Table of Contents

CASE STUDY OF PRINT CAKES LIMITED

1.0. Print Cakes Brief History..........................................................................................................2

2.0. Marketing Orientation..............................................................................................................3
3.0. Identifying the Needs and Wants of Print Cakes Customers.................................................3
3.1. Product Needs............................................................................................................................3
4.0. How Print Cakes Crates Value through its Current Marketing Activity..............................6
4.1. Value in Marketing....................................................................................................................6
5.0. The application of Technology in the Print Cakes Marketing Mix........................................6
5.1. Marketing 4.0.............................................................................................................................6
5.2. MarTech.....................................................................................................................................7
6.0. References......................................................................................................................................8
BUSINESS REPORT

Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................11
1.0. Introduction.............................................................................................................................12
1.1. Problem Statement..................................................................................................................12
1.2. The Challenges of Print Cakes Ltd.........................................................................................13
2.0. Market Opportunity................................................................................................................13
2.1. Trends in the UK Pastry Industry......................................................................................13
2.2. Future Opportunities for Print Cakes Limited based on Observed Market Trends......14
2.3. Challenges in the Business Environment...........................................................................15
3.0. Segmentation Targeting and Positioning...............................................................................15
2.1. Targeting...................................................................................................................................15
2.1.1. The Customer Persona..............................................................................................................15
2.1.2. Overview of the Customer Journey Map.................................................................................16
2.2. Positioning Strategy..................................................................................................................17
2.3. Proposed Marketing Mix.........................................................................................................18
3.0. Recommendations.........................................................................................................................19
4.0. Conclusion................................................................................................................................19
5.0. References....................................................................................................................................20
6.0. Appendix..................................................................................................................................22
 CASE STUDY ON PRINT CAKES LTD

1.0. Print Cakes Brief History

Print Cakes is a family bakery located in the North East. The business delivers epic treats for
brands and individuals all across the UK. Product offerings include edible branded and
personalized cupcake boxes, cookies, and chocolate. The company emphasizes on ingredient
quality and the perfect finish peculiar to the brands the company works with per time [ CITATION
Pri21 \l 1033 ].

The company chief executive had already been in business focused on cakes for special
occasions like weddings, birthdays cakes. The idea for Print Cakes came to life as a result of
customers asking for corporate cakes. Equipped with the appropriate technology to print logos
and images on to cupcakes, the business was expanded in 2017 to accommodate corporate cakes.
Print cakes was launched in 2018 [ CITATION Hel21 \l 1033 ].

2.0. Marketing Orientation

This has to do with businesses placing a premium on their interactions with their customers
making use of strategic market information as they make decisions. A business that does this is
said to be market oriented [ CITATION Sla10 \l 1033 ]. Narver , et al.(1998) describe it as a business
culture in which employees are harnessed in the duty of creating continuous grander value for
customers. It can also be seen simply as a strategy to attain sustainable competitive advantage
using a vast combination of tactics, methods, and tools [ CITATION Sal15 \l 1033 ].

The edge of customer focus has been a thing with Print Cakes from its pre-inception to the point
where the company was formed. According to the founder and chief executive Helena (2021),
the company started as a diversion from making exclusive ceremonial cakes for individual
customers to making banded corporate cakes based on continued customer requests for corporate
cakes. A customer orientation trailed all decisions made from venturing into corporate cake
making. Print Cakes also specifically targets the customer by making sure there is a continued
emphasis on hand and homemade cakes to differentiate their products from others that are mass
produced - this gives the company a market proposition and product differentiation edge. It also
ensures that customers perceive the quality mark of the brand. Relevant decisions are also made
to ensure that customers experience relative ease in communicating with the company directly.
Print Cakes does SEO optimization for its website in order to be able to generate more organic
leads. The main website is fitted with a chat window that shows the CEO present during active
hours where direct conversation with the customer can be carried out. This accordioning to her
breaks down the barrier and helps people communicate directly with the business. In her words,
it has helped to keep in touch with her customers and has helped to inspire trust and confidence
leading to more orders [ CITATION Hel21 \l 1033 ]. With this position, customers get firsthand
information about how cakes are made

3.0. Identifying the Needs and Wants of Print Cakes Customers

Customer needs can be arranged around a number of factors. For the customers of Print Cakes,
product needs have been explained in terms of product functionality, convenience, design, and
reliability. Service needs were explained in terms of control, accessibility, and information.

