BUMKT5901 Assignment 2 – Analysis of Supermarket Marketing – Report
Value: 30%: Report = 20%, Presentation 10%
Length: Report
Length: Presentation 2,000 – 2,500 words
20 slides max, 20 minutes max + 10 minutes for questions
Type Group report
Due Date See CD
Submission Electronic: Report AND Presentation
Physical: Presentation slide x 3 per page – handed to academic on day of presentation
Electronic Submission File protocol Report: Word document. Filename: Family name_student_ID_question Presentation: PowerPoint. Filename: Family name_student_ID_question
Additional information Marking rubric must be completed by group, indicating what they believe their report should be graded. This must be attached to the report.
Objective of Task
In the first assignment you reflected on how marketing and other influences impacted your shopping behaviour. In this assignment you begin to apply the principles of marketing in order to influence the behaviour of buyers.
Marketing is fundamentally focused on increasing revenue for the business today and into the future. However, getting consumer’s to change their behaviour is very challenging, a fact you would have come to realise in Assignment One (what would a marketer have to do to get YOU to change your habitual shopping habits?).
In this assignment you are to analyse two segments and recommend to a supermarket marketing manager how the marketing activities (4Ps and service elements) can be changed to either a) have the identified target segment currently shopping at the supermarket to spend more or b) have the identified target segment NOT shopping at the supermarket to come to the supermarket and spend money.
Structure
Executive Summary
Introductory sentence/short paragraph
Major findings
Major recommendations
Introduction
Background to the task
Purpose of the report
Format of the report
Layout of the branded stores
Compare and contrasts the branded store layouts
Description of ONE target market for each branded store
Analyses of consumer influences (based on data recorded in a table)
Marketing recommendations for each target market of the branded stores (linked to relevant concepts and theories from this course)
Format
Report format—business (not an essay)
DO NOT write in the first or second person (I, we, our)—write in third person only
Proof read at least three times for spelling, grammatical and logic errors
Font—Arial
Size—12
Paragraphs—fully justified
Line spacing—1½ lines
Before and after spacing—6 points
Paragraph spacing—one space before and after
All tables and diagrams labelled—they do not form part of the word count
APA reference style
Section 1
Visit TWO different BRANDED supermarkets and as the size of the store may be a contributing factor to store layout make sure you eliminate this factor by having stores of ‘equivalent’ sizes—do not have a large and a small store.
The first section requires you to focus on the marketing activities of both supermarkets and note whether reality aligns with an ideal.
You are trying to determine whether what is said in the articles provided or in research you are able to find aligns with what you observe in the two supermarkets you visit. If there is not alignment, what insight arises; what does this mean for the marketing manager? If they do align what insight might arises?
(Academic Sources Supermarket News, Supermarket Business, Food Retail Industry Profile, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. In addition, use the library databases such as ProQuest or Business Source Complete and type “supermarket” and change the search filter to “Title”)
1. Given the information in the articles “Supermarket Confidential” and “Tricks of the Trade”, and using research from supermarket and FMCG related marketing and industry journals, create a criteria by which a marketing manager for a supermarket could analyse the effectiveness of a supermarket’s marketing mix (4Ps and services marketing). Justify your list by citing multiple pieces of credible research for each point.
The list you are creating will assist you in step three of this assignment
2. Draw the layout (approximately in proportion) of each store and if possible include photographs—make sure you indicate the brand on the diagram;
There is drawing function in Word and this will help you. If you don't know how to use the draw functionality see - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+use+draw+in+word . Aim to use consistent colours, names, and proportions, etc. If you are trying to work out the size of the supermarket, you could pace out the length and width assuming that each one of your steps is approximately 1 meter.
3. Using your criteria (‘ideal’ marketing mix - 4Ps and services marketing) for the supermarket) compare and contrast the 4Ps and services marketing for each store.
a. Construct a table with Criteria as rows and each of the Two Supermarkets as columns and record your data /judgements /observations
If you do not know how to create a table in word see – http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+create+a+table+in+word
b. Analyse the table, expanding on the insights and observations by linking them to researched and referenced marketing theories and concepts.
