Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing - Essay Example However, the increasing demands of the recent market trends have compelled marketing practices to be focused on the attainment of competitive advantage in the markets. It is due to this transition that marketing has begun to be considered as a strategic management tool to devise and attain long term objectives of the organization. The attainment of goals is possible if the demands of the customers are met and they are ensured that the services and products will be delivered to them in an effective and reliable manner (Kotler et al., 2008). Therefore, it becomes evident for companies to understand their market segments and customers’ demands to ensure that successful businesses are run and they are able to deliver better products and services than their competitors. Fulfillment of customer’s needs is one of the most studied aspects of marketing. Hill et al (2003) explained that customer satisfaction is the degree of fulfillment of the customer’s requirements by an entire product or service from an organization. Customer satisfaction is considered to be the factor that provokes customers to be loyal with their brands and convey a positive image of the company in front of other consumers. Loyal customers can prove to be good publicists for companies. Loyal customers are important assets for any organization since they do not switch brands due to price differences and promotions from the competitors. Customer satisfaction is also known to be a major source for increasing revenues for organizations; therefore, it is aimed to be attained by all organizations to reduce instances of brand shifts and increase market shares. Reicheld & Sasser (1990) studied the service industry and concluded their research with the finding that a 5% increm ent in the retaining of consumers results in a significant increase of 25% to 125% in the revenues of any company. The concept of retaining customers has resulted in the evolution of relationship marketing. This concept facilitates the attainment of revenues from extended relations with customers and makes the development of customer relations an important strategic aim for the company. However, it also needs to be comprehended that the fulfillment of customer’s requirements is not the sole solution for companies in the modern markets; rather they need to keep them contended and delighted with the products and services. It would not be wrong to state that service quality bears great relevance in attaining contentment and loyalty from the customer’s side. Sportswear selling is a varied and uneven market. Retailing chains in the respective field have recorded a slow but steady rate of growth in the past. Companies are investigating to devise innovative formats and proces ses to renew their business models and expanding their businesses with greater number of stores. Sports Direct and JD have managed to attain a prominent place in the current market by achieving a commendable market share. Mintel Reports (2009) stated that a promising future can be predicted for the sportswear retailing industry in UK, especially due to the upcoming London Olympics. The marketing strategy that was adopted by Sport Direct involved the implementation of discounts on their retailing items. This strategy helped them to distinguish themselves from the competitors in the market. The quality of their products is comparable to the ones being offered by globally recognized brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma. It is relevant to investigate if marketing strategies, such as lowering the prices of products, plays an important role in the attainment of customer satisfaction. The research shall focus on marketing strateg