Flip kart marketing strategy

MINOR PROJECT REPORT
On
Topic
Flipkart and Snapdeal
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of
Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA)
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,
Delhi
Faculty Guide Submitted By:
Name:
Name of Student:
Designation: Student University rol No.
SESSION 2014 – 2015
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Sector-16C, Dwarka,
New Delhi – 110075

DECLARATION
I, hereby declare that the Summer Training Project Report, entitled “A Study on Marketing
Strategy of Flipkart and Snapdeal”, is an authentic work carried out by me at . It has not been
submitted earlier for award of any degree or diploma to any institute or university.
Place: New Delhi Candidate’s signature
Date: Name:
Enroll. No.:
Countersigned
Name :
Supervisor

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is my pleasure to be indebted to various people, who directly or indirectly contributed in the
development of this work and who influenced my thinking, behavior and acts during the course
of study.
I express my sincere gratitude to____, the worthy Director of college name, for providing me an
opportunity to do this project under his leadership.
I am thankful to Dr. Anupama Sharma for her support, cooperation and motivation provided to
me during the training for constant inspiration, presence and blessings.
I also extend my sincere indebtedness to teachers name who provided her valuable suggestion
and precious time in accomplishing my project.
I also take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each and every person, who
directly or indirectly helped me throughout the project and without anyone of them this project
would not have been possible.
The immense learning from this project would be indelible forever.
Name

Table of Contents
CHAPTER I.......................................................................................................................................6
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................6
1.1 Overviewof Industry as a whole ........................................................................................6
1.2 Profile of the organization..................................................................................................6
1.3 Vision of the Organization..............................................................................................7
1.4 Mission of the Organization............................................................................................9
1.5 History of the Organization..............................................................................................11
1.6 Competition Information...................................................................................................12
1.7 S.W.O.T Analysis of the Organization ..................................................................................14
CHAPTER II..................................................................................................................................19
CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................19
2.1. What is market? ....................................................................................................................19
2.2. Types of marketing strategy...................................................................................................21
2.3. Marketing strategy used by Flipkart and Snapdeal..................................................................34
2.4. Factor affecting marketing strategy........................................................................................35
2.5. Customerinfluence by factor..................................................................................................36
2.6. Marketing Strategy of the Organization...............................................................................37
2.7 Developing a marketing strategies by the organization..............................................................38
2.8. Concept of market strategy of Flipkart and Snapdeal................................................................40
2.9. Evolution of the Marketing Concept ........................................................................................40
2.10. Market Strategy Key Concept................................................................................................42
CHAPTER III..................................................................................................................................52
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................52
3.1 Overview of the Project...........................................................................................................52
3.2 Objective of studies.................................................................................................................52
3.3 Purpose of the study ...............................................................................................................53
CHAPTER IV..................................................................................................................................54
ANALYSIS .....................................................................................................................................54
4.1 Primary research ....................................................................................................................54
4.1.1 Questionnaires ..................................................................................................................61

4.2 Secondary Data Analysis..........................................................................................................63
CHAPTER V ...................................................................................................................................65
5.1 Findings of the study ...............................................................................................................65
5.2 Limitations of study.................................................................................................................65
CHAPTER VI..................................................................................................................................67
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................67
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................68
List of Figures
Figure 1: Business Mission.................................................................................................................10
Figure 2: SWOT Analysis....................................................................................................................14
Figure 3: Types of Marketing Strategy................................................................................................21
Figure 4: Close Range Marketing (CRM) .............................................................................................22
Figure 5: Word of Mouth Marketing ..................................................................................................23
Figure 6: Diversity Marketing.............................................................................................................25
Figure 7: Seasonal Marketing ............................................................................................................26
Figure 8: Event Marketing.................................................................................................................28
Figure 9: Direct Marketing.................................................................................................................29
Figure 10: Newsletter Marketing .......................................................................................................30
Figure 11: Tradeshow Marketing .......................................................................................................31
Figure 12: Search Marketing..............................................................................................................32
Figure 13: Marketing Strategy of Organization....................................................................................37
Figure 14: Marketing Strategies of Organization.................................................................................39
List of Tables
Table 1: List of definitions .................................................................................................................48
Table 2: Quantitative Research..........................................................................................................55
Table 3: Qualitative research.............................................................................................................58

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of Industry as a whole
Flipkart is an electronic commerce company founded in 2007, by Sachin Bansal and Binny
Bansal. It operates exclusively in India, where it is headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka.
It is registered in Singapore, and owned by a Singapore-based holding company. Flipkart
has launched its own product range under the name "DigiFlip", offering camera bags, pen-
drives, headphones, computer accessories, etc. Flipkart also recently launched its own range
of personal healthcare and home appliances under the brand "Citron". The brand offers 60
day replacement guarantee and On-site repair support under its warranty terms.
Legally, Flipkart is not an Indian company since it is registered in Singapore and majority of
its shareholders are foreigners. Because foreign companies are not allowed to do multi-
brand e-retailing in India, Flipkart sells goods in India through a company called WS Retail.
Other third-party sellers or companies can also sell goods through the Flipkart platform.
Snapdeal.com is an online marketplace, headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company
was started by Kunal Bahl, a Wharton graduate as part of the dual degree M&T Engineering
and Business program at Penn, and Rohit Bansal, an alumnus of IIT Delhi in February 2010
1.2 Profile of the organization
Flipkart was founded in 2007 by sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, both alumni of the
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. They had been working for Amazon.com
previously. The business was formally incorporated as a company in October 2008 as
Flipkart Online Services Pvt. Ltd. During its initial years, Flipkart focused only on
books, and soon as it expanded, it started offering other products like electronic goods,
air conditioners, air coolers, stationery supplies and life style products and e-books. The
first product sold by them was the book Leaving Microsoft To Change The World,
bought by VVK Chandra from Andhra Pradesh. Flipkart now employs more than 9000

people. Flipkart allows payment methods such as cash on delivery, credit or debit card
transactions, net banking, e-gift voucher and card swipe on delivery.
Snapdeal.com was started in February 2010 as a daily deals platform inspired by
Groupon.com but expanded in September 2011 to become an online marketplace.
Snapdeal has grown to become the largest online marketplace in India offering an
assortment of 4 million+ products across diverse categories from over 20,000 sellers,
shipping to 4,000 towns and cities in India.
1.3 Vision of the Organization
To set a new benchmark in conventional ecommerce world by becoming the most
innovative and trusted brand with the adoption of new technologies and a centric focus on
to fulfill the customers' expectations and needs.
Successful businesses are on a never-ending quest for improvement. And marketing and
communications are key ingredients to success. At Vision, we believe that strategy is
essential to success.
Vision Strategic Marketing & Communications helps select companies with high growth
potential reach their business goals through marketing strategies. Whether you are
expanding your product offering, services, or market proposition, looking for additional
customers in new or existing markets, or really need to get the right people to hear the
right message, a strategy can help you do it better, faster, and more cost-effectively.
Operating in a unique space spanning strategic planners and marketers, Vision Strategic
Marketing & Communications brings growth-oriented critical thinking as well as
marketing execution and expertise to the table. We're here to help you evaluate what
you're currently doing and improve it, or help you get launched in a fresh new direction.

