Marketing Mix and Customer Decision-Making - Article Example

MKT 3100 Day(s) and Time Article Review Due (from Syllabus Satit, Rezky, Tat, Huam, Rasli, Amran, Chin, Thoo, and Inda Sukati. “The Relationship Between Marketing Mix And Customer Decision-Making Over Travel Agents: An Empirical Study”. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, June 2012, Vol. 2, No. 6, p.522-530http://www.hrmars.com/admin/pics/882.pdf2) The article focuses on the importance of marketing mix for the development of the travel industry in Indonesia.

Therefore, the involvement of the marketing mix in the country’s travel industry is examined but specifically in regard to travel agents. Emphasis is given to the critical role of travel agents in the development of the travel industry, not only in Indonesia but also worldwide. For this reason, a survey was conducted among the customers of three travel agents in Indonesia. In total, 215 customers participated in the survey. The survey aimed to reveal the relationship between the marketing mix and consumer decision making especially in regard to travel agents.

After analyzing the findings using three different methods of analysis, Satit et al. (2012) came to the result that only two of the 4Ps of marketing mix influence customer decision-making in the particular sector: product and price. 3) The article addresses a particular aspect of marketing, the marketing mix. It should be noted that the mode of marketing mix chosen in the above study is the 4Ps, i.e. product, price, place, and promotion. At the next level, the article discusses the potential value of the 4Ps for the consumer decision-making process.

In other words, not all aspects of 4P’s are explored, but just the relationship of 4P’s with the above process. At the same time, the use of the 4Ps as a marketing tool is evaluated specifically in regard to travel agents in Indonesia. Although a specific industry is involved, the findings of the research, as presented in the above article, could be used for understanding the value of the 4Ps in other industries also.4) Through this article I have learned that marketing mix can be valuable in a high range of industries; still, the level at which marketing mix can contribute to the development of each industrial sector is not standardized.

For example, in the case of travel agents, only two elements of the marketing mix have been proven to be powerful to influence the consumer decision-making process: product and price. In other words, a marketing mix can serve as a tool for promoting business performance. But before adopting this tool for achieving such a target it would be necessary to review the potential of this tool to perform well in the environment involved. In the case examined in the specific article, the potential inefficiency of the marketing mix was made clear.

From this point of view, the following assumption can be made: when aiming to enhance business performance, entrepreneurs and managers should not use only one marketing tool. Alternative marketing tools would be available for avoiding failures in one or more parts of the marketing plan involved.