Date:

April 18, 2016

To:

Patricia Cady, English Professor

From:

Marina Koch, Project Manager

Nick Romanov, Research Expert
Joseph Solomon, Research Expert
Logan Pruitt, Research Expert & Designer

Subject:

Recommendation Report for Best Buy Opening in the Palouse

Attached is the report for our collaborative research and repurposing project regarding the Best
Buy store. Our team has thoroughly completed the tasks assigned for this research project. The
purpose of this report is to explain why Best Buy should open a store in Moscow, ID, while
providing supporting information to back up our proposal.
In order to explain why we believe Best Buy would succeed in the Palouse area, we performed
extensive research. This research included calling Best Buy managers from multiple locations to
get specific numbers and intel, getting exact numbers of population analysis via the internet,
doing an in depth SWOT analysis, and other various forms of analysis. Once our data and
research had been collected and completed, we synthesized our information and wrote the report.
Our main findings are that a Best Buy store would be very successful if it were to open in the
Palouse area, specifically Moscow, ID. After analyzing our research, we discovered that there is
little to no threat in terms of competition because Best Buy would be the only electronic store in
the area. Along with that, the revenue of Best Buy is in the billions, and operating income is just
a miniscule fraction compared to the revenue. This means that the store would generate a lot of
profit. Lastly, the population in the Palouse area is perfect for the market we are trying to target,
which leads to another element of success.
We recommend you read our report and consider supporting our efforts of bringing a Best Buy
store to the Palouse area.
We appreciate your consideration and taking the time to read through our extensive report. We
look forward to working with you on any follow-up activities. If you have any questions or
comments, please contact Marina Koch, project manager, at marina.koch@wsu.edu.

Collaborative Research
and
Repurposing Project:
Best Buy
Marina Koch: Project Manager
Nick Romanov: Research Expert
Joseph Solomon: Research Expert
Logan Pruitt: Research Expert & Designer
April 18th, 2016

Collaborative Research
and
Repurposing Project:
Best Buy

Prepared for:

Patricia Cady, English Professor

Prepared by:

Marina Koch, Project Manager

Nick Romanov, Research Expert
Joseph Solomon, Research Expert
Logan Pruitt, Research Expert & Designer
April 18, 2016

Table of Contents
Introduction5
Executive Summary...5
Problem Statement.5
Company Overview...6
Mission Statement6
Business Goals.....6
Historical Direction & Results.6
Customer Base/Analysis. 7
Location of Operations....8
Future Outlooks/Projections....8
Market Analysis.9
Industry9
SWOT Analysis...9
Competition Analysis..9
Target Market..8
Growth Opportunities10
Location Proposals...11
Marketing Plan.12
Strategies....12
Positioning.....13
Channels of Distribution....13
Conclusion....15
Back Matter......16
References..16
Deliverables...17
Original Memo...18

Executive Summary
During the course of this project, we did not run into many problems therefore we did not have
many opportunities to fix the problems. When doing our research, we were able to find most
everything within a week because we either called managers of Best Buy, or did our research
online. As you may know, the internet has almost any type of information a person may need, so
this helped us a lot during our research. We did, however, need to pay close attention to our
population analysis in order to see if bringing a Best Buy to the Palouse would be worth it.
As we previously stated, methods used to find information about Best Buy included internet
research and contacting Best Buy managers at various locations. In conclusion, we decided that
having a Best Buy open in the Palouse would be a smart and successful business move for
various reasons. Our target market is perfect for the Palouse population, we have little to no
competition threats, and Best Buy continuously brings in billions of dollars of revenue. We
recommend you read our report and consider supporting our efforts of bringing a Best Buy store
to the Palouse area.
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to explain why Best Buy should open a store in Moscow, ID. The
report provides supporting research that reviews over the companys mission statement, business
goals, historical direction, customer analysis, location of operations, and future projections.
Along with the company overview, the report will discuss the market analysis, location
proposals, and marketing plan. Lastly, our team will conclude why we believe opening a Best
Buy in Moscow, ID would be a smart and successful business move.
Problem Statement
The Palouse area has a high demand for electronics and little options for consumers. Walmart
currently holds the dominate position in the Palouse marketplace with their electronics
department. Best Buy should open in Moscow, Idaho to dominate the underserved market of
electronics and appliances. The growing university and residential populations in both Whitman
and Latah county are demanding more options and products. Best Buy specializes in the
electronic sector and can service the area profitability.