We'll work with you to define your specific objectives, and develop and implement the
communications necessary to achieve them.
Unlike traditional marketing firms, Vision Strategic Marketing can offer high quality,
low cost execution through scalable resources with skills paired to clients needs. Quality
and creativity are yours at competitive prices as the result of intelligent management that
utilizes scalable resources to respond to your needs. When you're ready to get started,
start with vision.
Goals are well-defined, targeted statements that give you clarity, direction and focus. It is
important for the small business owner to define what you need to do to achieve your
vision in measurable and realistic terms. If a marketing goal is to “increase visibility for
your Website”, then you need to include by when and specific criteria with which you
can measure your results. Ideally, you should have only 2 or 3 goals that you want to
work towards in a 3-6 month timeframe. Any more than that, you risk taking on too much
and achieving nothing.
A common approach to developing your goals is to use the formula for the five
characteristics of well developed goals – S.M.A.R.T.
 Specific – What exactly are you trying to accomplish? The more specific you can be, the more
likely the goal will be accomplished.
 Measurable – How do you know if you are successful? Answer the questions “How much?”,
“How Many?”, and “By When?”

 Attainable – Is this realistic based on the resources you have or can acquire to achieve them or a
major obstacle to success? The best goals should encourage you to reach, but not so far as to
involve unavailable resources or unrealistic expectations.
 Relevant – Will this goal help you reach your vision? Setting goals that do not align themselves
with your ultimate outcome will divert your attention from those that help you get where you
want to go.
 Timely – What is the deadline for this effort? Without having specific time frames associated
with each goal, you most likely will not achieve them because the day to day interruptions will
take over.
1.4 Mission of the Organization
 One face, one voice: There will be one face and voice of the company, for the outer
world.
 Customer centric attitude: The aim of the company is to overreach our
commitments with customers by providing all goods and services and also resolving
their issues most efficiently and at the fastest pace possible.
 Brand value: Delivering products after meticulous planning and delivering them
keeping in mind the customer, therefore, delivering trust.
 Innovation through technology: Using modern integrated technology to identify,
create and deliver something new.
 Corporate social responsibility: Company will focus on the development of
affordable products for the masses.
 Employee culture: The constant search for dynamic young professionals will
always exist; at the same time the existing employees will have training sessions in
order to facilitate their growth in the organization.
 Character, ethics and values: Company will function in accordance to its policies,
which will be maintained through the company's operational manual. The manual

would be adhered to at all the times with an ultimatum given to those who don't.
This adherence would, therefore, create an "Ethical Brand Value" for Flipkart.
 Philosophy: Our philosophy is ‘The online megastore’.
 A mission describes the organization’s basic function in society, in terms of the
products and services it produces for its customers”.
A clear business mission should have each of the following elements:
Figure 1: Business Mission
 Taking each element of the above diagram in turn, what should a good mission
contain?

1.5 History of the Organization
Flipkart
 2010: WeRead, a social book discovery tool.
 2011: Mime360, a digital content platform company.
 2011: Chakpak.com, a Bollywood news site that offers updates, news, photos and videos.
Flipkart acquired the rights to Chakpak's digital catalogue which includes 40,000
filmographies, 10,000 movies and close to 50,000 ratings. Flipkart has categorically said
that it will not be involved with the original site and will not use the brand name.
 2012: Letsbuy.com, an Indian e-retailer in electronics. Flipkart has bought the company
for an estimated US$25 million. Letsbuy.com was closed down and all traffic to Letsbuy
have been diverted to Flipkart.
 2014: Acquired Myntra.com in an estimated INR 2,000 crore deal.
Snapdeal
Snapdeal has received 5 rounds of funding:
 Round 1: In January 2011, Snapdeal received a funding of $12 million from Nexus
Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture Partners.
 Round 2: In July 2011, the company raised a further $45 million from Bessemer Venture
Partners, along with existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Indo-US Venture
Partners.
 Round 3: Snapdeal then raised a 3rd round of funding worth $50 million from eBay and
received participation from existing investors – i.e. Bessemer Venture Partners, Nexus
Venture and IndoUS Venture Partners.
 Round 4: Snapdeal received its 4th round of funding of $133 million on Feb-2014. The
4th round of funding was led by eBay with all the current institutional investors,
including Kalaari Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Intel
Capital and Saama Capital all participating.

 Round 5: Snapdeal received its 5th round of funding of $105 million in May-2014. The
5th round included investments by Blackrock, Temasek Holdings, PremjiInvest and
others. The round valued SnapDeal at $1,000,000,000.
 Round 6: Snapdeal received its 6th round of funding in Oct-2014 from Softbank with
investments worth $627 million in fresh capital.This makes SoftBank the largest investor
in Snapdeal.
Acquisitions
 In June 2010, Snapdeal acquired Bangalore-based group buying site, Grabbon.com.
 In April 2012, Snapdeal acquired esportsbuy.com, an online sports goods retailer based
out of Delhi.
 In May 2013, Snapdeal acquired Shopo.in, an online marketplace for Indian handicraft
products.
1.6 Competition Information
Ecommerce Companies entire sales model revolves around its cardinal business association
with a large network of Channel Partners across the country. Earth provides marketing
support, comprehensive branding support, complete training support, business set-up
support and sharing of expenses. By becoming Flipkart channel partner, you can gain
credibility, acquire credentials, catch the momentum, reap rewards and strengthen your
relationship with Flipkart and its sales organization.
Flipkart offers to its Channel Partners the best compensation in the ecommerce industry.
What you stand to gain for your efforts spent with us is something which none in the
industry can match.
Snapdeal Channel Partners as one of the key stakeholders of its business and hence it is
important to address their grievances in transparent and structured manner. Partner problems
and issues are resolved on priority basis and a dedicated team is appointed to handle the
partner on daily basis. Snapdeal ensures that all such grievances are amicably settled in the
best interest of both the parties.

