HINDUSTHAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING &TECHNOLOGY

(AN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTION),COIMBATORE-641032.

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE

Course Code/Subject Name: 16BA2203 / MARKETING MANAGEMENT

One Mark
1.Define Marketing research
It is the process or set of processes that links the producers, customers ,and end users to the
marketer through information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and
problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and
improve understanding of marketing as a process. Marketing research specifies the information
required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and
implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and
their implications."
REFERENCE: “https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/marketing_researh”

2. Expand NCAER
NCAER - National Council of Applied Economic Research
REFERENCE: “http://www.klipfolio.com/resources/ncaer-examples/”

3. Expand MDSS
Marketing decision support system ( MDSS
REFERENCE: “https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/mdss/”

4. What is marketing metrics?

Marketing metrics are numeric data that allow marketers to evaluate their performance against
organizational goals.
REFERENCE: “https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/marketingmetrix/article”
5. What is marketing dashboard?
Marketing dashboards are an important tool for ensuring that marketing initiatives are on track.
They help facilitate strategic decisions and recommend course adjustments, such as whether the
marketing organization is on track to drive demand of products according to forecasts through
higher-quality leads to Sales, improved customer retention, or an increased market footprint.
REFERENCE:“http://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples”

6. What is retailing?
Retailing is a distribution channel function where one organization buys products from supplying
firms or manufactures the product themselves, and then sells these directly to consumers. A
retailer is a reseller (i.e., obtains product from one party in order to sell to another) from which a
consumer purchases products.
REFERENC: “http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/”

7. Explain private label?

Private - label products or services, also known as "phantom brands", are typically those
manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private -
label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to
web hosting.
REFERENCE:“https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/privatelabel/article/science”

8. What is rural marketing?

The Rural Marketing refers to the activities undertaken by the marketers to encourage the people,
living in rural areas to convert their purchasing power into an effective demand for the goods and
services and making these available in the rural areas, with the intention to improve their
standard of living
REFERENCE:“http://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples/marketing/ruralmarketing/”

9. What is greening supply chain?

Green Supply Chain is a term used to describe a supply chain oriented for improved performance
in measures of sustainability, cost reduction, emission reduction through the measure of the
carbon footprint, and other metrics.
REFERENCE: “http://www.sciencedirect.com/science”

10. Online marketing

Internet marketing , or online marketing , refers to advertising and marketing efforts that use the
Web and email to drive direct sales via electronic commerce, in addition to sales leads from Web
sites or emails.
REFERENCE: https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/

6 MARKS
1. Brief about the seven characteristics of a good marketing research

1. Define the problem

2. Design the research
3. Design the data collection forms
4. Specify the sample
5. Collect the data
6. Analyze the data
7. Write the research report
1. Define the problem
Effective marketing research uses the principles of
the scientific method - observation,
hypothesis, prediction, and testing. Since the goal of conducting a marketing research project is
to uncover useful information, how you conduct your research is vitally important. Good
research follows this standard process

2. Design the research

Good marketing research develops innovative ways to solve a problem. This requires some level
of creativity in your research. Other than traditional methods such as surveys and polls, in what
various ways can the problem be evaluated? Are you even studying the right problem?

3. Design the data collection forms

Reliable marketing research uses multiple methods to acquire data and shy away from over-
reliance on any one method. In your research, always make sure you adopt the research to the
problem. In other words, don't say you want to do a survey and then figure out a problem to
solve. Also, don’t be fooled into thinking that one method is better than others. Good research
recognizes the value of using multiple methods and sources to achieve reliable information.

4. Specify the sample

Savvy marketing researchers recognize the interdependence of research models and the data
collected. The research model you choose will ultimately determine the type of information, its
validity, and your ability to act based on findings. Therefore, always base your research efforts
on solid models that are clearly defined and as explicit as possible

5. Collect the data

Smart marketers understand the relationship between the value of information and its cost. There
are always lots of questions to be asked and problems to be solved. However, to steward
resources effectively, marketers need to consider the cost of market research, the value of the
information gathered, and the likelihood of management’s ability or willingness to act on such
information.

6. Analyze the data

Good marketing researchers show little reliance upon glib or stereotyped assumptions made by
managers about how a market works. Often times, those in the midst of a market are unable to
clearly see the market. The “forest through the trees” scenario applies here.

7. Write the research report

Responsible marketing research is a win-win-win situation. It shows a healthy respect for the
company, the product and the customers and never tries to harm or take advantage of customers.
REFERENCE: https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://marketingresearch.co.uk

2. Describe the major types of retailers.

1. General Merchandise Retailers:

Offer a variety of product lines, stocked in considerable depth.

2. Department Stores:

Large retail organizations with wide product mixes; employ at least 25 people.

3. Discount Stores:

Self-service, general merchandise outlets that regularly offer brand name and private
brand products at low prices.

4. Convenience Stores:

Small self-service stores that are open long hours and carry a narrow assortment of
products, usually convenience items, as well as services such as automatic teller
machines.

5. Supermarkets:

Large, self-service stores that carry a complete line of food products as well as some
nonfood products.
 6. Superstores:

Giant retail outlets that carry products ordinarily found in supermarkets, but also
routinely purchased consumer products.

7. Hypermarkets:

Combine supermarket and discount store shopping in one location

8. Warehouse Clubs:

Large-scale, members-only selling operations combining cash-and-carry wholesaling and

discount retailing.