3.1. Product Needs

i. Functionality

A product's functionality has been defined as the effect of the combination features
demanded by customers. The success of a product partly depends on the functionality
it offers ahead of others [ CITATION Alb09 \l 1033 ]. It has also been noted that products
generally give a quality indication by their perceived functionality with customers
[ CITATION And17 \l 1033 ]. This is essential for a quality focused organization like
Print Cakes. For functionality, Print Cakes makes employee treat boxes. These are
physical treat boxes which could be a letter treat box, cupcake boxes, or branded
biscuit boxes that can be ordered bespoke [ CITATION Pri \l 1033 ]. These can be
delivered to company employees, and can serve to provide motivation and a sense of
being valued leading to motivation, and greater efficiency for workers of the
company. A Snapshot of this is shown below
 Figure 1. Banded Hot Chocolate Treat Box. Source: [ CITATION Pri \l 1033 ]

Corporate cupcakes made by the company also help provide product functionality as
they can be used for company events, promotions, and product launches, or even as
individual and client gifts that communicate a message of appreciation.

ii. Convenience

This speaks about the amount of effort a customer has to put in to adapt a product to
their specific needs. It has been observed that all around the world, consumers are
taking convenience seriously as it concerns their purchase. Retailers who are able to
help customers save time and effort constantly get more engagements from customers
[ CITATION Bus20 \l 1033 ]. The Print Cakes website allows customers create personal
designs on their cupcake orders with a branded cupcake design tool [ CITATION Pri21 \l
1033 ]. Customers can submit the specific photos or designs that they want on their
orders, all from the convenience of their private space. The convenience factor also
reflects with product delivery – for individuals, the company delivers through trusted
courier service providers at a days’ notice to given addresses. For businesses that
order large numbers of cupcakes, the company delivers by itself.
 iii. Design

Good designs have been noted to help capture attention to marketing activities. Some
of the most prominent brands in the world are readily imagined by their color
schemes or even fonts, some of which are products of psychological research, and can
be harnessed to communicate aspects the business might want to emphasize like
quality [ CITATION Har20 \l 1033 ]. Print cakes emphasizes on designs that match the
specific occasion for which the order is placed.

iv. Reliability

Product reliability is important for the impression a product creates on consumers in

the market [ CITATION Mil21 \l 1033 ]. A product must be what its advertising says it is;
added to this, a reliable product is noted to be a thing that provides an anticipated and
consistent experience when used [ CITATION Hat19 \l 1033 ]. Print Cakes emphasizes
quality and handmade cakes which helps differentiate it from mass produced cakes.
There is also an emphasis on ingredients used, for instance, the use of real butter in
the place of margarines. These are well spelt out as things that determine the taste and
quality of the product; thus, customers can be confident about what they are getting
when they place orders.

4.0. How Print Cakes Crates Value through its Current Marketing Activity
4.1. Value in Marketing
Value is a concept that has been found to be subjective, multifaceted, interconnected, and setting
dependent [ CITATION Kar14 \l 1033 ]. Most literature attach the definition of value to pricing.
Ravald & Gronroos (1996) define it as the ratio between perceived benefits and perceived
sacrifice with the sacrifice indicating price, acquisition costs, and every other thing a buyer faces
when making a purchase. Benefits indicate a grouping of the physical features, service attributes,
technical support a customer receives in the use of a product [ CITATION Mon91 \l 1033 ] in
[ CITATION Rav96 \l 1033 ]. According to Sidorchuk (2015), value in marketing is to be
differentiated from marketing value, and it is determinable as a perfect model by which we
obtain gratification from the exchange of goods and services to persons, social groups, or
companies.
Print Cakes creates value for its customers by specializing on a line of expertise and this is
communicated clearly as a value proposition for its customers. The company prioritizes quality
and tries to differentiate itself from other cupcake makers that mass produce their products.

