Coles Assessment: 3 Reflections on Marketing Concept Application

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Coles' marketing strategies, focusing on the application of various marketing concepts. The student examines Coles' approach to strategic marketing, including the use of PESTLE analysis, to understand the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors influencing the business. The report further delves into the marketing mix, assessing Coles' product offerings, pricing strategies, promotional activities, and distribution channels, with specific reference to the Nestle Top and Fill caramel product. SWOT analysis is applied to evaluate Coles' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The report also covers market segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies, as well as Coles' commitment to social responsibility and ethical practices. The student highlights the impact of digitalization and consumer behavior on Coles' marketing efforts, concluding with an assessment of how these marketing concepts contribute to Coles' overall success in a competitive market, emphasizing the importance of customer service and market share.

Coles

Coles
Assessment: 3 Reflections on concept application
In the present era, marketing is one of the important factors that are considered by
majority of the company. In my opinion, the main role of the marketer is to boost the overall
sales of the company so that it could be easy to attain the set goals in the competitive market. If
marketing is not considered by the companies then it would impact the overall operations of the
business and also adversely affect the profits in the business environment. I have selected Coles
for this paper and the marketing concepts will be elaborated in reference to Nestle Top and fill
caramel which is one of the branded products sold in the Coles store.
There are various marketing concepts but one of the popular marketing concepts relates
with the different components of the strategic marketing. It is analyzed that there are different
forces that affect the overall operations of the business. Pestle analysis is one of the marketing
concepts that are considered by the companies. I have found that Coles also considers the Pestle
analysis as the marketing concept so that it would be easy to have in-depth analysis in relation to
the overall activities of the company. In relation to political factor and legal factor, the company
has to consider the food standards code. Coles has considered this approach which means that
company is providing the packaged foods that have the nutritional information such as the
quantities concerned with protein, fats and also saturated fat. Socio cultural factor is concerned
with the demand of the customers and also it affects the overall sales of the company’s products
(Keith, 2012). I have observed that according to the need of the customers, Coles sold the Nestle
Top and fill caramel as it is more preferred by the customers. Due to more demand of the
particular products, Coles tries to satisfy the customers by providing the products on time to the
customers. The goal of the company is to maintain trust and also to deliver quality, service and
value to the customers. In context to economic factor, the purchasing behaviors of the customers
have been changed and it has led to the rise in the living costs where the customers prefer to
purchase the low cost products (Crane, Palazzo, Spence &Matten, 2014).
I have observed in relation to other competitors in the market that Coles is offering the
Nestle Top and fill caramel at low price as compared to the other competitors. Technological
factor is also considered in which Coles focused on using the techniques through which
customers can do their billing easily. When I visited the outlet, I saw that customers are satisfied
with the technique of billing that has boosted the customer service. Digitalization is also one of
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Coles
the effective marketing strategies that are considered by the Coles. The use of social media sites
and websites has been considered by the company through which the demand for the products
and services has been boosted. By considering the digitalization strategy, Coles recognizes the
expectation level of the customers that changes rapidly and also the variety of options are
provided to the company such as Coles online and Cole’s mobile application (Kotler &
Armstrong, 2015). These strategies have helped the customers to purchase the products and also
in my opinion it is one of the best strategies that assist in boosting the entire sales of products
and services among the different competitors that are present in the market.
It is analyzed that marketing mix is one of the popular marketing concept that is used by
the Coles. I have observed that there are varieties of products which are offered by the company
and company has showcased those products in a proper manner. In relation to the price factor, I
have seen that company provide products and services at low price from the competitors as it
will help in boosting the demand in the competitive market. The concept of promotion is also
considered by the company (Kotler, Burton, Deans, Brown & Armstrong, 2015). I have also
gone to purchase the Nestle Top and fill caramel by seeing the advertisement on the banners.
This is one of the effective strategies that have been considered by the company and it has helped
me to be aware about the products.
The employees or the staff of the company is supportive in giving good services to the
customers. Physical evidence is also one of the factor in which the company showcased the
products in a proper sequence and due to this the customers are attracted towards the company
(Olstad et al., 2017). In relation to the place, it has been observed that Coles have proper channel
