Billabong Surf Gear - Case Study Example

Billabong Surf Gears Name Institution Date Introduction Surfing is one of the most common events in Australia. It is practiced by most of the people during competitions and also for fun. Depending on the weather, surfing is common among most of the people. It may be fun to surf but it also has some risks. Many injuries have resulted from surfing with some injuries being fatal. To reduce the risks, it is always advisable to use the appropriate surfing gears. The surfing gears are important in terms of reducing the risks of injuries as well as making the surfing process more easy and exiting. Billabong Australia is one of the most popular companies in terms selling the surfing gears (Dreaming, 2011). The Billabong surfing gears are popular to most of the people. This is due to its efficiency and ability to serve its purpose. The paper thus discuses the marketing issues in relation to Billabong surf gears. The gears have been instrumental in terms of protecting the people engaged in surfing due to its quality. The surfing gears are of high quality and it has been used during the major competition. The sports authorities also recognize the efficiency of the gears. The local people on the other hand also use the Billabong surfing gears while surfing. The products is thus popular in Australia and hence its ability to attract more customers and beat the competitors. The marketing strategies used by a company are important in terms of determining the performance of the products in the market (Sudhir, 2010). The company has put in place marketing strategies that have been successful in terms of ensuring the sale of the product. The strategies are also aimed at ensuring that the customers are satisfied with the products of the company. Revolution L/S 1mm Jacket The Australian target market The Australian market is quite competitive due to the factors that promote the growth and development of business. It is for this reason that there are various companies that are involved in the production and sale of surfing gears. This has played an important role in ensuring the accessibility of the products to the market. On the other hand, the youth are the main target for most of the companies dealing with the surfing gears. This is because most of the people who participate in surfing are the youth. However it is also important to note that the other age groups also participate in surfing. The segmentation in the market also includes the occasional segmentation. This is because surfing is seasonal in Australia depending on the favorable conditions. It is mainly practices when the waves are high and hence the segmentation depending on this occasion. It is important to note that some of the people purchase the gears in readiness for the surfing season. The products are thus found throughout in the market although high sales are usually registered on the peak of the seasons. It is also important to note that the behavioral segmentation is also common in the market due to the requirements of the different age groups. It is thus evident that the Australian market is quite flexible and thus the reason for the entry of most of the companies dealing with the surfing gears. A flexible market always attracts a high rate of competition (Huang, 2012). The Marketing Mix Billabong surfing gear is a product that is used during surfing. It is one of the most popular equipment used for surfing in Australia. This is due to the high number of people who use the product during surfing. Surfing is also common in Australia and hence the relevance of analysis the surfing equipment produced by the company. The surfing gear is able to fully meet the requirement of the customers during surfing. Most of the customers require gears that are comfortable during surfing and can also safe to use during surfing. This is due to the dangers that are involved when surfing on higher tides. The customers also require gears that are light, strong, and durable and are easy to use. The products of the company are able to meet this requirements and hence its popularity among the customers. The product is a shopping product and is available in the retail stores of the company. It is thus important to note that meeting the requirements of the customers contributes to the success of the company. This is because most of the customers require the products that are able to satisfy their needs. Products that do not satisfy the needs of the customers are rarely bought. It is for this reason that most of the products are not able to complete their lifecycle due to poor response from the customers. The company is thus aware o this fact and it has taken measures to ensure that the products satisfy the customers. Continuous improvements have also been made on the gears in order to fully satisfy the customers (Crotts, 2011). The brand of the product is quite effective and has played an important role in terms of ensuring the success of the products. It is also important to note that the brand of the company determines its success. In Victoria where most of the people participate in surfing, the brand of the product is quite strong. It is for this reason that most of the people use the Billabong surf gear in Australia. The packaging of the product also plays an important role in terms of attracting the customers. Packaging is also for the purpose of ensuring that the products are not exposed and hence resulting to their damage. The packaging of a product also plays an important role in terms of ensuring that the transportation of the product is made easy. Billabong surf gears are usually packaged well in order to attract the customers and protect the products from any damage. Packaging also plays an important role in terms of assuring the customers that the products are original and are from the company. This is because of the uniqueness of the packaging of the gears by the company. It is also easy to identify the products of the company due to its unique packaging. This is important in terms of aiding the customers and hence ensuring that they purchase the original products. Packaging is thus an important aspect for a company in terms of boosting the sales of a product