Following are the model which shows the competition information of any Company.
 Porter’s Competitive Forces Model
 Strategies for Dealing with Competitive Forces
 Strategic Use of Information Technology
 The Value Chain and Strategic IS

1.7 S.W.O.T Analysis of the Organization
Figure 2: SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT matrix) is a structured planning method used to
evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in
a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person.
It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal
and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. Some authors
credit SWOT to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute
(now SRI International) in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune
500 companies. However, Humphrey himself does not claim the creation of SWOT, and the

origins remain obscure. The degree to which the internal environment of the firm matches with
the external environment is expressed by the concept of strategic fit.
 Strengths: characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over
others.
 Weaknesses: characteristics that place the business or project at a disadvantage
relative to others
 Opportunities: elements that the project could exploit to its advantage
 Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or
project
Identification of SWOTs is important because they can inform later steps in planning to
achieve the objective.
First, the decision makers should consider whether the objective is attainable, given the
SWOTs. If the objective is not attainable a different objective must be selected and the
process repeated.
Users of SWOT analysis need to ask and answer questions that generate meaningful
information for each category (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) to make the
analysis useful and find their competitive advantage.
Organizational strategies are the means through which companies accomplish their missions
and goals. Successful strategies address four elements of the setting within which the
company operates:
(1) The company's strengths,
(2) Its weaknesses,

(3) The opportunities in its competitive environment, and
(4) The threats in its competitive environment.
This set of four elements—strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—when used by a
firm to gain competitive advantage, is often referred to as a SWOT analysis. SWOT was
developed byKen Andrews in the early 1970s. An assessment of strengths and weaknesses
occurs as a part of organizational analysis; that is, it is an audit of the company's internal
workings, which are relatively easier to control than outside factors. Conversely, examining
opportunities and threats is a part of environmental analysis—the company must look outside of
the organization to determine opportunities and threats, over which it has lesser control.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Strengths, in the SWOT analysis, are a company's capabilities and resources that allow it to
engage in activities to generate economic value and perhaps competitive advantage. A company's
strengths may be in its ability to create unique products, to provide high-level customer service,
or to have a presence in multiple retail markets. Strengths may also be things such as the
company's culture, its staffing and training, or the quality of its managers. Whatever capability a
company has can be regarded as strength.
A company's weaknesses are a lack of resources or capabilities that can prevent it from
generating economic value or gaining a competitive advantage if used to enact the company's
strategy. There are many examples of organizational weaknesses. For example, a firm may have
a large, bureaucratic structure that limits its ability to compete with smaller, more dynamic
companies. Another weakness may occur if a company has higher labor costs than a competitor
who can have similar productivity from a lower labor cost. The characteristics of an organization
that can be strength, as listed above, can also be a weakness if the company does not do them
well.
SWOT analysis is a straightforward model that analyzes an organization’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats to create the foundation of a marketing strategy. To do so, it takes into
account what an organization can and cannot do as well as any potential favorable or unfavorable
conditions related to the company’s products or services.

What is SWOT analysis?
As mentioned above, the process of SWOT analysis evaluates your company’s strengths,
weaknesses, market opportunities and potential threats to provide competitive insight into the
potential and critical issues that impact the overall success of the business. Further, the primary
goal of a SWOT analysis is to identify and assign all significant factors that could positively or
negatively impact success to one of the four categories, providing an objective and in-depth look
at your business.
Highly useful for developing and confirming your organizational goals, each of the four
categories provides specific insights that can be used to cultivate a successful marketing strategy,
including:
 Strengths – Positive attributes internal to your organization and within your control.
Strengths often encompass resources, competitive advantages, the positive aspects of
those within your workforce and the aspects related to your business that you do
particularly well, focusing on all the internal components that add value or offer you a
competitive advantage.
 Weaknesses – Factors that are within your control yet detract from your ability to obtain
or maintain a competitive edge such as limited expertise, lack of resources, limited access
to skills or technology, substandard services or poor physical location. Weaknesses
encapsulate the negative internal aspects to your business that diminish the overall value
your products or services provide. This category can be extremely helpful in providing an
organizational assessment, provided you focus on an accurate identification of your
company’s weaknesses.
 Opportunities – Summary of the external factors that represent the motivation for your
business to exist and prosper within the marketplace. These factors include the specific
opportunities existing within your market that provide a benefit, including market
growth, lifestyle changes, resolution of current problems or the basic ability to offer a
higher degree of value in relation to your competitors to promote an increase in demand
for your products or services. One element to be aware of is timing. For example, are the
opportunities you’re catering to ongoing or is there a limited window of opportunity?

 Threats – External factors beyond the control of your organization that have the potential
to place your marketing strategy, or the entire business, at risk. The primary and ever-
present threat is competition. However, other threats can include unsustainable price
increases by suppliers, increased government regulation, economic downturns, negative
press coverage, shifts in consumer behavior or the introduction of “leap-frog” technology
that leaves your products or services obsolete. Though these forces are external and
therefore beyond your control, SWOT analysis may also aid in the creation of a
contingency plan that will enable you to quickly and effectively address these issues
should they arise.
Turning SWOT Analysis into a Strategic Plan
Once you’ve established specific values related to your business offerings within the four
quadrants of SWOT analysis, you can develop a strategic plan based on the information you’ve
learned. For example, once you’ve identified your inherent strengths, you can leverage them to
pursue the opportunities best suited to your organization, effectively reducing potential
vulnerability related to threats. In the same way, by identifying your organization’s weaknesses
with regard to external threats, you can devise a plan that will enable you to eliminate or
minimize them while improving defensive strategies related to your offerings.
It’s important to remember that SWOT analysis can be influenced (and often quite strongly) by
those who perform the analysis. So it’s a good idea to have an outside business consultant review
the results to provide the most objective plan.