In summary, customers are presented with products that can be tailored to meet their specific
needs in a personal and intimate way, while also counting on the quality that goes into its making
and the ingredients used. This is true for its individual as well as business customers. Delivering
this product meets the customers need in terms of functionality, convenience, design, and
reliability. The company also offer purchase services that puts the customer in control by
allowing them personalized accessibility to the company and information.

5.0. The application of Technology in the Print Cakes Marketing Mix

5.1. Marketing 4.0
This describes changes in marketing activities as a result of factors like continued changes in
technology, disruptive innovation, and sustained global competition which has more often than
not led to a new generation of consumers. The marketing activities in this new system is still
customer focused like others, however it deals with marketing in entirely different market
conditions [ CITATION Bas18 \l 1033 ]. Vassiliva (2017) speaks about a cybernetic system in which
business transactions and customer activities can be observed in the actual time they occur.
Managing the system must be accompanied by a deep understanding of business. Elements of the
system should be interrelated such that customers interactions with the product lead to an
emotionally personal experience for the customer through available touchpoints. These
interactions should also add value. Customers are not only trying to satisfy their basic needs,
they are also increasingly needing to fulfil their need for creativity, and require to be a part of the
production process [ CITATION Vas17 \l 1033 ]. Bands need to come across as true to their identity,
while messages need to be authentic.

Print Cakes adds this dimension to its product offering by allowing customers have a direct
access to the company via the website chat box, a costumer can have real-time conversations
directly with the company as they make their orders. The option to customize personal orders
also adds to customer experience. The site presents the option for the customer to decide the
design on their cakes.
5.2. MarTech
This refers to a range of softwares and tools employed to achieve marketing goals and objectives.
They can be used in the planning and execution of marketing campaigns, tracking of marketing
performance to gather insights that may be applied in future campaigns [ CITATION Des19 \l 1033 ].
Examples are Content Marketing tools- these include content management systems like HubSpot
and Drupal which helps with publishing on the website, Search Optimization Engine which help
to boost the sites ranking on popular search engines like google. There are also Podcast tools and
apps that help to record audio content, and publish finished product. The range is extensive, other
tools include graphic design tools, social media management tools and so on [ CITATION Des19 \l
1033 ]. Print Cakes is invested in MarTech in the area of search engine optimization. This helps
to make its site popular on search engines using relevant keywords, and has been an effective
way to bet customer engagement [ CITATION Hel21 \l 1033 ].

6.0. References
Albert , S. & Thirupathi, D., 2009. Product Functionality Information Model for Managing the Product
Development Process. International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering, 1(2), pp. 214-219.
Anderson , S. P., 2017. Product Functionality, Competition, and MultiPurchasing. International
Economic Review, 58(1), pp. 183-210.
Basyazicioglu, H. N. & Karamustafa, K., 2018. Marketing 4.0: Impacts of Technological Developments
on Marketing Activities. Kirikkale University Journal of Social Sciences , 8(2), pp. 621-640.
Business Management Consulting Theories and Models, 2007. 4S Web-Marketing Model. [Online]
Available at: https://business-management-consulting.blogspot.com/2007/09/4s-web-marketing-
model.html
[Accessed 16 May 2021].
Businesswire, 2020. Growing Emphasis on Convinience for Today's Customers. [Online]
Available at: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200114005668/en/Growing-Emphasis-on-
Convenience-for-Today%E2%80%99s-Consumers
[Accessed 15 May 2021].
Deshpande , I., 2019. What Is MarTech and How to Become an Expert at Marketing Technology. [Online]

