The Analysis of the Holden Trucking Services - Research Paper Example

? Marketing Products Marketing Products Introduction When marketing products firms ought to bring out a perfect mix of the following: the best product, sold at the right price, in the correct place and most importantly using suitable promotion method. The above mix also has conditions to be met in order to work perfectly. The product must contain the right features – should be attractive and work well, the product should be availed at the right place and time – ensuring that they are availed when wanted, target group should be aware of the existence and the availability of the product. This paper seeks to discuss the farm product and the service component produced by Holden Trucking Services. Type of product Holden trucking services produces Barley. Barley is a healthy cereal grain high in fiber, protein, maltose and sugar that alternatively can be used for malt syrup sweetener. Fermented, barley makes the perfect ingredient for beer and various alcoholic beverages. It also has a nutlike flavor, chewy texture and is similar to wheat berries though its color it slightly lighter. Barley has varied functions; it can be used for nutritional purposes, as an ingredient in making beer and as feeds for farm animals. Barley has a robust nutritional benefit to consumers. According to research, barley’s soluble fiber lowers the risk of getting coronary heart diseases and reduces cholesterol levels; also it contains insoluble fiber responsible for minimizing the risk of diabetes type 2 and colon cancer. It grows to about 30 inches high in dry subtropical regions experiencing cool growing and short seasons. The crop is resistant to diseases compared to other cereals; however, sometimes it is attacked by diseases like rust and virus diseases. Service components There are various reasons why addition of services enhances growth opportunities and high profit margins. Innovations and improvements in service normally results in more loyalty, and increased customer satisfaction eventually impacting in higher profits, cost of sales lowered and attracting potential customers. Documentation as a service is a language that goes with or accompanies a product. It often shows its design, development and marketing strategy in clear terms. Documentation will indicate how to improve products and reveal loop holes in sales funnel, which would have eluded the seller. It is also able to put the seller into contact with prospective customers and investors (Blythe, 2006). Another service is transportation/logistics. This is the process of getting products to its intended destination. There are many phases involved; there is transporting the product from the firm to the storage facilities the other getting the product to the customer. Luckily, Holden trucking services happens to be in the said service meaning that transportation costs will be lower compared to if the service was outsourced This will ensure that the produce will reach the intended customer on time (Grewal & Levy, 2010). Storage is another service equally important. It allows the seller to store product when it is not needed and helps to avail the items when demand is bigger than the immediate creation bearing in mind that it is a seasonal product. Barley is stored in refrigerated warehouses since it can easily go bad if left in normal warehouses. Packaging, blending and branding plays a crucial role in marketing a product. It not only attracts the customer to try out ones product but also protects the product from damage. Also, packaging assists in portraying information and directions about the product. Packaging again is used also to differentiate one brand from another (Blythe, 2006). Expansion to a product line This involves changing product into different forms to meet varied business opportunities and attract more customers. Barley can be used to produce different products thereby creating a product line. Barley has various uses some of them being nutritional as animal feeds and as an ingredient in making beer and alcoholic drinks. As a nutritional food, it contains both insoluble and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is effective in lowering cholesterol and the risk of developing heart diseases; it also actively slows the absorption of sugar thereby reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It also helps to promote loss of weight. Barley is used again used to remedy digestive issues including stomach pain, diarrhea and inflammatory conditions. As food Barley is used as a good source of carbohydrates, fatty oils, and vitamins. Malted Barley is cereal that has undergone the process of drying. It is normally used for flavoring and as a food additive. In manufacturing, malted barley is commonly used as a brewing agent in making beer. Malting is the process of raising grain to the highest point of starch content making it sprout roots which is the first step in photosynthesizing plant. At this point, the seed is usually full of starch which is much needed for growth (Kerin et al, 2011). After malting, the grain is exposed to a temperature that stops growth but leaves natural enzymes to be active. These enzymes are responsible for converting starch into maltose/sugar which is metabolized by yeast into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Holden trucking services can decide to expand its product line from providing raw farm produce to producing food made from Barley and even brewing beer depending on the economic conditions prevailing and the business opportunities available (Grewal & Levy, 2010). Changes in response to industry or market change The core business of Holden trucking services is producing Barley; however, there are many factors, which may force the business to change. These factors are mostly external and cannot be mediated, internally thereby necessitating the business to change its core activities. A change in consumer income will affect the demand for a product. An increase in income of the consumer will lead to an increase in the demand for a product and vice versa. Normal goods are those goods whose demand rises as consumer income rises while those goods that have demand decreasing; as income of consumer increases are inferior goods. Expectation of the customer with regards to price changes also can affect the core business. If the price of a good is expected to go up, consumers will rush to purchase the good now not risking to pay later. Similarly, if consumers feel that prices of a good will fall soon, they prefer to wait to take advantage of the lower prices. Population change is also a factor that may force a business change its core business. In the event that the target group is not responsive enough to the product or is slowly becoming a smaller size, it is that the business changes its activities to accommodate the new or trending target group (Grewal & Levy, 2010). Tastes, preferences and trends of the consumer also can alter business activities. Goods whose popularity may be extreme in a given year may possess little or no demand the following year. Predicting these trends and preferences and adapting the production of those products to them is quite difficult necessitating businesses to have many production lines (Kerin et al, 2011). Nature of the product Nature of a product to a large extent weighs on the choices and decisions relating to standardization of the product offered. In essence some products by nature need great alteration others only partially, others best if left unchanged. Barley is a perishable good. Perishable goods are those goods that go bad over time and worsen in quality if not refrigerated. The distribution channel of perishable goods must be streamlined in order to make the product available to the customer on time. As soon as the product starts to degrade, its market value falls down thus should be handled with care and transported by efficient distribution channels (Kerin et al, 2011). Various business processes should be synchronized properly before perishable goods reach consumers. Harvesting on time, procurement, efficient and reliable transportation, good storage facilities, processing and proper packaging are required for marketing perishable goods. Conclusion Having looked at the various uses of Barley, Holden trucking company will surely be on the road to making profits because of its marketing strategies and the competitive nature of the farm product it will produce. The product features allows the customer to derive maximum utility, and since it has various uses reaching out to new customers will be easier. Value addition activities having been made in line with customer demands will assist in drawing customers to the product. The diversions into different product lines will allow it reap from the different market segments and target groups. References Blythe, J. (2006). Marketing. London: SAGE Publications. Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2010). Marketing. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Kerin, R. A., Hartley, S. W., & Rudelius, W. (2011). Marketing. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Read More