CHAPTER II
CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION
A conceptual framework is an analytical tool with several variations and contexts. It is used to
make conceptual distinctions and organize ideas. Strong conceptual frameworks capture
something real and do this in a way that is easy to remember and apply.
2.1. What is market?
An actual or nominal place where forces of demand and supply operate, and where buyers and
sellers interact (directly or through intermediaries) to trade goods, services, or contracts or
instruments, for money or barter.
Markets include mechanisms or means for
(1) Determining price of the traded item,
(2) Communicating the price information,
(3) Facilitating deals and transactions, and
(4) Effecting distribution.
The market for a particular item is made up of existing and potential customers who need it and
have the ability and willingness to pay for it.
There are many definitions of marketing but one of the simplest suggests that:
"Marketing is getting the right product or service in the right quantity, to the right place, at the
right time and making a profit in the process".
Marketing is about identifying and understanding your customer and giving them what they
want. It's not just about advertising and promoting your business.

Effective marketing is a result of examining every aspect of your business and how it affects the
consumer's end experience. It covers everything you'll need to do in order to deliver your
products and services to the consumer including research, planning, pricing, packaging,
promotion, selling and distribution.
The following six areas provide a comprehensive framework for developing an effective
marketing plan. These areas are often referred to as the “6Ps” or the ‘marketing mix’:
Product
This covers the combination of goods and services that your business offers. It could include the
following characteristics of your good or service: quality, variety, design, features, services,
warranty, sizes, packaging, brand name and returns. For more information, read the Product
Strategy Business Guide
Place
How does the consumer access your product or service? Things to think about in this area
include: distribution channels, coverage, inventory, transportation, logistics and retail outlet
location. For more information, read the Place (Distribution) Strategy Business Guide
Price
What approach will you take to pricing your product? Will you offer discounts or extended
payment periods? What credit terms will you set? For more information, download the Price
Strategy Business Guide
Promotion
Refers to how you communicate with your customers. Most businesses use a mix of advertising,
personal selling, referrals, sales promotion and public relations. For more information, read
the Promotion Strategy Business Guide

People
Your staff is ambassadors for your business. Think the following in relation to your staff:
knowledge, experience, skills, communication, teamwork and attitude. For more information,
read the People Strategy Business Guide
Process
The processes that you use in the day to day operation of your business have a flow-on effect on
the customer's experience, even if it's simply ensuring that orders are effectively managed. Think
about the following aspects of business operation: systems, quality control, planning, review,
continuous improvement, and documentation and feedback channels. For more information, read
the Process Strategy Business Guide
2.2. Types of marketing strategy
Figure 3: Types of Marketing Strategy
Cause Marketing
Finding causes both your customers and your company care about can create magic for your
business. This requires internal knowledge about what your organization cares about and who

they want to help in the world. A good example of this is Toms Shoes. Instead of doing the
traditional “buy one get one free” promotion, Toms built a strong customer following and
reputation for giving back by giving away a free pair of shoes to someone in need for every shoe
purchase made by their customers.
Close Range Marketing (CRM)
Use Wifi or bluetooth to send promotional messages of their products and services to their
customers’ smart phones and tablets at close proximity. Close Range Marketing is also known as
Proximity Marketing.
Figure 4: Close Range Marketing (CRM)
Relationship Marketing
Many companies focus on building relationships with their customers instead of always
exclusive trying to sell them something (transactional marketing). Customers who love your
brand more will also spend more money with your brand. Many traditional retailers have found
this to be true. Walgreens has seen that customers who buy from all of their purchasing channels

(store, web, mobile, etc) buy up to six times more than the average customer that only buys in
their store.
Transactional Marketing
Driving sales can be challenging, especially for retailers that have to consistently sell products in
high volume to consumers. In order to stay with the demands of investors, retailers have to
encourage consumers to buy using coupons, discounts, liquidations, and sales events. High
volume big-box retailers like Target are constantly running promotional events in order to get
interested consumers into their stores.
Scarcity Marketing
In some markets it’s important to control how much product is available at one time. In many
cases this is done because of the difficulty of acquiring raw materials or higher quality of the
product. A company may choose to make their products accessible to only a few customers.
Rolls-Royce’s release of their Chinese edition car called Phantom sold quickly. While the cost of
the car was higher than most cars the scarcity drove the desire and the price.
Figure 5: Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of Mouth Marketing
Word-of-mouth Marketing is the passing of information from person to person by oral
communication. Customers are very excited to share with the world the brands they love. Many
consumers find meaning in sharing stories of their favorite products and services. Word of
Mouth is one of the ancient ways people learned about what to purchase. Modern marketers have
learned how to create authentic word of mouth for their companies and the products they
represent.
Call to Action (CTA) Marketing
CTA Marketing refers to methods of converting web traffic into leads or sales on websites using
text, graphics, or other elements of web design. Conversion strategies help improve the
percentage of online visitors who become customers or who join the mailing list.
Viral Marketing
Cult Brand marketers are constantly creating new business ideas that keep their products in the
heart and minds of the global consumer. Each time a new product is created, customers have to
be given a reason to dream about their future purchase. Sometimes marketers of Cult Brands hit
on something so great that people can’t help but share with others. Getting your customers
talking about your products and services is very important to growing awareness for your
business.

Figure 6: Diversity Marketing
Diversity Marketing
Develop a customized marketing plan by analyzing different customer segments based on
cultural differences including tastes, expectations, beliefs, world views, and specific needs.
Undercover Marketing
Sometimes not telling everyone everything can become a great source of buzz. Think of a movie
trailer that got you very excited to go see the movie. While not showing all the aspects of the
movie, the advertiser can create enough intrigue to drive viewers to want to see more.
Mass Marketing
Major corporations need to drive large numbers of purchasing of their products in order to
survive and grow. While mass marketing may seem like a shotgun approach to marketing this is
far from the truth. Big businesses spend big money in understanding big data–thats a lot of bigs!)
This gives them an insight to where to place media for their potential national customers who

buy their products and services. Walmart is an example of an effective mass market retailer. As
the number one retailer in the world, they are very smart about their mass marketing efforts,
often giving their customers a feeling of locality and warmth.
Figure 7: Seasonal Marketing
Seasonal Marketing
Seasonal events offer a great way to meet new consumers. Sometimes these events can be actual
changes of weather or national holidays. For a retailer like Hallmark, Valentine’s Day represents
a large portion of their business. By tuning into the various seasons that are important to your
customers you can become more relevant in their lives.
PR Marketing
One of the most important marketing strategies is public relations. Many effective marketers
work with the media to bring awareness to their products and the benefits their products offer.