Available at: https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/marketing-automation-2/what-is-martech-become-

expert-at-martech/
[Accessed 20 May 2021].
H., 2021. Print Cakes Interview with Helena, Director Print Cakes [Interview] (11 May 2021).
Harrison, J., 2020. The Importance of Design in Marketing for Businesses. [Online]
Available at: https://www.weidert.com/blog/importance-of-design
[Accessed 15 May 2021].
Hatch , A., 2019. Product Reliability — Is it Just a Matter of Perspective?. [Online]
Available at: https://medium.com/seek-blog/product-reliability-is-it-just-a-matter-of-perspective-
28969dddca95
[Accessed 15 May 2021].
Karababa, E. & Kjeldgaard, D., 2014. Value in Marketing: Toward Sociocultural Perspectives. Marketing
Theory, 14(1), pp. 119-127.
Milano, S., 2021. The Importance of Reliability Analyses Before Marketing a Product. [Online]
Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-reliability-analyses-before-marketing-product-
70079.html
[Accessed 15 May 2021].
Monroe , K. B., 1991. Pricing - Making Profitable Decisions. New York : McGraw-Hill .
Narver , J. C., Slater , S. F. & Tietje, B. C., 1998. Creating a Market Orientation. Journal of Market-
Focused Management, 2(1), pp. 1-16.
Print Cakes , 2021 . Employee Treat Boxes. [Online]
Available at: https://printcakes.co.uk/collections/employee-wellbeing-treats
[Accessed 15 May 2021].
Print Cakes , 2021. What we Do. [Online]
Available at: https://printcakes.co.uk/pages/what-we-do
[Accessed 11 May 2021].
Ravald , A. & Gronroos , C., 1996. The Vakue of Concept and Relationship Marketing. European
Joiurnal of Marketing , 30(2), pp. 19-30.
Salyova, S., Taborecka-Petrovicova, J., Nedelova, G. & Dado, J., 2015. Effect of Marketing Orientation
on Business Performance: A Study from Slovak Foodstuff Industry. Bystrica,, Business Economics and
Management 2015 Conference, BEM2015 , pp. 622-629.
Sidorchuk, R., 2015. The Concept of "Value" in the Theory of Marketing. Asian Social Science, 11(9),
pp. 320-325.
Slater , S., Mohr, J. & Sengupta , S., 2010. Market Orientation. In: Wiley International Encyclopedia of
Marketing. s.l.:Research Gate, pp. 1-10.
Thomas , J. & Gupta, R. K., 2005. Marketing Theory and Practice Evolving through Turbulent Times.
Global Business Review, 6(95), pp. 96-112.
Vassiliva, B., 2017. Marketing 4.0: How Technologies Transform Marketing Organization. Óbuda
University e-Bulletin, 7(1), pp. 47-56.
 BUSINESS REPORT FOR PRINT CAKES LTD

Executive Summary
In a recent interview with the company executive, it was observed that, although Print Cakes Ltd

has grown from what it used to be at its inception, the company hopes to expand its operations in

the nearest future. Challenges of limited funds were which hinders effective advertisement and

limits the company’s ability to truly compete were highlighted.

We offer of a solution that begins from an exploration the market to identify future opportunities,

and also see how Print Cakes may fill in the observed gaps of opportunity. The survey takes a

functional approach that observes several aspects of how the customer interacts with the product,

and thus we propose a marketing mix that seeks to increase the value that can accrue to the

customer in the process. These are presented in actionable steps.

With the solutions proffered Print Cakes ltd will be able to tailor its product in line with future

market expectations and also improve customer experience. It is hoped that this would lead to an

anticipated business growth for the company.

Differentiated products that meet the need of a targeted demographic will not only help to

expand the business but will make the company more focused and reliable, increasing its value

with its customers

1.0. Introduction
1.1. Problem Statement
Print Cakes limited is a small company puts a premium on creating an awareness for the quality
of its products and also providing an opportunity for customer direct engagement online,
however, the company currently experiences limited engagement on its online platform which
serves as a major point of engagement with its customers. Currently the company has no distinct
customer demographic alternating its services between individual orders and corporate orders.
This does not help to harness its capacities and maximize on its core competencies.

1.2. The Challenges of Print Cakes Ltd

Currently, the company seems to be faced with the problem of limited funds which has limited
its options for advertising on platforms like Google. Although the company opts for other
avenues to get customer aware of its products like making posts on social networking sites, a
look through the social media pages of the company on platforms like Instagram also shows little
to no engagement. The problem of limited funds also affects the company’s capacity to compare
effectively with much larger competitors in the market. The periodical nature of the market is
also another challenge. According to Helena (2021), corporate markets fluctuate according to the
time of the year, for instance, companies close towards the end of the year, and this leads to a
reduction of orders made, thus the company has to refocus its energies in getting orders from
individuals.

