Improving on-shelf availability of promotional products at a Malaysian department store

摘要

Promotional offers, such as "buy-one-get-one-free," are designed to attract consumers, create customer loyalty, and build market share. When specially advertised items are out of stock or not immediately available on the shelf, however, promotional efforts can have the opposite effect. An analysis of on-shelf availability problems at one of Malaysia's oldest and largest department store chains led to the creation of a process mapping flow chart that revealed a number of underlying problems. Several recommendations subsequently were made to resolve or ameliorate those issues in the short term, without incurring any substantial costs. This retailer's experience can be applied to other firms with supply chain inefficiencies that hamper the availability of promotional products.