Also, in many cases where things go wrong, a good PR marketing strategy is vital. When
Apple’s founder Steve Jobs was alive, Apple held a major press conference to announce every
new product. This tradition is now continued by their new Apple CEO and CMO.
Online Marketing
As commerce has propagated to the Internet, a new form of marketing has emerged. From online
banners to those annoying pop ups, online marketers have attempted to get their customers
attention any way they can. Most online strategic marketing efforts today are a mix of growth
hacking strategies ( A/B testing taken to the max) and a variety of awareness tactics that drive
attention. A very effective online marketer is the insurance company Geico who simply asks
their users to enter their zip code for an instant quote on a better savings.
Email Marketing
As soon as customers migrated into the online world, Internet marketers have attempted to
collect and organize emails for potential prospects. Many business-to-business marketers depend
on email marketing as a primary way to connect with customers. At industry tradeshows, IBM
consultants can often be seen exchanging email information with their prospects.
Evangelism Marketing
Develop raving fan customers (what we call Brand Lovers) who become advocates of your brand
or product, and who represent the brand as if it was part of their own identity.

Figure 8: Event Marketing
Event Marketing
Creating events is a great way to drive sales. Customers often need a reason to shop and events
can often offer the perfect reason. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has become part of
American culture by connecting two events together that consumers love: Thanksgiving and
shopping.
Offline Marketing
With mass adoption of the Internet, many companies are finding new ways of integrating offline
marketing with new technologies to create more engaging customer experiences. The Coca-Cola
company has create vending machines that invite customers to hug them. This continues to tie
the Coca-Cola brand to the core emotion of happiness, but also invite customers to experience
the real product offline.
Outbound Marketing

Sometimes it’s important for companies to let their potential customers know they exist. By
developing a list of prospects a company can begin to reach out to their individual target groups
in order to find new customers. When Microsoft was selling their accounting software they often
used outbound marketing to identify potential targets before trying to call the companies for an
in-person meeting.
Figure 9: Direct Marketing
Direct Marketing
Communicate directly with customers and prospects through mail, email, texts, fliers and
other promotional material.
Inbound Marketing
Companies often have customers calling them for various reasons. This can present a great
opportunity to sell customers additional products and services they currently don’t have. When
business customers call to check their balances, the business bank Chase often takes the

opportunity to ask if they are interest in a credit line, a 401 k plan, or a variety of other services
the bank offers.
Freebie Marketing
Promote free give always or sell your products and services sold at low rates to boost the sales of
other related products or services.
Figure 10: Newsletter Marketing
Newsletter Marketing
A fun way to promote a business is to write a newsletter that highlights some of the newsworthy
things that have happened for the organization. The Motley Foolhave was sharing their
investment insights with their community for many years. These newsletters create a sense of
inclusion and participation with their members and have provided a key driver for their
incredible growth.
Article Marketing
In industries where expertise is highly valued, articles can offer a powerful tool to showcase your
knowledge and expertise. Some innovations are shared in the form of articles or white papers

where technical information needs to be convey to specialized buyers. Amazon.com has
dedicated part of their site for white papers on technical know-how on cloud computing. This is a
very sophisticated form of marketing for specialized buyers.
Content Marketing
Write and publish content to educate potential customers about your products and services. For
the appropriate businesses, this can be an effective means of influencing them without using
direct selling methods.
Figure 11: Tradeshow Marketing
Tradeshow Marketing
Many products have to be experienced to be bought. There are very few customers that will buy
a new automobile without doing a great deal of research and test-driving the car first.
Tradeshows are industry gatherings where customers are invited to come sample all that the
industry has to offer. To introduce their new lines of products, Ford Motor Company spends a

great deal of time setting up and operating their booth at the international consumer auto shows
each year. These auto trade shows give reporters and consumers a chance to experience cars first
hand.
Search Marketing
These days, when consumers have questions they often don’t ask their friends; they go straight
for Google. In fact, Google is so good at answering our questions that millions of people daily
search for their answers on this leading Internet search site. One does not have to look far to see
the power of search marketing. Google has shaped the industry for many years now and has
helped hundred of retailers grow their businesses. While many businesses used to advertise in
their local yellow pages, as less and less consumer consult their local physical directory, this
channel becomes increasingly less effective each year.
Figure 12: Search Marketing

Direct Marketing
Advertise and promote your products and services to customers using a range of digital devices
including computers, smart phones, and tablets. Internet Marketing is an essential practice in
Digital Marketing. Once a target market has been clearly identified, it is possible to work in
conjunction with the USPS or a professional mail carrier that knows where your customers live.
Direct marketing can be an effective way to reach consumers right where they live at home.
While there is often a negative side to this approach (consumers don’t want to be bothered with a
flurry of mail), many smart companies execute direct marketing well. Catalog retailer L.L. Bean,
for example, created direct marketing programs that their customers look forward to receiving.
Niche Marketing
Finding a niche and filling it could be described as the secret recipe for growth in over-crowded
marketplaces. Take the shoe business, for example. There is a great demand for shoes in the
world and so many top companies have evolved to satisfy most of the immediate shoe needs in
the marketplace. The shoe space might seem crowded, but shoe manufacturing
company Vans noticed an underserved customer: the skater. By focusing on this niche
market Vans has developed a thriving business.
Drip Marketing
Drip marketing is a communication strategy that sends, or “drips,” a pre-written set of messages
to customers or prospects over time. These messages often take the form of email marketing,
although other media outlets can also be used as well.
Community Marketing
Engage an audience of existing customers in an active dialogue, speaking to the needs and wants
of this particular customer group. Instead of focusing on generating the next transaction,
community marketing promotes greater loyalty and higher levels of engagement within an

existing brand community. Learn how to build brand communities here. Community marketing
can also lead to word of mouth marketing.
2.3. Marketing strategy used by Flipkart and Snapdeal
Marketing is a strategy used by companies to communicate with the consumer and make him
knowledgeable about the various features of their products and services. It is an essential part of
attracting the target buyers to a particular product, and companies use various innovative or
tried-and-tested techniques to stay ahead of their competitors and make their place in the market.
Earth infrastructure uses Online Marketing
Online Marketing - Here two or more entities come together to pool in their resources to
promote and sell a product or service, which will not only benefit their stakeholders, but also
have a greater impact on the market.

