Product Development, Promotion, and Distribution Strategy for iPad - Case Study Example

Product Development, Promotion, and Distribution Strategy for iPad Executive Summary The report highlights on various marketing aspects that are carried out by Apple in its efforts to design, promote and distribute its new product of iPad to various customers worldwide. Product development through excellent and great designs has been on the forefront in achieving great designs by Apple according to Reena, (2010). Such great designs have led to development of iPad. This is a great product that has impressed a lot of people worldwide. However, it is recommendable for Apple to put a lot of efforts in ensuring new products or modified iPad is produced with excellent features or applications. It is also important for Apple to put design as their first priority when developing new products. Upgrading of existing products should be priority for Apple towards enhancing the new designs or products. Upgrading and development of new products should be carried in a cost effective way to ensure there is reduced overall cost of production which may lead to overall high cost of the end product. Apple is undertaking various promotion strategies and actions in its process of promoting the sale of iPad globally. This is through the media and its websites. Apple should give special offers that play a great role towards increasing the sales in the short term. Development of positive public relations is crucial especially to countries such as Arab countries, media and also to various companies like Wal-Mart that can assist in the distribution of the product globally. This will also assist in getting a favorable publicity within the media as well as being capable of handling negative attention. It is crucial to utilize media releases which are a great way of getting the iPad known to large number of potential customers. This can be put as an interesting story in order to attract large number of people through its unique features. There should be increased media releases by Apple in order to raise eye catching to people. Apple should collaborate with various social media in order to increase the exposure of iPad to people. Those social media stations should create an immersive news experience of using iPad that has unique features. Apple has established various distribution strategies in order for it to be able to distribute its products and in particular Ipad. This is through the establishment of various retail outlets globally. It is also carrying out extensive distribution through the internet. It is recommendable for the Apple to extensively distribute iPad to other third-party retail channels in order to increase the rate of distribution of iPad. Increased retail outlets are also significant in ensuring that the product is able to reach to as many customers as possible. Apple should ensure there are fewer rules preventing online resellers from offering the iPad through internet. A lot of efforts should be put in place to ensure those who buy iPad through website or internets are able to get it quickly regardless of where they are in the world. However, it is also worth to note that Apple is undertaking current practices in improving its promotion, distribution strategies, and product development as specified in this report. Table of Contents Product Development, Promotion, and Distribution Strategy for iPad 1 Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Product Development, Promotion, and Distribution Strategy for iPad 5 Product Development 5 Recommendations for product development by Apple Company 6 Promotions by Apple for iPad 7 Recommendations for Promotion of iPad 7 Distribution strategy for IPad 8 Recommendations for Distribution Strategies 9 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction Marketing is an important aspect that determines how the products can be distributed easily to the customers throughout the world. However, it is important to note that marketing becomes successful only when the products being sold satisfy the needs of the consumers and that it gets to customers without delays. It is worth noting that for the customer can be satisfied when the product is well designed or developed. Apple emphasizes on the need to develop great designed products that satisfies the needs of customers and which impresses the customers. Therefore, product development, promotion, and distribution strategy is a key factor to the marketing of iPad by Apple Company. Promotion ensures the developed product becomes familiar to the people globally; this is what has led Apple to undertake an extensive promotion of its new developed product (iPad). After promotions, it is crucial for the Apple to improve its distribution strategies as a means of ensuring the iPad gets to the customers easily and quickly throughout the world. Apple’s CEO believes that the ultimate advantage of his company is its ability to develop or design unique or ‘great’ products. Achievement of good marketing of various products is achieved when the design or product development is excellent while the distribution strategies and promotions are extensively carried out. Product Development, Promotion, and Distribution Strategy for iPad Product Development According to Anil, Anoop & Anand, (2007), product development is the creation of new or different products with new or extra benefits to customers. Product development also involves modification of an already existing product. Product development can also be defined as the overall process of strategy, organization, generation of concept, product