Case Questions
1. What competitive forces are at play between the supermarkets in the industry?
2. Rank the competitive advantage between Publix, Amazon- Whole Foods, Walmart, Kroger and Sprouts from highest to lowest and state the reasons why you ranked them.
3. How can Publix make up for "lost time" and gain momentum in an industry that is being disrupted by technology?
4. How do private label offerings help increase sales and customer value?
5. Compare the reward- membership programs between Publix and Amazon- Whole Foods. In your opinion which supermarket has the highest value offering?
6. Is it too late for Publix to invest in Research and Development to develop artificial intelligence to track consumer preferences?
7. Think about the difference between a consumer that prefers an "in person" vs. "online" experience. Which group will eventually be larger? Will there be an ever growing call for online convenience or a nostalgia for an in person human approach to selling basically anything? Can both preferences equally co-exist? Or will they always be at odds with each other?
8. Will they stick to their brick and mortar values and loyalty to employees and the labor force or will the industry inevitably force them to depend on technology and AI?
9. Is there an opportunity in creating a larger space for "in- store" experiences such as cooking classes and micro-breweries? If so, will this model work better for Publix or Amazon- Whole Foods?
10. How can Publix increase sales volumes and leverage technology in its favor? Do you believe with its current operating model it is ready to meet the challenges it faces in the technology, innovation and retail expansion space?
11. If Publix is out maneuvered by giants like Amazon Whole Foods should it consider expanding internationally like Walmart or the much smaller chain Aldi? What are the pros and cons of such a move?
12. How has Instacart helped expand Publix's customer base? Is it using the service offering to its full advantage? Should it consider buying Instacart to exercise more control over how the service can used more efficiently to grow sales?
13. How can any supermarket survive with lowering costs of groceries? Think of ways that Publix needs to position itself to stay profitable. What is it doing right? What is it doing wrong?
14. If the in person customer experience is the ace in the hole for Publix, how can it transcend that experience to an ever increasing online/ on-demand world?
Attachment:- Publix Original Case.rar