2.4. Factor affecting marketing strategy
Marketing strategy concerns the decisions marketers make to help the company satisfy its target
market and attain its business and marketing objectives. Price, of course, is one of the key
marketing mix decisions and since all marketing mix decisions must work together, the final
price will be impacted by how other marketing decisions are made. For instance, marketers
selling high quality products would be expected to price their products in a range that will add to
the perception of the product being at a high-level.
It should be noted that not all companies view price as a key selling feature. Some firms, for
example those seeking to be viewed as market leaders in product quality, will deemphasize price
and concentrate on a strategy that highlights non-price benefits (e.g., quality, durability, service,
etc.). Such non-price competition can help the company avoid potential price wars that often
break out between competitive firms that follow a market share objective and use price as a key
selling feature.
Before you begin developing a new marketing plan, consider how each of these external forces
influences your choice of marketing direction and media.
1. Demographics—how will the composition of your market change and what opportunities or
hurdles will this create? How will population and housing demand evolve?
2. Current and projected economic conditions—How will inflation, employment, taxes, and
other economic factors effect supply, demand, and pricing?
3. Size, growth potential, and prosperity of the market—Will the size of your market continue
to support current business and/or allow the opportunity for business growth? What are the
growth options for housing availability in your market? Is there vacant land available? Are
there geographic limitations on growth (a mountain range)? Are there zoning, use fees, and
other restrictions that might fuel or limit growth?
4. Market potential—Strengths and weakness of major competitors. How can you capitalize on a
competitor’s weakness?
5. Market share—What percentage of current transactions in your market are handled by your
company and what factors could change that percentage either positively or negatively?

6. Present customer composition—How do factors such education, buying frequency, age,
income level, occupations and hobbies affect the level of future demand among existing
customers?
2.5. Customer influence by factor
Introducing the Product
When you introduce a new product to the marketplace, your marketing strategy has to target the
type of customer who wants innovation and new features. You are at the business development
stage of the product cycle, and you have to invest in promoting the product. This means your
approach needs to highlight the product's unique capabilities and what it can do better than
existing products. Your strategy is concerned with gaining exposure and gauging the reaction of
the market. Aim your promotional initiatives at early adopters and people who have expertise
and a reputation in the field of activity.
Growth
If your product introduction is successful, the opinion leaders and early adopters you have
targeted are spreading the word. Your marketing strategy then has to change to target a more
mainstream type of customer. The purchaser in a growth market wants performance at a
reasonable price. Your strategy has to explain the benefits of the product and why it will meet the
purchaser's needs. Most purchasers are first-time buyers and are not familiar with the product.
Your strategy has to address this by including an educational and informative component. In this
part of the business cycle, your strategy is to recoup your investment and start making a profit.
Maturity
In a mature market, the details of your product are well-know and easily accessible from reviews
and other publications. Your marketing strategy has to convince the average purchaser and the
repeat customers that your product represents good value. Competitors have had time to
introduce alternatives, and your strategy has to respond to their challenges. A successful mature
market strategy maintains market leadership by promoting the fact that you developed the
product and were the first to offer it. The aim of your market strategy changes to preserving the
long-term profitability of the product line by focusing on value and customer satisfaction.

Decline
At some point, sales in your product decrease and you decide it is not worth further investment.
Your marketing strategy at this stage presents the product as an inexpensive but solid purchase
and targets the type of customer who wants a deal. These purchasers are attracted by the fact that
they can buy a good product that used to cost more. As your marketing and promotional costs for
the product wind down, you can still make a profit at a lower price point as you exit the market.
2.6. Marketing Strategy of the Organization
Figure 13: Marketing Strategy of Organization
Marketing strategy is the goal of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive
advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing
that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation,

evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contributes to the goals of
the company and its marketing objectives.
To set a new benchmark in conventional real estate world by becoming the most innovative and
trusted brand with the adoption of new technologies and a centric focus on green and eco-
friendly construction to fulfill the customers' expectations.
 Achieve 100% customer satisfaction
 Designate a Marketing Day
 Identify and Focus on Your Target Market
 Plan for Success
 Stop Cold Calling
 Use the Internet
 Product Development
 Product Diffusion process
 Product life cycle
 Product positioning
2.7 Developing a marketing strategies by the organization
Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to
fill market needs and reach marketing objectives. Plans and objectives are generally tested
for measurable results. Commonly, marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans,
with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year. Time
horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company, by industry, and by nation,
however, time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment
increases. Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and
partially unplanned. See strategy dynamics. Marketing strategy needs to take a long term
view, and tools such as customer lifetime value models can be very powerful in helping to
simulate the effects of strategy on acquisition, revenue per customer and churn rate.
Marketing strategy involves careful and precise scanning of the internal and external
environments. Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix and marketing mix

modeling, plus performance analysis and strategic constraints. External environmental
factors include customer analysis, competitor analysis, target market analysis, as well as
evaluation of any elements of the technological, economic, cultural or political/legal
environment likely to impact success. A key component of marketing strategy is often to
keep marketing in line with a company's overarching mission statement.
Once a thorough environmental scan is complete, a strategic plan can be constructed to
identify business alternatives, establish challenging goals, determine the optimal marketing
mix to attain these goals, and detail implementation. A final step in developing a marketing
strategy is to create a plan to monitor progress and a set of contingencies if problems arise in
the implementation of the plan.
Marketing Mix Modeling is often used to help determine the optimal marketing budget and
how to allocate across the marketing mix to achieve these strategic goals. Moreover, such
models can help allocate spend across a portfolio of brands and manage brands to create
value.
Figure 14: Marketing Strategies of Organization

