Office Depot Is a Household Term Paper

(Morningstar "Office Depot" at (http://quicktake.morningstar.com/stocknet/Snapshot.aspx?Country=USA&Symbol=ODP)

One option could be for office depot to streamline sales to just a few online locations, linking market seekers to a few key websites that offer a very large product base for sale. Yet, to continue domestic market growth and potentially increase domestic sales OD must focus on impulse shoppers seeking to purchase small quantities for small business, and offer items for individual sales, in very simple formats. The inventory of a large one stop brick and mortar store must be expanded, without the loss of key, potentially outdated supplies, while still offering competitive prices on staple supplies. OD must continue to aggressively market the convenience and ease of their stores, with highly effective and informed sales associates that can easily step away from their post to rapidly find the items the customer is seeking. It is crucial to the domestic market that OD offer prices and locations that effectively compete with the expansion of office supply sales into large discount department stores and much better prices on bulk staple supplies, such as paper, pens, and printer supplies, that larger discount department stores offer, to keep the customer buying such supplies in the OD store, rather than in other locations. It must be clear to the customer that support is offered in the store that is not offered in discount department stores and variety that is not offered in old school office supply stores, as they hold on to the last of their large contract sales. To expand further, OD must aggressively address their direct competitors by offering services that others do not, keeping inventories high and support for outdated products available, when small businesses are unwilling to upgrade. Essentially, in order to garner the aggressively sought after market share in the domestic market, ODP must continue to market aggressively while limiting expansion and ensuring cost savings over the long and short run. The industry standard has been to keep expanding on a rapid franchise model, such as is seen in other impulse market systems, like small scale restaurant and beverage industry leaders. The problem in the market is that the recent potential for market saturation, is intense and ODP must respond to this potential by cutting costs and limiting expansion to areas where replacement of non-earning stores can be done, such as in the case where moving an existing location to one that can generate greater sales through exposure.

Works Cited

Brillion Market Analysis "Office Supply Stores" at http://www.ci.brillion.wi.us/comdev/MA_Sec6_officesup.pdf

Morningstar Financial "Office Depot" at http://quicktake.morningstar.com/stocknet/Snapshot.aspx?Country=USA&Symbol=ODP

Morningstar "Is Office Depot a Buy, Sell or Hold?" At http://quicktake.morningstar.com/stocknet/DynamicStock.aspx?Symbol=ODP&Country=USA&referid=A1951&pgid=SU3&vurl=http%3a%2f%2fquicktake.morningstar.com%2fstocknet%2fMorningstarAnalysis.aspx%3fSymbol%3dODP%26Country%3dUSA