JCP BRAND ANALYSIS & E-COMMERCE SITE EFFECTIVENESS Aarica Jefferson, Julio Santos Dominique Marsh, Varissa Campos

S.W.O.T Analysis Strengths: Omni-channel Wide variety of products and services Lifetime relationship with customers Brand recognition Established nationwide Weaknesses: Blurred target market Identity crisis Decrease in sales Loss in popularity Opportunities: More internet presence Utilize more social media Product and service expansion Niche markets Threats: Kohls Macy’s Dillards

Site Purpose  Inform the consumer on product selection  Provide products sold in the brick and mortar store to online customer.  Display  In-store sales  Exclusively online promotions  Featured merchandise

Positive Branding  While the site is not overly saturated with the new logo, JCP prominently features private brands and designer collaborations.  Showcases promotions that enforce the idea that J.C. Penney is a place to purchase great products for inexpensive prices.

Intended Audience  The intended user of jcpenney.com is broad  Consumer searching for specific item  Former shopper that is rediscovering brand  Current shopper that is researching sales  JCP is now targeting younger consumers, a fairly recently enforced strategy.

Mobile Content Solutions  Mobile device updates  Text alerts are useful for the shopper who  doesn’t receive mail circulars  have an address  Use a smart phone  Ensures consumer remains aware of sales and promotions

Revenue Model & Marketing Relationships  J.C. Penney follows the value added and product differentiation revenue model.  J.C. Penney does not appear to have affiliates, alliances, a market place, or other marketing relationships, but they do have investors.

Features & Functionality  Simple and enjoyable  Features:  Sign-up for both mobile and updates  Item search engine  Links to social media

Usability  Very user-friendly  Award-winning usability  Departmental product categories  Home, women’s, men’s, junior’s, kid’s, shoes and patio  Mouse-over sub-menus  Easy to navigate

Social Media  Utilizes social media to create awareness  Of store brand  Of sales and promotions  Of private brands  Links to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube page.

Mobile Commerce  Utilizes mobile commerce capabilities  plenty of options for mobile  mobile updates  mobile app available for iPhone iPad Android devices.

International Presence  JCP ships to South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Canada.  Shipping rates are dependent on country  No physical stores outside of the United States

J.C. Penney’s Major Competitor

Usability  J.C. Penney site is more user-friendly than Kohl’s  More clearly defined navigation tools Ex. clothing categories. “Women’s pants”  Both websites are easy to use, but J.C. Penney’s site is slightly more polished looking, and easier to maneuver.

Web Strategies  Strategies are similar  Kohl’s showcases sales promotions more noticeably  Kohl’s clarity in advertisement is the stronger website strategy  Entices the Kohl’s consumer to enter the sale webpage  More likely to purchase impulsively.

Assortment Differences  Organization of product categories is different  J.C. Penney has a more broad, less cluttered approach to their product assortment.  Kohl’s has more than five sub categories for each product section, which can be overwhelming for customers when shopping online.

Conclusion  JCP has strong brand recognition, but while attempting to gain new consumers, former consumers were alienated  JCP has more user-friendly website design than its main competitor, Kohl’s  Kohl’s has a more compelling cross-selling e-commerce strategy  JCP should focus on reversing damage done by rapid repositioning  Reclaim former consumers by reverting back to previous pricing strategy; JCP consumers prefer the implementation of coupons and finding bargains