Marketing Management

If you are working in a super market, what techniques/ tools you will use in data collection. How are you going to analysis the data and make inferences? How will you finally apply your market research to improve sales and win over customers?

Answer:

Data collection and records management:

(a)  Data collection is an integral part of records management.

(b) Records are a very important aspect of the day-to-day management of any establishment.

(c) The state, quality, quantity and accessibility/retrievability of records are part of the yardsticks for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of leadership and management.

(d)  Data collection and Record keeping are two closely related processes which serve the purpose of making correct and reliable management decisions in the key areas of planning, implementation, evaluation and feedback.

Tools and Strategies Useful for Data Collection:

To ensure that all relevant variables were tracked on a weekly basis and to minimize data collection error and collector bias, tools and methods were developed for the data collection process. The tools developed were an inventory sheet, maps of the produce area, a weekly log, and use of pictures. The methods used include management of the collected data, reconciling of conflicting prices, interactions with managers and consumers, and selecting and training new data collectors.

Tools:

There were a few tools that made collecting data at the retail level easier.

Questionnaire:

An evaluation of supermarket is done using a questionnaire that emphasizes on the key elements of such as:

Ø  Accessibility

Ø  Customer service

Ø  Range of products

Ø  Availability of products

Ø  Store reputation

Ø  Ethical business

Ø  Quality of products

Ø  Product availability

Ø  Pricing, enjoyment of shopping

Ø  Parking

Ø  Cleanliness

Ø  Hygiene

The questionnaire is designed using a five-point scale that ranges from

5-Strongly Agree

4- Agree

3-Neutral

2-Disagree

1-Strongly disagree

The rating of satisfaction with specific attributes can be done by question such as,

“How satisfied are you in general with the following aspects of customer service of the supermarket/s where you generally do your shopping?” and Willingness to recommend supermarkets can be got by

“Would you recommend the following supermarkets to your best friend for regular purchases?”

More questions should be framed covering all the key elements and questionnaire should be easy to understand and to fill.

Inventory sheet:                                                                                                                         

One of the most important tools developed and used for the study was an inventory sheet. The inventory sheet is a table listing the fresh fruit varieties on the left-hand side and the different variables that were being tracked across the top. This sheet provides a quick and accurate way to record individual prices, the origin of production, eco-labeling, fruit sizes, display sizes, point of purchase material sizes, weekly advertisements, in-store specials, and quality scale measures for different varieties of fresh fruit.

Maps:

Maps were another useful tool. On the maps, changes in display locations and the locations of any special banners or promotional material used were documented. Displays of fresh fruit appearing outside the produce department were also noted on the maps. These outside displays were either located in other sections of the store or outside the store’s main entrance. From the information documented on the produce department maps, variables were created for entry displays (those fresh fruit displays that appeared in the entryway of the produce department), and the aisle location of displays (which included variables for within, end, and freestanding displays).

Weekly log:

A weekly log was also created to document the items featured each week, changes in display locations, and any changes in the overhanging banners within the produce department. The log was organized by date, which provided easy reference. The log helped researchers adjust to unforeseen changes that occurred at the retail level.

Pictures:

Pictures were taken to document the dimensions of each fruit display, the corresponding point of purchase material, special promotional material, changes in the produce area, and any overhanging eco-labeling banners. For easy reference, the pictures were cataloged according to retail store, date, and subject. Pictures were also useful in checking for any entry errors or abnormalities in the data. The pictures of each display recorded the prices, point-of-purchase material, and display dimensions. When an error was observed in the data set, the pictures were checked to determine if the prices, display size, point-of-purchase size, display location, and eco-labeling signage were correctly entered in the data set. The pictures provided the ability to reexamine the appearance of the displays to determine if new variables should be added. For example, using the pictures, variables were developed for specific sensory wording which appeared on point-of-purchase material such as fresh, sweet, and crisp.

