This report discusses the strategic marketing of Amazon Grocery in Romania, focusing on the market entry strategy, segmentation, targeting, and competitive advantage. It includes a PESTLE analysis of the Romanian online retail sector and recommendations for launching sweets and biscuits in the market.
Contribute Materials
Your contribution can guide someone’s learning journey. Share your
documents today.
Strategic marketing of Amazon in Romania
Secure Best Marks with AI Grader
Need help grading? Try our AI Grader for instant feedback on your assignments.
Executive summary Strategic marketingis all assessing the consumer needs and requirements so as to find out what is important for them and why a particular brand is purchased. The present study is about strategic marketing of sweets and biscuits to be sold by Amazon grocery in Romania market. Hence a PESLTE analysis of online retail market of Romania has been carried out. This is followed by discussing the market entry strategy, segmentation, targeting, 7ps theory and porters generic strategy to gain competitive advantage in the nation. The study reveals that the company should launch its sweets and biscuits in Romania on account of good market share of the product and need for consumers to have some healthy food options. But it is also true that the product may face competition from other brands that have a established presence in Romania. The company is thus required to target all consumers (male or female) in the range of 4 to 60 years. The need is to focus on reasonable pricing and promoting it as a healthy product.
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................4 PESTLE ANALYSIS OF ROMANIAN ONLINE RETAIL SECTOR.......................................................4 DESCRIBE THE MODES OF MARKET ENTRY FOR AMAZON GROCERY IN ROMANIA AND RECOMMEND THE MOST APPROPRIATE STRATEGY......................................................................6 APPLY CONCEPT OF MARKET SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING AND CRITICALLY EVALUATE POTENTIAL TARGET MARKET FOR SWEETS AND BISCUITS OF AMAZON GROCERY..................................................................................................................................................8 INSERT DIAGRAM OF PORTER’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND EXPLAIN COST DIFFERENTIATION, COST LEADERSHIP AND FOCUS STRATEGY................................................8 RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................................................................................10 CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................11 REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................12
INTRODUCTION Strategic marketing is a method by which a company differentiates itself from rivals by capitalizing on strengths so as to provide better product and service value. The aim of present report is to make the readers understand about how strategic marketing tactics can be applied when a firm is planning to make an entry into a new nation with a new product (Choksi and et.al., 2016). This can be done by focusing on objectives being analyzing the internal and externalenvironmentofcompany;developingastrategicmarketingplanandmanaging resources so that objectives of company are attended (Ododo, Mulholland and Turner, 2015). As a marketing consultant of Ashanti Marketing Solution an attempt has been made to study strategic marketing ofAmazon Groceryas it is planning to launch sweets and biscuits in Romania. Focus will be given on carrying out PESTLE analysis of Romanian online retail sector so as to assess opportunities and threats. Emphasis will then be given on segmentation and targeting; recommending one out of Porter’s generic strategy and deciding the suitable entry mode for the company in the nation. PESTLE ANALYSIS OF ROMANIAN ONLINE RETAIL SECTOR Pestle analysis can be defined as a framework to assess macro environmental factors that put an impact on any organization. These include political, sociocultural, legal, environmental, technological and economic factors (Lillqvist and Louhiala, 2014). A proper introduction of Amazon with its product being books in Romanian market can only be done when the company is aware of the PESTLE factors that it may face in the nation. This will help to find out overall success rate of the product in market. Political – This includes all the government policies that are present in any nation and how it puts an impact on working of organization. Romania has got the presence of a stable political system that is beneficial for growth of Amazon in the nation. However the country suffers from high rates of corruption and bribery which may negatively impact working of Amazon. But the recent changes in EU have ensured that government is in a process of creating a more honest nation (Palmetier and et.al., 2016). Economic – these are those policies of a nation that determine its economic performance and thus impact working of company. The present economic conditions of Romania are quite stable one. This has been fuelled by an increase in minimum wage rate from
Paraphrase This Document
Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
