I’m working on a marketing discussion question and need support to help me learn.

“Retailing involves all activities required to market consumer goods and services to end-users who purchase those items for an individual or household use. When an individual buys a computer at Best Buy, groceries from Winn Dixie, or an iPhone from the Apple Store, a retail sale has been made”.

Individuals frequently think of a brick-and-mortar store when they think of a retail sale. “However, retail sales are made in many other ways other than through physical stores. For example, retail sales are made by door-to-door salespeople, by mail order, by automatic vending machines, and online”.

The method of facilitating a retail sale is mainly dependent upon the needs of the target market. Marketers select and design retail outlets based on factors that add value to the target market. Please consider the two retail stores, Walmart and Target. The two firms sell many identical items. However, some consumers have a strong preference for one retailer over the other. Although the two retail giants sell many of the same items, the firms cater their offerings to different groups of consumers. Retail choices should add value to the retailer’s target market. In other words, as discussed in Module 1, retail choices should increase the benefits consumers receive or decrease the price or hassle a customer incurs as related to the purchase process.

“Compare and contrast the target market and marketing mix for a physical bike shop store in your community with the online bicycle retailer Performance Bicycle (www.performancebike.com (Links to an external site.)).

• Use your best judgment to identify and contrast each retailer’s primary target market
• Use your best judgment to identify and contrast some of each retailer’s Product, Place, Promotion, and Price decisions.