Company Overview
Mission Statement
The Best Buy mission statement is "Our formula is simple: were a growth company focused on
better solving the unmet needs of our customersand we rely on our employees to solve those
puzzles. Thanks for stopping." (Farfan, 2016)
Business Goals
Our business goals consist of achieving high profitability, maintaining a high level of customer
service, and employee retention. (Examples of Business Goals & Objectives, n.d.) Profitability
is when a companys revenues are higher than the companys expenses. For instance, if we are
selling an IPhone 6 for $600 and it costs us $200 to make the IPhone 6, then our profit would be
$400. Lets multiply these numbers by 10,000, to make it more realistic. So, our selling price for
all IPhone 6s would be $6,000,000, our costs would be $2,000,000 and our profit would be
$4,000,000 for IPhone 6s. Our Best Buy store is going to have the newest and best products that
are in high demand and we are going to have them in large supply. Having products like these
will ensure that our store will have large profits throughout the year. Overall, profits help a
company thrive and are quintessential for our Best Buy project.
Next, customer service plays a significant role in our stores success because it helps bring in and
maintain a strong customer base. If our employees treat our customers with respect and have a
high response rate to their questions, customers will feel comfortable and will tell their friends
about the positive experience that they had at our store. Lastly, employee retention is important
because we want to keep our employees and help them progress up the employee ladder. Some
methods to instill employee retention would be to conduct performance meetings, have one-onone meetings once a month to see how the employees are doing, and having celebratory events to
encourage positive performance. Ultimately, these goals will help our store thrive with high
profitability, good customer service, and employee retention.
Historical Direction & Results
Best Buy was founded in 1966 by Richard M.Schulze. Best Buy was originally an audio store
called the Sound of Music, and by 1983 it had changed its name to Best Buy. (About Best Buy,
2016) Additionally, it expanded its operations with an emphasis on consumer electronics. Since
then, Best Buy has continued to expand throughout North America, Canada, Mexico, and China.
Best Buy has remarkable financial gains. As of 2015, it had revenues of more than $40 billion,
operating income of more than $1 billion, and total assets of more than $15 billion (Best Buy,
2016). What do all of these numbers mean? Revenues of more than $40 billion mean that Best
Buy has enormous sales for their products. Overall, this means that Best Buy has a lot of income
generated from their stores every year. Next, operating income means income a company has
before it is taxed by the government. Typically, companies want a high net operating income and
Best Buy is no exception. Lastly, total assets are products that a company can convert into cash.
The more total assets a company has, the higher chance they can be successful financially. This
evidence illustrates that wherever Best Buy moves, it is successful. When we move Best Buy to
the Palouse Mall, we can be sure that it will be successful in this market as well.

