customer service

• Customer service concerns the priority an organisation assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organisation that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organisation or may proactively interview customers for feedback.
• From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering  effort, customer service plays an important role in an organisation's ability to generate income and revenue  .
• From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organisation.
• A customer support is a range of customer services to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, trouble shooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product.
• These services even may be done at customer's side where he/she uses the product or service. In this case it is called "at home customer services" or "at home customer support".

• Regarding technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods, it is termed technical support.

Market segmentation

• Market segmentation is  process of  defining and  subdividing  a large homogeneous market  into clearly identifiable  segments having  similar needs ,want or  demand  characteristics .
• although a retailer may identify several segment within any given market ,not all targets should be considered for  targeting .

Potential Retail Format

figure planning a retail promotional

element of the promotional mix

Following are the tools or elements of promotion. They are also called elements of promotion mix:

1.  Advertising : advertisement can be defined as the “paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of idea, goods or services by an identified sponsor”.
2.  Personal Selling:Personal selling means selling personally. This involves face to face interaction between seller and buyer for the purpose of sale.The personal selling does not mean getting the prospects to desire what seller wants but the concept of personal selling is also based on customer satisfaction.
3. Public Relations:Apart from four major elements of marketing mix, another important tool of marketing is maintaining Public Relations. In simple words, a public relations means maintaining public relations with public. By maintaining public relations, companies create goodwill.Public relations evaluate public attitudes; identify the policies and procedures of an organisation with the public interest to earn public understanding and acceptance.
4.  Sales Promotion:Sales promotion refers to short term use of incentives or other promotional activities that stimulate the customer to buy the product. Sales promotion techniques are very useful because they bring:

• Short and immediate effect on sale.
•  Stock clearance is possible with sales promotion.
• Sales promotion techniques induce customers as well as distribution channels.
•  Sales promotion techniques help to win over the competitor.

promotional strategy

Marketing and promotion strategies

• Marketing is the process of getting your business noticed by the people who need or want your products or services. Many small businesses come up with fabulous business idea but then fail to market it successfully.
• You need to get out there and spread the word about your products or services to the right people to build your customer base. Advertising and selling are part of the process but there is much more involved.

retail marketing strategy

A marketing plan that  details how  a business intend to offer its product or service to consumer  and influence their purchases. For example a typical retail strategy might illustrate how best to place  and  display a company product in retail outlet and how to attract optimal consumer interest at  those  locations with such things as  price discounts ,placement retailer  and incentives .

Element in Retail Strategy 

1.  Target Market  is many businesses say they target "anyone interested in my services." Some say they target small-business owners, homeowners, or stay-at-home moms. All of these targets are too general. Targeting a specific market does not mean that you are excluding people who do not fit your criteria. Rather, target marketing allows you to focus your marketing dollars and brand message on a specific market that is more likely to buy from you than other markets. 
2. Retail Format is the general of the retail mix in terms of range of products and  service  pricing policy promotional programmes , operating  style  or store design  and visual merchandising , example include mail-order retailers (store-based ) and department store retailers.
3. Sustainable Competitive  Advantage is 3 approaches  for sustainable competitive advantage.   First  is build strong relationship with customer .The second is build strong relationship with supplier and the last one is  efficient  internal operation .

type of retail

definition retail management

A process of  promoting greater  sales and  customer satisfcation by gaining  a better understanding of  the  consumer  of  good  and service produced by company .

A typical retail management  strategy  for  manufacturing business might  research the  retail process that distributes the finished products , created by the  business to consumer to determine and statisfy  what buyer want and require .