creation, evaluation of marketing plan, and commercialization of new product. Reena, (2010) argues that Apple has continued and expanded its product development approaches and strategies. This is with its continued rise of technology and evolving products development. Such developments can be seen with the rapid change of its products within few years. The main concept behind the development of new designs of products is starts with a big idea for unmet customer needs. Such new products that have been developed and improved by Apple include MacBook, Apple iPod, Apple Tv, iPhone, and iPad among others. The latest among these is iPad produced in January 2010 according to Nancy, (2011). Product development through well researched design has made Apple to become unique to other companies in terms of marketing. Good designed products are a bridge to well-established and easier marketing. Apple continues to improve their products designs in order to improve their products acceptability in the markets. Apple continues to improve their product designs in order to increase customer satisfaction in a greater way. IPad is a product developed by Apple Company in order to increase its product acceptability into the market. IPad has been developed and improved or updated from iPhone hybridized with a laptop. It is worthy to note that iPhone was an update of the iPod hybridized with a mobile phone. Apple aims at marketing its products through development of high tech products easily accepted by people globally. iPad was Apple’s much-anticipated media tablet. According to Apple (2011), iPad has an incredible responsive Multi-Touch screen with a large, high-resolution LED-backlit IPS display. It runs a modified iOS version with multi-touch interaction having multimedia formats including textbooks, photos, music, video games, eBooks, newspaper, existing iPhone apps, movies, and TV shows videos among others. Other apps included are iTunes Library, notepad, iBooks Store, and mobile version of safari for internet browsing. Update of existing products is the main target of Apple towards improving their design and usability. Recommendations for product development by Apple Company I would recommend Apple to research more on the possible technologies and designs that are possible to be incorporated into the iPad. It is important for the company to train a team of engineers and designers on various ways of innovating new technologies as a way of improving the existing products. Redesigning the existing products should be carried out through less cost designing in order to reduce the overall cost on the final product. I would ensure the performance of the iPad and other new products is improved in making it easiest to use in the market. It is important to note that being the best or having the best quality should be the priority other than focusing on being first. It is important for Apple to reuse their technology and design to come up with new designs and technologies for their products as their first priority other than invent new ideas the first priority. The appropriate design is the main tool that can be used to by Apple towards development of new appealing products. Promotions by Apple for iPad According to Roddy & Julian, (2008), Promotion is a key factor that ensures a company is able to market its products hence increases its market share. Promotion is the communication with the public in an attempt to influence them towards buying the products/services. Apple carries out intensive promotional activities for its products and mostly iPad according to Ken, (2010). It is through Apple’s promotional activities that iPad has continued to gain a lot of fame and increased demand. Various promotion strategies that Apple is currently utilizing to market iPad include promotional products, follow-up with clients, advertising, and website promotion strategy. There are offers to give free iPad through a completion of simple survey information. Giving away free iPads through the internet is a strategic way of promoting iPad. Apple Company is carrying out extensive advertising for iPad through all the available media including internet, TVs such as Dstv, and other forms of media. Website promotion strategy through its website (http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/) is currently underway and it is working effectively with more people seeking to get iPad features through it. Coupons are other methods that Apple is utilizing in its sales promotion strategies. Recommendations for Promotion of iPad In order to improve or enhance the performance of promotion on iPad by Apple, they are some recommended actions that can well on that. Some of them include sale promotion whereby Apple should give special offers that plays a great role towards increasing the sales in the short term. One major step that Apple should take into consideration as an appropriate step to effective promotion is developing a positive public relations. This will assist in getting a favorable publicity within the media as well as being capable of handling negative attention. It is crucial to utilize media releases which are a great way of getting the iPad known to large number of potential customers. This can be put as an interesting story in order to attract large number of people through its unique features. The media releases should be interesting or eye catching to people. Apple should collaborate with various social media in order to increase the exposure of iPad to people. Those social media stations should create an immersive news experience of using iPad that has unique features. Live topics on iPad