9. Warehouse Showrooms:

Retail facilities in large, low-cost buildings with warehouse materials-handling

technology, vertical merchandise displays, large on-premises inventories, and minimal
services.

REFERENCE: “https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.essay.uk.com/free-essays”

10. Briefly explain about private label

1. Private-label products or services, also known as "phantom brands.

2. They are often positioned as lower-cost alternatives to regional, national or
international brands.
3. Growing market shares and increasing variety of private label consumer packaged
goods is now a global phenomenon.
4. The Indian unorganized market still constitutes 90+% of Indian retail.
5. We are expected to cross 500 million users by 2017 from 350 million users today.
6. The private label market will be a key enabler in India’s retail movement.
7. "Private labels are highly profitable. The profits earned from them are almost
double than those from the third -party brands."
8. The private label provides the end delivery of fulfillment to consumer.

Private-label products or services, also known as "phantom brands", are typically those
manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand.
Private-label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to
cosmetics to web hosting.
They are often positioned as lower-cost alternatives to regional, national or international
brands, although recently some private label brands have been positioned as "premium"
brands to compete with existing "name" brands.
Growing market shares and increasing variety of private label consumer packaged goods
is now a global phenomenon. However, private label market shares exhibit widespread
diversity across international markets and product categories. Empirical research on
private label products has been of substantial interest to both marketing academics and
managers.
Considerable work has been done on well-defined areas of private-label research such as
private-label brand strategy, market performance of private-label products, competition
with national brands, market structure, and buyer behavior.
For example, Richelieu Foods is a private-label company producing frozen pizza, salad dressing,
marinades, and condiments for other companies, including Hy-Vee, Aldi, Save-A-Lot, Sam's
Club, Hannaford Brothers Co.,BJ's Wholesale Club (Earth's Pride brand) and Shaw's
Supermarkets (Culinary Circle brand). Another example is the Cott Corporation, which
manufactures private-label beverages for supermarket chains. McBride plc is a Europe-based
provider of private-label household and personal care products.

REFERENCE: “http://www.essay.uk.com/free-essays/business/private-label”

4. Explain about rural marketing myths

Myths about Rural Market There are several myths about rural markets, which need to be
studied.

1. Poor infrasetructur prevents quality product delivery

2. Addressing market requirements reaching all villages
3. Rural consumers unwilling to pay premium services
4. Rural consumers are demanding
5. They will buy_awareness is all required
6. Packaging in small size is the only customization that is required
7. Business opportunities are limited
1. Poor infrasetructur prevents quality product delivery

All villages are Equally Populated The first myth that all markets look alike and that all
villages are equally populated. Hence, market opportunities across villages of India are alike.
However, population statistics as per the 2001 census does not support this myth.

2. Addressing market requirements reaching all villages

About 37 percent of Indian villages have a population of up to 500 persons and only 17
percent account for a population of between 2000 and 10,000 persons, this creates an
imbalance in distribution. Thus, the latter, i.e., 17 percent of total villages in India account
for 50 percent of the rural population and 60 percent of the rural wealth Consequently, these
villages have a cluster of distribution outlets but 31 percent of villages hardly have any
distribution Outlet

3. Rural consumers unwilling to pay premium services

rural consumers are a homogeneous in lot this myth is identical to the one MNCs had been a
long time for a large market like India. They believe that the Indian market, being a
developing one, is homogeneous and, hence, mass marketing strategies will deliver results.
However, subsequent research on consumption showed that India was as heterogeneous as
any other developed market and hence, each segment needed to be researched thoroughly and
marketing mix planned accordingly. Much the same way now, marketers hold the view that
rural markets are homogeneous Research shows that rural markets, too.

4. Rural consumers are demanding

Exhibit income and occupation diversity. Let's consider rural affluence and rural poverty.
There were less than 1 percent of rural consumers who were very rich, 13.5 percent were
rich, ie. In the income group and 23 percent earned an annual income of uptoRs 16,000 in
1995-6. However, based on a projection of 7.2 percent growth in GDP. The "very rich"
segment will grow to 0.9 percent, or almost 1 percent, and the lowest segment will decrease
to 11 percent by 2x007 This is further illustrated by on observed and expected income
distribution in rural India

5. They will buy_awareness is all required

Being Illiterate, Rural Consumer is Not Able to Discriminate Between Products and Bands
The rural literacy rate has increased from 36 percent in 1981 to 59 percent in the 2001
census. Children and the youth in the family are being educated and are the source of
information on new products and brands in the family and the village.

6. Packaging in small size is the only customization that is required

Rural buyers are as much with serious of products and brands as their urban counterparts.
This awareness has been created through Cable and satellite television. Hence the rural
consumer's aspirations are quite like his urban counterpart. For example, the young rural girl
is a customer of cosmetics, shampoos, beauty soaps and fashion garments.

7. Business opportunities are limited

Only Low Priced Products will sell in Rural India Being price sensitive is different from
being a buyer of only low-priced products. This marketing reality is missed by marketers
when they include a rural buyer buys only on the basis of price. Current experience and
research shows that to a rural buyer functionality and availability of a product from a reliable
vendor are more important than price. So, even when I continue to be sensitive, I do not miss
out on Functionality. The rural buyer is also tech savvy as reflected by his adoption of new
 farming techniques and the success of rural intranet and other Net-based initiatives like e-
Chaupal, from Thus, today's rural customer shows distinctive characteristics which makes
him / her different urban buyers & Also more challenging.