of distribution through which the products are available easily. By focusing on the processes
factor, the timing of the services is also proper and due to this the sales has been enhanced. When
I investigated about Coles, I get to know that there are various partners with Coles such as
Ocado.
SWOT analysis is also one of the marketing concepts that help to find out the overall
capability of the company. The strength of Coles is related with the brand image in the market. I
have analyzed that the customers are satisfied with the services of the company due to the quality
products and delivery and pickup services offered. But on the other hand, the weakness of the
company is concerned with the low margins of profits as compared to the competitors present in
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Coles
the market. It is observed that opportunities of Coles relate with the geographic expansion and
also the different sponsorship can assist to boost the overall business operations. The major
threats faced by Coles are due to the high competition level in the market that impacts the
operations (Twombly, Shuman & Coles, 2016).
Market segmentation is also the marketing concept that is used by Coles to boost the
demand of the products and services. I have examined that Coles uses the market segmentation
as the strategy. Coles targets the people of all age groups as there are varieties of products that
are provided on the global platform. For Nestle Top and fill caramel, the company targeted the
women who are interested in making cakes. In context to income criteria, the company also
emphasized on middle and high income so that it could be easy to boost the demand of the
products and services (Hunt, 2014). I have observed that Coles emphasizes on the product
positioning strategy in which the products and services are offered at low price and also on the
discounted rates to the competitors. This strategy has helped the company in boosting the overall
market share and enhanced the demand of the products in the highly competitive business
environment.
Social responsibility is also the marketing concept that is used by the companies in the
present scenario and the same applies with Coles. This is also the popular marketing strategy
which is taken into consideration by Coles and it has been analyzed that to attain the ecological
sustainability in target market, the company has prioritized the environmental standards so that
climate change can be controlled and emphasis is given on boosting the green farming. The CSR
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policies and practices that are considered by the company have secured the rights of the labors
and human resources. The overall supply chain has been enforced by Coles and the responsibility
and accountability is taken by the workers. The CSR standards in context to the suppliers have
also been remained under the scanner (Vinkeles Melchers, Gomez & Colagiuri, 2009). The CSR
practices of the company have enhanced the employment opportunities and standards of the
public living in the country. I have observed that when I visited the Coles outlet the management
emphasized on minimizing the wastage of the resources as helps in maintaining the
environmental standards. The company also offers the chance to the people who are unemployed
and this is done with the aim of reducing the poverty among the citizens. The concept assisted
the organization in maintaining the brand image among the customers and also generated
positive image (Dunning, 2014).
Therefore, it can be said that these are the marketing concepts that are considered by the
company and in my opinion; if it is managed properly then it would be easy to boost the overall
sales and growth in the competitive market. These marketing concepts assist the company in
boosting the customer service and also enhance the market share. I have observed that due to
these marketing strategies such as digitization strategy the company has attained growth and also
created positive image among the customers. With the use of these marketing concepts, the
success and growth ratio of the organization has been boosted in the market. So, in the present
era, Coles is one of the largest companies with the large market share on the global platform.
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References
Crane, A., Palazzo, G., Spence, L. J., &Matten, D. (2014). Contesting the value of “creating
shared value”. California management review, 56(2), 130-153.
Dunning, J. H. (2014). The Globalization of Business (Routledge Revivals): The Challenge of the
1990s. Routledge.
Hunt, S. D. (2014). Marketing theory: foundations, controversy, strategy, and resource-
advantage theory. Routledge.
Keith, S. (2012). Coles, Woolworths and the local. Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of
Regional Food Studies, 2, 47-81.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2015). Principles of Marketing-Global Edition. Pearson.
Kotler, P., Burton, S., Deans, K., Brown, L., & Armstrong, G. (2015). Marketing. Pearson
Higher Education AU.
Olstad, D. L., Crawford, D. A., Abbott, G., McNaughton, S. A., Le, H. N., Mhurchu, C. N., ... &
Ball, K. (2017). The impact of financial incentives on participants’ food purchasing
patterns in a supermarket-based randomized controlled trial. international journal of
behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 14(1), 115.
Twombly, J., Shuman, J., & Coles, L. (2016). Effective Development and Management of
Multichannel Strategy. Effective Executive, 19(2), 43.
Vinkeles Melchers, N. V., Gomez, M., & Colagiuri, R. (2009). Do socio‐economic factors
influence supermarket content and shoppers' purchases?. Health Promotion Journal of
Australia, 20(3), 241-246.
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