Business Enterprise Plan
Business Enterprise Plan
The gift market is not limited to specific customers, as the trends changed in thebusiness world the way of doing businesses changed as well. The two major markets for “Smiles for Miles” can be the individual givers of gifts and the corporate sector clients. However, in KSA expecting gifts from strangers or people who are not close is considered embarrassing as gifts are more frequently accepted from close friends. Therefore, individual gift givers will be the primary market for the business. The secondary market of “Smiles for Miles” will be corporate clients. In Saudi Arabia, businesses are built on personal preferences, and building trust is an important factor. Despite the fact that gift giving is not necessary for Saudi business culture, but perceived as a good gesture (Santander Trade Portal, 2016). In individual’s market, the business will target people from the age of 10 to 55 most preferably women as they cannot drive and have fewer chances to go out for buying gifts. Gift representation plays an important role in perceiving the value of the gift, the business through unique gift-wrapping services will add a different meaning to gifts.
People give gifts to friends, peers, and business associates. gifts represent the image of the person who is giving a gift; therefore, gifts should be beautiful, perfectly chosen,and ethical (as wine is not allowed in Saudi Arabia). Individuals by just giving a call to “Smiles for Miles” can have a perfect advice on the selection of gifts with the unique wrapping and rapid delivery service (See Appendix).
Strategies to have access to target audience
Having access to the target audience for delivering the message of business is important. Therefore, the business will not rely on a single medium and will use multichannel strategy for having the reach to the maximum number of people. The major aim of the selection of media strategies is to influence the buying behavior of customers and encouraging them to purchase the services of the company. It has been determined that in 2015 the total population of the country was 27752316 and in 2014 approximately 18300000, people were using the internet the penetration rate was 65.9 percent. However, in 2015, only Facebook had 12000000 users with 43.2 percent penetration rate (Internet World Stats, 2016). Therefore, it has been decided that the major medium to have reached to the target audience will be social media, and most of the advertisements will be placed on Facebook with price detail. On the other hand, other techniques like advertising and word of mouth techniques will be used as well. Pamphlets will be distributed at different levels such as in offices, malls, and supermarkets so it will be easy to have access to the specific target audience.
Marketing strategies
The company will use diverse marketing strategies, and the aim of these strategies will be to build awareness that why the business exist and the unique selling proposition of the company. The business will use the mix of actual and virtual platforms. For targeting the individuals, brochures will be distributed through visiting diverse malls, cafes, and supermarkets of Eastern region. Moreover, billboards will be placed in front of the most famous gift shops. The company will promote its business through print media; weekly advertisements will be placed in newspapers that have the maximum reach to people. For example, Al-Riyadh Newspaper, as it is the dominant newspaper in the country (Al-Riyadh, 2013).
However, as it has been examined that more than half of the population in Saudi Arabia is using the internet, it becomes indispensable to give more importance to social media. The company will use diverse internet mediums for spreading awareness such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. YouTube will be used to communicate closed-off information that will create a level of the personality of the business. It will give the tour to customers that how enthusiastic the staff is to facilitate customers. The videos will communicate the behind the scene experience of efforts that are done by the company to fill the order of the customers.
Strategies for keeping the sustained customers base
Getting customers is important, but keeping those customers is more important as it enhances the profitability of business through repeat purchase. For maintaining sustained customers base, it is pivotal to develop and implement an effective customer based strategy that develops, encourages, nurtures, and widen the company’s relationships with customers. It has been revealed by several researchers that collaboration is an important element for keeping customers engaged or retained. The company on its website will provide a blog to its customers where they can comment, share their experience with “Smiles for Miles”, and can provide recommendations. The company through making replies to the comments and addressing issues of customers will keep their customers sustained. Collaboration is the best technique for building the trust of customers and making them loyal. The business will also share the annual sales and new ideas, and will ask feedback from customers (Hill, 2007). Moreover, for maintaining the customer base, the organization will offer loyalty programs such as buying services ten times will enable the customers to have one time free service. This means customers who have bought the service ten times in a year will not be charged for wrapping and delivery services on the eleventh purchase.
Marketing timetable
The marketing activity of the organization will take six months. The first step in spreading the awareness will be the expression of the initial ideas that what “Smiles for Miles” is, for the attainment of this objective the massive attention will be given to market the business on social media from May 1st. At social media, detailed advertisements of the company will be done, and unique selling proposition will be communicated to customers. To attract customers, it is essential that they are communicated with emotional (best-selected gift for loved ones) and rationale benefits of the service (time saving and unique and excellent wrapping). Social media advertisements will be an ongoing and two-way process for making promotions and keeping the customers sustained. Facebook twitter, and instagram advertisements through providing customers’ ratings and number of comments and likes will communicate the initial success of the idea. On all these sites, target audience will be encouraged to visit the website of the company for asking more questions.
After spreading the awareness, customers will be approached with brochures by visiting diverse malls and supermarket that will take approximately two months. This process will take place from 1st July. These pamphlets will aim to target the individuals who have not experienced the virtual advertisements of the business and making recall to those have gone through the ads.
Newspaper advertisements will be started from 1st July. Newspaper advertisements will be used for three months to influence the decisions of customers when people have complete awareness of the services, the business is offering. The reason behind using the newspapers is that this medium is the most respected as any other medium. Newspaper companies allow readers to select from diverse ways that how they want to receive their advertising content that will allow company to communicate the message to customers at their most suitable time and place. This technique will enable the organization to reach maximum customers in most effective way.
Billboard will be placed in front of big gift shops from 1st September with the aim of generating the reminder and making big impact in the local area. This technique will enable the company to have look of each outsider on its advertisements. This technique has greater chances to attract potential or new customers because Target audience is not expected to do anything for having looked on the ads.
However, after conducting all these efforts when the customers will be completely aware of the business, it will be easy to spread the word of mouth, this will be done through proposing blog option on the website of the company, where people can ask relevant questions, can share their experience, and make comments. This will allow the organization to attract more customers as positive comments itself is a marketing technique, and people make decisions based on the comments made by other who have experienced the services of the firm. Therefore, word of mouth will be the last option that will be used.
References
Santander Trade Portal. (2016). Saudi Arabia: Business practices. Retrieved April 9 2016, from https://en.santandertrade.com/establish-overseas/saudi-arabia/business-practices
Hill, T. H. (2007). How do you sustain and grow your customer relationships?. Business. Retrieved April 9 2016, from http://www.business.com/business-intelligence/how-do-you-sustain-and-grow-your-customer-relationships/
Internet World Stats. (2016). Middle East. Retrieved April 9 2016, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/middle.htm
Al-Riyadh. (2013). Al Riyadh Newspaper. Retrieved April 9 2016, from http://www.alriyadh.com/en/p/info
Appendix
Individual gift wrapping for different events