Customer Base / Analysis

The primary customer base for Best Buy would be college students in the surrounding Palouse,
Moscow area. College students want two things. They want the best electronic goods that are
reasonably priced, and they want easy accessibility to the store that sells them. Our Best Buy
store will accomplish both of these things. First off, Best Buy is a leading electronics retail store
known across various countries. Whether consumers want the newest video games, laptops,
phones, etc., Best Buy is the place to go for the best prices. Additionally, we plan on having our
Best Buy store at the Palouse Mall where the current Macys store is located. Macys is a large
clothing retail store that encompasses about 20% of the entire lot. Also, it is only a ten-minute
drive from Washington State University and a five-minute drive from University of Idaho. With a
population of about 29,000 students at Washington State University (WSU, 2016) and 11,500 at
University of Idaho (Uidaho, 2016), our market can range up to about 40,500. If we capture at
least 25% of that we would have about 10,000 consumers, which would guarantee us financial
success. As stated in the Strategy section, 47.75% of the residents in the Whitman and Latah
county are college students while 52.25% are non college students. So, we need to also market to
this demographic as well. Non college student residents also want electronic and appliance
goods, so when summer time comes around we will focus primarily on this group since most
college students will be at home.
Location of Operations & Location Proposals
Our primary location is in the Palouse Mall, specifically in place of the current Macys clothing
retail store that closed down. The Pullman-Moscow area only has one mall, which is the Palouse
Mall. Whenever students want a somewhat urban shopping experience, they venture to the
Palouse Mall. So why not put our Best Buy there as well? It is close to two state colleges and
provides students with a large electronics retail store. In addition, Section 11-6-part B of the
Moscow City Code states that once we receive our moving permit we must identify the streets
that we plan to relocate our Best Buy store too (City of Moscow, 2016). We must be careful
during this process so that we do not cause any permanent damage to trees, streets, and more.
However, we will hire the best city engineers for this project to ensure that our relocation is
successful. Hence, the Palouse Mall would be ideal for Best Buy. The Macys in the lot is fairly
new so remodeling should not be a problem and will cost less than building it from scratch.
If the Palouse Mall does not meet our expectations or something stops us from getting this
location, our backup location would be where Fireside Grille is in Pullman. Fireside Grille is a
classic hamburger style restaurant that is going out of business. It is located about five minutes
from Washington State Universitys campus and at the bottom of the hill to Walmart. Washington
State University students would be able to easily go to Best Buy at this location; however, our
market may be smaller when trying to account for the University of Idaho students. This location
may also need more remodeling as turning a burger joint into an electronics store is a lot harder
than the vacant Macys. We may even need to expand the Fireside Grille so that we can get
different types of inventory in our Best Buy store to accommodate the needs of our different
customers.
Future outlooks / projections
Our first projection is that we expect to open a Best Buy store that is highly successful in the
Pullman-Moscow market. In order to be successful, it is imperative that we focus on our business

goals while also getting feedback from our customers about what they want from our store. For
instance, would consumers prefer a Best Buy that is small and closer to campus or would they
prefer a larger Best Buy relative to the size of Walmart that is further from campus? Next, we
need to assess our competition. We need to see what successful methods our competitors have
used to access the market. For example, how did Walmart advertise their products to the PalouseMoscow market? Ultimately, in order to make informed projections we need to assess our
business goals, customer feedback, and analyze our competition.

Marketing Analysis
Industry Type
Best Buy is an electronics retail store. As of 2011, it was the leader of consumer electronics,
surpassing global giants like Amazon and Walmart (Welcome to Market Realist, 2015). It
specializes in selling electronic products and goods. Best Buy is also a brick and mortar
company. This means that it specializes in selling its products in store to its customers. Best Buy
is a public company and people can buy shares in the company. Overall, Best Buy is a leader in
its industry and in the next section we will highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats that it faces.
SWOT Analysis
Best Buy has strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the market. Its strengths are
that it is widely known by our market and has a good reputation. For instance, Best Buy has
many commercials on television and locations in many cities in the U.S. So when it enters our
market, many people will know what to expect. Another strength of Best Buy is its many
different products that it carries. There are many different brands of electronics, some for people
who are in the market for expensive products and others looking for cheaper options. You can
find almost any electronic device that you need in a Best Buy. Not to mention the increasing use
of people using electronics. Its weakness is that it is not known for its online presence. When
people think of Best Buy, they typically think of going into the store and purchasing its products.
However, with competitors like Amazon, who have a strong online presence, Best Buy is not as
strong there. Since Best Buy does not have a strong online presence, it has an opportunity to
expand it. If Best Buy maintains its brick and mortar strategy while expanding its online market,
it will be strong in all fronts. Lastly, a threat would be a company like Wal-Mart. Walmart is a
retail store that has just about anything a consumer would want. If Wal-Mart expanded its
technology sections, it could pose a threat to Best Buy especially if it offered cheaper prices.
Other threats to Best Buy would be Netflix, Google Play, and the digital delivery of products. An
example of this is how Xbox one games can be downloaded over the Xbox making there be no
need to go to a Best Buy and get a hard copy of the disk. Same thing with Netflix and Google
Play, you can easily stream movies, shows, and documentaries without going out to buy them at
a store such as Best Buy. Consequently, we need to assess these elements to determine how Best
Buy will do in the market.
Competition Analysis
Our primary competitor in the technology market is Walmart. Walmart is a large retail store that
is close to Washington State University and the University of Idaho. So, when college students
need to purchase technology products their main choice is Walmart. The strengths of Walmart is
that when college students are shopping for clothes, food and more they can also purchase
technology products. Basically, Walmart offers a convenient shopping experience because they
have about anything a college student would want at a usually cheap price. However, the
weakness of Walmart is that their technology department is not very large. That is where Best
Buy comes in. Best Buy focuses on technology and has a large variety of products in its
department. So, when students want the best and newest technology products they can buy it at
Best Buy instead of Walmart. Our next competitor takes advantage of one of our weaknesses that

