Sears post-mortem: the strategic causes of the retailer's collapse

Sears was once a giant of American retail. Explain why it failed. ```hint Separate the market from the company List what changed around Sears, in store formats and in how people shopped, then for each change ask what Sears chose to do in response. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - By "failed", do you mean losing its place as the country's largest retailer, or the later bankruptcy and store closures? - Should I cover the whole history from the catalog era, or focus on the last few decades? - Do you want only the causes, or also what Sears could have done differently? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear definition of what "failure" means here and roughly when the decline began - The shifts in retail and in customer behavior that Sears faced, backed by accurate specifics - The company's own strategic, investment and organizational choices, kept distinct from market forces - A judgment on which causes mattered most and how they reinforced each other - Lessons that carry over to running a product or business today ### Follow-up Questions - Sears had a national catalog business, a delivery network and trusted house brands long before online shopping. Why did it not become the leader in e-commerce, and what would that have required? - Suppose you had taken over Sears at the time of its merger with Kmart. What would you have done in your first two years? - What mechanisms would you put in place so that a large, successful product organization does not repeat these mistakes?