and ensuring it is protected from damage (Mintz, et al, 2013). The packaging of the Billabong surf gear also plays an important t role in terms of ensuring the differentiation of the products of the company from the other companies. The product lifecycle is important in terms of determining the action to take during the sale of the product. This is because the product requires different marketing strategies during different lifecycles. Various indicators are used for the purpose of determining the stage of the lifecycle that the product is in. The introduction of the product in the market is the first stage of the lifecycle of the product (Martin, 2009). However, the decline of the product marks the end of the lifecycle of the product. Billabong surf gear is currently undergoing the growth and maturity stage. At this stage, the product of the company is already known in the market and has won the support of most of the clients. However, it is also important to note that advertisement is still important at this stage. This is despite the good performance of the product in the market. It is also important to note that the maturity stage is important for a company as the company has to establish a market share in order to attain the maturity stage. Although the gears of the company usually witness low sales during some seasons, it doe not mean that it declining. This is because of the products of the company are usually seasonal due to its dependence on the weather conditions. Studying the lifecycle of a product is thus important t in terns of making improvements or decisions (Lamb, 2011). Promotion Advertisements play a significant role in the promotion n of the products of the company. It plays the role of creating awareness about the product and hence the increase in the sales of the product. Various forms of advertisements are used by organizations while promoting their products. The advertisements are for the purpose of reaching the intended customers. Online advertisements are increasingly becoming popular among most of the companies for the purpose of promoting goods and services. The Billabong gears have utilized online advertisements and it has been able to advertise its gears via the Daily stoke which is an online site that deals with surfing. This played an important role in terms of creating awareness among the online users. The advantage of this method is that it has no boundaries and can be accessed by people allover the world. The company has also advertised the gears through the print media for the purpose of promoting it. This has been done on several occasions through newspapers like the Herald and The Age. The print media is also an efficient platform for the advertisement of gods and products as it can also be accessed by many people. The use of the print media is also one of the oldest methods of advertising in the world. The promotion strategies have been quite successful and it has led to the increase in the sales of the gears. It is thus important to note that an efficient means of advertising should reach a large number of people in order to attract more customers (Loyka, 2010). The use of on-line communication during the promotion of the gears has played an important role in terms of ensuring that the message reaches the targeted customers. Most of the target groups are usually conversant with the internet and hence the advantage of using the on-line communication. It is also important to note that the other targeted group has not been left out as the advertisements are on the print media. The use of the different means has thus played an important role in the advertisement of the products of the company. The advertisement of the products of the company is mainly dependant on three concepts: The price, promotion and product. The advertisement is meant to ensure that the product is popular and hence building its brand image. On the other hand, the promotion involves the various strategies for advertisements. The company mainly relied on promotion during the introduction stage of its lifecycle. However the promotion process is continuous for the company due to the role that it plays in popularizing the products of the company (Lin, 2013). During the growth stage, the promotion played an important role as the means of advertising using the on-line method was gaining ground. The price of the gears also played an important role during the promotion of the products. This is because the price had to be mentioned every time the products were being advertised. This played an important role in informing the customers about the affordability of the products. The combination of promotion, pricing and product plays an important role in terms of building the brand of a product. Place Place is an important marketing mix and it plays an important role in terms of ensuring the distribution of the products of the company. On the other hand, the distribution is important in terms of ensuring g that the customers are able to access the products of the company. The Billabong gears are well distributed in Australia. The company has different retail stores across Australia. However, the major retail stores are found in Victoria. This is because surfing is popular in Victoria and hence the high number of customers in the region. It is also important to note that the company has customers in other regions. However, it is important to note that the strategy of the company was to ensure that it could easily avail the products where it is needed most. Information about the distribution of the retail stores is also available in the internet and hence maki8ng it easy for the customers to purchase the products of the company. The company also engages in e-commerce which is increasingly becoming popular in the world. This is used for the sale of the products of the company. The company has thus ensured that it has adequate warehouses in Victoria and other regions where the customers can easily access their products. This has played an important role in terms of ensuring that the customers can easily purchase the products of the company. Place is thus an important concept of marketing mix and it determines the access of the products by the