Figure 1: TJX Share Price: 1990 – present<\/em><\/p>\n However, as retail becomes increasingly online, can TJX keep up by keeping its presence defiantly physical?<\/p>\n 性视界ing for value: TJX\u2019s keys to success<\/strong><\/p>\n The advantages of internet-based retail sales have been long-touted in this ever-digitizing economy. Customers are attracted to online stores under the presumption of lower prices and increased speed and convenience[2]<\/a>. How, then, has TJX managed to succeed, especially given the demise of other off-price retailers like Filene\u2019s Basement and Loehmann\u2019s[3]<\/a>?<\/p>\n TJX offers a unique value proposition to its consumers compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar department store or off-price retailer. Firstly, TJX stocks quality, in-season products, not seconds and past-season stock that failed to sell. TJX often refers to its sourcing function as its \u201csecret sauce\u201d, with over 1,000 buyers and 18,000 vendors globally[4]<\/a>. TJX purposely keeps lean inventory levels of a wide variety of goods, allowing for quick turnover and continuously fresh stock in its stores. Secondly, because of this, you never know what you will find in a store\u2026and how long it will be there for. Creating this \u201ctreasure hunt\u201d [5]<\/a>; \u201cbuy now or cry later\u201d[6]<\/a> mentality is something that TJX does exceptionally well, similar to fast fashion retailers ZARA and Forever 21. This is why TJX customers keep coming back, sometimes on a near-daily basis.<\/p>\n Slouching towards digitization?<\/strong><\/p>\n Compared to the much-touted success of its 3,600 stores[7]<\/a>, TJX\u2019s online presence is underwhelming. TJX re-opened an e-commerce store for T.J. Maxx three years ago, after shutting it down six years before that[8]<\/a>. However, there is still no online e-commerce platform for Marshalls or HomeGoods. TJX\u2019s company reports also do not provide any breakdown between online and in-store sales.<\/p>\n This reticence to move to digitization is not entirely surprising. Given their strong physical-store sales growth, TJX has not, as yet, required online sales to heavily drive growth. Further, the nature of TJX\u2019s business brings unique challenges in selling online. The task of placing the company\u2019s wide and ever-changing variety of products online (photographing, posting, inventory managing) is not insignificant.<\/p>\n Perhaps recognizing the limitations of fully taking the HomeGoods business online (high inventory management and shipping costs), TJX has created an app for the store, designed to offer its customers a look at what is currently in stock at their local HomeGoods. Described as an \u201cInstagram for the home design enthusiast\u201d, the app is not a comprehensive guide to the products currently available, but just a taste of what could<\/em> be available should you choose to step into the store today. The app\u2019s user interface is simple and its photos hastily taken from the retail floor \u2013 a far cry from the carefully staged products on the T.J. Maxx website.<\/a><\/p>\n Figure 2: HomeGoods App Screenshots<\/em><\/p>\n What next for TJX?<\/strong><\/p>\n Digitization can play an important role to entice new and existing customers to visit TJX\u2019s physical stores. Through posting only pictures of indicative merchandise, their HomeGoods<\/a> and T.J.Maxx <\/a>Facebook sites have over 2.5M followers each \u2013 an important platform where TJX can increase its efforts to convert browsers into customers.<\/p>\n Further, TJX has markedly improved its e-commerce capabilities since its first foray into online retail. The existing T.J.Maxx,<\/a> T.K. Maxx<\/a>, and Sierra Trading Post<\/a> websites demonstrate TJX\u2019s improved UX abilities. Learning from its initial 2004 failure, TJX is offering a larger number of high-value (designer) products online to offset the expenses of operating the sites[9]<\/a>. While it is unlikely that TJX will be aggressively expanding this e-commerce presence anytime soon given the sustained and strong financial performance from its physical stores[10]<\/a>, it should be reassuring to TJX shareholders that the organization is well-equipped for any future expansions of their online presence.<\/p>\n (774 words)<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> TJX Investor Information<\/em> [online] http:\/\/investor.tjx.com\/<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Hofacker, C. F. (2008) \u2018E-tail constraints and tradeoffs\u2019\u00a0Direct Marketing,<\/em>\u00a02(3), 129-143. Accessed: http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1108\/17505930810899294<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Kowitt, Beth (July 24, 2014) \u2018Is T.J. Maxx the best retail store in the land?\u2019 Fortune<\/em> [online]. Accessed: http:\/\/fortune.com\/2014\/07\/24\/t-j-maxx-the-best-retail-store\/<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> TJX: Our Company<\/em> [online] https:\/\/www.tjx.com\/about\/tjx_company.html<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> The TJX Companies, Inc. Background Information 2016<\/em> [online] http:\/\/www.tjx.com\/files\/pdf\/TJX-101-2016.pdf<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Ibid. 3<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Ibid. 4<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Dusto, Amy (September 19, 2013) \u2018T.J. Maxx begins its second foray into e-commerce\u2019 Internet Retailer<\/em>. Accessed: https:\/\/www.internetretailer.com\/2013\/09\/19\/tj-maxx-begins-its-second-foray-e-commerce<\/p>\n![\"tjx-share-price\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/TJX-share-price-300x106.jpg\")
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