REFERENCE:“https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.investopedia.com/”

5. Evaluate the challenges of strategic marketing orientation

1. Understanding market
2. Product and Service Planning
3. Distribution
4. Managing the result

1. Understanding market

The starting point of analysis is the market. Today, one witnesses structural changes taking
place in the Indian market. Demographic and lifestyle changes in the country present new
opportunities for marketers. These changes are not restricted to metropolitan cities like
Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai, but are taking place in all cities and even in rural
areas. The demand for packaged goods has been on the rise, even in rural areas. Strategic
perspective of the market requires skillful analysis of these trends and how they affect the
market size and demand for the product

2. Product and Service Planning

As we enter an era of standardized technology, we embrace more and more undifferentiated

product The tangible differences between one brand and another will get diminished and in
fact, eliminated Products are going to become intangibles. The basis of differentiation
between one firm and another will continue to be their offer. If we were to perceive a product
as a bundle of tangible and intangible benefits or to represent solutions to customer's
problems, the challenge for the marketer then is to not only add value but reinvent the value
constellation for the customer. This involves an analysis of the customer's perception of the
firm's brand or that of the competitor's and the areas in which the customer is dissatisfied of
the dorms brand and the competitors.

3. Distribution

The success at a firm in India depends on its ability to make the product available at right
places, right and in the right quantities. Today, distribution patterns the changing. New
alternatives like mobile distribution are available in far-flu markets Technology will make a
greater impact on distribution than one can visualize today. With satellite communications
and telecommunications in the country developing, perhaps it will be much easier for firms
to keep track of their inventory positions in different markets Companies like Hindustan
Levers, Phillips, and others are already using VSAT to monitor and plan their stocks in
different markets .

4. Managing the result

Managing for Results With pressure on costs, prices, and margins, marketers will have to
make effective use of every rupee spent in marketing. This will involve planning marketing
investment in such a way that the return on it is maximized. This is another area where a
strategic marketer has to use his or her analytical skills
REFERENCE:“https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.investopedia.com/terms”

6. Name any six successful online marketing portals.

1. Amazon– 4.15,
2. Flipkart -4.24,
3. Snapdeal -4.52,
4. Paytm -4.85 ,
5. Ebay.in – 5.00,
6. Jabong.com – 5.09,
7. Myntra – 5.12

1 . Amazon .in

World leader in e-commerce market recently started operation in india, Now Indians can buy
Books, CDS and Electronic at cheaper price from Amzon.in. For limited time they offering free
shipping.

Amazon Deals & Offers

2 .Flipkart .com

Founded in 2004 with only Rs. 400000 now in 2014 tuned over 60,000 Crore company. You can
not only buy books online through Flipkart, but also mobile phones & mobile accessories,
laptops, computer accessories, cameras, movies, music, televisions, refrigerators, air-
conditioners, washing-machines, Clothings, Footwears, Accessories, MP3 players and products
from a host of other categories. After takeover of letsbuy.com now flipkart is largest player of e-
commerce of Indi.

Flipkart Coupons

Flipkart Deals & Offers

3 .Snapdeal .com

SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to online products
deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.

Snapdeal Coupons

Snapdeal Deals & Offers

4 .Paytm .com

Started with Mobile Recharge and Bill Payment website now Paytm selling everything from
Home Decor, Clothing, Laptops to Mobile at killer price. In very short time period Paytm has
grown very fastly and able to place under our Top 10 Indian Shopping Website list.

Paytm Coupons

Paytm Deals & Offers

5 .ebay .in

After almost 6month of dominating at number 1 ebay has come down at number two on
indiafreestuff.in list. eBay.in is the Indian version of the popular online shopping portal
eBay.com – world’s online marketplace. Ebay has a diverse and passionate community of
individuals and small businesses. Ebay offers used and fresh items with a wide network of
international shipping. http://www.ebay.in

Ebay Coupons

Ebay Deals & Offers

6 .Jabong .com
Jabong Fashion & Lifestyle Store offers you great discount on all listed product.They offers wide
range of products from Apparel to Home needs.

Jabong Coupons

7 .Myntra .com

Myntra.com is leading online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products. Myntra offers T-shirts,
Shoes, watches and more at discounted price.

Myntra Coupons

Myntra Deals & Offers

REFERENCE:“http://googleweblight.com/i?u=http://www.managementnote.com/onlineportals/”

15 MARKS:-

1. Elaborate on the marketing research process

1. Formulate Problem
2. Determine Research Design
3. Design data collection methods and forms
4. Design sample and Collect Data
5. Analyze and interpret Data
6. Prepare the research report
1. “Formulate Problem”

Perhaps the most important step in the market research process is defining the goals of the
project. At the core of this is understanding the root question that needs to be informed by market
research. There is typically a key business problem (or opportunity) that needs to be acted upon,
but there is a lack of information to make that decision comfortably; the job of a market
researcher is to inform that decision with solid data. Examples of “business problems” might be
“How should we price this new widget?” or “Which features should we prioritize?” By
understanding the business problem clearly, you’ll be able to keep your research focused and
effective. At this point in the process, well before any research has been conducted, I like to
imagine what a “perfect” final research report would look like to help answer the business
question(s). You might even go as far as to mock up a fake report, with hypothetical data, and
ask your audience: “If I produce a report that looks something like this, will you have the
information you need to make an informed choice?” If the answer is yes, now you just need to
get the real data. If the answer is no, keep working with your client/audience until the objective
is clear, and be happy about the disappointment you’ve prevented and the time you’ve saved.

