Increasingly, the world of retail is becoming Wal-Mart's world. Conventional wisdom holds that Wal-Mart wins by the sheer size it brings to the marketplace. As is often the case, conventional wisdom is wrong. Wide spread innovation in literally every area of the business model accounts for Wal-Mart's success.

This viewpoint by Deloitte Research examines Wal-Mart's many sources of competitive advantage and looks at the challenges facing Wal-Mart as they enter the Japanese market. Wal-Mart's recent acquisition of Seiyu was a great buy and the first step in what will be a long process of transforming the company and most likely Japanese retailing, as well.

Succeeding in the Japanese market, however, will require overcoming a number of major barriers including the multi-level Japanese distribution system, the lack of technological sophistication among Japanese suppliers, all the while meeting the quality demands of the Japanese consumer.  Learn more from the PDF file attachment below.

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Operating through a network of research professionals, senior consultants, academics and technology partners, Deloitte Research delivers innovative, practical insights companies can use to improve their overall business performance. Through its in-depth publications, surveys, reports and commentary, Deloitte Research identifies, analyzes and explains major issues that drive today's business dynamics and shape tomorrow's marketplace.