TJX | re-alignment of resources to enable more strategic marketing

scenario:

As an “off-price” retailer (TJMaxx, Marshalls, Homegoods) that by nature has to be reactive to designer buy-out opportunities, TJX faced some unique challenges, including:

• difficulty in proactively planning solid marketing strategies, because of the last-minute nature of merchandise buys
• overspending, due to a lack of definition in the roles of merchants, marketing, and the creative team
• an outdated technology system that was no longer supported

actions taken:

Cohen Miller conducted a comprehensive diagnostic of the end-to-end marketing planning and creative process, and provided:

• a customized tiering strategy that unified goals and priorities across business units
• recommendations and a plan for implementing seasonal strategy summits to get marketers involved in business strategies earlier
• a re-envisioned organizational structure, with role definitions at the team and individual levels
• a structured review and approval process with tiered approval matrix
• technology and implementation recommendations

outcome:

A demonstrated opportunity and a means for achieving a 30% reduction in rework, based on better planning/strategy development in the seasonal summit, plus clearly defined roles in development processes