1.3 Marketing mix and strategy Flashcards
Define price
The money charged for a product or service
Financial objectives that influence price:
-Maximise profit
-Achieve target rate of return
-Maximise sales revenue
-Improve cash flow
Marketing objectives that influence price:
-Maintain/improve market share
-Beat/prevent competition
-Increase sales
-Build a brand
Factors that influence price:
-Cost
-Market positioning
-Competitor pricing
-Price elasticity of demand
Define cost based pricing?
Price must be more than the costs in order to make a profit
Benefits of cost based pricing
-Easy to calculate
-Price increases can be justified when costs rise
-Managers can be confident each product is being sold at a profit
Drawbacks of cost based pricing
-Ignores price elasticity of demand
-Many not take account of competition
-Sales lost if price to high
-Profit lost if price to low
Describe price skimming
-Setting a price high to maximise profits then lowering price later on
-Works well for products that create excitement amongst “early adopters”
-Best used in introduction or early growth stage
-E.g Electronics
Describe penetration pricing
-Opposite of price skimming
-Offers a product at a low introductory price
-AIm to gain market share quickly, build customer loyalty
-Price increased when target market share is reached
Describe predatory pricing
-When a business sets a price with the intention of removing a rival and/or lettering other potential competition
-Used when competitors threaten to reduce market share and profitability
What are price wars?
-Competitive price reduction
-Process contuinues until weaker firm goes out of business
-Good for customers short term but harmful long term if competition is reduced
Describe psychological pricing
Charging a price that ends in 99p is a way of deceiving customers into believing that the product is cheaper than it really is
Describe a loss leader
-A product sold at a low even loss making price in order to encourage customers to buy other items at full price
Define Dynamic pricing
Businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands
Benefits of dynamic pricing
-Increases revenue
-Consumers who travel at unpopular times benefit form lower prices
-Pay employees higher wage to work during peak times
Drawbacks of dynamic pricing
-Consumers who pay high price may feel ripped off
-Surge pricing = bad headlines
-Consumers might not trust a company who constantly changed prices
Define Distribution
Making products available in the right place, right time and in the right quantities
Define distribution channel
a distribution channel moves a product through stages from production to final consumption
What is each part in a distribution Chanel called?
intermediary
What are the 4 distribution channels
Producer - consumer
Producer - retailer - consumer
Producer - wholesaler - retailer - consumer
Agents
Describe Retailers
Retail is the last step in the chain - deals directly with the customerFocused on consumer markets
Advantages of retail distribution
- convenience for customers
- retailer chooses the final price
- retailer handles the financial transaction
- retailer holds the stock
describe wholesalers
-wholesalers bulk buy then break into smaller quantities to sell to retailers
-make money by buying at a lower price from the producer amd adding a profit margin onto price paid by the retailer
describe distributors
-distribute products and serve as local sales point
-usually specialise in particular industry
-offer products from many producers
-different from agents in that a distributor holds stock
Describe agents
-agents are a specialist type of distributor that does not hold stock
-tend to operate in tertiary sectors
-earn commission based on sales achieved
Define direct distribution
channels where a producer and consumer deal directly with each other without the involvement of an intermediary
define indirect distribution
involves the use of intermediaries between the producer and consumer
What are direct channels of distribution
-increasingly popular
-various methods e.g direct mailing, E commerce, telemarketing
-E.g direct line (insurance online)
Reasons to use indirect distribution channels
-Customers may live too far away to be reached directly
-Lack of retailing expertise
-Different segments of market best reached by different channels
Define multi - channel distribution
involves a business using more than one type of distribution channel
Benefits of multi channel distribution
-Allows more target market segments to be reached
-Customers increasingly expect products to be available via more than one channel
-Enables higher revenues
Drawbacks of multi- channel distribution
-Potential for channel conflict
-Can be complex to manage
-Cuts profits
Define product life cycle
a theoretical model which describes the stages a product goes through over its life