is our online presence. Amazon is a very successful online shopping website and a warehouse
like Amazon is cheaper to run than a store like Best Buy. Best Buy has been trying to improve
their online presence to counteract the online competitors. Our other competitors like Netflix,
Hulu, and Xbox One are taking full advantage of technology by being able to digitally receive,
download, or stream things such as movies, shows, games, and music videos. Being able to do
this electronically there is no need for hardcopies of games, movies, or a television series. This
will cause a drop in people coming into the stores if they can get the newest games or movies
through the comfort of their own homes.
Target Market
Our target market for Best Buy is going to be mainly college students that go to Washington
State University and the University of Idaho. College students are always in need of electronic
devices whether it be a cell phone, laptop, headphones, iPods, or even gaming consoles. The
convenience of having a Best Buy at the Palouse Mall is going to be very important and will
draw the students to the store. Nobody wants to drive far to purchase electronics, especially
college students who may be saving their money for a new laptop or phone.
A Best Buy would even be of use to any families or individuals shopping in the Palouse Mall and
are in the market for new electronics or appliances. Having a Best Buy in the mall would
increase the amount of customers and people coming into the store even if they did not plan to
originally. Best Buy stores are usually very big and draw a lot of attention with the newest
technology that is coming out constantly. People could come in and become customers without
even knowing what they are looking for. Overall, Best Buy has something for everyone and can
target a large percentage of the population in the Pullman-Moscow area.
Growth Opportunities
A growth opportunity that Best Buy has is a growing market for electronics. People are
becoming attached to electronics we see this everyday, college students and adults everywhere
cannot seem to get off of their phones. Everywhere you go someone is always using technology,
whether it be a jogger with an mp3 player and headphones or a toddler with an iPad we can see
pretty much anything and not be surprised by it. Another growth opportunity is holiday sales;
Black Friday and things such as Christmas always encourage people to spend money every year.
It gives Best Buy an advantage knowing they are going to make a high amount of sales during
the holidays. Along with the holidays always having the newest selection of smartphones gives
us exclusivity in the market giving us a competitive advantage. People will always pay for the
newest devices no matter the cost, just to have the coolest, and newest devices. The next
growth opportunity is that our competitors such as RadioShack and Circuit City have all mostly
closed down and went out of business. The closures of these stores gives us another growth
opportunity by giving us their customers allowing us to grow as a business even more so than we
already have making Best Buy more recognizable than ever. We can implement these growth
opportunities by spreading the word through our television advertisements and social media such
as Twitter and Facebook. If things do go our way a final growth opportunity would be the grand
opening of our Best Buy in Moscow, Idaho at the Palouse Mall attracting plenty of new
customers with our signs and by word-of-mouth by the people.

10

Location Proposals
The location proposal that our Best Buy is most interested in is the Macys in the Palouse Mall
that has shut down, and is available for new tenants. This would give us an ideal size to fit all of
the newest technology in the Best Buy. The Macys in the lot is fairly new so remodeling should
not be a problem and will cost less than building it from scratch. In the Palouse Mall we could
reach college students from the University of Idaho and Washington State University, not to
mention all of the shoppers in the mall that came in to the Best Buy to check something out even
though they originally came in to the mall for other reasons. This is our primary choice for the
location because we can reach the most customers at the Palouse Mall.

