Answer each question individually with numbering. For questions 3, 4 and 5 cite your work after each question. 1. Every major corporation has a corporate web site. For the most part, the primary purpose of the corporate web site is to communicate with their current and potential customers, investors, and channel partners. Because they are used to attract new business, corporate web sites are a good place to determine what they see as their mission and primary purpose. Find a corporation website and report on their mission statement. 2. When consumers make a purchase, they progress through a series of behaviors. The consumer decision-making process describes those behaviors and the activities that take place at each stage. In order to increase sales, marketers are looking at the five stages and trying to find ways to influence the consumer as they progress through the CDM process. Select one company below and respond to the questions. The Internet is the most recent tool that marketers are using to influence consumers. Discuss the impact of the Internet on the five stages of the CDM process. What happens differently, or how does the Internet use these processes to sell more efficiently? Need Recognition During the first stage, the consumer recognizes a need that can be satisfied by a purchase. What are ways that Internet marketers are attempting to trigger consumers’ recognition of needs? What are some things that Amazon.com [https://www.amazon.com/] is doing to activate need recognition? Alternative Search Once the consumer realizes a need they begin to search for potential ways to satisfy that need that provides details about the alternatives. There are five primary sources of information: internal, group, marketing, public, and experimental sources. How can the Internet provide information for consumers? Which of the sources can the Internet influence? What impact does the information available at Edmunds [https://www.edmunds.com] have on consumers’ alternative search? Alternative Evaluation All the viable alternatives that can satisfy the need are evaluated and compared against each other. The consumer selects the brand which best satisfies the need as their intended purchase. Many times comparing products is difficult because of complex product features, numerous available choices, and physical distance between products in stores. Visit PriceRunner [https://www.pricerunner.com] and select any product category of your choice. How does this web site help consumers compare product alternatives? Purchase Decision The consumer decides to make a purchase of the intended brand, purchase a different brand, or postpone the purchase. The Internet plays a major role in consumer’s purchase decisions. What are some Internet features that influence the purchase decisions? Revisit Amazon.com and discuss some of the ways they influence the consumer’s purchase decision. What role does UPS [https://www.ups.com] play in the purchase decision? Visit the site of Paypal [https://www.paypal.com], discuss the role of digital cash, credit cards, cash, and checking accounts on the purchase decision. Post Purchase Evaluation The consumer reviews the purchase and the entire purchase process of the product. If a consumer has doubts or second thoughts about a purchase, they experience post purchase dissonance. How are Internet marketers doing online to help customers avoid dissonance? Go to the Ford website [https://www.ford.com]. If you had a problem with the purchase of a Ford Explorer what does the site do to help you alleviate or avoid dissonance? How does EBay.com [https://www.ebay.com] allow consumers to review the purchase process? 3. How are focus groups used in marketing? Find and explain an example of focus groups as they relate to marketing. Cite and reference your source. 4. Define and discuss VALS and compare to Psychographic segmentation. Cite and reference any sources used. 5. What is Correlation Analysis, give an example of how it can be used in marketing. Cite and reference any sources. 6. Discovering Product Assortments Online: Most companies manufacture a wide range of products that they then offer to consumers. How companies that offer multiple products and product lines manage those offerings is of extreme importance to the overall success of the company. Procter & Gamble [https://www.pg.com] Kraft Foods [https://www.kraft.com/] Gillette.com [https://www.gillette.com/] General Motors [https://www.gm.com] General Mills [https://www.generalmills.com] Using the Internet, visit one of the corporate sites listed above. Browse through the site and find where they discuss their product offerings (usually under the brands heading). How have they defined their product mix? How many different product lines do they offer? Discuss both the breadth and depth of the product mix. Pick three of their products and tell which type of product they are (convenience, shopping, or specialty) and why the company produces that type of product.
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