RON1,250 to RON1,450 which has aided in increasingconsumption patterns(Choksi and et.al., 2016).This factor is most likely to increase the sales and revenue figures of Amazon in Romania. But along with this, Amazon will have to increase its overall wages given to employees so as to attract good talent towards company. Social – these factors include cultural trends and population demographics of a nation. In this respect, there is a presence of high disposable income in the Romanian population that has increased consumption of products (Shukla and Sanghavi, 2017). Moreover presence of fast paced lifestyle specifically in urban areas has made the consumers get comfortable with the concept of online shopping. These factors can ensure towards success of sweets and biscuit segment launched by Amazon in Romania. Technology – These include all kind of technological inventions that may impact working of any industry. In this respect, Romania has a presence of good internet availability at less rates even in one of the most secluded areas. This is very essential for growth of online retail sector and overall sustainability of Amazon in the nation. In this context, Romania has a presence of more than 11 million internet users followed by a mobile internet penetration rate of 85 percent. It has further been found that Romanian people purchased 2.8 billion euros of online product during the year 2017(Vigneron and Johnson, 2017). Other than this, there has been an advent of digital technology in Romania as well which has changed the attitude and behavior of consumers towards online retail. The presence of social media sites, mobile apps etc. have made sure that consumers spend more time to browse for products and brands. Environmental – the presence of environmental sustainability is a very essential for overall survival of business. This is on account of issues such asglobal warming, ozone depletionthat are affecting global atmposhere. The Romanian government is particularly concerned about reducing environmental pollution to a great extent. Hence Amazon should invest in CSR policies and focus on key areas such as packaging, waste reduction etc in its biscuit and sweet section in Romania (Stierand, DÃrfler and MacBryde, 2014). It can also adhere with the concept of go green concept so as to portray an image of being a sustainable firm. The company can also increase its use of biodegradable packaging for bringing a reduction in wastage. The company must also adhere with all thelegal
commitments set by government of Romania in the area of environment and also involve itself in voluntary activities. Legal – it focuses on the legal changes and new laws that can impact working of a firm. As per legal norms, Amazon needs to provide all the needed information to the consumers so that they are aware from whom are they buying. Amazon is required to develop trust factor with the consumers while setting there online store. Else they can be subjected to penalties and fines (Vilkey and Dehbid, 2016). Opportunities and threats to be faced by Amazon grocery in Romania market along with possible solutions As per the above PESTLE analysis, the opportunity that is present in front of Amazon grocery is to launch different flavors of sweets and biscuits so as to lure the consumers in each and every segment. It can also focus on launching sugar free or less sugary biscuits for health conscious segment. The company can also takefull advantage of Social Media in Romania and try to generate awareness among the consumers. On a positive note, the Romanian population is quite active on social media such as Facebook with a presence of 9.6 million accounts. The threats can be in form of other companies such as Alka group, Bio shop, Romania Food & Beverage Ltd all of whom have an established presence in the nation (Vigneron and Johnson, 2017). The solution to the issue is that Amazon should make the price less than that offered by competitors and also focus on quality along with taste. This will make its product better than rival firms. The other threat can berising prices of raw materials such as cocoa which can led to increase in overall price of product(Choksi and et.al., 2016). In this regard, the company must focus on other ingredients to make its products such as sugar, jiggery, wheat flour etc. These are a lot healthier than chocolate and cocoa hence consumers can get attracted towards the offerings of the company. DESCRIBETHEMODESOFMARKETENTRYFORAMAZON GROCERYINROMANIAANDRECOMMENDTHEMOST APPROPRIATE STRATEGY Market entry can be defined as a planned distribution of products and service to a new target market (Boelsen-Robinson, Backholer and Peeters, 2015).In order to make sure that Amazon
grocery through its product range in sweets and biscuits makes a successful entry into Romanian market the need is to focus on various entry modes. These are as follows; Franchise – A method for business expansion in a foreign nation by distributing products and services via a licensing relationship (Shree,Gupta and Sagar, 2017). In present case, Amazon can allow other firms in Romania to it’s utilize name, trademark, product label etc. and allow distribution of its sweets and biscuits. Amazon will further charge a royalty fee from the company. This is most likely to bring a reduction in the risks associated for making an entry into a new nation. Joint venture – This is the entry mode where 2 or more independent firms join with each other to achieve a strong position in the market (Son, Lee and Kim, 2015). The newly formed firm can have a control over expense, revenues as well as assets. In present case, Amazon grocery can enter into joint venture with sweet and biscuit seller in Romania to assess local market and understand taste and preference of consumers. Entering into a joint venture can also play a key role in reducing all kinds of political and legal tensions as local firm will have a good know how of the market. If local food chain is a successful one then brand image can be gained in a short span of time. However, the company should enter into joint venture only with those firms that have same kind of objectives/value set. Strategic alliance - Strategic alliance can be defined as a partnership agreement between two or more parties for pursing the agreed set of objectives while being independent as an organization (Choksi and et.al., 2016). Amazon can enter into strategic alliance with small companies that are selling sweets and biscuits all over Romania. This technique will help the management have an exact idea about the taste and preference of Romanian consumers when vegetarian food is concerned. The best possible strategy forAmazon grocery in Romaniamarket is to use franchisee mode of entry. The company will allow only selling it brand as well as labeling and it will also get fees for the same. There are less chances of market failure on account of market knowhow by the company. This will further aid in increasing market share and brand value within the nation.