If the Palouse Mall does not meet our expectations or something stops us from getting this
location, our backup location would be where Fireside Grille is in Pullman. Fireside Grille is a
classic hamburger style restaurant that is going out of business. It is located about five minutes
from Washington State Universitys campus and at the bottom of the hill to Walmart. Washington
State University students would be able to easily go to Best Buy at this location; however, our
market may be smaller when trying to account for the University of Idaho students. This location
may also need more remodeling as turning a burger joint into an electronics store is a lot harder
than the vacant Macys. We may even need to expand the Fireside Grille so that we can get
different types of inventory in our Best Buy store to accommodate the needs of our different
customers.

11

Marketing Plan
Community
The Best Buy store in Moscow will give consumers of the community more options of products
and prices than ever before. The marketplace for consumer electronics has been dominated by
Walmart in Pullman and Moscow simply because it is the only store that offers electronics, even
though they have a limited selection. Best Buys branch will diversify the market while claiming
new markets Walmart hasnt discovered.
Strategy
The two counties that will be serviced have a diverse age demographic. The age range of 24
years and younger claim 47.75% of the combination of Whitman and Latah county. The large
range claims nearly half and likely attends a local university. The other 52.25% are 25 and older,
meaning they are most likely permanent residents of the area, unlike college students. The large
diversity in the demographics will change the strategy of what products to market and to whom.
The Best Buy store has six departments; computing and mobile phones, consumer electronics,
entertainment, appliances, other, and services (Bailey, 2015). Our strategy is to break down the
demographics and market the products based on projected need. The 24 years and under
population will be directed towards the departments of computing and mobile phone, consumer
electronics, and entertainment. This population is likely to attend a local university which makes
it more likely that they will need a computer, phone, or TV. The 25 and over population will be
directed towards the department of appliances, services, and computing and mobile phone. This
population is likely interested in appliances for their homes, computers, phones, and the Geek
Squad service. The breakdown of demographics allows for the most effective marketing strategy
for our Best Buy store.
The Best Buy Corporation will partner with both Washington State University and the University
of Idahos departments to offer a discount. The program will include all departments ranging
from business to biology. Our strategy is to brand Best Buy with the universities while giving the
students an incentive to shop at our store rather than with our competitor. The discount will be up
to 20% on computing and mobile phone products at the start of each semester. The tactics
involved require Best Buy representatives to be available for Q&A during classes to inform
students of the discounts. The program serves to claim the untapped partnership of the
universities.
The Best Buy corporation will also offer internship programs for University of Idaho and
Washington State University students. Internship programs are good because they help students
attain real world experience while also learning about Best Buys business functions. We at Best

12

Buy also want to offer internships that are fun and desirable to students. The marketing tactic is
to present Best Buy as a company that can help develop high caliber skills in the various fields of
accounting, human resources and management. The programs will help students gain real world
experience and marketable knowledge of the business environment when they leave the program.
Students will hear of the company through university advisors and professors (University
Recruiting, n.d.).
Positioning
The Best Buy Corporation is a recognized brand and the positioning will be targeted to the large
selection of products and services. The positioning is intended to place Best Buy as the leading
electronics and appliance seller in the market. Additionally, the positioning will be accompanied
by the signature Best Buy showroom. The showroom acts as an exhibition for the many
departments and serves to attract interested consumers. Also, the showroom helps position the
company as the leading seller on the market by displaying the large selection of items in the
showroom. Moreover, the leading market positioning tactic helps consumers differentiate
between the competitions departments. The ability to differentiate between Best Buy and the
competitors allows the companys large departments to service the large market.
Channels of Distribution
Social media is a powerful tool for all age categories. According to the Business Insider article
about social media usage by demographics; Snapchat, Vine, Tumblr, and Instagram are the most
popular social media platforms amongst 18-24 year olds. For the age range of 25 and older;
Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter prove to be effective. The Best Buy company will create a local
Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat account to capture media users. The creation of advertisements
and deliverables on social media should begin a few months before Best Buy moves to Moscow,
ID. This way, the media can cover the remodeling and and renovations as the company moves in
to build both awareness and anticipation (Hoelzel, 2015).
The newspaper is still a relevant source of information. According to Pew Research Center, the
three-year average of age ranges 45-54, 55-64 and 65+ who have read the paper within the last
day was 35%, 43% and 55%, respectively. An investment in local newspaper marketing can reap
large benefits. The research center also found that the three-year average for the 18-24 range was
around 20% (Newspaper, 2014). An advertising investment in Washington State University's
Daily Evergreen and the University of Idahos Argonaut would be beneficial for both college
students and residents in the area. The papers would advertise computing and mobile phones,
appliances, and entertainment to maximize the audience base. The base would be primarily for
the 25 and up category, so the marketing campaign should reflect that. The ads will include
information about both products and coupons.
A TV commercial is an option that will capture all demographics. The Best Buy company will
plan to partner with Pullmans Cable 8 and Moscows KUID station. The local partnership would
be an effective way to reach local consumers at lower ad prices than larger cable companies. A
company based on measuring consumer behavior, conducted research on live TV consumption
and found in a three-year average, the typical American watches 4 hours and 42 minutes of TV
daily. A 15 second commercial can be circulated many times within five hours thus giving Best

