Launching Ensure Milk through Lazada Thailand: A SWOT Analysis and Business Recommendations

This presentation explores the FMCG sector of Thailand and the opportunities and threats for Ensure Milk. It provides an overview of the product, business objectives, and ways to improve sales. The SWOT analysis of launching Ensure Milk through Lazada Thailand is discussed, and business recommendations are given to improve sales. The presentation also discusses the importance of innovation and product diversification in the FMCG sector of Thailand.

ENSURE MILK
Launching through Lazada Thailand

FMCG sector of Thailand
◦ The FMCG sector of Thailand is similar to retail industries of other
countries.
◦ On order to be successful retailers have to establish relationship of
mutual trust and loyalty with consumers based on their bespoke
preferences along with addressing market trend by providing good quality
and efficient service.
◦ In order to do that innovation, the way is to attract the contemporary
needs of consumer base which is basically the urge of being fit and
leading healthy lifestyle.
◦ According to Lerskullawat and Prukumpai (2017) , it has been noticed new
product and packaging ideas are driving customers towards adopting new
purchasing behaviour. Therefore, product diversification and packaging
safety are the factors which can make the business sustainable.
◦ Consumers are engaging themselves into online shopping irrespective of
interest whether it is fashion or food.
◦ Most of the time, they are driven by impulsive shopping behaviour.
Although, customers like to receive their necessary goods delivered at

Overview of the product: Ensure Milk
◦The tendency of having milk is decreasing and trend of consuming
health drink or functional drink is growing day by day.
◦The idea of developing product like Ensure Milk is influenced by
customers’ tendency of consuming healthy food and being fit at
the same time. Therefore, the opportunity of creating new product
can be noticed which cares about the amount of sugar consumed
by customers.
◦ There are older people who suffer from health issues like poor
digestion or lack of nutrients and cannot consume dairy products.
◦Ensure Milk’s ingredients promise to provide a complete nutrition
with vitamin, minerals and protein infused health drink
(Ensure.com 2019).

Business Objective
◦ As it is a universally acknowledged fact that
business industries are going through a
dynamic phase and the trend of using e-
commerce is increasing among consumers.
◦ In order to capture the market value, Abbot
has decided to launch Ensure Milk through
Lazada e-commerce website, powered by
Alibaba Group across Thailand and a large
portion of South Eastern Asia.
◦ . In order to do that it is necessary to
understand how competent the brand is to
be launched through such eminent virtual
platform in terms of attracting interest of
customers.
◦ As a key account manager, as
described in Saenko et al. ( 2016), the
responsibility will be to figure out
areas of communication, sending
quotes of sales to Lazada and
monitoring sales figures.

Swot analysis
Strengths
◦ It offers all the nutritional benefits to people
suffering from lack of nutrients, poor health
or digestion.
◦ It is functional alternative of dairy products,
provides taste and energy both.
◦ According to the feedback, it has already
created a positive brand image in market. It
has been recommended by dieticians for
recovering from health issues.
◦ Moreover, global presence of Abbot and their
high quality emphasize their potential growth
in virtual field of commerce too.
Weakness
◦ Although, Ensure provides great
quality the product is easily imitable
and there is very few diversification
opportunities.
◦ As Abbot does not have their own e-
commerce site, the company has to
rely solely on Lazard and other
retailers for sales.

SWOT analysis
Opportunities
◦ Although, diversification opportunities are
limited; the culture of innovation and product
diversification are factors which keep the
business sustainable for longer terms.
◦ That is why, addressing the current market
trend if Ensure Milk can launch a healthier
version of functional drink lowering the
amount of sugar or a supplement which is
suitable for diabetics; it would be good for
brand equity.
◦ Business expansion through ecommerce
website like Lazada is one of the greatest
opportunities. However, market development
is dependent on how impactful the branding is
going to be over target market.
Threats
◦ Such functional drinks, protein shakes are
high on demand as this range fulfils the
requirement of maintaining a healthy
lifestyle.
◦ Therefore, Ensure has to face tough
competition from the brands like Meiji
protein drink and other functional drink
brand or green tea products.
◦ As they have to depend on retailers for
increased sale, if Lazada starts to sales
products which are under their private
libel, then Ensure will surely lack
popularity.

Recommendation to improve sales
◦ As supported by Lau et al. ( 2013), exploring the existing opportunities, brand
development is necessary. Ensure can lower the amount of sugar targeting diabetic
population of Thailand or to serve the needs of people who are health conscious.
◦ Product diversification or innovation is another option. Apart from Milk power it can
develop protein powders for people swearing on low carb diet.
◦ Ensure can come up with new flavours which will attract the customer to break the
monotonous experience of having a functional drink or protein shake.

Recommendation to improve sales
◦Using the strong brand image company can influence and keep
up the quality of branding. Moreover, exploring tools of digital
marketing Ensure can increase its visibility over virtual platform.
◦While advertising; whether it is through traditional or digital
mode, either the opinions of dieticians and doctors can be
promoted or positive feedbacks of consumers can be included.
◦Celebrity endorsement is another way to motivate people for
purchasing Ensure as sportspersons or fitness enthusiasts are the
social icon.

References
◦ Ensure.com (2019). Ensure® Original Nutrition Powder | Meal Replacement |
Ensure®. [online] Ensure.com. Available at:
https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-powder [Accessed 23 Feb. 2019].
◦ Lau, T.C., Chan, M.W., Tan, H.P. and Kwek, C.L., 2013. Functional food: a growing
trend among the health conscious. Asian Social Science, 9(1), p.198.
◦ Lerskullawat, P. and Prukumpai, S., 2017. Sustainable Development and Firm
Performance: Evidence from Thailand.
◦ Saenko, N.R., Sozinova, A.A., Karabulatova, I.S., Akhmetov, I.V., Mamatelashvili, O.V.
and Pismennaya, E.E., 2016. Research in action integrated marketing
communications as the elements of information and virtualization market
relations. International Review of management and marketing, 6(1S), pp.267-272.

Thank you!