Executive Summary
The report has helped explain that marketing plays a multifaceted role in influencing customers, which in turn moderates brand profits. Further, the use of primary and secondary methods, qualitative analysis and others, along with the ethical implications, helped determine its reliability. In the data collection section, through the application of interviews and collecting secondary data, the practices of the industry have been evaluated. This has been followed by the analysis of the methods in which M&S is being impacted by the same. The research is based on the effective marketing strategies of M&S. By enhancing brand awareness and recognition, effective marketing strategies can be achieved.
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Introduction/Background of the Organisation
Effective marketing strategies are considered to be important for attracting customers, building brand awareness, and driving growth (Walter, 2024). This helps in boosting sales based on higher customer retention, consumer trust and loyalty, which also results in increased competitive advantage. Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks founded M&S in 1884 in Leeds (M&S, 2025). The retailer employs more than 63000 colleagues across its owned and franchised stores in the international markets (M&S, 2025). Its clothing market share was estimated at 10.5%, food market share at 3.9%, and a group profit before adjusting terms and tax worth 875.5 million pounds (M&S, 2025).
M&S believes in the responsible marketing of its products based on its brand values of quality and trust (M&S, 2025). The retailer also focuses on ensuring that customers shop from the brand upon perceiving that the messages are true and authentic. The marketing strategy of M&S is referred to as a multichannel approach with a strong emphasis on social media and digital channels. For instance, the retailer maintains a strong behold in Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (M&S, 2025). Further, the brand also uses traditional marketing approaches, such as in-store campaigns, TV advertisements, print media, and others. These have helped the brand to attract high sales and revenue, along with customer loyalty. For example, the market share of the retailer was up by 3.9% till March 2025 (M&S, 2025). However, the report from 2025 identified that a highly targeted and sophisticated cyberattack would cost M&S approximately 300 million pounds in lost operating profit, as well as disruption to online services till July (Davey and Sandle, 2025). The retailer also admitted some client details, such as contacts, email addresses, and phone numbers, and others were also taken during the attack (Musafer and McMahon, 2025). This, in turn, highlights the marketing challenges which resulted in decreased customer trust and morale, potentially resulting in huge losses.
Aims and Objectives of your mini-research project
The mini-research aims at the impact of effective marketing strategies to grab customer attention from the perspective of Marks and Spencer. This aim can help to understand the influence of marketing action on consumer behaviour and convert prospects into paying customers. This research will highlight the key consumer behaviour, analysis of decisions, and segmentation of the customers. Customer attention can be grabbed by effective marketing strategies by triggering psychological responses and customising the consumer experience across both digital and traditional channels. The company can build trust, foster emotional connections and ultimately influence purchasing decisions. Customer perceptions and attention can be influenced by effective marketing strategies by activating psychological factors, which can drive consumer behaviour.
Some of the main psychological impacts which can influence marketing strategies include perception, emotion, scarcity, social proof, trust and authority. By enhancing brand awareness and recognition, effective marketing strategies can be achieved. These strategies can help to build a competitive advantage and drive sales by creating emotional connections. Engagement can be achieved by attention, which can translate to actions such as clicking an ad and making a purchase. A robust marketing strategy can help businesses meet the needs of the customer and clearly communicate the offers. Customers can recognise and remember the brand more easily by creating a consistent message and brand identity. The main objective is to build customer trust and loyalty through a robust marketing strategy, which can help the company to get a stable position in the industry. Consumer behaviour can help to maintain long-term relationships through customised experiences and consistent quality.
Objectives
Objective 1
To understand the concept of marketing strategies
This objective will mainly highlight the key concept of marketing strategy, which outlines how a company can reach potential customers. Some of the main concepts which will be followed here are target market, market segmentation, competitive positioning, value proposition and marketing objectives. The objective can be achieved with the help of both primary and secondary data collection. By analysing qualitative data, it can help the research by several methods and to understand the key concepts and data. Primary data collection which is important for the industry and mainly consists of original data which can be gathered from surveys, interviews, experiments and observations (Mazhar et al., 2021. On the other hand, secondary data which is mainly developed to gather data and information and can help to quantify this objective, which has already been gathered by someone else and is available for use (Taherdoost, 2021).