13

Buy great exposure (Content is King, 2014). The commercials will be aired three weeks before
the opening of the Best Buy. The three-week period will allow the possible consumers to clear
their schedule and make plans to shop.
The radio industry is a crucial piece in the Best Buy marketing strategy. According to The
Nielsen Companys research, the typical American spends 2 hours and 44 minutes a day listening
to the radio (Content is King, 2014). The plan for Best Buy is to air ads on local stations that
cover a broad range of genres to capture the broad demographic base. The ads will be aired on
Pullmans KZZL country station and the Washington State Universitys KZUU to reach college
students. The ads will also be aired on Moscows KRFP variety station and the University of
Idahos KUIO (Radio Station Locator, n.d.). The stations will air the ads two weeks before the
grand opening.
The last channel of distribution should be pay-per-click ads on Google and YouTube. The ads
will appear on consumers screens based on location and recent searches. When a consumer uses
Google search, the Best Buy ad will appear and direct the consumer to the store. The ads are paid
by the amount of clicks. Consumer clicks are cents on the dollar and can be very effective for
internet users.

14

Conclusion
Best Buy should move to the Palouse area and open a department store in Moscow, Idaho. After
research and analysis, the Best Buy store would supply an underserved market in the Palouse.
The large percentage of university students will allow the company to thrive during the academic
schedule while the permanent residents will be our primary consumers during the summer
(consume during the summer schedule). The combination of a healthy population and university
cycles of new consumers will allow Best Buy to grow. Through the marketing campaign, Best
Buy will use many platforms to reach consumers. Social media, newspaper, and university
partnerships will give the brand a legitimate position in the Palouse. Best Buy is a technology
retail giant. They have six large departments that can supply to a wide variety of consumers. As
noted previously, the 24 and younger population will focus on the computing and mobile phone,
consumer electronics, and entertainment departments. These departments consist of products like
new phones, laptops, video game systems, speakers and more that the younger demographic
purchases frequently. Whereas the 25 and older demographic will focus on the appliances,
services, and computing and mobile phone departments. Appliances like refrigerators, geek
squad to help service television and Wi-Fi services as well as desktop computers and telephones
are what the older demographic purchases more frequently. Moreover, Best Buy will continue to
be a technology giant when it moves to the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho. It will access the market
in the Palouse and have a medium size consumer base throughout the year.

15

References
Bailey, S. (2015, January 19). Best Buy: The largest consumer electronics retailer. Retrieved
April 01, 2016, from http://marketrealist.com/2015/01/renew-blue-best-buys-turnaroundstrategy/
Bailey, S. (2015, January 19). Welcome to Market Realist. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://marketrealist.com/2015/01/best-buy-largest-consumer-electronics-retailer/
Best Buy. (2016). About Best Buy - Best Buy Corporate News and Information. Retrieved April
03, 2016, from https://corporate.bestbuy.com/about-best-buy/
Best Buy. (2016). Quick Links. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://investors.bestbuy.com/investor-relations/financial-info/quarterly-earnings/default.aspx
City of Moscow. (2016, April/May). CITY of MOSCOW The Official Website of Moscow,
Idaho. Retrieved April 13, 2016, from https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/records/Pages/city-code.aspx
Content is King, But Viewing Habits Vary by Demographic. (2014, December 3). Retrieved
April 02, 2016, from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/content-is-king-butviewing -habits-vary-by-demographic.html
Farfan, B. (2016, January 08). Best Buy Mission Statement - Employees Solve Customer
Puzzles. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Best-BuyMission-Statement.htm
Hoelzel, M. (2015, June 29). A breakdown of the demographics for each of the different social
networks. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/update-a-breakdownof-the-demographics-for-each-of-the-different-social-networks-2015-6
Joseph, C. (n.d.). Examples of Business Goals & Objectives. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-business-goals-objectives-4698.html
Jurevicius, O. (2013, February 9). Mission statement of Best Buy. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from
https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/best-buy-missionstatement.html

