Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy and Marketing Mix
Company Case 15
7-Eleven: Adapting to the World’s Many Cultures
Synopsis
While most Americans are familiar with 7-Eleven—the countries biggest convenience
store chain with 10,000 stores in 34 states—they are likely unaware that the chain is not a
U.S. company, but a Japanese company. They are probably also unaware that there are far
more 7-Eleven stores in Japan (17,000 in a country with a population less than half the
size of the U.S.) than there are in the U.S. And they are probably also unaware that the
convenience store chain is the world’s largest with 55,000 stores in 17 countries. But
7-Eleven is more than just a big chain with presence throughout the world. It is an
exceptional example of a company that has succeeded internationally by adapting its
strategy to fit the needs of local markets.
Teaching Objectives
The teaching objectives for this case are to:
1. Gain a solid understanding of the concepts of standardizing and adapting and the
roles each play in global marketing.
2. Become familiar with the five global product and communications strategies.
3. Acquire experience in making decisions for the four elements of the marketing
mix in a global context.
4. Know the relationship between global sourcing, distribution, and price.
Discussion Questions
1. Of the five global product and communications strategies, which best describes
7-Eleven’s approach?
This question requires students to analyze the degree to which 7-Eleven adapts
both its communication strategies and its product strategies from those employed
When it comes to product however (by product, we include the retail
environment), there is plenty of information on three major markets where
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Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy and Marketing Mix
We can rule out “product invention” as 7-Eleven isn’t really developing anything
new where it is concerned or where the markets are concerned. With massive
2. On a scale of one to five, to what degree does 7-Eleven adapt its offering in each
global market? Support your answer.
We have information for three markets. Thus, without more research, we can
3. Which strategy does 7-Eleven employ for entering a new market? How does the
company benefit from this approach?
4. Will 7-Eleven continue to succeed in Indonesia? How about the rest of the
markets where it does business? Why or why not?
There is little in the case that would indicate that 7-Eleven is struggling in any of
its markets. Rather, the information presented shows that 7-Eleven is very
Teaching Suggestions
Because convenience stores in the U.S. are still very regional, students will have differing
degrees of familiarity with 7-Eleven. Also, foreign students who come from a country
where 7-Eleven does business may have very different perspectives on the company.
With that in mind, assign students groups the task of doing some research on 7-Eleven in
a country not represented in this case (7-Eleven does business in Taiwan, Thailand, South
Korea, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines, Norway, Sweden,
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and Denmark). This can be done before or after they read the case. However, the research
should be done before the case is discussed in class.
This case was developed for use with Chapter 15. This case can also be used with the
distribution chapter (Chapter 10) and the retailing chapter (Chapter 11).