Wal-Mart's fashion marketing crisis

Looks like Wal-Mart did not take a book from competitor Target's shelf and hire a design guru like Martha Stewart's name for its furnishings and fashions. As a result, BusinessWeek thinks that Wal-Mart has a "fashion emergency". Everything from store displays to merchandise need work according to Edward Stephens, a spy shopper business analyst with a penchant for fashion. In particular, he calls the clothing areas "horrible."

What can Wal-Mart do? Perception is an issue, admits Wal-Mart, and I agree: you can always buy "cheap clothes" at Wal-Mart, but I would hardly count anything anywhere in the clothing departments as "fashion." Now, this may not be true -- Wal-Mart may indeed have very fashionable clothing offerings, but my perception is just the opposite. Result: I won't shop for clothes there based on this perception.

Former Target marketing head John Fleming, who is now spearheading marketing at Wal-Mart, has said that the most lucrative marketing channel Wal-Mart has is the store itself.

Take a look inside a newer Target and you can see what Fleming has accomplished there. The colors are vibrant and appealing, the merchandising is first-rate, and in general the presentation just beats the living daylights out of almost every Wal-Mart I've seen. Can Fleming bring this to Wal-Mart? He's already doing it, and expect his methods to be in the clothing section before you know it.