Secure Best Marks with AI Grader
Need help grading? Try our AI Grader for instant feedback on your assignments.
APPLY CONCEPT OF MARKET SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING AND CRITICALLY EVALUATE POTENTIAL TARGET MARKET FOR SWEETS AND BISCUITS OF AMAZON GROCERY Market segmentation is the technique of dividing heterogeneous and large markets into small segments. This technique is required to be utilized for sweets and biscuits to be sold by Amazon so as to serve the consumers in a better manner and generate profit figures for the company. In present scenario, the company can make use of many segmentation techniques for its sweets and biscuit segment. First is the pshycograpgic segmentation which is segmenting the consumers on the basis of personality type, lifestyle, attitude, value set as well as interest. In this regard, the product segmentation can be done on basis of size being small, medium and family sized packets. Next is the behavioral segmentation that groups the consumers on the basis of a specific behavioral pattern when the purchase decision is made. Small packets can be manufactured for the consumers who wish to eat the sweets and biscuits in the shop or after going to home. On the other hand, it can also manufacture celebration packets in order to gift someone. Targeting can be defined as the technique of choosing a potential consumer group who can be offered product and services of a company(Choksi and et.al., 2016). In present case there can be a use ofmulti-segment targeting strategy so as to serve all the potential segments in a profitable manner. Amazon can further develop specific marketing mixes that can appeal to some or all of the segments In this regard, the population to be targeted for sweets and biscuit section of amazon grocery is all consumers in the age group of 4 to 60 years. This is as sweets and biscuits are liked by all. Morever, statistical figures further suggest that Romanian biscuit industry is one of the most dynamic one. The total biscuit and sweet market share is of350 cores per month. From this, only toasts, crackers etc. form 250 crore of market share (Sarker, 2017). INSERT DIAGRAM OF PORTER’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND EXPLAIN COST DIFFERENTIATION, COST LEADERSHIP AND FOCUS STRATEGY Porter’s generic strategy can be defined as the technique used to gain competitive advantage in the market. These are of three main types beingcost differentiation, cost leadership and focus strategy.
Figure1Porter’s competitive advantage (Source:Lee and Vachon, 2016) Cost leadership – it can be defined as the strategy for gaining competitive advantage over rival firms on account lower cost involved in producing product and services(Vigneron and Johnson, 2017). The low cost may not just mean low price but also applies to other functions such as production, promotion, sales etc. In this respect, the product can still be priced at competitor rates but on account of low production cost the company is in a better position to sustain even in lean times. It can also invest more into business for further expansion. Differentiation – This can be defined as the technique for bringing uniqueness and attractive in product so that more consumers can be engaged (Choksi and et.al., 2016). This strategy typically involves for focusing on its features, functionality, and durability as well as consumer support. Differentiation strategy adopted by any company can attain success only when it offers product and services after good research and innovation. It should also make its sales and marketing team strong one so that the market is able to assess benefits offered by the products.