2. Determine Research Design

Now that you know your research object, it is time to plan out the type of research that will best
obtain the necessary data. Think of the “research design” as your detailed plan of attack. In this
step you will first determine your market research method (will it be a survey, focus group,
etc.?). You will also think through specifics about how you will identify and choose your sample
(who are we going after? where will we find them? how will we incentivize them?, etc.). This is
also the time to plan where you will conduct your research (telephone, in-person, mail, internet,
etc.). Once again, remember to keep the end goal in mind–what will your final report look like?
Based on that, you’ll be able to identify the types of data analysis you’ll be conducting (simple
summaries, advanced regression analysis, etc.), which dictates the structure of questions you’ll
be asking. Your choice of research instrument will be based on the nature of the data you are
trying to collect. There are three classifications to consider:

Exploratory Research – This form of research is used when the topic is not well defined or
understood, your hypothesis is not well defined, and your knowledge of a topic is vague.
Exploratory research will help you gain broad insights, narrow your focus, and learn the basics
necessary to go deeper. Common exploratory market research techniques include secondary
research, focus groups and interviews. Exploratory research is a qualitative form of research.

Descriptive Research – If your research objective calls for more detailed data on a specific
topic, you’ll be conducting quantitative descriptive research. The goal of this form of market
research is to measure specific topics of interest, usually in a quantitative way. Surveys are the
most common research instrument for descriptive research.

Causal Research – The most specific type of research is causal research, which usually comes
in the form of a field test or experiment. In this case, you are trying to determine a causal
relationship between variables. For example, does the music I play in my restaurant increase
dessert sales (i.e. is there a causal relationship between music and sales?).

3. Design data collection methods and forms

In this step of the market research process, it’s time to design your research tool. If a survey is
the most appropriate tool (as determined in step 2), you’ll begin by writing your questions and
designing your questionnaire. If a focus group is your instrument of choice, you’ll start preparing
questions and materials for the moderator. You get the idea. This is the part of the process where
you start executing your plan. By the way, step 3.5 should be to test your survey instrument with
a small group prior to broad deployment. Take your sample data and get it into a spreadsheet;
are there any issues with the data structure? This will allow you to catch potential problems
early, and there are always problems.

4. Design sample and Collect Data

This is the meat and potatoes of your project; the time when you are administering your survey,
running your focus groups, conducting your interviews, implementing your field test, etc. The
answers, choices, and observations are all being collected and recorded, usually in spreadsheet
form. Each nugget of information is precious and will be part of the masterful conclusions you
will soon draw.

5. Analyze and interpret Data

Analyze data has drawn to a close and you have heaps of raw data sitting in your lap. If it’s on
scraps of paper, you’ll probably need to get it in spreadsheet form for further analysis. If it’s
already in spreadsheet form, it’s time to make sure you’ve got it structured properly. Once that’s
all done, the fun begins. Run summaries with the tools provided in your software package
(typically Excel, SPSS , Minitab, etc.), build tables and graphs, segment your results by groups
that make sense (i.e. age, gender, etc.), and look for the major trends in your data. Start to
formulate the story you will tell

6. Prepare the research report

You’ve spent hours pouring through your raw data, building useful summary tables, charts and
graphs. Now is the time to compile the most meaningful take-aways into a digestible report or
presentation. A great way to present the data is to start with the research objectives and business
problem that were identified in step 1. Restate those business questions, and then present your
recommendations based on the data, to address those issues.When it comes time to presenting
your results, remember to present insights, answers and recommendations , not just charts and
tables. If you put a chart in the report, ask yourself “what does this mean and what are the
implications?” Adding this additional critical thinking to your final report will make your
research more actionable and meaningful and will set you apart from other researchers.
REFERENCE:https://www.fpm.iastate.edu/worldclass/strategic_planning.

2. Explain the changing retail environment in India.

1. Mumbai-based baby care and kids products e-tailer, Hopscotch.in, has raised US$ 13
million in a Series C round of funding from Facebook co-founder Mr Eduardo
Saverin, which will help the firm in growth and expansion of its technology platform.
2. Gurgaon-based e-commerce firm Shopclues has raised US$ 150 million from
Singapore government's GIC and its existing investors Tiger Global and Nexus
Venture Partners, at a valuation of US$ 1.1 billion, thereby becoming the latest among
several e-commerce companies from India reaching a billion dollar valuation.

3. Adidas AG, renowned for its Adidas and Reebok sports brands, has become the first
foreign sports company to get government approval to open 100 per cent foreign-
owned stores in India.

4. Walmart India plans to add 50 more cash-and-carry stores in India over the next four
to five years.

5. Aeropostale, an American teen fashion retailer, has chosen to enter India over China,
and expects India to be among its top three markets over the next four years with
revenue target of Rs 500 crore (US$ 74.12 million).

6. Opinio, a hyperlocal delivery start-up, has raised US$ 7 million in a Series-A funding
from Gurgaon-based e-commerce fulfilment service firm Delhivery along with
investment from Sands Capital and Accel Partners.

7. Textile major Arvind Limited has announced a partnership with Sephora, owned by
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a French luxury conglomerate, in order to
enter into the beauty and cosmetics segment.

8. Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group plans to invest Rs 2,500 crore (US$ 370.6 million) in a
fruit and vegetable processing unit, an integrated meat processing unit, and a modern
shopping mall in Hyderabad, Telangana.

9. Aditya Birla Retail, a part of the US$ 40 billion Aditya Birla Group and the fourth-
largest supermarket retailer in the country, acquired Total hypermarkets owned by
Jubilant Retail.

10. US-based Pizza chain Sbarro plans an almost threefold increase in its store count
from the current 17 to 50 over the next two years through multiple business models.
1. India has emerged as the fifth attractive retail destination attracting global retailers for
entry and expansion plans (Global retail expansion by A.T. Kearney, 2012). Indian retail
market is worth USD 396 Billion in 2012 and estimated to grow by 12 % by 2015. Indian
Government is looking at attracting more foreign investment in Indian retail sector. For
attracting more foreign investment, Government of India has allowed 51% in multi brand
retailing (Minimum investment of USD 100 million) and 100% in single brand retailing.
2. The matter of contention was whether the new FDI policy will replace the existing small
scale retail players and Kirana stores. But when we analyse the issue closely there are
strengths and weakness which need to be identified and built in order to stay in the
business. The article focuses on the Indian unorganized retailing and organized retailing
in the context of changing government policy for the retail sector. Organisedand
unorganized retail sector has its own pros and cons which need to be exploited for
sustainability.
3. The Indian retail market is presently valued at 396 billion US dollars and is likely to grow
at the rate of 12% to reach 574 billion US dollars by 2015. This sector provides the
second largest employment after agriculture, employing more than 35 million people with
wholesale trade generating an additional employment to 5.50 million more. The rising
disposable income in the country is chief factor behind the increasing consumer habits.
4. India is the fifth largest retail destination on world map. The Indian retail industry has
undergone tremendous change over the last decade with a dynamic shift towards
organised retailing format and development taking place in major cities and metros. Tier
II and Tier III cities follow this transformation. The overall retail market in India is
 predicted achieve the Rs.47 trillion mark by FY 17. As India's retail industry aggressively
expands itself, great demand for real estate is being created.
5. Further, with the online medium of retail gaining more and more acceptance, there is a
tremendous growth opportunity for retail segment. Companies, both domestic and
international.Favourable demographics, increasing urbanisation, nucleated families,
increasing affluence amongst consumers, growing preference for branded products and
higher aspirations are other factors which will drive retail consumption in India.
6. Both organised and unorganised retail are bound not only to coexist but also achieve
rapid and sustained growth in the coming years. Retail market structure refers to the
cluster of companies that sell similar or identical products in the same geographical area.
An oligopoly defines a small group of companies that practise collusion in order to raise
prices on products because of high demand. A market structure characterized by
competition among a few number of large firms that have market power, but that must
consider their rivals' actions when developing their competitive strategies.
7. There are an estimated 12 million Kirana outlets in India spread across 5000 towns and 6
lakhs villages (Patibandla, 2012). If we look at the geographic spread around 75% of the
outlets are in rural areas. The government norm is that retail outlets can be established in
cities with more than 10 lakhs as per 2011 Census and should be within a cover an area of
10 kms around the municipal/urban agglomeration limits of such cities (GOI, 2012). The
global retailers will be looking at Tier A1 and A cities like Bangalore, Chennai,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Pune etc. Even though
government policy changes, these retailers cannot operate in rural areas because of the
personalized requirements and purchasing nature of the rural people.

1. Mom-and-pop stores:
2. Department Stores:
3. Category Killers:
4. Malls:
5. Discount Stores:
6. Supermarkets:
7. Street Vendors:
 8. Hypermarkets:
9. Kiosks:
The following formats are prevalent in the retail arena.

1. Mom-and-pop stores: Small family owned businesses catering to small sections of

society with meagre sales and profits. They are known for their excellent customer
services.
2. Department Stores: They are sellers of general mechandise. They offer mid-range to
high range products to the customers. Examples : ' Westside' and ' Lifestyle'
3. Category Killers: These stores are specialised to offer only one type of product.'Sports
Authority' and 'Best Buy'
4. Malls: One of the most popular and visited retail formats. Probably the largest retail
format in the country as customer gets everything under one roof. Example : Forum Mall,
5. Discount Stores: Stores that offer discounts on MRPs and focus on stock clearing sale
luring the bargain shoppers to the stores.
6. Supermarkets: One of the most popular retail formats offering foods and household
goods catering to the normal households. It fulfils the needs of the middle class so that
they can stock on future groceries.
7. Street Vendors: These are probably the oldest retail formats prevailing in India. They
keep shouting to their customers for selling of local wares. They sell not only clothes and
accessories, but also local food.
8. Hypermarkets: These are a combo of supermarket and department stores. They provide
all kinds of groceries and general goods. They draw enormous crowds, particularly in the
weekends.
9. Kiosks: Typical box-like shops which sell small and inexpensive items like toffees,
newspapers, water packets and sometimes tea and coffee. These are most commonly
found in each and every street in a city and cater to local residents.

REFERENCE: “http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/retailenvironment”

3) Write about the important characteristics of rural marketing.

Features of Rural Marketing:
The main reason why the companies are focusing on rural market and developing effective
strategies is to tap the market potential that can be identified as follows:

1. Large and scattered population

2. Higher purchasing capacity
3. Market growth
4. Development of infrastructure
5. Low standard of living
6. Traditional outlook
7. Marketing mix

1. Large and scattered population:

According to the 2016 census, 740 million Indians forming 70 per cent of India’s population live
in rural areas. The rate of increase in rural population is also greater than that of urban
population. The rural population is scattered in over 6 lakhs villages. The rural population is
highly scattered, but holds a big promise for the marketers.

