3. Market research and information about the industry is very important to the organization because it will allow the organization to position itself well in terms of sourcing chocolate raw materials and in identifying the market for its products. For example, understanding that some chocolate product purchases are seasonal, e.g., at Christmas; around Mother’s Day; and, on Valentine’s Day, allows the organization to have more product on hand and to create displays, in store, that will increase purchases and attract more customers when existing customers tell their friends about the availability of high end products, at reasonable prices, in their store. 4. The decision difficulties experienced by Clare’s Chocolates must be transformed into …show more content…
The 4 Ps of the marketing mix are: Product, Promotion, Price, and Place. The marketing mix puts the right products, at the right price point, in the right place, at the right time. The following examines how Claire’s Chocolates optimizes its marketing mix (Yoo, Donthu, & Lee, 2000, 195-196). a) Product Mix and Individual Products Claire’s Chocolates has a mix of quality, hand make chocolate products sold individually, in varying sized gift packs, and boxed chocolate. As well, the organization sells a variety of hot chocolate drinks for the chocolate connoisseur, along with quality coffees and teas. Each hot beverage is accompanied by an individual chocolate product and this also allows the customer to taste and experience a unique chocolate product first, before potentially purchasing it at a later date. b) Distribution Channels There are four distribution channels for Claire`s Chocolates: (i) in the cafes; (ii) in the five-star hotel`s restaurant; (iii) in the hotel`s gift shop; and, (iv) in gift shops in a number of tourist areas in …show more content…
Price increases in the raw material mean that prices needed to be increased, but customers were still willing to pay for a quality product. d) Promotional Methods Claire’s Chocolates does not advertise, relying on word of mouth. Their promotional methods, therefore, are based on quality customer service, building customer relationships, high quality products and service delivery (Gronroos, 1994, 4). This creates the experience that makes customers want to talk about their product and this, therefore, creates new customers. 7. The characteristics of a service are intangible, inseparable, perishable, heterogeneous and lack ownership. The marketing mix of a service is not perceptible and as the features of a service is distinctive to the features of a product, it has additional elements which are process, people and physical evidence.
While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3). If chocolate continues grow popular in Asia, it stands to become even more lucrative.
Hershey, Cocoa, and Child Labor. An everyday person, when asked to describe chocolate, would probably start by calling it "magic." The presence of chocolate in the everyday American life is an experience sought after, craved for, and bought for under two dollars at the corner convenience store. Indeed, chocolate is an edible ecstasy that is put in everything: coffee, ice cream, cereal, even the spicy sauce for Mexican mole. Chocolate has a cultural presence like no other food commodity; it is brought back to loved ones from the faraway places of Switzerland and Germany, it is given as a symbol of love, and moreover, it is the first thing everyone instinctually goes too when that love does not work out.
Semenak, Susan. "Chocolate in History." The Gazette [Montreal] 11 Feb. 2012, Final ed., Weekend Life sec.: H4. Print.
...ions in Europe and the United States, making chocolate competitive for the more extensive overall public.
The production of chocolate takes place in several stages. First, the bitter cacao seeds have to be fermented so that their intense bitter taste becomes milder. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned and roasted. The cocoa mass is then obtained, which represents pure chocolate in rough form. When this mass is liquefied, it is transformed into chocolate liquor, which, on the other hand, may be further processed into cocoa solids or cocoa butter. Various chocolate products are produced as a result from different combinations of cocoa solids and cocoa butter as well as from adding other ingredients such as milk, sugar, all sorts of flavors, etc.
Once the target market has been identified it is important to develop a marketing strategy. In today's fast paced, information overloaded society; conveying a message about a product seems to be more difficult than ever. The consumer is bombarded with advertising everywhere they look. Today advertising not only exists on television, radio, magazines, and newspapers, it can be found on billboards, park benches, in our mailboxes, on buses, taxis, at sporting events, and on clothing.
Abby Willow once said, “The average American adult consumes 11.7 pounds of chocolate every year- that's the weight of about 6 pairs of shoes!” With so much consumption of chocolate by Americans, it is crucial for the numerous brands to advertise their products in a manner that could potentially dominate their competition in sales. There are endless ways for a company to draw the attention of an audience in order to take over the competition of chocolate sales. Advertising is a key aspect as to how successful a brand may be when compared side-by-side to a similar product. While Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are similar, they are also different; the differences are significant because they demonstrate how some competitors choose to go above and beyond for their advertising while others opt to take a route that is of a more simplistic nature.
