The Marketing Environment of Mr. Porter - Report Example

Introduction: This is a marketing case study on Mr. Porter, an online retailing fashion company. This paper aims to explore the marketing communication strategies that Mr. Porter employs while carrying out its business. Furthermore, this study would explore the important role that marketing strategies play in the current competitive business environment. Rajamma and Pelton (2009) argue that marketing has managed to achieve a substantial importance in business practices, and it is a first priority for the decision makers of any business organization. This document therefore provides an analysis on the marketing environment of Mr. Porter, with a special focus on its communication strategies. This document will further discuss the relevant and recent trends in the international consumer attitudes, and their impact on the economy, environment and ethics. Furthermore, this document also provides an analysis of the marketing decisions that fashion brands are able to make because of the stiff global competition. Mr. Porter Retailing Unit: Mr. Porter is an online retailing unit that mainly specializes in the sale of the male products. The website contains a rich feature of photos and pictures that depict various male clothing and foot wares. The online retailing unit is affiliated to Net-a-Porter, which is also an online retailing unit that specializes in the sale of female products. Mr. Porter has two major distribution centers, and they are located in New Jersey, and London. In central London, the company offers a comprehensive delivery package that charges 1.5 pounds, above the standard and normal charge. The move for Net-a-Porter to open Mr. Porter was a natural progression, aimed at expanding the operations of the business organization. Smith and Sonne (2014) explain that Mr. Porter builds its business practices through recognition of the motivation, and different needs of the male shoppers. Furthermore, Mr. Porter has developed a marketing strategy whereby it offers advices and reading articles on important issues that affect the society, as well as providing product sales. Through this strategy, Mr. Porter aims at creating loyalty, through bonding with its customers. The major reason of analyzing Mr. Porter is based on the fact that it is the largest online retailing website that sales the male luxury products. This has attracted the attention of the fashion industry, to see if it will have the capability of attracting enough shoppers for purposes of supporting the fashion site. Why Marketing Communication? The reason as to why it is important to study marketing communication is based on the fact that the current business environment is very competitive. Based on this fact, the financial success of any business organization will depend on the combination of its financial capability, and marketing strategy. Business organizations that succeed have a close relationship with their customers, and marketing plays an important role in ensuring that there is a creation of this close relationship. Every business organization is realizing the fact that an effective marketing strategy will play a great role in giving them the ability to attract customers to their organization (Woodall, 2007). This in turn leaves a positive impact on the profitability and performance of the company. Marketing is therefore defined as a managerial process aimed at identifying and satisfying the needs of a customer, for purposes of making sales and achieving profitability. For effecting marketing to occur, an organization must develop an efficient and effective marketing communication strategy (Woodall, 2007). Marketing communication refers to the messages that an organization communicates with their target market. It also encompasses the media used in communicating the messages under consideration. Marketing communication also involves the adoption of the Four Ps of marketing, which are place, price, product, and promotion. The Current Trends in the Retail Industry: The retail industry is a constantly changing and high profile business industry. During the 19th and 20th century, the retail industry was characterized by shopping malls, and buying products over the counter. However, because of the emergence of technological innovations in the Information Technology sector, business retail organizations have began using the internet for purposes of selling their products to their target customers (Woodall, 2007). Furthermore, due to increasing costs utility bills, fuel prices, administrative costs, retail organization have resorted to the use of the internet as a measure of cutting costs. There is also the emergence of online retailing giants such as eBay, Amazon, etc. These companies are engaged in selling products through the internet. For example eBay is an online auctioneering firm that allows users to sale their products through the internet (Ferdous, 2008). Amazon on the other hand is also an online retailing organization that specializes in the sale of electronic products over the internet. This online trend of retailing is also reflected in the luxury market, with the emergence of Net-a-Porter in 2000. This is female fashion website that specializes in the sale of female products (Çelik, 2011). Looking at these examples, it is possible to denote that the retailing trend in the 21st century is the use of the internet for purposes of conducting business. Another trend in the emergence of the online retail business is the development of online payment systems, such as Pay Pal, Amazon card, Google wallet, etc (Gosal, 