features should also carried out frequently in the local and global Medias. This is a comprehensive way of promoting iPad. Distribution strategy for IPad According to Cindy, et el, (2011), distribution strategy defines how the product will be moved from one point of production to another in a cost-effective way. Most producers use intermediaries in ensuring their products get into market. The distribution strategy used by Apple to distribute iPad is selective distribution where few retailer outlets are chosen to distribute it. Apple is currently expanding iPad’s retail presence globally as illustrated by Joli (2010). Apple’s careful expansion of iPad availability is ensuring users are able to get the device easily at various locations globally. Apple has partnered with Amazon in its target to sell and distribute iPad. Apple has partnered with Wal-Mart to make iPad on its online and its stores outlets. Apple is also making iPad available in its website as well as U.S. based Apple stores where it is also sold. Apple Company has over 200 stores globally. There are strategies and plans underway to increase the stores to more than 2300 by mid-November. Best Buy is American retail stores that will assist Apple in selling and distributing the iPad around America. The distribution of iPad by Apple is underway in European countries including France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and UK. Apple has also allowed third-party retail channels to distribute iPad in some areas including U.S. such third party retailers include Tech Data Corporation. Tech Data is one of the major Apple distributors. Recommendations for Distribution Strategies It is recommendable for the Apple to extensively distribute iPad to other third-party retail channels in order to increase the rate of distribution of iPad. They should be established throughout the world. It is also important to establish internet selling with free transportation costs to the customers. Internet is one of the areas that play a great part in the distribution of electronic gadgets for Apple. A lot of efforts should be put in place to ensure those who buy iPad through website or internets are able to get it quickly regardless of where they are in the world. Apple should put all efforts possible to build a good relationship with Arabian regions government in order to enhance the distribution of iPad in those countries such as United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, and Palestine among others. Apple should ensure there are fewer rules preventing online resellers from offering the iPad through online. It is also crucial to allow more retail outlets to sell the products in order to increase sales and distribution globally. The key factor behind the distribution of iPad is by making it available to as many retail outlets as possible throughout the world. Conclusion Product development, Promotion, and distribution strategy are the main factors behind the increased marketing of iPad by Apple throughout the world. Product developments through extensive designs are the main factors behind the production of iPad by Apple. Upgrade of existing products such as iPod is also the key factor behind the manufacture and production of iPad. Product development plays a key role in marketing of the new products as consumers are more interested with the designs. According to Reena, (2010), development of iPad by Apple has been a major breakthrough in its marketing and its products acceptance. Promotion is also a major factor behind the acceptance of a new product to the markets. Apple has extensively promoted the sale of iPad which has played a key role in the sale and popularity of iPad globally. Extensive promotion of IPad has been carried out in global Medias around the world through newspapers, TVs, among others adverts. Distribution strategy is a major aspect that determines how the iPad will get to their consumers in time. Establishing various retail outlets throughout the world will ensure the iPad is well distributed. Other channels of distribution include internet and Wal-Mart companies. It recommendable for Apple to undertake various recommendations including increasing the sales of iPad through the internet as well as increasing the number of retailer outlets. iPads availability through strategic expansion of distribution can be a major breakthrough towards making iPad become available to all people around the world. These are some of the major factors that ensure Apple’s iPad is able to get through into the global market easily. References Anil, M., Anoop, D & Anand, S 2007, Product development: a structured approach to consumer product development, design, and manufacture, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Apple 2011, iPad Design, viewed on 26, January 2011, http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/ Cindy, E., Maureen, O., Suzanne, D. & Travel Industry Association of America 2011, Distribution strategy: emerging models for destination portals, Travel industry Association, Michigan. Joli, B 2010, How to Do Everything IPad, McGraw-Hill Professional, New York. Ken, Y 2010, App Sawy: Turning Ideas into IPad and IPhone Apps Customers Really Want, O’Reilly Media,Inc., London. Nancy, C 2011, IPad All-in-One For Dummies, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Reena, J 2010, Apple iPad’s Product Development Approach, Harvard Business Review, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 45-67. Roddy, M & Julian, C 2008, Sales Promotion: How to Create, Implement & Integrate Campaigns That Really Work, Kogan Page Publishers, London. Read More