Focus strategy – This strategy can be defined as the one that focuses on a niche market. Emphasis is given on assessing dynamics of that market and unique consumer needs so as to develop low cost products accordingly. By the use of this strategy, any company can serve the consumer in a unique manner that can led to development of brand loyalty among consumers. This can further make a particular market segment less attractive to rival firms. The focus strategy furthers has a presence of two variants being cost focus where a firm seeks to attain cost advantage in the target market. Then is the differentiation focus where products and service offerings are provided as per special needs of buyers in a segment. As per the discussion about all the above strategies, it can be recommended to Amazon grocery that the company should use differentiation strategy. In this concept, the sweet and biscuit offerings of company in Romanian market can be differentiate its products from rival firms by utilizing many approaches. The company can provide a small toy with any family pack of biscuit and sweet. This will help to lure the kids towards the product range of company. Other than this, the firm can launch healthy variants of biscuits that are made from oats, rage and wheatrather than refined flour. Baked versions with less sugar can also be launched by company in Romanian market. This is required as according to a research study carried out by iSense Solutions 9n out of 10 Romanian citizens have taken an action plan for a healthy lifestyle. They have also started focusing on those brands that are linked with healthy eating. Hence this strategy can provide a good amount of differentiation to the firm that rivals and also lure consumers towards the company. An another source of differentiation can be to carry out market research activities so as to bring more variations in sweets and biscuits so as to suit the taste buds of consumers. This area will require a thorough study of consumer needs and preferences so that best type of product can be offered to them. RECOMMENDATIONS It is being recommended to the company that Amazon grocery should launch its sweets and biscuits in Romanian market and also introduce some healthy variants of it to grab more consumers.It can be recommended that Amazon grocery should adopt franchise as the mode of entry into the market of Romania as the company will get a royalty fee and only sell its brand name and label.This will also reduce various kinds of risks associated to the set up in a new country. This also reduces the risk of market failure and company can focus on increasing market
Paraphrase This Document
Need a fresh take? Get an instant paraphrase of this document with our AI Paraphraser
share and brand value. This will also help in gaining customer value in new country which will further help in expanding the business. It is also recommended that the company should focus on both cost leadership and differentiation strategy within Romania. This can be easily achievable because both strategies were tried and tested in other markets and had resulted in creation of a goodconsumer base for the company. CONCLUSION From the above report a conclusion can be drawn that sweets and biscuits can be introduced by Amazon grocery in Romanian market. This is on account of high market share and demand for good taste good but healthy option amongst the consumers. However the company can face competition from other brands who are selling similar kinds of sweets and biscuits in Romanian market. But still there is enough room to accommodate the products to be launched by Amazon in Romania as there is an ongoing trend of adopting a healthy lifestyle amongst the consumers. The company is thus required to target all age groups as well as genders to capture a greater market share in a short span of time. Reasonable pricing can be kept for the product followed by promoting it as a healthier food item than other rival firms. The company already has franchising withinRomaniawhichshouldbemaintainedfollowedbyadheringwithlowcostand differentiation strategy.
REFERENCES Books and Journals Boelsen-Robinson, T., Backholer, K. and Peeters, A., 2015. Digital marketing of unhealthy foods to Australian children and adolescents.Health promotion international.31(3). pp.523- 533. Chokshi, P., Shah, H., Arora, R. and Agrawal, N., 2016. Perception of Consumers towards Cadbury and Nestle.Asian Journal of Research in Marketing.5(6). pp.8-27. Lillqvist, E. and Louhiala-Salminen, L., 2014. Facing Facebook: Impression management strategiesincompany–consumerinteractions.JournalofBusinessandTechnical Communication.28(1). pp.3-30. Ododo, C., Mulholland, G. and Turner, J., 2015.Can Discount Pricing Be A Competitive Brand Strategy?Bucharest University of Economic Studies Publishing House. Palmatier, R., Stern, L., El-Ansary, A. and Anderson, E., 2016.Marketing channel strategy. Routledge. Shree,D.,Gupta,A.and Sagar,M., 2017.Effectivenessof cause‐relatedmarketingfor differential positioning of market entrant in developing market: An exploratory study in Indiancontext.InternationalJournalofNonprofitandVoluntarySector Marketing.22(2). p.e1573. Shukla, T. and Sanghvi, R., 2017. India’s Fastest Growing FMCG Company: An Insight into Patanjali’s Marketing Strategies.Evidence Based Management.105. Son, I., Lee, H. and Kim, J., 2015. Preannouncement effect of innovative new product on global telecom industry: focused on iPhone.Indian Journal of Science and Technology.8(24). Stierand, M., DÃrfler, V. and MacBryde, J., 2014. Creativity and Innovation in Haute Cuisine: Towards a Systemic Model.Creativity and Innovation Management. 23(1). pp.15-28.
Vigneron, F. and Johnson, L.W., 2017.Measuring perceptions of brand luxury.Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Vilkey, A. and Dehbid, M., 2016. Strategic Marketing Management with Japanese Management Approach.J. Pol. & L.9. p.172. Online Avadanai, C., 2018.SocialmediaînRomânia–mai2018.[Online].Availablethrough: <https://socialweb.ro/social-media-in-romania-mai-2018/> Sarker, S., 2017.ROMANIA PLANS TO GAIN TEN PERCENT OF TOTAL MARKET SHARE BY NEXT YEAR.[Online]. Available through:<http://www.fintechbd.com/romania-plans-to-gain- ten-percent-of-total-market-share-by-next-year/>