Objective 2
Analysis of the effects of various strategies of marketing for gaining customer attention
This objective that are relevant and which is important for the research and can be achieved with the help of primary and secondary data collection. Primary data collection that can be derived and which is important for the research and can help to gather original content, as it is more specific and reliable, but it needs more time and money to collect. While secondary data that are relevant sources and mainly which mainly gathers the existing data and considers the data which are already been collected. Through surveys, interviews, experiments and observations which are crucial for it and primary data collection can be done, and it can help achieve the objective to get concrete results. On the other hand, academic journals, books, articles and government websites which are important aspects that can help the research of the secondary data and can help to collect secondary data.
Objective 3
To understand the challenges faced by M&S while implementing marketing strategies
This objective mainly aims at finding the challenges faced by Marks and Spencer while using marketing strategies. This can be derived from both primary and secondary data collection. Primary data collection mainly collects original data for this particular topic (Midamba et al., 2025). On the other hand, secondary data mainly consists of existing data which can be derived from journals, books and articles. The main objective is to find the challenges which can impact the operations of M&S, such as robust competition from fast fashion and online retailers, and declining physical store sales.
Objective 4
To provide recommendations to M&S to enhance marketing strategies.
This objective is mainly aimed at providing recommendations which is important for the industry and to the company which can significantly enhance the study. Both primary and secondary data which are crucial for it and will be utilised by the nation, which can help to gather information regarding the marketing strategies. The main objective that can be gained by this research and is to find relevant sources and information which can help the researcher find relevant data in the context. Marketing strategies that are important and can be derived by strategies and are mainly built to achieve a stable growth opportunity for the company, which can enhance the stability of the company which is crucial and its marketing efforts.
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Justification of the value and methodology used in the mini-research project.
Research Philosophy
An interpretivism philosophy will be chosen to analyse the marketing strategies in M&S. Interpretivism philosophy focuses on qualitative research and the meanings, as well as might also a variety of research methods for reflecting on various aspects of the problem (BRM, 2025). This particular research method, compared to positivism philosophy, helps in offering richer insights, which quantitative research might fail to generate.
Research Approach
Using a deductive approach will help in researching the marketing practices of M&S to attract customers. In research, a deductive approach helps in designing a research strategy depending on the existing theory to conclude generalised information (BRM, 2025). This particular approach also helps in completing a study when a shorter time is available to avoid the chances of risks and offer logical conclusions. Further, the use of deductive reasoning compared to abductive or inductive approaches also helps in analysing the complex issues to strengthen clarity and precision.
Research Design
An exploratory design will help in determining the marketing efforts of M&S to attract customers. Exploratory research in a study helps in evaluating the nature of the issue, wherein the researcher is also willing to modify direction based on the revelation of new insights and data (BRM, 2025). Although the design does not offer conclusive or final answers, it helps in exploring a topic in varied depths to lay the foundation for conclusive research.
Data Collection
Both primary and secondary data collection methods will be selected in this research on M&S’s marketing strategies. Taherdoost (2021) explained that secondary data refers to information collected from a variety of published sources by someone else, which can be used by others for their specific purposes. This particular method is quite effective as it helps in forming the baseline for comparing primary data and results. The most common secondary data sources are books, government records, general websites, journals or articles, and other authentic Internet sources (Taherdoost, 2021). Moreover, this particular data is also quite cheaper to collect and easier to use compared to primary data.
Data Analysis
A qualitative analysis will guide the research on how M&S attracts customer attention based on its marketing strategies. According to Chivanga and Monyai (2021); Tracy (2024), qualitative research prioritises gathering results which are considered to be the representatives of opinions, beliefs, and perceptions or the opinions of the participants related to the phenomena. Both thematic analysis and interviews will be performed in this study. In research, thematic analysis helps the researchers with a useful and flexible means of analysing the detailed information (Chivanga and Monyai, 2021). The steps in thematic analysis include familiarisation with the information, generating themes, reviewing and reporting themes. Interviews are considered to be a fundamental method of social interaction, which helps in gathering rich data and clarifying questions (Taherdoost, 2021).