In the area of marketing, the company also currently lacks a trusted system that can undertake
required marketing campaigns on a regular basis without a continued personal involvement of
the CEO.

2.0. Market Opportunity

According to obtainable secondary market research by Grand View Research (2021), the global
cake market size has a significant value of about US$42.94 billion as at 2019. This is anticipated
to have a compound annual growth rate of 3.3% from base year 2020 to 2027.

2.1. Trends in the UK Pastry Industry

Product Preferences: The bakery sector in the UK is said to be worth about £3.9 billion There are
crucial findings within the industry that give insights into what to expect. Data obtained from the
customer environment indicates that customers put a premium on freshness and taste[ CITATION
Tas20 \l 1033 ]. More and more customers also prefer hand/homemade cakes. Buyers would also
prefer to order online and have their cakes home delivered due to the pandemic, about 56% of
the population in the United Kingdom preferred a home delivery. There is also a noted
preference for home baking, about 56% of the population were home baking during the
pandemic [ CITATION Tas20 \l 1033 ].

Where Customers get Products: Post- pandemic, buyers will tend to show a preference for
buying online, about 49% of the consumers expect that business should be able to deliver
products to their homes [ CITATION Tas20 \l 1033 ]. There is growing optimism that online
shopping may be a real avenue for significant growth for businesses. A case in point is Allied
Bakeries that had to furlough its staff due to the pandemic, but took its operations online and was
able to increase its customer base garnering over 50,000 followers on Instagram and is currently
putting up a bakery 11 times its former size and extending its delivery base with a centrally
based distribution hub[ CITATION Bri211 \l 1033 ]

What Customers are Buying: There are noted changes in what customers are buying.
According to the British Baker (2021), significant customer interest is shifting into the buying of
provenance and ingredients – a development which is associated with consumers placing a
premium on healthy diet options. Allied Bakeries was able to bring back its staff from the
furlough and has included the selling of ingredients in its repertoire [ CITATION Bri211 \l 1033 ].
Currently the company has a 50:50 split between its online sales, and face-to-face sales and has
increased significantly in capacity.

The Technology Environment: Personalization is considered a major tech revolution in the

pastry industry. Others include technological advances in the form of applications that help to
monitor factors like ingredient expiry date or when products have been in the refrigerator for too
long, or when ingredients are finished or going out of stock will be invaluable to the company as
they help to ensure product freshness [CITATION Tas21 \l 1033 ].

2.2. Future Opportunities for Print Cakes Limited based on Observed Market Trends
The observed trends provide direction for Print Cakes to provide even better value for its
customers in the following ways

Product Portfolio Review: The trends show customer showing interest in provenance and opting
for options that promote health in their pastry diet. Print Cakes can expand its product offering
by including the sale of ingredients. This can be done with its already established customer base.
Improving Delivery Services: the pandemic has led to a growing preference for online purchase
of products by customers and a preference for home delivery. Notable companies like Uber Eats,
and even Amazon have been noted to draw income from the delivery business. Print Cakes could
make this an area to consider for investment.

2.3. Challenges in the Business Environment

Print Cakes will have to contend with an external political environment that hangs in the
balances of uncertainty due to proposed lingering effects of Brexit [ CITATION Pol19 \l 1033 \m
Sma21] Economically, the UK is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic in the form of
restrictions and lockdowns- the year 2020 saw the economy of the country plunging into
recession, however most small businesses like Print Cakes have been able to navigate new paths
by moving their businesses online [ CITATION Exp21 \l 1033 ]. Major aspects of the way of life
have also been affected by the pandemic – a prominent effect is people preferring their pastry
products delivered at home and people preferring to buy ingredients and make their own pastry
products at home [ CITATION Tas20 \l 1033 ]. Both instances present opportunities for small
businesses like Print Cakes.