2011). These payment systems have made it possible for consumers to have the capability of paying products through the internet. This has therefore enabled the emergence and growth of online retailing units. This is because it is now easier for transactions to occur through the internet. The social media has also revolutionized the manner in which people are involved in conducting an online business. McClatchey, Cattell and Michell (2007) explain that over 70% of online communication occurs through the internet. The frequently used sites include face book, twitter, and instagram. Due to the emergence of these sites, retailing units constantly advertise their product through these sites. This is for purposes of attracting traffic to their sites. This online trend in the retailing sector is important because it helps business organization to cut on their operational and administrative costs. This in turn helps them to achieve profits and growth (Gronroos, 2006). Marketing Communication Strategy of Mr. Porter: For purposes of appealing to men, Mr. Porter uses a feature profile of men, in their real life situation. It uses profiles of men such as bankers, motorbike designers, and painters, depicting them as wearing stylish and designer clothes. Furthermore, Mr. Porter offers a limited number of male brands. This is because of the belief that male people normally looking at a limited number of brands, as this will give them a selective, and a more quicker shopping experience (Smith and Sonne, 2014). Furthermore, the website remained uncluttered, and it depicts short videos, with stylish tips. There is little use of the word fashion in this site, and more of the word style. This is based on the fact that men are more comfortable with words such as style, as opposed to fashion, which is more feminine in nature. Furthermore, Mr. Porter has so much editorial content, which includes weekly magazines that talk about particular brands, or issues that affect the society. These magazines are designed to symbolize a broadsheet newspaper. This is because men find such kind of a format as more reassuring, when compared to a glitzy magazine that is more favorable for the female (Smith and Sonne, 2014). Furthermore, products would have little historical facts about them, and information would be on their quality, and use. This is based on the fact that men are not attracted to historical facts, but on the quality and usability of a product. The products are accompanied by photos, and videos. This is aimed at explaining to the buyer on how to use the product under consideration, and its quality. The video takes less than 60 seconds, and this is because they mainly explain facts, and are straight forward. Smith and Sonne, (2014) explains that the Mr. Porter targets high fashion lines, such as Balmain, and Alexander McQueen as the brand products in its mix. This is because the company aims at selling its products to highly fashionable and stylized men. These brands are popular with such kind of men. The delivery of the products of Mr. Porter is lushly packaged in a box and a tissue paper, inside a white and black paper bag, which consists of their trade mark. Furthermore, the names of each customer are placed on the packaging. Conclusion: In conclusion, the communication marketing strategy initiated by Mr. Porter is aimed at convincing its target customers on the quality of the products that they are using. For instance, the sixty second video tutorial is aimed at teaching its target customers on how to use the product identified. The video is short and to the point, and this ensures that there is no time wasted. Furthermore, the introduction of e-magazines with the design of newspaper broadsheets is aimed at appealing to the male people, because of their known habit of reading newspaper articles. This is an important strategy of capturing the attention of the male people. Since the magazines would also contain an advertisement of the products of the company. This marketing strategy by Mr. Porter is very effective in ensuring that it manages to make sales, and beat the stiff completion that emanates from other online retailing units. Bibliography: McClatchey, J., Cattell, K., & Michell, K. (2007). The Impact Of Online Retail Grocery Shopping On Retail Space: A Cape Town Case Study. Facilities, 25(3/4), 115-126. Ferdous, A. S. (2008). Integrated Internal Marketing Communication (IIMC). The Marketing Review, 8(3), 223-235. Gosal, P. (2011, October 11). How Amazon.com Has Lived Up To Its Name In Online Retail. Business Insider. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how- amazoncom-has-lived-up-to-its-name-in-online-retail-2011-10 Gronroos, C. (2006). On defining marketing: finding a new roadmap for marketing. Marketing Theory, 6(4), 395-417. Rajamma, R. K., & Pelton, L. E. (2009). An empirical investigation of consumers procurement of pharmaceutical products via online retail channels. Psychology and Marketing, 26(10), 865-887. Smith, R., & Sonne, P. (n.d.). Mr Porter to Test Mens Urge to Shop Online . The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2014, from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704364004576132633867667602 Woodall, T. (2007). New marketing, improved marketing, apocryphal marketing: Is one marketing concept enough?. European Journal of Marketing, 41(11/12), 1284-1296. Çelik, H. (2011). Influence of social norms, perceived playfulness and online shopping anxiety on customers adoption of online retail shopping: An empirical study in the Turkish context. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 39(6), 390-413. Read More