2. Higher purchasing capacity:

Purchasing power of the rural people is on rise. Marketers have realized the potential of rural
markets, and thus are expanding their operations in rural India. In recent years, rural markets
have acquired significance in countries like China and India, as the overall growth of the
economy has resulted into substantial increase in purchasing power of rural communities.

3. Market growth:
The rural market is growing steadily over the years. Demand for traditional products such as
bicycles, mopeds and agricultural inputs; branded products such as toothpaste, tea, soaps and
other FMCGs; and consumer durables such as refrigerators, TV and washing machines has also
grown over the years.

4. Development of infrastructure:
There is development of infrastructure facilities such as construction of roads and transportation,
communication network, rural electrification and public service projects in rural India, which has
increased the scope of rural marketing.

5. Low standard of living:

The standard of living of rural areas is low and rural consumers have diverse socio-economic
backwardness. This is different in different parts of the country. A consumer in a village area has
a low standard of living because of low literacy, low per capita income, social backwardness and
low savings.

6. Traditional outlook:
The rural consumer values old customs and traditions. They do not prefer changes. Gradually,
the rural population is changing its demand pattern, and there is demand for branded products in
villages

7. Marketing mix:
The urban products cannot be dumped on rural population; separate sets of products are designed
for rural consumers to suit the rural demands. The marketing mix elements are to be adjusted
according to the requirements of the rural consumers

Important characteristics of rural marketing.

1. High involvement:
2. Purchases product more often:
3. Quality conscious
4. Functionality of the product
5. Brand loyalty
A rural market is a group of customers a business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and
ultimately its merchandise towards.

1. High involvement:

A well-defined target market is the first element of a marketing strategy .Product , price ,
promotion, and place are the four elements of a marketing mix strategy that determine the
success of a product or service in the marketplace . It is proven that businesses must have
a clear definition of their target market as this can help reach its target consumers and
analyze what their needs and suitability are.

2. Purchases product more often:

A rural marketis a group of people considered likely to buy a product or service.

3. Quality conscious

A rural market consists of customers that share similar characteristics, such as age,
location, income and lifestyle, to which a business directs its marketing efforts and sells
its products.

4. Fuctionality of the product

As marketing efforts are becoming increasingly online based, the need to find the right
market for marketing campaigns is essential.
 5. Brand loyalty

One of the first steps in developing an effective marketing campaign is determining an

appropriate target market so that marketing goals can be set and implemented.Target
markets can be separated into primary and secondary target markets. Primary target
markets are those market segments to which marketing efforts are primarily directed and
secondary markets are smaller or less important.

REFERENCE:http://googleweblight.com/i?u=http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/rural-

marketing/”

4) Explain green marketing mix and strategy.

Impacts or Importance of Green Marketing:

Green marketing affects positively the health of people and the ecological environment. People
are aware of pure products and pure methods of producing, using, and disposing the products. It
encourages integrated efforts for purity in production and consumption as well.

Basically, green marketing concerns with three aspects:

1. Promotion of production and consummation of pure/quality products,

2. Fair and just dealing with customers and society, and

3. Protection of ecological environment.

We can witness following impacts of green marketing:

1. Now, people are insisting pure products – edible items, fruits, and vegetables based on organic
farming. The number of people seeking vegetarian food is on rise.

2. Reducing use of plastics and plastic-based products.

3. Increased consumption of herbal products instead of processed products.

4. Recommending use of leaves instead of plastic pieces; jute and cloth bags instead of plastic
carrying bags.
5. Increasing use of bio-fertilizers (made of agro-wastes and wormy-composed) instead of
chemical fertilizers (i.e. organic farming), and minimum use of pesticides.

6. Worldwide efforts to recycle wastes of consumer and industrial products.

7. Increased use of herbal medicines, natural therapy, and Yoga.

8. Strict provisions to protect forests, flora and fauna, protection of the rivers, lakes and seas
from pollutions.

9. Global restrictions on production and use of harmful weapons, atomic tests, etc. Various
organisations of several countries have formulated provisions for protecting ecological balance.

10. More emphasis on social and environmental accountability of producers.

11. Imposing strict norms for pollution control. Consideration of pollution control efforts and
eco-technology in awarding IS), ISO 9000, or ISO 14000 certificates and other awards.

12. Declaration of 5th June as the World Environment Day.

13. Strict legal provisions for restricting duplication or adulteration.

14. Establishing several national and international agencies to monitor efforts and activities of
business firms in relation pollution control and production of eco-friendly products.

The green marketing mix

1. Product :
2. Price :
3. Place:
4. Promotion :
A model green marketing mix contains four "P's":

1. Product :

A producer should offer ecological products which not only must not contaminate the
environment but should protect it and even liquidate existing environmental damages.

2. Price :

Prices for such products may be a little higher than conventional alternatives. But target
groups like for example LOHAS are willing to pay extra for green products.

3. Place:

A distribution logistics is of crucial importance; main focus is on ecological packaging.

Marketing local and seasonal products e.g. vegetables from regional farms is more easy to be
marketed “green” than products imported.