Internally Print Cakes has the strength of providing personalized and direct access for its
customers, though the segment in which the business operates is readily entered by new investors
due to its low cost set up. The company is also weak internally in that it does not have a well-
defined marketing strategy. Opportunities exist for the company to define its market, diversify its
product offering. and also improve its delivery services

3.0. Segmentation Targeting and Positioning

Market segments are chosen for their stability in time and their ability to inform marketing
strategy decisions [ CITATION Wed12 \l 1033 ]. Insights from the market opportunity identified in
the previous section have defined the target market which will be used to determine a customer
persona. The customer persona was developed using information from primary and secondary
resources. The primary source was an interview conducted via electronic forms (google forms).
The transcript of the interview is included in the appendix. Secondary sources include details
from business reports and sites supplying information on trends in the bakery market.
2.1. Targeting
2.1.1. The Customer Persona
The persona describes a fictitious Jasmine who is goal oriented. Identified peculiarities of the
persona indicate a relatively average income earner educated. Jasmine is active online almost
throughout the day either for work or leisure. Prefers online shopping and would generally
research before shopping. Her preferred search engine is Google. Her buy process involves doing
a comparative research on products and will generally chose depending on perceived quality of
the product. Pastries are a regular feature inn Jasmine’s diet, especially bread, cakes are
consumed less frequently. She would generally show a bias for a company that offers excellent
cake designs and whose product have a health advantage. Jasmine values the element of trust
from her vendors – a kind of ‘what you see is what you get’ situation. She is easily discouraged
if the processes for ordering product are too complex to follow. (Details of interview responses
and its evaluation are found in the appendix)

Demographically the millennials seem to be the most available group that will be attuned to the
opportunities available and the marketing intervention scheduled. These are people between the
ages 25 and 34, they have also been described as ‘demographic power houses’ [ CITATION Fox21 \l
1033 ]. They also fit into the discovered persona

Psycographically, most of the targeted consumers in this demographic show a busy and time
unconscious kind of life style, they also value health options. These set of people behaviorally
expect to be served and be given the front seat to have a say in what their product is like –
product personalization. Personalization has also been noted to be a trend that will be favored by
a specific age group- the millennials owing to the fact that this group have grown up with this
factor- a generation that has been said to have designed their own Nike trainers [ CITATION
Nic18 \l 1033 ], and are also used to being sent personalized birthday messages by platforms like
Facebook. They are also technologically savvy. They make for a good demographic to target
given the available opportunities.

Using the VALS framework these group can be described as the thinkers characterized by their
penchant to do a research before they make purchases, relatively financially stable, and tend to
use technology in functional ways [ CITATION Str21 \l 1033 ].
2.1.2. Overview of the Customer Journey Map
The customer’s interaction with a product involves a series of complex steps which makes the
consumer experience. The complexity theory perspective helps us see it as a complex system
with a variety of parts and interactions. The general idea behind this theory is that reality can be
seen as a dynamic self-regulating complex system that interacts in ways that may influence the
probability of future events. This gives an indication to marketing practitioners to model multiple
realities and thus observe it with a view to creating solutions that relieve the painful points and
increase satisfaction [ CITATION Var18 \l 1033 ]. This can be achieved using a customer journey
map

For the developed persona, a journey map was created to show the customers interaction with the
product. Each stage of the journey is matched with a customer need and the relevant touchpoint.
The identified persona starts her journey with an online search and is looking forward to spend
the least time possible. She uses a popular search-engine- Google. In her feelings she goes from
being unsure to being bombarded with lots of information, and doing a comparison to narrow
down her options. Options are narrowed down based on the relative ease of finding information
about products that matches up with her interests. She only comes to a place of relief when she
finds what she wants.

Stages of these journey and the feelings involves reveal how Print Cakes can continually target
its identified market segment online, this amongst others will include, a seamless online
experience occasioned by a search engine optimized website. An easy user interface that makes
site navigation easy.

The products can also be differentiated to cater to health as indicated by the persona. All these
advantages must be highlighted at every turn on the website. (The table indicating the journey
map is found in the appendix).

2.2. Positioning Strategy

Among its direct competitors only about 6 companies rank higher that Print Cakes in terms of net
assets [ CITATION End21 \l 1033 ]. The two closest competitors are analyzed as follows.