2.8. Conceptof marketstrategyof Flipkart and Snapdeal
Marketing strategy is the goal of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive
advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing
that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation,
evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contribute to the goals of the
company and its marketing objectives. Business owners without a formal marketing background
often think of marketing in terms of advertising, public relations and promotions activities.
While those are important aspects of marketing, they are activities that support the overall
marketing strategies of a business that build a solid brand. Understanding the basic concepts of
marketing and strategies that go with them will help you develop long-term business goals and
create more effective communications strategies.
2.9. Evolution of the Marketing Concept
1. Production Concept
Demand for goods and services > Supply ... therefore consumers gladly purchased
what was being produced. Producers have a captive market. Investment on
increasing the efficiencies of production had the greatest impact on company
profitability. Thus smart businesses focused on increasing productivity, rather
than understanding the consumer. Henry Ford's quote: "The customer can have
any color car as long as it is black" is closely identified with this era! This is

appropriate for developing countries, and evolved in the US with the advent of the
industrial revolution.
2. Sales Concept
Demand = Supply ... therefore producers had to convince consumers to purchase
their products. Focus of business investment starts shifting towards developing a
robust sales mechanism in order to communicate with consumers. The sales
concept is also relevant for products consumers do not seek out ordinarily, such as
life insurance and dental treatment.
3. Marketing Concept
Supply > Demand ... therefore producers need to first understand what consumers
wanted, then produce those products, then convince consumers to purchase those
products. Target marketing and market segmentation became the new tools to
increase company profitability.
4. One 2 One (Relationship) Marketing Concept
The Marketing era evolved and saw producers further segment their markets,
targeting smaller groups of consumers within those markets. With the potential
unleashed by the microprocessor and information technology, we are seeing
targeting down to the individual, one to one. A commonly cited example is
Amazon. Notice, if you make a purchase from this site (or similar) when you
return to the site, you will receive recommendations based on your previous

purchases. This presentation is based not only on your purchases (data stored in
your cookie file allows for this), but on purchases of others who have bought the
same book and similar books.
5. Viral Marketing
An interesting thing is occurring, as we are now in a networked economy. Our
consumers are able to "talk" to each other and serve as an extended sales force.
This lateral communication and / or transaction between customers and non-
customers can serve as an opportunity for companies to leverage. The pioneer of
viral marketing was Hotmail. This Wired article Hot Male discusses this
marketing "accident." Another good example is Bluemountain.com. Since the
receiver of the e-card has to visit the site to access the card, this visit serves to
promote the service to the receiver.
6. Societal Marketing Concept
Companies, more aware of society and the environment at large, promote their
affiliation with the environment. Ben & Jerry's and The Body Shop are examples.
2.10. Market Strategy Key Concept
Strategic Planning Process
1. Corporate Level
2. Business Level
3. Product Level

Higher levels (corporate) govern lower level planning processes. Strategic planning requires:
1. Planning
2. Implementation
3. Control
Corporate Strategic Planning
1. Identify the company's Mission
2. Identify SBUs (customer focused)
3. Allocate Resources across SBUs (BCG Model; GE Model; Product Life Cycle; systems)
4. Growth Strategies for SBUs (intensive; integrative; diversification)
2.4. Type of Market Strategy
a) Affinity Marketing –
Also known as Partnership Marketing, this technique links complementary brands, thereby
creating strategic partnerships that benefit both companies. While one adds value to existing
customers by generating more income, the other builds new customer relationships.
b) Alliance Marketing - Here two or more entities come together to pool in their resources to
promote and sell a product or service, which will not only benefit their stakeholders, but also
have a greater impact on the market.
c) Ambush Marketing - This strategy is used by advertisers to capitalize on and associated
themselves with a specific event without the payment of any sponsorship fee, thereby bringing
down the value of sponsorship. It has sub-categories like direct or predatory ambushing or
indirect ambushing by association, to name a few.
d) Call to Action (CTA) Marketing - CTA is a part of inbound marketing used on websites in
the form of a banner, text or graphic, where it is meant to prompt a person to click it and move

into the conversion funnel, that is, from searching to navigating an online store to converting to a
sale.
e) Close Range Marketing (CRM) - Also known as Proximity Marketing, CRM uses bluetooth
technology or Wifi to promote their products and services to their customers at close proximity.
f) Cloud Marketing - This refers to the type of marketing that takes place on the internet, where
all the marketing resources and assets are transferred online so that the respective parties can
develop, modify, utilize and share them.
g) Community Marketing - This technique caters to the needs and requirements of the existing
customers, as opposed to using resources to gather new consumers. This promotes loyalty and
product satisfaction and also gives rise to word of mouth marketing among the community.
h) Content Marketing - In this case, content is created and published on various platforms to
give information about a certain product or service to potential customers and to influence them,
without making a direct sales pitch.
i) Cross-media Marketing - As the name suggests, multiple channels like emails, letters, web
pages etc are used to give information about products and services to customers in the form of
cross promotion.
j) Database Marketing - This utilizes and information from database of customers or potential
consumers to create customized communication strategies through any media in order to promote
products and services.
k) Digital Marketing - This strategy uses various digital devices like smartphones, computers,
tablets or digital billboards to inform customers and business partners about its products. Internet
Marketing is a key element in Digital Marketing.

l) Direct Marketing - This is a wide term which refers to the technique where organizations
communicate directly with the consumer through mail, email, texts, fliers and various
promotional materials.
m) Diversity Marketing - The aim of this strategy is to take into account the different diversities
in a culture in terms of beliefs, expectations, tastes and needs and then create a customized
marketing plan to target those consumers effectively.
n) Evangelism Marketing - It is similar to word-of-mouth marketing, where a company
develops customers who become voluntary advocates of a product and who promote its features
and benefits on behalf of the company.
o) Freebie Marketing - Here a particular item is sold at low rates, or is given away free, to boost
the sales of another complimentary item or service.
p) Free Sample Marketing - Unlike Freebie Marketing, this is not dependent on complimentary
marketing, but rather consists of giving away a free sample of the product to influence the
consumer to make the purchase.
q) Guerrilla Marketing - Unconventional and inexpensive techniques with imagination, big
crowds and a surprise element are used for marketing something, a popular example being flash
mobs.
The use of the term conceptual framework crosses both scale (large and small theories) and
contexts (social science, marketing, applied science, art etc.). Its explicit definition and
application can therefore vary.
Although most authors speak about some parts of Strategic Marketing, here is included a list of
definitions of the term. Some authors appear in different years (for example, Jain), it is
understood that they have added new comments or redefined the term after the years. The table
and the definitions have been ordered by year of publication.

