JB Hi-Fi: An Australian Consumer Electronics Company
History and Subsidiaries
JB Hi-Fi Limited is an Australian company operating in the consumer electronics industry and engaging in the selling of home consumer electronic products including digital still, home theatres, mobile phones, video cameras and televisions, including electrical accessories like small electrical appliances, air conditioners, computing equipment and kitchen equipment, and other things like games and movies and car sound systems (Needles Powers & Shigaev 2009 p. 13). The organization stocks a range of exclusive specialist Hi-Fi products. The company’s subsidiaries include JB Hi-Fi NZ Limited, Rocket Replacements Pty Ltd, JB Hi-Fi Group Pty Ltd, and JB Hi-Fi (A) Pty Ltd.
Established in 1974 by Mr. John Barbuto who was a simple philosopher, JB Hi-Fi started a business from a single store in Victoria and delivered various Hi-Fi equipment including recorded music at a low price in Australia. However, the business was sold in 1983 and nine other stores were opened in 1999 (Roy et al. 2013 p. 16). Aiming at taking the business to be a success over the nation, senior management and private equity bankers purchased the company in July 2000. In October 2003, the organization was floated on the Australian stock exchange. Later in 2004, JB Hi-Fi bought the Queensland Clive Anthony stores which sold consumer goods like air conditioning equipment, consumer electronics, and cooking appliances before being bought (Gettler 2011 p. 7).
The micro and macro-environment factors have a significant role in the determination of factors impacting the long-term profitability of companies in various country markets. JB Hi-Fi operates in retail in different countries and has exposed itself to different political system risks and types of political environment and forces, with the achievement of success in such a dynamic retailing industry being linked to the diversification of political environment systematic risks. The importance of the retailing sector and political stability affect JB Hi-Fi. The risk of military invasion and high corruption rates and levels of retailing industry regulation pose great challenges to the company. Other factors include interference and bureaucracy in the retailing industry by the government and pricing regulations.
According to Borio (2014 p. 198) factors of the macro environment including economic cycle, foreign exchange rates, interest rate, savings rate, and inflation rate determine the aggregate investment and the aggregate demand at JB Hi-Fi, while factors of the microenvironment including competition have impacted the firm’s competitive advantage. The organization can use economic factors such as inflation, growth rate, and economic indicators of the industry including the spending of customers and the growth rate of the retailing industry in forecasting the trajectory of growth for the company. Other various economic factors which JB Hi-Fi faces its operations include economic system types in countries of operation, the government’s intervention in the retailing and related market, quality of infrastructure in the retailing industry, productivity and labor costs in the economy, unemployment rate, discretionary income, economic growth rate, and level of skill in the workforce of the retailing industry.
Micro and Macro-Environmental Factors Affecting JB Hi-Fi
The culture of the society and the way people do things impacts an organization’s culture in an environment. A population’s attitudes and shared beliefs play a great role in how JB Hi-Fi’s marketers understand a given market’s customers and how they design the marketing messages for the customers of the retailing industry. Social environment factors affecting JB Hi-Fi include leisure interests, attitudes, demographics, and the population’s skill level, power, hierarchy, and class structure of the population, education standards and education level in the JB Hi-Fi’s industry, culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and the society’s broad nature.
Technology has been disrupting various industries across the globe fast. For example, the taxi industry has experienced domination by players like Lyft and Uber (Glöss, McGregor & Brown 2016 p. 1639). Firms should technologically analyze their industry and the speed at which the technology is disrupting the industry. The technological environment of JB Hi-Fi is affected by various factors including recent technological developments by the firm’s competitors, the impact of technology on product offering, cost structure impact on the retailing industry, value chain structure impact, and the rate of technological diffusion (Burns & McGrail 2012 p. 44).
Various markets have different environmental standards and norms impacting the organization’s profitability in the markets, whereby states in a country can have different liability laws and environmental laws. Environmental factors affecting JB Hi-Fi and which should be considered before starting new businesses in existing markets or venturing into new markets include laws regulating environmental pollution, weather, and climate. In different countries, institutions and the legal framework are not robust enough to protect an organization’s individual property rights. Some legal factors affecting JB Hi-Fi include data protection, health and safety law, employment law, consumer protection and e-commerce, copyright and patent, the anti-trust law in the retailing industry, and discrimination law (Meiners, Ringleb & Edwards 2014 p. 120).
The company has reinforced its strength through success in buying out competitors, providing a shopping experience, and cultivating a reputation for knowledgeable staff. JB Hi-Fi announces high sales as compared to its competitors, with comparable sales rising each year. The Good Guys, a competitor of JB Hi-Fi, was put down due to conditions which were challenging in home appliances. Overall, the organization does remarkably well, recording a comparable store growth of 6% in 2018 alone. JB Hi-Fi’s growth has been attributed to a large percentage of Australians choosing to shop at the organization regardless of the availability of other electronic stores.
Differentiation Strategy: Standing Out from Competitors
JB Hi-Fi has been maintaining a wide footprint and a mastery in the game of electronics retail. The success of the organization over its competitors has been attributed to its compelling in-store experience. Additionally, the organization has diversified from hi-fis to a wide range of appliances and electronic gadgets including fridges and phones. Furthermore, the company has an underlying strength of behavior shopping, where customers have the sense of behavior shopping when they enter the store. JB Hi-Fi does not have a franchise model, which has highly contributed to its performance. Furthermore, the company has employed staff which is engaged in the product and have a high level of expertise. JB Hi-Fi has bought The Good Guys, a company which retails electronic products, thus increasing its competitiveness by being able to buy in bulk. Moreover, the company’s diverse stores do not sit in shopping centers where there is containment on the range of products they can offer.