customers (Goi, 2009). Pricing The pricing of the products of the company is dependant on the other marketing mix strategies. This is because the price of the commodity determines its rate of sale. On the other hand, it is important to note that the price of a product determines the profits made by the company. The prices of the Billabong gears are dependant on the market elasticity. It is for the reason that the prices of the gears keeps on changing. The competition in the market is also an important factor that used by the company to determine the pricing of the gears. This is for the purpose of ensuring that the company remains competitive in the market. Pricing of the gears has also been important for the company in terms of ensuring that the company gains a competitive advantage over the other companies in the market. The forces of demand and supply are also important t for the company in terms of determining the pricing of the gears. The customer perceived value for the gears has also been important for the company when pricing the gears. This is for the purpose of ensuring that the customers are comfortable with the products of the company. Price skimming is also an important strategy that has been used by the company during the process of pricing. This is however done depending on the demand of the products. It plays an important role in recovering the low revenue that the company always experience during the low season. It also acts as a balancing strategy for the company in terms the pricing. The pricing strategy used by a company determines the rate of sales for the products and services (Bravo, et al, 2011). Competitive Advantage The marketing mix is important in terms of ensuring that a company is able to gain competitive advantage over the others. This is because it influences the choice of the customers in terms of determining the product to purchase (Srinivasan, et al, 2009). On the other hand, it is important to note that the uniqueness of the product of a company ids important in terms of creating a competitive advantage. The marketing mix strategies used by Billabong have been important in terns of ensuring that the company gains competitive advantage in the market. The balancing of the price and the quality of the product was one of the important strategies that enabled the company to gain a competitive advantage. The price of the gears of the company is usually unique as compared to the other companies. This is despite the good quality of the products of the company. On the other hand the distribution network of the company is strong. This also plays an important role in ensuring the availability of the gears to the customers. This factor also contributed to the competitive advantage of the company as compared to other companies that do not have a strong distribution network. These factors played an important role during the growth of the company and hence its profitability. The competitive advantage of the company played an important role during growth in the lifecycle of the company. The competitive advantage of a company in the market is important for the purpose of ensuring growth and profitability of a company. (Dreaming, 2011). Assessment of the success of the firm The company has been able to succeed in terms of ensuring that it satisfies the needs of the customers. The product offered by the company is of high quality and hence an advantage in terms of meeting the demands of the customers. This has greatly contributed to the success of the company as satisfying the customer is an important objective of an organization. The pricing of the product of the company is also important in terms of ensuring that the customers are not exploited. This is also one of the success factors of the company. The company has been able to offer good quality products at a fair price and hence satisfying the customers. This is one of the difficulties that most of the companies face and hence leading to the decline of the products. The gears of the company have modified to meet the requirements of the clients. It is thus important to note that customer satisfaction plays an important role in the profitability of the company. The distribution of the gears has been a success factor for the company. This is because the customers have been able to aces the products of the company easily. The combination of these factors is therefore a proof that the company has been successful in terms of ensuring the success of the company. A proper combination of the marketing mix strategies is usually required during the introduction and growth of a product. This automatically leads to the maturity. However, it is important to invest on the correct marketing mix strategies for the purpose of ensuring the success of a product (Peterson, 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that Billabong gears have been successful in the market due to the marketing strategies used. On the other hand, it is essential to note that the market environment in Australia has played an important role in the growth and development of the company. The availability of the customers has also played an important role in the sale of the products. However it is important to note that the marketing mix strategies played an instrumental role in terms of ensuring the success of the company. The pricing of the gears was useful in terms of ensuring the increase in sales of the company. It is evident that the pricing is fair to the customers and it also ensures the profit of the company. It is through the fair pricing that the company was able to gain a competitive advantage in the market. The lifecycle of a product also determines the, measures to be put in place to ensure its growth. It is thus evident that the right strategies were used to ensure the growth of the product. The distribution of the products of the company also played an important role in the success of the products. It is evident that the distribution network of the company is good and hence enabling the success of the company. It is also evident that the company has been able to emerge successful due to its reliance of the right marketing mix strategies. 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