    Print Cakes Ltd Herman Brot UK Ltd Taza Bake Ltd

Company Company Founded 2018. Founded 2018. Manufacture Founded 2014.
Profile Highlights Manufacture of and retail sale of bread, Manufacture of

Cupcakes, chocolates,
and biscuits
Key
Competitive
Advantage Personalization of
Pastry Products
Strengths Provides personalized
access for customers to
be a part of their own
SWOT end product design.
DETAILS Product freshness
Not enough online
Weaknesses engagement (901
Instagram followers)
The business could be
Threats overrun by big budget
investors.
Table 1. Competitive Analysis for Print Cakes. Data Source:[ CITATION End21 \l 1033 ], Company Website/Social Media
Pages/Knowledge Card on Gooogle.com
bread and fresh
cakes, flour confectionery pastry goods and
and sugar. cake
Efficient product
differentiation (there is a
distinct emphasis on the Able to offer quality
healthy food options that the products at
company produces competitive price
Known as the go-to option
for healthy pastry foods
(Low Carb, high protein
food) High online
engagement (4,594
Instagram followers).
Distinct brand identification
completes with recognizable
color - yellow  
Not a very strong
  online presence
   

Print Cakes can do more to in terms of product functionality. The market is currently positively
reacting to healthy food options [ CITATION Tas20 \l 1033 ], and this has been well exploited by
Herman Brot UK Ltd. The company also needs to work on a distinct brand identity made evident
in a distinct color scheme. A competitive pricing strategy especially for products for which there
are alternative producers should be adopted. Taza Bake Ltd uses low prices to attract more
consumers.

2.3. Proposed Marketing Mix

In the proposed marketing mix, the Product (especially cakes) will undergo differentiation to
make for healthier options and its base will also be diversified to include the sale of healthy
baking ingredients. In view of the targeted demographic- millennials in the UK are not really
high-income people, Willige (2019) of the World Economic Forum reports that the current set of
millennials are earning less than their previous counterparts in other generation.These set of
people will be price sensitive; it is appropriate that pricing strategy for Print Cakes be
competitive. They are also avid researchers that must justify every purchase in line with
cherished values, health has been identified as one of these [ CITATION Shi20 \l 1033 \m Fox21] .
The targeted demographic are also heavy internet users so product placement will be mostly
online. The ease of making personalized orders and having them delivered to a personal address
is a thing favored by the millennial demographic. It has been recommended that Print Cakes
increase its online engagement on social media and possibly make it an avenue to further
customer interaction by carrying out Promotions there

3.0. Recommendations
The value chain on the customer journey begins from the point of their search for healthy pastry
offering and convenient services delivery. The following elements can be controlled.

Product differentiation: More emphasis should be put on providing healthy options especially for
cakes.

A Search Engine Optimized website that helps to being up the company in top positions on
popular search engines like Google.

An extended Product Portfolio: Print Cakes could look into selling of healthy cake ingredients in
line with observed market trends [ CITATION Tas20 \l 1033 ]

A heavier online presence especially on social media websites like Instagram Facebook, and
Twitter. Print Cakes can initiate engagement on these platforms by running promotional
campaigns on them.

A totally revamped online order and delivery process to match the growing need for customers to
have products delivered to them

Print Cakes can improve efficiency greatly by leveraging more on MarTech. This implies
allowing software’s automate its business activities like sales tracking of products which can
come in handy in inventory purchase. Software can also help manage loyalty programs which
helps improve customer experience – for instance repeat customers are easily identified and
rewarded [ CITATION Daw21 \l 1033 ]

Feedbacks: it has been observed that about 59% of customers read up on the menu before the
place an order [ CITATION Daw21 \l 1033 ]. Tracking reviews on social media and responding
carefully to them will help improve the business image online leading to more yields.
4.0. Conclusion
The above recommendations have been made for Print Cakes Ltd while considering it as a B2C
company, which has been observed to be its strengths. Given the available marketing opportunity
and target demographic. The customer centered approach will enable Print Cakes break new
grounds and achieve its 3-year aim for growth as put forward by the chief executive.