Participants and Sampling
Convenience sampling will be chosen for interviewing the marketing managers of M&S. Golzar et al. (2022) said that convenience sampling refers to the data collection method from a research population which is effortlessly reachable to the researcher. This particular research method is also quite easy to use and helps overcome the chances of biased results. Further, the advantages of this sampling technique lie in its time efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and practicality for exploratory or initial research based on readily available participants. In such an instance, 2 marketing managers of M&S will be recruited to gain an in-depth knowledge of the brand’s marketing effectiveness.
Research Timeline
|
Activity |
Start Date |
Duration |
End Date |
|
Introduction/Background of the Organisation |
18-10-2025 |
7 |
25-10-2025 |
|
Aims and Objectives |
25-10-2025 |
5 |
30-10-2025 |
|
Justification of the Methodology |
30-10-2025 |
9 |
08-11-2025 |
|
Interview |
08-11-2025 |
7 |
15-11-2025 |
|
Thematic Analysis |
15-11-2025 |
11 |
26-11-2025 |
|
Discussion |
26-11-2025 |
9 |
05-12-2025 |
|
Conclusion |
05-12-2025 |
6 |
11-12-2025 |
|
Recommendations |
11-12-2025 |
5 |
16-12-2025 |
|
Submission |
16-12-2025 |
1 |
17-12-2025 |
Table 1: Research Timeline
(Source: Created by the learner)
Figure 1: Gantt Chart
(Source: Created by the learner)
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Primary and secondary research findings
Primary Research Findings
|
Questions |
Answers |
|
What marketing methods are commonly used by M&S? |
Some of the common marketing methods which are used include social media, email marketing and the development of partnerships. |
|
How have these been beneficial? |
These approaches make sure that the company can effectively reach out to their customers, drive their loyalty and engagement and also offer the scope for having valuable insights gathered from data. |
|
What are the challenges which can be faced? |
Some of the primary challenges which are faced include intense competition in the market, with all the organisations using digital marketing methods. This makes the development of campaigns an issue. |
|
Can you propose some strategies which can be applied to overcome the challenges? |
To overcome the issues, it is essential to work with influencers and ensure that marketing campaigns are developed based on the emotions and values of the customers to stand out. |
Table 1: Manager 1
(Source: Created by the Learner)
|
Questions |
Answers |
|
What marketing methods are commonly used by M&S? |
The company employs the services of influencers, uses digital marketing strategies and also focuses on traditional advertising. |
|
How have these been beneficial? |
Through the application of these strategies, the company can reach out to its younger audience, support specific campaigns and drive viral engagement. |
|
What are the challenges which can be faced? |
The company has been having issues with being appealing to the younger customer segment, which means that the marketing strategies of the company have to be altered. Hence, the company has to look for other methods of making sure that the company can stand out to the customers. |
|
Can you propose some strategies which can be applied to overcome the challenges? |
To be appealing to the younger customers, the company can consider highlighting their values and practices in the marketing campaigns. |
Table 2: Manager 2
(Source: Created by the Learner)
Analysis
Manager 1:
According to the first manager, some of the common methods of marketing applied by M&S include social media, email marketing and partnerships, which ensure that the company can drive a significant level of customer engagement and loyalty. Some of the issues which are being encountered include high competition, which can render the marketing strategies useless. To mitigate this issue, the brand needs to hire popular influencers and focus on the emotions of people during the development of the marketing campaign. While the marketing strategies of the company have been effective, it is essential to make sure that the brand can resonate with the emotions of the customers.
Manager 2:
The second manager has stated that the brand employs the services of influencers, while also engaging in digital as well as traditional marketing. The benefits of this are that the brand can reach out to its younger audience, while supporting specific campaigns specific campaigns while also driving viral engagement. viral engagement. However, some of the issues being faced include the company not being able to appeal to the customers. To mitigate this issue, M&S has been focusing on developing campaigns to resonate with the values of the younger customers.
