Dell is well known as a technology company, offering a broad range of product categories, including desktop computer systems, storage, servers and networking products, mobility products, software and peripherals, and services to manage IT infrastructure for large organisations. 

Dell’s vision is to ‘strive to provide the best possible customer experience by offering: superior value; highquality, relevant technology; customised systems; superior service and support; and differentiated products and services that are easy to buy and use’. 

The core elements of the strategy which are evident in Dell’s marketing communications are: 

● We simplify information technology for customers. Making quality personal computers, servers, storage and services affordable is Dell’s legacy. We are focussed on making information technology affordable for millions of customers around the world. As a result of our direct relationships with customers, or ‘customer intimacy’, we are best positioned to simplify how customers implement and maintain information technology and deliver hardware, services and software solutions tailored for their businesses and homes. 

● We offer customers choice. Customers can purchase systems and services from Dell via telephone, kiosks and our website, www.dell.com, where they may review, configure and price systems within our entire product line; order systems online, and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. We have recently launched a retail initiative and plan to expand that initiative by adding new distribution channels to reach additional consumers and small businesses through retail partners and value-added resellers globally. 

● Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Historically our flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enabled us to turn over inventory every five days on average, thereby reducing inventory levels and rapidly bring the latest technology to our customers. The market and our competition has evolved and we are now exploring the utilisation of original design manufacturers and new distribution strategies to better meet customer needs and reduce product cycle times. Our goal is to introduce the latest relevant technology more quickly and to rapidly pass on component cost savings to a broader set of our customers worldwide.

● We are committed to being environmentally responsible in all areas of our business. We have built environmental consideration into every stage of the Dell product lifecycle – from developing and designing energy-efficient products, to reducing the footprint of our manufacturing and operations, to customer use and product recovery.

Question

Describe approaches used by Dell within its site design and promotion to deliver relevant offers for different types of online customers.