Porter’s generic strategy is defined as a way in which a firm is positioned within an industry (Ormanidhi and Stringa 2008 p. 55). The generic strategy allows the business executives to pay attention to key essentials of organizations business-level strategies and avoid competition in the industry. According to Tanwar (2013 p.11), there are two competition dimensions including firms source of competitive advantage and firms scope of operation which is a key determinant of business-level strategy. Source of competitive advantages determines whether the firm keeps costs down to gain a competitive age or offers a unique product in the market. Firm’s scope of operation determines whether the organization focuses on a segment of customers or customers in general.
JB Hi-Fi Company follows a differentiation generic strategy to market the products and attract more customers. According to Animesh, Viswanathan & Agarwal (2011 p.153), a generic differentiation strategy is an approach which an organization takes and develop unique services or products for customers to distinguish them from competitor’s services and products. In a differentiation strategy, the organization is distinguished from competitors. Differentiation strategy selects only attributes that are important to buyers and satisfies demands of customers in a competitive market. The products of JB Hi-fi organization have uniqueness in both pricing and quality. The organization has recently differentiated itself in the market from competitors by offering pocket-friendly prices, after sales services and guaranteeing customers the products are genuine and long-lasting by offering long warranties in their products. The company has developed a good reputation in the industry because of high customer delivery and customer satisfaction.
Furthermore, in 2014, the company was ranked 1st in Corporate Reputation Index as released by AMR reputation index and has successfully ventured an online platform with sales increasing by nine percent from a previous year and accounting for 2.4 percent (Hopkins, 2015). Other innovations like online self-service have provided convenient services to customers easily. The main competitor of JB Hi-Fi is Harvey Norman. The company has high customer loyalty in Australia having previously recorded high sales and good foreign markets as it exports its products and services to Croatia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. However, in terms of domestic markets, JB-Hi-Fi has a great focus on the continent. The company has a high investment in technology as it offers high online and offline services and provides free delivery on all orders irrespective of prices. Customer’s transportation costs have cut hence the majority of retailer’s orders products in bulk. The organization further offers discounts and vouchers to their customers making the prices of products look relatively cheap. In general, JB Hi-Fi uses a differentiation strategy to gain a competitive advantage as it can be seen in terms of quality, customer loyalty, brand trust and low prices with discounts. Customers prefer the JB Hi-Fi products because of free delivery services, best prices with quality and after sales services including free installations and warranties.
JB Hi-fi Company has experienced rapid growth with the company attaining a growth score of 5.0 percent, which is the highest among all competitors. The strategies and marketing techniques have attracted more customers and played a significant role in organization growth. JB Hi-Fi Company has growth strategies that are a key determinant to the organizational future continuity of retaining customers and generating high incomes. According to Pleshko and Heiens (2008 p. 108), different strategies determine the growth of an organization and through Ansoff model, an organization can strategically plan, identifies growth opportunities and devise strategies for the future growth. The two basic factors covered in the Ansoff matrix include products and market. In terms of products, JB Hi-Fi strategizes on current and future products while in the market, the company strategizes on the geographical area it serves and how it will expand its market. The basic factors are analyzed in terms of product development, market development, product penetration, and diversification.
The company follows the strategy of product development. The CEO of JB Hi-fi company stated that the strategic process of the company to generate $15 to $20 million is still underway although it could take a maximum of five years. In terms of market penetration, JB Hi-fi has an ability to develop new opportunities and Networks across the country with the company having good market access in Australia. The company is still in process of market entry strategies on other regions of Australia. The accessibility of markets and culture of customers has developed a good opportunity for JB Hi-Fi company market entry. In terms of market development, the organization has generated high-profit margins and sales turnover because it has completely explored all markets by segmenting customers by the priorities and loyalties. Furthermore, the ability of customer networking and advanced technologies used by the company has enabled the company to build positive consumer experience.
In terms of product diversification, the company follows both vertical and horizontal diversification. In vertical diversifications, the company has collaborated with dell computer manufactures and Apple manufactures and has significantly benefited from monopolistic markets. Furthermore, the collaboration has made the company have a strong tie with researchers to determine the latest technologies in the market. In horizontal Diversification, the company has been launching new products and services in existing services, products, and markets. For example, upon review of feedbacks from the customer, the company keenly look for strategies of improving the initial products to make sure it enhances customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
The company has become popular in the country by offering the largest options for home entertainment. The company has faced great challenges for several years from its competition with the industry experiencing high new products entrants, substitute’s availability and customer bargaining power. The genuine services implemented by the company has been a key driving force for the company. The product life cycle is still in the mature phrase with new improvised techniques introduced on daily basis.
The company is operating in an era where technology has dominated and companies that are not utilizing technologies like mobile app are far behind in standing the competitive markets. According to Chen (2015 P.50), many people like checking details through mobile apps. Therefore, the company should advance its mobile application platform to hold the latest functionalities and capability that are accessible in diverse devices.
The company is a home retail should provide tech support 24/7 to their customers. According to Porter and Heppelmann (2014 p.64) companies that offer 24/7 support develops customer confidentiality to the products. Therefore, JB-Hi-Fi needs to implement 24/ hours facilities for their customer to consider product ideal. Furthermore, as the world is evolving and everybody is talking about the web, the organization need to create awareness of its products through social media advertisements. The social media adverts will create brand popularity and commercialized the product showcase. The company also need to put innovation into their product implementation strategy. Starting from organizational inception, it is still serving the customers with similar products option of Blu-ray disks, large home appliances, CD, DVD, and computer components. To excel in a competitive market, the company need to launch different products in the market and continuously updating the existing ones.
References
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