Tesco Case Study: Learn About the Rise of the Online Grocery Giant

If you are a business student you might have to go through plenty of case studies throughout your course. They are an essential part of every business curriculum, providing students with exposure to real-world business issues to some extend. Students are then required to analyse these cases carefully and provide solutions of their own. Most of the times these cases are of popular businesses, and Tesco case study is one of them. Most students know Tesco very well but when they are required to do a case study, they go blank. This is because most of the time students are too focused on performing analysis and providing solutions. But to arrive at results you need to first understand the case well. So, here are some key points about a case study you should focus on to gain a good understanding:

1. Customer Service

Customer service is an area that Tesco has invested a lot on. They understand that providing their customer with maximum convenience and taking their needs into consideration will increase their customer loyalty. Over the years they have come up with many strategies like filling up their stores with most purchased items, providing facilities for customers with special needs, providing discreet assistance for customers with hidden special needs etc. This makes sure that their customers have a satisfactory experience at their stores.

2. Product Diversification

A business that adapts to change stays in the game for longer. As the lifestyles changed customers started looking for one-stop stores to shop for everything so Tesco started to diversify their products. Tesco started as a grocery store but slowly diversified into many household items like toiletries, frozen products, pet food and even apparels.

3. Scandals & controversies

In today’s world, no business is free of controversies. And any scandal becomes a defining point for a successful business. Tesco has its share of controversies too. It was put under blast in 2013 when several of its products labelled as containing beef were found to have horse meat. Another scandal happened in 2014 when it was found that they overstated their profits by around 250 million pounds. But even though scandals create a negative image it sure does bring a brand to public attention.

4. Exponential international expansion

It pulled out from its home state of the USA and witnessed sustained growth in the Eastern Europe region. Currently, it has stores worldwide and focuses on its global customer base. Its local stores showcase the local culture while its websites contain texts both in English and the local language to connect to people while keeping its global business approach.

5. Online business

The digital business world is booming and yet many traditional businesses are seen to avoid making the shift. But Tesco has accepted this change and is making the most of it by proving its customer base the option to shop for their products online.

To make the most of any case study, reading through its history to understand how it became successful is important. And when you go through the history, you should make notes of all the key points as this would help you in analyzing the case efficiently. If you are working on the Tesco case study and are struggling with finding the main points consider the ones mentioned above.

Summary: This write-up explains the main points that led to the success of Tesco. for performing a case study on the same.