Secondary Research Findings
|
Themes |
Article/Books |
Author (s) |
Date |
Findings |
|
Discussing the concept of marketing |
Marketing 5.0: Technology for humanity. John Wiley & Sons. |
Kotler et al. |
2021 |
Marketing can be understood to be the application of various technologies for developing, communicating and delivering value across the journey of the customers. Some of the technologies which are commonly applied for the same in this day and age are artificial intelligence, augmented reality, natural language processing and so on. |
|
Evaluating the impact of effective marketing strategies on M&S to grab customer attention |
Impact of Digital Marketing Strategies on Consumer Purchasing Decisions in the Indonesian Market: The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction. International Journal of Business, Law, and Education, 5(1), pp.530-538. |
Prananta et al. |
2024 |
Effective marketing strategies can ensure that the company can have a strong presence in the market and that it can develop a meaningful connection with its customers. It ensures that customers can be empowered with essential information, which allows them to research the products, compare prices, read reviews and so on. Overall, it facilitates their ability to arrive at a purchasing decision. |
|
Understanding the challenges faced by M&S while implementing marketing strategies |
Global marketing: Emerging market economies' challenges, opportunities and effective marketing strategy for success. Business and Economic Research, 13(4), p.103. |
Chea |
2023 |
Some of the primary challenges which are faced include management of the back-end logistics during the process of marketing. Additionally, there can be issues with the funding of the market, understanding the needs of the customers and management of disparity in the income of the people. |
|
Providing recommendations to M&S to enhance marketing strategies |
A critical examination of M&S's current strategic and marketing position, as well as potential sustainable competitive marketing strategies. International Journal of Science and Business, 18(1), pp.108-117. |
Li et al. |
2023 |
One of the methods which can be used by M&S is the application of various marketing strategies to the different market segments. This can provide them with the scope for customising their communications and thereby enhancing their market share. |
Table 3: Thematic Table
(Source: Created by the Learner)
Analysis
Theme 1:
Kotler et al. (2021) have stated that marketing is the method of developing, communicating and providing value to customers using a wide range of technology, such as natural language processing, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. M&S also focuses on improvement of their app experience and websites for higher customer satisfaction (Rashbass, 2024).
Theme 2:
According to Prananta et al. (2024), effective marketing ensures that customers can receive accurate information regarding the products of a brand, which can support their customer decision-making regarding purchases. In M&S, one such communication which has been made includes ensuring that they can launch a campaign for communicating with the local customers for driving awareness about their new services and products (WARC, 2025).
Theme 3:
Chea (2023) have mentioned that some of the issues which can be faced by customers during the process of marketing include back-end logistics and understanding the needs of the customers effectively. M&S has experienced this issue of not being able to understand the needs of the customers and making bad decisions, which have negatively impacted them (BBC, 2020).
Theme 4:
Li et al. (2023) have pointed out that one of how the issues of marketing can be overcome is by effectively personalising communications. Hence, the initiative taken by M&S for localising their communications would help mitigate the issues being faced.
Discussion
As Kotler et al. (2021) have pointed out, marketing is a tool which can be commonly applied to ensure that a company can inform their consumers about their products and services. In the context of &S, this is an essential practice, as it makes sure that the brand can compete in the retail landscape of the UK. However, it has been facing some issues during the process, which have to be discussed. According to the first manager, some of the main challenges which are faced by M&S during marketing include intense competition in the market and the second manager has mentioned that they often fail to understand the needs of the customers. One of the biggest issues faced by customers includes not understanding the needs of the customers (BBC, 2020). However, the company has been making active efforts to mitigate these issues. Some of them have been seen in the form of the brand focusing on personalising communications to inform customers regarding their products and services.
There are many benefits of effective marketing, which include ensuring that customers can effectively make decisions regarding their purchases. Manager 1 has stated that marketing can make sure that the brand can engage with their customers. As the retail market of the UK is highly competitive, it ensures that M&S can retain their customers’ loyalty. Manager 2 has also pointed out that it proves to be useful for gaining the attention of the younger customers. Hence, effective marketing is a crucial element in driving organisational success. It can drive higher sales and ensure that the value and reputation of M&S is positively impacted. According to Li et al. (2023), customising communications and application of different marketing strategies for different segments ensures the success of marketing campaigns. Hence, these are essential considerations which have to be made by M&S.