The final part of this section is to provide insights you develop based on your academic and your observation research. In 3b you are demonstrating your critical thinking skills by providing relevant insight to the supermarket marketing manager using the both the theory and observation research to justify your insight.
Section 2
The focus of section 2, and the focus of marketing, is the consumer. The profile you build of the selected target segment will be based on observation and theory from text book and other sources.
The fundamental goal is determine what is currently influencing the target segment’s behaviour. These insights will be used in section three (below) as a part of the evidence to justify your recommendations to the supermarket marketing manager.
(Academic Sources Supermarket News, Supermarket Business, Food Retail Industry Profile, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. In addition, use the library databases such as ProQuest or Business Source Complete and type “supermarket consumer” and change the search filter to “Title”)
4. Describe in detail a target market/segment for each branded supermarket. Whilst you may describe them using socio-economic, psychographic or lifestyle profiles from marketing theory remember that observation research is a valid method for data collection.
You need to describe one target segment for each supermarket. These should be different target segments for each store as this enables a broader analysis of the influences on consumer behaviour.
If you select the same target segment for each store then aim to select very different supermarkets, i.e. supermarkets in distinct socio-economic environments or supermarkets that have different and distinct positions in the market e.g. premium quality supermarket versus lower quality supermarket.
The information to develop your profile of the consumer will come from both observation and academic research (see sources above). Please note that higher grade assignments will integrate both observational research and 15 academic research articles (see report marking rubric). If you are not familiar with observation research see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observational_techniques or http://www.talkingretail.com/opinion/talkingpoints/retail-research-the-power-of-observation/ https://rmsbunkerblog.wordpress.com/tag/observational-research/
Your observational research will require you to generate a range of critically thought through questions: who is the target segment – use demographics as a starting point, what time are they shopping? How much are they buying, what are they buying? Who are they shopping with? Where are they shopping, i.ee what are the alternatives and why are they shopping here? How long do they spend shopping? This is not an exhaustive list and there are many more questions you can ask to guide how you are approach your research. The key is to ask questions that will give insights which enable the marketer to understand behaviour of the consumer so that marketing activities can be designed to influence the spending behaviour of the consumer.
5. Given these target market, determine the influences on consumer purchase behaviour, e.g. situation influences, how much time each target market has to shop, how often they shop and the role that shopping plays in the overall lifestyle of the consumer, etc. (refer to assignment 1 to develop your criteria list)
a. Construct a table with Influences as rows and each of the Target Markets as columns and record your data/judgements/observations
b. Analyse the table, expanding on the insights and observations by linking them to researched and referenced marketing theories and concepts.
Developing the insights as to what is influencing the behaviour of your target segments will be based on both observations of target segment in supermarket, research from academic and industry sources and broader research about consumer behaviour and/or type in “insight to Australian supermarket consumers” in Google to see current articles. Also, please see the resource on critical thinking and developing an argument, as you will need to apply deductive reasoning – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deductive_reasoning
It is critical that you integrate theory from this subject to create and justify your insight as a way of demonstrating your comprehension of material covered in this subject
Section 3
This section draws together the insights in section 1 and 2 in order to develop recommendations for the supermarket marketing manager. Again, you are aiming to demonstrate your comprehension of the theory covered in this subject by integrating this theory in order to frame your recommendations. That is, do not simply offer opinion but draw on marketing theories, concepts and frameworks covered in this subject in order to give structure to your recommendations.
6. Make recommendations for some or all of the 4Ps and services marketing, to the marketing manager for each branded supermarket, as how they can improve the shopping experience as a means of generating greater revenue, for the identified target market (in #4 above). Justify your recommendation using researched and referenced marketing concepts and theories.
Some sources that may be of interest -
http://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Grocers.html?id=p5mhHtLj7sMC
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=marketing&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks&tb o=1&gws_rd=ssl
http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/05/episode-13-what-your-grocery-store-knowsabout-you/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi63rXnuWbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-VEdzz3ixA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RghUwYUHDUA&list=PL94259086FFA547F8