theme 1 (in paper 1 & 3) Flashcards
marketing and people (103 cards)
what is a mass market?
the market for goods that are produced in large quantities.
what is a niche market?
a small, specialized market for a particular product or service.
what are the key characteristics of a mass market?
- Customers form the majority in the market.
- Customer needs and wants are more “general” & less “specific”.
- Associated with higher production output and capacity (economies of scale)
- Success usually associated with low-cost operation, heavy promotion, widespread distribution or market leading brands.
what are the key characteristics of a niche market?
- Less competition – the firm is a “big fish in a small pond”.
- Clear focus - target particular customers (often easier to find and reach too).
- Builds up specialist skill and knowledge = market expertise.
- Can often charge a higher price – customers are prepared to pay for expertise.
- Profit margins often higher.
- Customers tend to be more loyal.
how can you calculate market size?
Market size measures the total sales generated by selling a product on a market. It is measured by dividing sales by market share. This value is then multiplied by 100.
how can you calculate market share?
Market share refers to the proportion of a market that a business controls in order to satisfy customer needs.
Market share can be calculated by sales of one product divided by total market sales of that product multiplied by 100.
what is a dynamic market?
A dynamic market is one that is in a rapidly changing business environment.
what factors do u need to consider when looking at a dynamic market?
Online retailing
How markets change
Innovation and market growth
Adapting to change
what are the advantages of online retailing?
Provides business access to more consumers, including internationally
Enables longer trading hours as the business is open 24/7
Cheaper to run as it lowers fixed and variable costs compared to bricks and mortar retailers
Businesses can collect data by tracking consumer behaviour which helps with primary market research
Consumers can receive offers that they are more likely to benefit from
Consumers can shop at a time that suits them
what are the disadvantages of online retailing?
There may be high costs for website development, maintenance, and promotion
Online retailing is dominated by larger businesses that are more well-known
High levels of competition mean that it will be expensive to make a website stand out
There is a lack of personal contact with customers
Consumers may find it difficult to get the desired level of customer service
Consumers may find it difficult to return unwanted products
Online purchasing opens consumers up to credit card fraud
what leads to changes in the market?
Changing consumer tastes and preferences e.g. consumers desiring electric vehicles in place of traditional petrol/diesel.
Changing demographics e.g many developed countries have an increasingly older population who have different wants and needs to previous markets.
The amount of competition e.g. international trade means larger market sizes but also more competition between an increasing number of firms.
Competition can be direct i.e. the sale of similar products or indirect e.g. airlines compete with each other but also with other forms of transport such as trains.
Changing legislation e.g. laws around environmental standards create new markets.
what is product innovation?
Product innovation involves the adaptation or improvement of existing products e.g. improved video cameras on laptops.
what is market growth?
Market growth is the measurement of the change in the entire market, expressed as a percentage of the original size.
The businesses market share does not necessarily increase automatically as the entire market continues to grow.
what causes a market to grow?
Increasing population sizes can increase demand in certain markets.
Increasing incomes can increase demand in certain markets.
Changing tastes and preferences can cause the market to grow e.g. the growth in the electric car market.
how can business adapt to change?
Create flexible business structures, especially in terms of operations and people management.
Meet customer needs, by carrying out market research and communicating with customers.
Invest in staff training, new products and processes.
Innovate so as to gain the first mover advantage.
how does competition affect the market?
Competition can be direct or indirect:
Direct competition occurs when the business is targeting customers with the same product as a competitor.
Indirect competition occurs when firms sell different products but compete with each other for the customers disposable income e.g. cinema and theatre companies are in indirect competition.
Competition results in many benefits for the customer, such as:
- Businesses offer lower prices.
- Businesses produce better quality products.
- Businesses provide better customer service.
However, the absence of competition reduces incentives for businesses to innovate, be efficient or offer consumers lower prices.
what is the difference between uncertainty and risk?
Risk is the potential threat to business success.
Risks can be from inside the business (internal) or from outside the business (external).
Risks can be measured and prepared for using risk management.
Uncertainty is when outcomes are difficult to predict.
what is product orientation?
A product orientation is an approach to marketing that focuses on the characteristics of the product rather than the needs of the consumer.
The emphasis will be on creating a product first and then finding a market.
The business has a belief that the product is superior i.e. it will sell itself.
One problem with being too product orientated is that over time your business may move further.
what is market orientation?
Market orientation is an approach to marketing that focuses on the needs of consumers and uses this information to design products that meet customer needs.
- Consumers are at the center of marketing decisions.
- Products will be developed which respond to consumer needs.
The result of market orientation is that the firm will benefit from increased demand, increased profits, and a valued brand image as its products become more desirable .
what are the benefits of market research?
- reduces the risk when launching new products or entering new markets.
- Anticipates future needs and wants of consumers.
- helps understand consumer behaviour.
- identifies potential consumer demand.
- identifies how much consumers are prepared to pay.
- identifies competitors and gauge their potential strengths and weaknesses.
how does ICT help support market research?
Company websites
Websites allow businesses to collect primary data more cheaply e.g. tracking consumer searches and analyzing customer reviews as well as collecting secondary data about rivals e.g. prices and special offers. Pop-ups
Databases
These can be used to store large amounts of customer information. Databases are also effective in collating customer e-mail addresses so that targeted customers can be surveyed later via e-mail.
Social networking
Focuses on gathering information about consumers via online social channels such as Twitter and Facebook.
what is market segmentation?
Market segmentation is the process in which a single market is divided into sub markets or ‘segments’.
Each segment represents a slightly different set of consumer characteristics.
what are the advantages of market segmentation?
- May increase loyalty if the consumer feels that their needs are being met which can lead to repeat purchases.
- Less expensive and wasteful than marketing products at wide market segments.
- Products and marketing activities can be altered to meet different needs of different groups of consumers and targeted more precisely.
- Recognizes that consumers are not all identical - consumer groups do not all share the same tastes and preferences.
what are the disadvantages of market segmentation?
- Not everyone within a segment will behave in the same way.
- May be difficult to identify a segment and consumers can belong to multiple segments at the same time.
- Segmentation requires more detailed market research which can prove costly (but beneficial) to the business.
- A segment may be identified but it may be too small and unprofitable to cater for.