to the low-pricing strategy that it has been applying to the existing market been placed. They could have centred focused on the operation that they were managing their operations. They need to segment their target population as per their products or items that they are serving in the market in various ways. Concentrating and focusing upon the high quality of the equipment upon label adding customer service.

Assessing the way Lidl applied marketing mix over their business operations suiting in Finland

LidI can use different marketing strategies and tactics to successfully expand the business in the market of Finland. LidI is a consumer goods manufacturing company which provides varieties of consumable products to millions of customers in more than 10500 locations. The net revenue of the business is 1.5 billion Euros and it gains revenue approx 79.5 million that gives better opportunity to the brand to expand their business (Katt and Meixner, 2020). The grocery market of Finland is very competitive as there are many competitors that give huge threats to the business that give huge difficulties and risks to LidI that impact on the future sustainability of the business. LidI has to modify their products in accordance with the availability of resources and specific requirements of customers that gives huge potential risks to customers (Lauronen, 2022). It is also essential that the brand should design and test its products on the perspective of gaining better profitability. It is important that LidI should utilise pricing strategy, and communication strategy to make aware of a wide range of customers and sell products to them. Furthermore, utilising varieties of distribution channels is important to sell their products to a wide range of customers.

The brand can build strong infrastructure to provide post-purchase services to individuals on the basis of the specific requirements of customers. Providing better customer services is essential to ensure better interaction with a wide range of customers and give better response to queries of customers that may help to provide better guidance to customers. The brand has to be very concerned about making proper market research regarding surveys on customers about how to tackle various shifts in supply and demand within the market. It is also important that the brand should set a premium price range for their products that may help them to sell their products to a wide range of customers (Lahdenkauppi, 2021). The brand should maintain innovative quality and features of products thus it can gain high profitability within the market and gain better compatibility over competitors.

The brand should expand its reach of the brand through using hybrid distribution channels so it can get connected with a wide range of customers which will increase the revenue and profitability of the brand. It offers products in supermarket stores in more locations so it should choose a more populated location in which many buyers and suppliers are available in the market so it can expand its operation in more areas. LidI Finland should use Email marketing and search engine marketing that may help the brand to get engaged with more people and get a better idea about the current market condition so that it will be able to offer products in accordance with the requirements of people (Pelto and Karhu, 2021). It can also use content marketing strategy which should include video and social media marketing regarding valuable information of the brand and its products.

Analysing the way Lidl can strike a balance among ‘global’ and ‘local’ in designing an effective marketing strategy

Looking forth to the global market, the brand needs to look out for digital marketers that will be helping the brand to refurbish its consumer goods products or items. Considering that the company need to finalise the retail more specifically helping the hard discounter to place a significant pay-per-purchase mark as per the demand of their items and products. They need to stretch their grocery shopping experience and habitat therefore online convivence could be the best possible way to attract customers as per targeted demographics (Pérez-Mesa et al, 2022). Competition on the international phase has been roughly rising as Walmart being the key competitor can trigger the operations of these companies so they need to enact upon the product that the competition has been serving in the market. Marketers will be researching the industry and global trends that often provides an issue to the global leader of the companies running super retail market chains (Syed, 2020). They need to invest in the R&D team that will be serving them benefits altering customers as per the targeted global locations and in-store cafes or shopping centres they want to establish in the market. They need to advertise through Facebook ads that can lay their description of the mission that Lidl carried in the market and the items to be kept within that low price level.

The local segment will be designed in favour to serve the local community and the citizens that are living in Finland. The costing strategy needs to be strategised by Lidl in the home market competition with both K-group and S-group. As they are confronted to stretch their industry cafe they can promote these with billboards which is one of the marketing elements they can function in Finland. These will catch the eyes of the citizens or customers that are aware of consumer goods products selling at the least price could be an advantage for the company. Campaigns can be functioned to showcase the fluency of what the company wants to serve and the future objective sit has been carrying, accounting to expand the wine segment, NFC payments and exposing operations to a global scale.

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