5.0. References
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[Accessed 21 May 2021].
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2021/652206.article
[Accessed 18 May 2021].
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Available at: https://www.dawnfoods.com/insights/how-to-boost-bakery-business-through-technology
[Accessed 18 May 2021].
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[Accessed 18 May 2021].
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2021/
[Accessed 21 May 2021].
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Dessert Cakes, Sponge Cakes), By Distribution Channel, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 -
2027. [Online]
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[Accessed 17 May 2021].
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[Online]
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millennial-coin/
[Accessed 21 May 2021].
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Available at: https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/91926/the-federation-of/
[Accessed 21 May 2021].
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business/371/
[Accessed 18 May 2021].
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new-normal/473/
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[Accessed 21 May 2021].

6.0. Appendix
The customer Journey Map

Figure 2. Customer Journey Map. Source: Author's Analysis

2. The Customer Persona

Demographics

 Age: 32
 Income: £28,995 per annum.
 Highest level of education: College degree
 Gender: Female
 Marital Status: Single
 Current Occupation: Emergency medical technician Name: Jasmine.

General Online Behavior

 Usually online for most parts of the data, either for work or leisure purposes’
 Would normally shop for most of her stuff online
 Most frequently used search engine is Google.
 Uses the internet for educational purposes too, especially YouTube.

Buying Process

 Would generally do an online search and compare the advantages of different products.
 Purchasing is strongly influenced by quality.
 Values the element of trust for selected vendors. The vendor should be able to deliver
what they promise in their adverts.
 Jasmine would generally not follow through with an online purchase if the required
process is too cumbersome – e.g., a poorly designed website in terms of functionality.

Impression about Companies offering Pastry Products

 Will often order for pastry products online

 Ordering is not really occasional, bread is a regular feature of her meals, and occasionally
eats cake
 Will be attracted to a pasty company that has good designs and who’s product offers
health advantages.
Below is an example of questions asked and answers produced.

Interview Transcript for Customer persona

In developing the customer persona information solicited was limited to consumer

demographics, online habits, and their activities about ordering pastries online This shows the
list of questions asked

Demographic Information

1. How old are you?

2. What is your income?

3. What’s your highest level of education?

4. What is your gender?

5. What is your current occupation?

Information about shopping for Pastries Online

Question: Have you ever ordered for pastry online?

Response: Yes

Question: What would attract you to a pastry business online?

Response: The effort put into the designs and the benefits the product has to offer.

Question: How often do you order for pastry, is it only for special occasions?

Response: Not really, bread is a regular feature of my diet, and I love to indulge in nice cakes
from time to time.

Question: The first time you made an order for pastries online, what was the typical event in
your life?

Response: I was searching for pastry producers making home deliveries.

Question: What would attract you to a company like Print cakes?

Response: Cool designs of the products and the benefits it offers.
Online Habits Information

Question: How often do you check on your phone, at home, at work?

Response: I am very frequent with my phone, first it enables me track all correspondence as it
relates to my business and its serves as a good distraction during the periods when I am not
particularly busy. I would say I am particularly checking on my phone throughout the day for
different reasons

Question: What type of articles are you interested in online?

Response: I read for pleasure most of the time online, however I am also attracted to blogs that
improve my knowledge base about any topic.

Question: Do you use any social media personally? How often?

Response: Basically, all social media but mostly Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

Question: Do you have a special preference for any search engine? What’s your process for
finding something online? I would normally use google for most of my online searches.

Response: I would normally type a keyword into google to search for things. I could also take
cues from comments or customer reviews.

Buying Process Information

Question: What is your decision-making process when planning on buying.

Response: Most products are offered online these days, so a quick search for the best options
and the advantages they offer will usually help me decide

Question: Do you usually involve other people when making decisions to purchase things online
If so, who? And why or why not?

Response: Mostly, it’s just me, although I may get a tip from a friend about a product from time
to time.

Question: What would you say influences your purchasing decision the most?

Response: The perceived quality is important

Question: What would you consider as most important when selecting a vendor?

Response: The element of trust, can they be trusted to do what they promise?

Question: What are some key factors that would stop you from making a purchase?

Response: For online transactions, the website has to have an easy access. I am disturbed when I
am trying to find my way around a website just to make an order