4. Promotion :

A communication with the market should put stress on environmental aspects, for example
that the company possesses a CP certificate or is ISO 14000 certified. This may be publicized
 to improve a firm’s image. Furthermore, the fact that a company spends expenditures on
environmental protection should be advertised. Third, sponsoring the natural environment is
also very important. And last but not least, ecological products will probably require special
sales promotions.

REFERENCE: “http://marketingmix.co.uk/

5) Explain the strategic planning.

1. set context
2. Define strategic frame work
3. define goals
4. governance review
5. Implementation

1. set context
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy , or direction, and
making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to
control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the strategy. Strategic planning
became prominent in corporations during the 1960s and remains an important aspect of
strategic management .
2. Define strategic frame work
It is executed by strategic planners or strategists, who involve many parties and research
sources in their analysis of the organization and its relationship to the environment in which
it competes.Strategy has many definitions, but generally involves setting goals, determining
actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions.

3. define goals
A strategy describes how the ends (goals) will be achieved by the means (resources). The
senior leadership of an organization is generally tasked with determining strategy. Strategy
can be planned (intended) or can be observed as a pattern of activity (emergent) as the
organization adapts to its environment or compete strategy

4. governance review
Strategy includes processes of formulation and implementation; strategic planning helps
coordinate both. However, strategic planning is analytical in nature (i.e., it involves "finding
the dots"); strategy formation itself involves synthesis (i.e., "connecting the dots") via
strategic thinking . As such, strategic planning occurs around the strategy formation activity.

5. Implementation
A variety of analytical tools and techniques are used in strategic planning. These were
developed by companies and management consulting firms to help provide a framework for
strategic planning. Such tools include:
a) PEST analysis:which covers the remote external environment elements such as political,
economic,social and technological (PESTLE adds legal/regulatory and
ecological/environmental);
b) Scenario planning: which was originally used in the military and recently used by large
corporations to analyze future scenarios;
 c) Porter five forces analysis: which addresses industry attractiveness and rivalry through
the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers and the threat of substitute products and
new market entrants;
d) SWOT analysis: which addresses internal strengths and weaknesses relative to the
external opportunities and threats; Growth-share matrix , which involves portfolio
decisions about which businesses to retain or divest; and Balanced Scorecards and
strategy maps , which creates a systematic framework for measuring and controlling
strategy. Responsive Evaluation, which uses a constructivist evaluation approach to
identify the outcomes of objectives, which then supports future strategic planning
exercises.

REFERENCE: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/strategic-planning

6. Explain the recent online marketing trends.

1. Big Data (including market and customer insight and predictive analytics)
2. Content marketing Communities (Branded niche or vertical communities)
3. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) / improving website experiences
4. Display (Banners on publishers, ad networks social media including retargeting and
programmatic)
5. Internet of Things (IoT) marketing applications
6. Marketing Automation (incl CRM, behavioural Email marketing and web
personalisation)
7. Mobile marketing (Mobile advertising, site development and apps)
8. Paid search marketing, e.g. Google AdWords Pay Per Click
9. Online PR (including influencer outreach)
10. Partnerships including affiliate and co-marketing
11. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO or organic search)
12. Social media marketing including Social CRM and Social Customer Care
13. Wearables (e.g. Apple Watch, activity trackers, augmented reality)
14. Other
While this doesn't have a controlled sample of our free research reports like Managing Digital
Marketing, it does canvas opinion widely. Note that these trends aren't necessarily the most
important channel by volume of leads or sales, rather it is the tactic which will give the biggest
increase in the year ahead, so it shows what is becoming more important. By asking for just one
tactic, this helps shows the the top 3, 5 or 10 top-level trends.

To help the decision on which technique to choose, we expanded upon the short labels you see in
the graph to help scope the response more carefully. For example, 'Big Data' is a nebulous term,
but when we expanded the definition to include insight and predictive analytics, it shows the
value of the specific marketing techniques for Big Data and this help explains why this is in
position number two. Here is the full listing of digital marketing techniques:

In our Digital Channel Essentials Toolkits within our members' area and our Digital Marketing
Skills report we simplify digital marketing down to just 8 key techniques which are essential for
businesses to manage today AND for individual marketers to develop skills. This visual shows
the core techniques which will drive more leads and sales for you, but within some sectors,
techniques like using AI, IoT, Wearables will be more important. 8 core digital marketing
activities

The Top 14 marketing techniques in 2017?

Let's now drill down into the key tactics and marketing technology within each of these tactics
which will be important in 2017.

1. Content marketing trends

Content marketing has been in the top 3 for the last 3 years we have run this post, so we focus a
lot on how to create an integrated content marketing strategy through advice in our content
marketing toolkit. Our research with HubSpot, illustrated in the Competing on Content
infographic, shows that more businesses are now using a strategic approach (40%), so this is a
trend we can expect to see continuing in 2017. We can also expect that there will be more focus
on Measuring Content Marketing ROI as the cost and competition within content marketing
increases. At a practical level, Martech Guru Scott Brinker has talked about the 4th Wave of
Content Marketing and I'm seeing more and more examples of interactive marketing apps - like
our capability graders and also personalisation tools recommending content. Read his article,
introducing it, a great read and you can check out the ionInteractive examples of interactive
content marketing. 4th_wave_content_marketing_600

2. Big Data

As defined in our question, Big Data marketing applications include market and customer insight
and predictive analytics. The 3Vs of Big Data show why this is a key trend selected by many,
who have experienced the increase in volume, real-time data and data formats in their business
and want to exploit the value to increase sales through personalisation on websites and through
email marketing through predictive analytics - a topic we have covered many times on our blog.
It's also closely tied into machine learning where Big Data is mined to identify propensity to
convert given different customer characteristics and behaviour.

