Niche Furniture Marketing and Mass Marketing Strategy

Running head: DISSERTATION
NICHE FURNITURE MARKETING AND MASS MARKETING STRATEGY
Baraa Abbas / ST20162154
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Dissertation

DISSERTATION1
Acknowledgements
I have been very grateful to the various people with whom I had interacted as part of
the study. Respecting their confidentiality I would like to thank the various organization with
whom I interacted as a part of the research. I am thankful to the various managers and former
managers of various organizations whom I interacted with. Thank you to all of those who
have helped listened and encouraged me throughout this study. I am indebted to my
supervisor ......................... whose guidance, advice and patience have been
immeasurable. My sincere thanks to all members of the............... [Mention your
university/college name], both staff and students, whose continuous support have made this
thesis possible.
I would like to thank all of the participants in the study: students, teachers and Local
Education Authorities, for the time and help given throughout. Without their participation,
this research would not have been possible. In this context, I am also thankful to them, whose
research work helped me to execute this paper well.
Finally, I thank my family, without whom this thesis would not have been started or
completed! Your encouragement and support have never faltered; thank you.
Abstract
The aim of the study was to find out about the prospects of niche furniture marketing in
Dubai. The overview of the Dubai and UAE mass furniture and niche furniture market has
been provided. At the same time the study has considered the value of the furniture market
that has been created over the years. The niche furniture market of the county consists of the
various newer furniture product offerings that are much different than the traditional furniture
that are available in the market. One of the most important issues presently affecting this
market is the marketing functions. The target audiences for the niche furniture market are

DISSERTATION2
increasing but there has not been any effective marketing strategy that is implemented to
attract this growing potential customer base. Hence, the study has considered the marketing
functions to develop essential strategies to tackle the niche furniture market challenges. The
future growth prospects of the niche furniture market in Dubai have been considered. The
theoretical frameworks that can govern the growth of the niche furniture markets have also
been considered much importantly. The methodologies have been provided along with the
essential discussion of the niche market that exist in the county. Surveys and interview tools
have been used to determine the findings in regards to the niche furniture market of the
country. The key factors derived from these tools have been discussed subsequently to derive
essential implications from the study.
Key Words: Niche furniture, mass furniture, niche furniture marketing, furniture market,
marketing, market segmentation, Dubai, UAE

DISSERTATION3
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................6
1.1 Research background.......................................................................................................6
1.2 Rationale..........................................................................................................................6
1.3 Research Objectives.........................................................................................................8
1.4 Research Questions..........................................................................................................8
1.5 Methodology....................................................................................................................8
1.6 Dissertation outline..........................................................................................................8
1.6.1 Chapter 1- Introduction.............................................................................................8
1.6.2 Chapter 2- Literature Review....................................................................................9
1.6.3 Chapter 3- Methodology...........................................................................................9
1.6.4 Chapter 4- Findings...................................................................................................9
1.6.5 Chapter 5- Conclusion and Recommendations.........................................................9
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................10
2.1 Overview........................................................................................................................10
2.2 Concept of niche marketing...........................................................................................10
2.3 Factors affecting niche marketing..................................................................................12
2.4 Concept of mass marketing............................................................................................13
2.5 Factors affecting mass marketing...................................................................................14
2.6 Comparison between niche marketing and mass marketing..........................................16
3. Chapter 3- Methodology......................................................................................................18

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3.1 Research Philosophy......................................................................................................18
3.2 Research Design.............................................................................................................19
3.3 Research Approach........................................................................................................20
3.4 Research Strategy...........................................................................................................20
3.4.1 Research Sample.....................................................................................................21
3.4 Sampling techniques......................................................................................................23
3.5 Analysis technique.........................................................................................................23
3.5.1 Data Categorizing....................................................................................................24
3.6 Data Collection...............................................................................................................25
3.7 Research ethics...............................................................................................................25
Chapter 4: Data Analysis.........................................................................................................26
4.1 Overview........................................................................................................................26
4.2 Interview analysis...........................................................................................................26
4.2.1 Transcript analysis..................................................................................................26
4.2.2 Thematic analysis....................................................................................................33
4.2.3 Discussion...............................................................................................................36
4.3 Survey Analysis.............................................................................................................36
4.3.1 Survey findings.......................................................................................................36
4.3.2 Discussion...............................................................................................................44
4.4 Summary........................................................................................................................47
Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendation...........................................................................47

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5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................47
5.2 Research objectives, Findings summary and conclusion...............................................48
5.3 Context and relevance....................................................................................................49
5.4 Impact of Niche marketing on the furniture industry.....................................................49
5.5 Key Factors....................................................................................................................49
5.6 Recommendations for further study...............................................................................50
5.7 Study Limitations...........................................................................................................50
5.8 Conclusion......................................................................................................................51
References................................................................................................................................52
Appendix..................................................................................................................................59
Survey questions..................................................................................................................59
Interview transcript..............................................................................................................61

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research background
The study focuses on exploring effective strategies for market penetration and
evaluates them in the context of the niche furniture market of UAE. The study subsequently
focuses on analysing the various market penetration strategies that would be the most
effective in terms of establishing strong market position in the niche furniture market of the
UAE. The effective analysis of the factors that affect the niche furniture market of the UAE
can provide a much important analysis of the environmental aspects of the market. Niche
furniture market has significant growth potential in the country and it has to be found how the
various organisations in that are taking part in the business can utilize this.
UAE has been a relatively stable market for a large number of commodities and
services over the past few years. This has contributed towards the creation of diverse markets.
The study is an effective tool to measure the overall market potential of the country
specifically concerning the furniture market. The exploration of the various aspects connected
with the niche furniture market of UAE becomes necessary to determine the future growth
prospects of the industry. Moreover, the market competition concerning the entire industry
needs to be analysed concerning its all-round significance in determining the growth potential
of the market of the country.
1.2 Rationale
UAE has a presently booming real estate market that has witnessed very good growth
over the last few years. The rapid growth of the real estate market in the country is actually
related to the growth prospects of the niche furniture market of the country. This is mainly
because the residents of the newly developed areas make up the ready markets for niche
furniture companies. Hence, it can be said that the rapidly developing and growing real estate

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market can boost the revenue proposition of the niche furniture industry of the UAE.
Moreover, it is important to consider that in 2018; around 55 thousand houses and 40,000
new hotel rooms were built across the country. This helps in the creation of many new
markets for the niche furniture in UAE (Research 2019).
Moreover, it needs to be considered that the furniture market of the UAE is supported
by the timber industry of country. However, 70% of the timber industry in the country is used
in construction. Only the remaining part of the resources is used for furniture and interiors. At
the same time UAE is one of the prime tourist destinations of the world. The growth in the
number of tourists visiting the country would contribute further to the development of hotels
across the country. As of 2017-18 there were 1.5 million international tourists that have
visited the city. Currently Dubai ranks 6th in the world as the most visited city. This will
eventually give rise to further demand for niche furniture.
The competition in the niche furniture industry of the country is intense due to the
rising value of the market. The emergence of newer companies in the industry has given rise
to more competition in the market recently. Quality is an important parameter on which all
the major market players compete with each other. Hence, the materials and the finishing of
the products become very important governing factors. In this regards the competition in the
market can be said to be in even planes due to the strong competition between companies,
stores and the unorganized sectors. The industry is expected to grow by 6% until 2022
(Hennig-Thurauand Houston 2019). The research is focused on evaluating how all the factors
that have been known until now can affect the growth prospects of any company in the
industry.
Moreover, the focus is on finding any other major factors that have emerged recently
or can emerge in the future. The topic becomes important as the niche market sector has a