16

Latah County, Idaho. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latah_County,_Idaho
Newspapers: Daily Readership by Age. (2014). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from
http://www.journalism.org/media-indicators/newspaper-readership-by-age/
Radio Station Locator. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://radio-locator.com/cgibin/locate?select=city
Uidaho. (2016). University of Idaho - Offering top-ranked programs in the Northwest. Retrieved
April 03, 2016, from http://www.uidaho.edu/
University Recruiting - Best Buy Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://www.bestbuy-jobs.com/university-recruiting/
Whitman County, Washington. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitman_County,_Washington
WSU. (2016). Washington State University. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from https://wsu.edu/
Deliverables

17

The deliverables shown above are a sample of the social media coupons that will be featured in
the marketing campaign. The top left photo is the home page of Moscows Best Buys Facebook
page. The bottom middle is a photo of a coupon that will be distributed on campuses across the
Palouse. The bottom right photo is the Best Buy Twitter team that will be equipped to handle all
questions customers might have.
Original Memo
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:

Professor Patty Cady

Joseph Solomon
Best Buy to Pullman
2/28/16

The purpose of this memo is to convince the reader that the technology retail store, Best Buy,
should move one of its stores to Pullman, Washington.
Summary
In short, Best Buy is a highly profitable technology retail store that has stores primarily in the
United States. It was founded in 1966 by Richard M. Schulze and Gary Smoliak and is
headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Its total assets range around $15 billion and with
operating income at about $1.5 billion as of 2015. Additionally, it has about 1,050 locations in
total. Whether a customer wants to purchase a new laptop, a new cell phone or a new video game
system, Best Buy has it all. I would like to recommend a Best Buy store to move to Pullman,
Washington.
Discussion
First off, it is crucial to assess Best Buys competitors once it moves to Pullman, WA. The only
real competitor in the technology market is Walmart. Walmart is a large retail store in the
Pullman area that has a technology section, however does not focus primarily on technology like
Best Buy does. Next, Best Buy would need to advertise to its new market in Pullman. Since
Pullman is primarily a college town, college students would enjoy going to Best Buy to purchase
new technology products. Most college students know about Best Buy since it has stores all
around the United States, Mexico, and Canada. So, a lot of advertising may not be necessary.
Perhaps, minimal advertising that lets consumers know that the Best Buy they know and love
will be in Pullman.
In addition, financial expertise, marketing, and managerial skills will be quintessential for this
move to be successful. In order to convince Best Buy management to move a store to Pullman,
management would need to be convinced that they would make larger revenues in comparison to
their expenses. Someone with financial expertise can analyze the financial gains that Best Buy
can make by establishing a presence in the Pullman market. Also, someone with marketing skills
will be necessary to reach out to the new market. They can reach out by utilizing social media
sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and inform new customers that Best Buy is the best
store for buying everything technology. Lastly, someone with managerial skills will be needed so
that they can oversee the entire project and make sure that everyone completes their tasks
effectively and in a timely manner. Consequently, the team members in this project will gain a lot

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of experience. They will develop different skills like collaboration, critical thinking and being
detail oriented. Collaboration will be used when working with their team members. Critical
thinking will be important when making decisions about where and how Best Buy will move.
Lastly, being detail oriented is crucial when determining who Best Buys target market is and how
they will reach out to them.
Recommendation
When you get a chance, I would like to talk to you about moving a Best Buy store to the Pullman
Washington area. I think we should negotiate this after I propose my pitch to the class. Feel free
to send me an e-mail at joseph.solomon@wsu.edu at your earliest convenience.

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