Big Data

Image original source from DiyaSoubra in a Data Science blog - The 3Vs that define Big Data

3.Marketing Automation (including CRM, behavioural email marketing and web

personalisation)

Like content marketing, marketing automation has been in the top 3 for the last 5 years we have
asked this question. Many businesses still have potential for improving their automation as our
research on the State of Marketing Automation shows.To help with this knowledge gap, I think I
have given more webinars and talks on Marketing Automation than on any other topic in 2016.
The most common questions at the end are 'where do we start' and 'how do we get to the next
level'. These questions are answered in our Email marketing and marketing automation toolkit
which includes a free interactive capability review to score your use of email marketing
automation. As businesses progress up the learning curve I expect more businesses to be putting
lead scoring in place, or refining it and learning the best places on the journey to feature content
through predictive analytics.

4. Mobile marketing (Mobile advertising, site development and apps)

Mobile was in the top 3 three years ago, but as more companies have adopted mobile responsive
web design and email templates they have seen less need to focus on it, or at least there are fewer
opportunities for growth.However, research shows that retail conversion rates are significantly
lower on smartphone, so there is work to be done for many businesses to optimise conversion on
mobile, although they will likely always stay lower than desktop.Mobile also has a large impact
on search marketing as Google vigorously follows its mobile first mantra. To me, it's a somewhat
misleading mantra, since the reality is that many web users are still using desktop, laptop and
tablet devices and there is a danger with mobile responsive designs that conversion on higher
resolution screens may fall if mobile optimised. Instead, leading companies are looking at
adaptive mobile design approaches which have the benefit of serving more relevant, contextual
content and CTAs for users and reducing load times. 'Mobile first' is also misleading if we look
at the overall customer journey since often different devices may be involved at different points.
So a better vision for mobile strategy is treating it as part of a multiplatform or multichannel
strategy. As this data from comScore highlighted in our mobile marketing statistics research
shows, the multiplatform ribbons for all countries are much broader than users who are mobile
only or desktop only.

5. Social media marketing including Social CRM and Social Customer Care

When I meet marketers at events and training I find there is still huge interest in social media,
thanks to its reach and options to engage audiences and encourage advocacy or 'social media
amplification' to give it the full treatment. Our social media research statistics summary shows
continued growth in social media usage overall, but with reduced popularity of some social
networks in some countries. For example Twitter and Facebook are in decline or plateauing in
many western markets while Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest are still growing in usage. Trends
in social media marketing are often controlled by the efforts of the social networks to monetise
and this has seen Facebook and Instagram, in particular make changes such that businesses now
need to 'pay to play' to get the reach needed to have an impact. They have continued to innovate
in their targeting and remarketing options. Jason DeMeyers has these interesting views on social
media trends for 2017.

6. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) / improving website experiences

This is the technique I selected a year ago as the way Smart Insights would see the most growth
from in the year ahead. It's higher in popularity than previous years, but I still wonder whether
many businesses are missing out on a more data-driven approach to increase leads and sales from
their websites. I saw this chart of the volume of structured tests presented by a major
multichannel retailer who wanted to scale the number of tests they were running. It a great way
to show the need to test extensively since only a third have a positive test. It also shows how
competitors may be getting ahead if they are testing more extensively.

7. Internet of Things (IoT) marketing applications

IoT is one of the most important marketing technology applications of the last 2-3 years, but it is
of most relevance to devices makers and retailers, so it is relatively high-up in this ranking of
priorities. There are expected to be 75 billion connected devices by 2020, meaning there will be
ten times as many devices able to talk to one another as there will be people on the planet! The
implications are huge and far ranging. Al this sharing of data will transform the way we live our
lives. Our article covering opportunities and examples of marketing applications of the Internet
of Things has this useful summary of alternative applications: Smart Products Road Map

8. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO or organic search)

Mobile marketing SEO techniques will be particularly important in 2017 with Google's recent
announcements about the mobile index and AMP. We have seen huge increases in AMP
smartphone traffic since September 2016 when Google rolled AMPs out beyond Google News.
AMPs are targeted at publishers, but should be considered by businesses with an active blog too
in my opinion. We have been covering these announcements and improvements in our other alert
posts: How Google's mobile-only index will change search in 2017

Google to start penalising sites that use pop-ups.Stop everything and implement AMP pages

9. Wearables

Wearables are one of the hottest consumer consumable commodities (e.g. Apple Watch, activity
trackers, augmented reality)

10. Paid search marketing

Google AdWords is the most important form of Pay Per Click and here Google has been
pursuing their 'Mobile-first' strategy by building out these features.

11. Online PR (including influencer outreach)

Online PR today is inextricably linked with Content marketing, SEO and Social media, or it
should be. But this doesn't get a top rating since the others are important.

12. Communities

These are branded niche or vertical communities.

13. Display advertising

This includes banners on publishers, ad networks social media including retargeting and
programmatic.

14. Partnerships including affiliate and co-marketing

A neglected aspect of digital marketing, perhaps unsurprisingly unsexy.

REFERENCE: http://www.smartinsights.com/managing-digital-marketing/marketing-innovation

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(2016-2018 BATCH)