Methods:

Manual data entry into Excel sheet:

To efficiently manage the collected data, all in formation was manually entered into an Excel spreadsheet. The hard copies of the collected data were cataloged and sorted by week. To check for entry errors, subsets of ten per week were checked for accuracy. If any errors were found the entire weekly entry was double checked with pictures and the hard copies of information collected during the store visits. During data collection the prices at the point-of-purchase would sometimes conflict with the prices posted within the in-store fliers. Since the price at the point-of-purchase was easier to observe than the price within the in-store fliers, the price at the point-of-purchase should have a larger impact on consumers’ spending. As a result, when the prices differed, the price at the point-of-purchase was entered in the data set as the weekly price. The data collection process was designed to be convenient for the retail managers and as unobtrusive as possible. Data was collected during times that worked well with their schedules. The data collectors were instructed to be polite and courteous when interacting with the produce managers and their staff. The produce managers also helped in the data collection by providing valuable information about the consumer purchasing behaviors within their stores. Also, discussions took place about the typical product placement strategies used by the produce managers.

Product association:

One product placement strategy that was not accounted for in the development of the data collection process was the use product association. Produce managers would sometimes place produce displays in other areas of the store to increase sales not only of produce but sales of products that are often consumed together with fresh produce. An example of product association is displaying bananas in the cereal section, which can have a positive impact on the sales of both bananas and some cereals. Regularly visiting with the produce managers helped to ensure that all relevant information was collected each week.

Interacting with managers and consumers:

The data collection process took place in a consumer based business. Therefore, interaction with consumers was expected. Data collectors were instructed to try to stay out of consumers’ way, while providing friendly assistance when asked. For example, if consumers asked about the data collection process, the data collectors were instructed to be polite and inform them about the study being conducted. Treating consumers politely helped with the purchasing process and left a favor able impression with consumers, and consequently with the produce and store managers. When a new data collector needed to be hired, one of the important characteristics sought was a personable nature. The data collection process involves interaction with retail managers, other store staff members, and consumers; thus, the data collector should be personable to maintain good relationships with managers, their staff, and their customers.

Training newly hired:

When training new data collectors it is paramount to convey the importance of accurately collecting and entering the data. New data collectors were in structured to collect and enter data in a timely manner. Previous experience has shown that delaying data entry leads to mistakes during the entry process. These mistakes will lead to incorrect results from the data analysis, and can take weeks to detect and correct. In addition, a process was needed to ensure consistency across data collectors. Project managers allowed sufficient time for the hiring process in order to overlap the outgoing and incoming data collectors by two weeks. This provides for a training process where the new recruit can observe a data collection and entry cycle and can be observed and coached in the second cycle.

The  data  can be  utilized  for  developing  strategies/ tactics/ plans  for  the  following  areas:

Ø  CUSTOMER   RECEPTION.

Ø  SALES   ASSISTANT TRAINING.

Ø  PRODUCT MERCHANDISING

Ø  STOCKING /RESTOCKING

Ø  CUSTOMER   SERVICING

Ø  CASH COUNTER   MANAGEMENT

Ø  CUSTOMER   RELATIONS BUILDING

Ø  CUSTOMER   LOYALTY PROGRAMS

Ø  STORE MANAGEMENT   TRAINING.

Ø  BUSINESS   DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Other strategies: 

According to the flexible method applied in this research, during the fieldwork were found some not predicted marketing strategies:

·         Use of posters promoting membership card 

·         TV’s near the checkout with various advertisement of product offered inside the store.

·         Play area for children.

·         Shop express: It’s a new system of shopping. The customer uses a device to scan the barcodes of all the products that he adds to his shopping basket. To pay his shopping the customer goes to a special checkout which usually has no queues.

Conclusion:

The tools and methods developed for this study have proven invaluable. For over 150 weeks, spanning nine different retail grocery stores, different data collectors have taken weekly observations of primary data in an efficient and accurate manner. The tools that were found to be most helpful are an inventory list, maps of the produce department, a weekly log, and the use of pictures. The strategies that were developed and used for this study include management of the collected data, reconciling conflicting prices, interactions with managers and consumers, and selecting and training new data collectors. Many challenges have been faced and solutions developed for this study to ensure that all relevant information is collected on a weekly basis.