As markets are small and focused, there are few opportunities for economies of scale.

ATL Activity 1 - The niche market sports industry

Read the article here about 10 niche market sports – how many of these have you head of, such as Octopush, Shinty and Korfball?

Then read the article here about some of the benefits of niche marketing.

Case Study 1 - Bald Dating

In late November 2020, a niche online dating app was launched exclusively for bald men. Bald Dating, as the name suggests, was designed for those
specifically looking to find someone who wants to date bald men. The company's website states “Being bald can be very hard for some people and they
lose their self-confidence... Bald Dating was created to show that being bald doesn’t matter. There are many people who don’t mind you being bald and
there are even others who prefer it.”

However, Bald Dating isn't the first or only niche market dating app. It follows in the footsteps of other niche dating platforms such as Short King Dating,
which caters for men who are under 5’9″ in height. The aim is to remove the stigma associated with height from the dating scene.

Bald Dating also follows the launch of 20 Dating in August 2020, an online dating site designed specifically for people looking for a significant age gap in
their relationships. The service is dedicated explicitly to those seeking an age difference of 20 or more years between subscribers and their prospective
partner. According to David Minns, the creative mind behind 20 Dating, said “Finding an 18 or 20 year old interested in a 40 year old on a ‘standard’ dating
site could be a real challenge. At 20 Dating, you know everyone is open to a larger age gap.”

Case Study 2 - Pink Ladies

Pink Ladies – a niche marketing case study

Pink Ladies is a rather unique business. Whilst watching the news about a lady called Rachel Thacker who had been sexually attacked by an illegal taxi
driver, Tina Dutton (co-founder of Pink Ladies) thought about her daughter Leanna who was at the age where she was going out in the city with friends.
Leanna had told her mother that she felt rather anxious being the last person in a taxi after a night out with her friends. The comment made her mother
Tina become aware of a niche market opportunity. This case study introduces the business model of Pink Ladies and highlights the potential successes of
operating in niche markets with a clear and focused business strategy.

Pink Ladies – members only

Having carried out extensive market research to understand the risks faced by women in the UK, Tina Dutton and business partner Andrea Winders
established Pink Ladies in June 2005. Pink Ladies is a members-only club providing a range of services, including pre booked car services, offering a
guaranteed lady driver with safety for women being the paramount distinctive selling point. Other distinctive selling points of Pink Ladies are shown in Box
1. For example, the business only transports females, boys under the age of 12 and males with special needs.

Females can become Pink Ladies members from just £10. As a non-profit organization, members get discount vouchers worth £50 (approx. $65) upon
successful registration. To further its corporate social responsibility (CSR). a donation to a local charity is given from membership fees.

Box 1 – The distinctive selling points of Pink Ladies

Uniformed female drivers

No cash in the cars (members use a pre-registered top-up service)
Available to registered members only
Through-the-door policy
In-car computers with built-in safety alarm
Vehicle tracking device /
 Pink vehicles!

Product differentiation – Pink style

Pink Ladies provides a ladies only transport service, with safety being the main focus. For example, all Pink Ladies vehicles are installed with the latest
GPRS tracking and satellite navigation system. The cars are pink and so is the leather interior.

Passengers (females only) have to be members of the exclusive Pink Ladies Club. As the service is only available to authorised members, no cash is kept
in the Pink Ladies vehicles. Instead, customers have a pre-registered account which they can top-up (in the same way as pay-as-you-go mobile phone
services). This also helps to reduce any anxieties about not having enough money for a taxi after a good night out.

The drivers are also ladies only, who wear pink uniform (of course). They are trained in first aid, customer care (including being trained to work with
disabled people) and, for ultimate safety, self-defense. Using GPS technology, Pink Ladies will send text messages to clients to tell them know when your
car is nearby so that women do not have to leave the building and wait outside. It also means that members never have to queue in taxi lines. The GPS
technology also allows Pink Ladies to track the speed of the cars, thereby acting as yet another safety device. Drivers deliver a through-the-door service,
ensuring that their customers are safely inside before leaving. All vehicles have satellite navigation systems to ensure that drivers can get to their
customers, however remote the location. All this serves to ensure peace of mind to the customer and the drivers.

More recently, Pink Ladies has allowed boys, under the age of twelve, to travel in their vehicles. This was in response to market research that revealed
mothers who wanted to be transported with their children. Pink Ladies also offers a school drop-off and pick-up service for its members. In line with its
private car hire service, Pink Ladies operates the school drop-off service using its through-to-door policy, whereby the driver will ensure that the child is
with a member of staff from the school before leaving. It’s not just the children that members value the services for, as some clients use Pink Ladies for
caring for and transporting their elderly parents. Not surprisingly then, many of its members use the service regularly including businesswomen to use the
Pink Ladies airport drop-off and pick-up service on a frequent basis.

Ultimately, these value-added services provided by Pink Ladies mean that members can have absolute confidence in the service.

Product portfolio – more than just a taxi service

Pink Ladies offers its members a host of services. In addition to its popular taxi service for pre-booking customers, Pink Ladies product portfolio includes:

Shopping vouchers and discounts

Car insurance (in association with Aviva)
Home insurance
Accident Management (on a no-win-no fee basis)
Legal services (including a free legal advice service for members)
Discount Holidays
Bingo!

Box 2 – Pink Ladies top tips for a safe night out

• Plan ahead, and let others know your plans
• Try to stick to well-lit areas when on foot and, if walking home, be with friends
• Stay alert if alone
• Walk with an air of confidence
• Watch your drinks at all times (carry a drink spiking kit)
• Refer to the suggestions on www.2lovemylips.co.uk

Conclusions

The entrepreneurial talents of the founders of Pink Ladies demonstrate how a simple business idea can transform into a huge success with the market.
The focus of the organisation is to provide value- added services to its members, in a lucrative niche market. Paramount to its success is a clear and
focused business strategy: Pink Ladies wants to ensure that all members are safe when they are out, whether they are on their own or with their friends.
It’s not just the customer that is given attention at Pink Ladies. The organization prides itself on the use of flexible working practices to suit its all-female
staff. Pink Ladies actively encourages flexible shifts to attract and encourage women to seek employment opportunities at the organization.

Who would have thought that a teenage daughter expressing her concerns would have led to such a budding business?

Find out more about Pink Ladies here at www.pinkladies.co.uk

This could be useful for students trying to look for an organization to research for their CUEGIS essay.

Mass marketing (AO2)