Please help me on this business assignment.

The Assignment

Choose a local business (or local branch of a national/international business) and learn as much as you can about their marketing efforts aside from advertising and produce a paper that summerizes your findings.

What to Do

Walk into the business as a customer and observe the complete customer experience, using the chart below to guide you. What message do you receive as a customer? Ask yourself what you would do differentlywhat recommendations would you make to management? You can use the 4 Ps as a framework for your analysis:

Product

Is the product or service they are offering consistent with their claims? What is the return policy in the event you are not satisfied? Is it clearly stated, or do you have to ask? Are there free samples or trial sizes of new products/services? Comment on their packaging and labeling.

Price

Are the prices easy to find, so that customers do not have to ask? This is uncomfortable for sometheyd rather walk out than ask. Are items bundled at a special price that offers the customer a better deal? Are the items priced separately so that the customer only pay for exactly what is needed? What pricing strategy do you think this company uses?

Place

Is the staff helpful, courteous, knowledgeable, and ready to learn about your needs and educate you about their product or service? Does it seem that everyone working there has been given the same training concerning customers? Or not?

Does the physical location offer an experience that is consistent with the message the business is trying to deliver? What does it look like, sound like, smell like? The concrete floors, industrial shelving and high ceilings at Costco are no accidentthey are telling their customers that theirs is a no-frills, low-overhead business with the lowest prices to be found.

You might want to try calling the business to see if their call answering messages are helpful or annoying.

Even how inventory levels are managed is part of marketingis stock always on hand, or do customers show up, only to be disappointed because that item is out of stock? How will that experience affect the customers feeling about the business and product or service? Are rain checks offered? (A rain check is a gift certificate or other special given to a customer when a product is not availablee.g. 10% off next purchase).

Promotion Mix (refer to chart below)

Has this business received media attention recently? Search newspaper/internet sources to see if theyve been in the news. Is it a positive piece that will alert potential customers to their existence, or a media disaster? Are there in-store promotions, specials, contests, etc?

Does the sales person up sell you (suggest additional items you might like/need?) Is s/he knowledgeable about the product/service so that you can confidently make a decision to buy?

Are there in-store specials, promotions, contests, etc? Can you sign up to receive a newsletter or email promotions?

Is the web site easy to find and navigate? Does the business come up on the first page of a Google (or other search engine) search?