Chocolate has been a staple for societies in dozens of countries for centuries. The existence of chocolate can be traced back to the cacao bean utilized by the Olmec Indians. Chocolate went on a journey from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, to Spain and the rest of Europe and eventually New World America. Although there is a countless amount of scholarship regarding chocolate, the research of Wilson, Dillinger (along with her associates), Lippi, Terrio and Norton have critical information pertaining to the topic of chocolate in Western Europe during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. All sources, with the exception of one of Norton’s sources, formulate a consensus from their research, that chocolate in Western Europe served multiple purposes
The study is conducted through the direct interview with the retailers offering customers with the different brands of exported biscuits. The sample of 50 retailers is selected for the research purpose. The judgmental sampling method is used. Only the retailers of exported biscuits of the brands being focused in the study are considered.
Marketing is a process of determining a consumer’s needs, devising a product or service to satisfy those needs, and trying to focus customers on the goods and services you are offering. Marketing is extremely important, and a fundamental building block for business growth. A marketing team is given the task of creating customer awareness through a variety of different marketing techniques. If a business does not pay close attention to their consumer demographic and needs, they will eventually fail over time. Two important aspects of marketing include acquiring new customers, and the preservation and growth of relationships with current customers. Marketing has always been viewed as a creative outlet, which encompassed advertising, distribution, and the selling of goods and services. Marketing staff will also try to anticipate what customers will want in the future, often being accomplished with market research. In summation, a good marketing plan should be able to create a favorable proposition or series of benefits that a customer can value through goods or services. The marketing mix is normally described as the strategic positioning of a product or service in the marketplace, using the specification of the four Ps. During the early 1960’s, Professor E. Jerome McCarthy of Harvard Business School stated that a marketing mix contains four elements. The four key points are product, pricing, promotion, and placement. It is recognized that all these aspects must be present to ensure a successful business model within a given industry. We will now take a thorough look at the four marketing mix points.
The market can be further divided according to gender because both men and women have different tastes (chocolate shapes, packaging, and type of liquor). It is known that women are already consuming chocolate. In fact, the numbers of women that consume chocolate far outnumber the numbers of men that consume chocolate. It follows that there is a ready market for the commodity in question. Nonetheless, the reality that introducing alcohol to make liquor-filled chocolates increases the market.
The history of chocolate dates back to the Mayan and Aztec (1500BC [7]) civilisations in Central America. These ancient cultures referred to chocolate as “food of the gods”. They invented a spicy drink made from roasted cocoa beans, called “chocolatl” [13]. This spicy drink was only consumed during betrothal and marriage ceremonies. This was the first link between chocolate and romance! The Spaniards were introduced to this beverage during the 1500’s and took is back home, but kept the production it a secret for nearly 100 years. Spain’s monopoly on chocolate production declined, and by the 16th century this delectable drink was very popular amongst the wealthy in France. It was a very expensive drink, affordable to only the very rich [13]. The first of many “chocolate houses”, or hot chocolate shops, opened in London. By the mid-1700’s these shops were seen all over England.
Customer perceived quality is mainly depended on customers past experience with the service, there are factors that can influence customer perceived quality such as price of the service. Furthermore, according to Parasuraman and Grewal (2000) the quality of service is a fundamental element in the perception of perceived value, as it is the most difficult thing for competitors to imitate and the base on which differentiation and competitive advantage are
There is nothing better than a good piece of chocolate. It’s rich, creamy, smooth, tasting that gives you that spectacular feeling for the moment. Chocolate happens to be one of my favorite sweets, the wonderful creamy milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate, or even my personal favorite dark chocolate. Chocolate just have a sensational look from the time you eat it. But as I continue wouldn’t we all want to know what ingredients give us that sensational taste from a chocolate candy bar that we loved so much.
The chocolate finds out in Latin America, when cacao trees were growing in the wild. In England 1847, Fry and Sons presented the first chocolate that it was ineffective because of the bitter taste. In fact, the scent of chocolate growths theta brain waves, which generate relaxation. In addition, many people have different opinions about chocolate category like white chocolate, dark chocolate, and brown chocolate. Moreover, the process of production chocolate is not plain as it looks like. It is an intense and complex operation because it takes several procedures to be equipped. Nevertheless, it is a pleasurable work. The manufacture of chocolate is a very pleasant operation that is done in eight specific and obvious stages.