Ethical Considerations
To start the research, the researcher will initially sign the consent form, being granted with the university’s permission. As the study involves individual participants, the researcher will also outline the aims and objectives of the study. Further, the voluntary participation of the selected managers for interviews will also be outlined. The primary ethical considerations include protecting the data being collected. For this, there will be strict adherence to the data protection laws of the UK. The laws being taken into account will be the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) (GOV. UK, 2025). Additionally, in the context of the secondary data, providing appropriate credit to the original authors is essential. Hence, this has also been a significant consideration which has been taken into account. Further, for upholding academic integrity, while searching for relevant information from secondary sources, plagiarism will be avoided to present an authentic and credible research with an accurate referencing format.
Develop key recommendations based on the mini research project
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, it can be said that both primary and secondary data helped the research gather valuable information. Marketing is an effective tool which can help the company reach a larger audience. Effective marketing strategies can help the company by increasing brand awareness, driving sales growth and improving customer loyalty. However, there are several challenges faced by the company, including increased competition, and the company has failed to understand the needs of the customers. Effective leads can be generated by the company through marketing strategies, which can drive the sales of the company and increase the traffic of the website. The brand can be recognisable with the help of a clear strategy, which can help it to stand out and attract new customers.
Effective marketing strategies are important for the company, which can act as a roadmap for the company and provide a clear direction for all marketing activities, aligning the team around common goals. Both primary and secondary data have been utilised in this research, which enhances the topic and relevant objectives of this research. The purpose is to clearly articulate the main objectives of the research. An effective marketing strategy which is important and can be achieved by the company for sustainable growth by consistently attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. The company can differentiate itself with the help of different strategies from competitors and secure a stronger market position by a distinctive and well-executed marketing approach. This can ensure that marketing efforts which are important for the research and are focused on the most effective channels and activities, which can maximise the return on investment by preventing wasted time and money.
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Recommendations
Product and brand strategy
The company should collaborate with fashion influencers and designers that can help the company to sustain in the industry and which can help them create exclusive, limited edition collections that can appeal to a younger demographic and fashion-conscious audience. The use of sustainable materials which is important for it and should be highlighted and expanded, and increase the transparency in the supply chain should be increased to align with consumer values. It should also continue to improve the quality of food and home products through better supplier management and quality control processes.
Customer engagement
The company should continue to emphasise the emotional value of products in advertising, which can help it to build a stronger connection with consumers beyond just their features and benefits. Lifestyle and psychographic segmentations should be used by the company, which can help it target specific customer groups with tailored messaging which aligns with their values (Ahmed, 2022).
Digital-first approach
Based on the above discussion, it can be said that the company faces several challenges which can be mitigated through several suggestions. The company should focus on its digital transformation and strengthening customer relationships through data and sustainability. Online and physical stores can help the company offer convenient services such as click and collect and in-store returns for online orders. Investing in a user-friendly website can help the company in this industry with customised product recommendations. Customer data should be leveraged by the company, which can help it to provide tailored marketing messages (Wu, 2023). The company should also update its product strategy, which can help it to appeal to a broader and younger demographic. Supply chain can be modernised by the company by using data and technology to improve efficiency and reduce the cost base.
Implement cybersecurity
The company should build public trust which can be crucial for the company and demonstrate resilience through transparent communication and improved security. The company should focus on clear and transparent communication that can be sustainable and make to change to regain customer confidence and control the public narrative. The customers should use a robust password that can protect it and mainly focuses on the strong part and which can help them save data and information. A multi-layered security approach which can be important for the company and should be implemented by the industry, which includes robust data protection, regular security audits, and advanced identity and access management (Owobu et al., 2022). More resilient measures that are sustainable and should be considered, such as phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, which can help the company to protect against modern attacks. The staff that are taken into consideration and should be educated on cybersecurity measures, which can help them to solve threats such as social engineering and provide clear guidance on cybersecurity best practices.