Author Year Definition
Drucker 1973 “ Strategic marketing as seen as a process consisting of:
analyzing environmental, market competitive and business
factors affecting the corporation and its business units,
identifying market opportunities and threats and forecasting
future trends in business areas of interest for the enterprise ,
and participating in setting objectives and formulating
corporate and business unit strategies. Selecting market target
strategies for the product-markets in each business unit,
establishing marketing objectives as well as developing ,
implementing and managing the marketing program
positioning strategies in order to meet market target needs”.
Hart & 1977 " a statement in very general terms of how the marketing
Stapleton objective is to be achieved, e.g. acquiring a competitive
company, by price reductions, by product improvement, or by
intensive advertising.The strategy becomes the basis of the
marketing plan"
Lambin 1977 “The role of strategic marketing is to lead the firm towards
attractive economic opportunities, that is, opportunities that
are adapted to its resources and know how and offer a
potential for growth and profitability”.
Baker 1984 “the establishment of the goal or purpose of a strategic
business unit and the means by which it is to be achieved
trough management of the marketing function"
Cravens 1986 “understanding the strategic situation confronting an

organization is an essential starting point in developing a
marketing strategy”
Aramario 1991 “ although marketing has basically an strategic conception of
&Lambin the selling activity, we use to distinguish between strategic
marketing and operational marketing, depending on long term
or short term objectives. Strategic marketing starts in
thoughts about current situation of the company and
situational analysis and possible evolution of the markets and
the environment, with the goal of detecting opportunities
which can establish objectives”
Schnaars 1991 “There is no unified definition upon which marketers agree.
Instead, there are nearly as many definitions of it as there are
uses of the term. Clearly, marketing strategy is a commonly
used term, but no one is really sure what it means”.
Bradley 1991 " the strategic marketing process, therefore implies deciding
the marketing strategy based on a set of objectives , target
market segments, positioning and policies"
Walker, 1992 “ The primary purpose of a marketing strategy is to effectively
Boyd, allocate and coordinate marketing resources and activities to
Larreché accomplish the firm’s objectives within a specific product-
market. Therefore decisions about the scope of a marketing
strategy involve specifying the target-market segment(s) to be
pursued and the product line to be offered. Then, firms seek a

competitive advantage and synergy, planning a well integrated
Program of marketing mix elements.”
Jain 1993 “Marketing strategy is mainly indicated by the marketing
Table 1: List of definitions
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business.
However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies. A brief description
of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below:
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme, firms are classified based on their
market share or dominance of an industry. Typically there are four types of market dominance
strategies:
 Leader
 Challenger
 Follower
 Nicher
According to Shaw, Eric (2012). "Marketing Strategy: From the Origin of the Concept to the
Development of a Conceptual Framework". Journal of Historical Research in Marketing., there
is a framework for marketing strategies.
 Market introduction strategies
"At introduction, the marketing strategist has two principle strategies to choose from: penetration
or niche".
 Market growth strategies
"In the early growth stage, the marketing manager may choose from two additional
strategic alternatives: segment expansion (Smith, Ansoff) or brand expansion (Borden,
Ansoff,Kerin and Peterson, 1978)".

 Market maturity strategies
"In maturity, sales growth slows, stabilizes and starts to decline. In early maturity, it is
common to employ a maintenance strategy (BCG), where the firm maintains or holds a
stable marketing mix".
 Market decline strategies
At some point the decline in sales approaches and then begins to exceed costs. And not
just accounting costs, there are hidden costs as well; as Kotler (1965, p. 109) observed:
'No financial accounting can adequately convey all the hidden costs.' At some point, with
declining sales and rising costs, a harvesting strategy becomes unprofitable and a
divesting strategy necessary".
Early marketing strategy concepts were:
 Borden's "marketing mix"
"In his classic Harvard Business Review (HBR) article of the marketing mix, Borden
(1964) credits James Culliton in 1948 with describing the marketing executive as a
'decider' and a 'mixer of ingredients.' This led Borden, in the early 1950s, to the insight
that what this mixer of ingredients was deciding upon was a 'marketing mix'" (34).
 Smith's "differentiation and segmentation strategies"
"In product differentiation, according to Smith (1956, p. 5), a firm tries 'bending the will
of demand to the will of supply.' That is, distinguishing or differentiating some aspect(s)
of its marketing mix from those of competitors, in a mass market or large segment, where
customer preferences are relatively homogeneous (or heterogeneity is ignored, Hunt,
2011, p. 80), in an attempt to shift its aggregate demand curve to the left (greater quantity
sold for a given price) and make it more inelastic (less amenable to substitutes). With
segmentation, a firm recognizes that it faces multiple demand curves, because customer
preferences are heterogeneous, and focuses on serving one or more specific target
segments within the overall market".

 Dean's "skimming and penetration strategies"
"With skimming, a firm introduces a product with a high price and after milking the least
price sensitive segment, gradually reduces price, in a stepwise fashion, tapping effective
demand at each price level. With penetration pricing a firm continues its initial low price
from introduction to rapidly capture sales and market share, but with lower profit margins
than skimming".
 Forrester's "product life cycle (PLC)"
"The PLC does not offer marketing strategies, per se; rather it provides an overarching
framework from which to choose among various strategic alternatives".
There are also corporate strategy concepts like:
 Andrews' "SWOT analysis"
"Although widely used in marketing strategy, SWOT (also known as TOWS) Analysis
originated in corporate strategy. The SWOT concept, if not the acronym, is the work of
Kenneth R. Andrews who is credited with writing the text portion of the classic: Business
Policy: Text and Cases (Learned et al., 1965)".
 Ansoff's "growth strategies"
"The most well-known, and least often attributed, aspect of Igor Ansoff's Growth
Strategies in the marketing literature is the term 'product-market.' The product-market
concept results from Ansoff juxtaposing new and existing products with new and existing
markets in a two by two matrix".
 Porter's "generic strategies"
Porter generic strategies – strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic
strength. Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to

the firm's sustainable competitive advantage. The generic strategy framework (porter
1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes.
Innovation strategies – This deals with the firm's rate of the new product development
and business model innovation. It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of
technology and business innovation. There are three types:
 Pioneers
 Close followers
 Late followers

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Overview of the Project
The Project is about the marketing strategy of Flikart and Snapdeal. There is a big completion
between both companies. Flipkart and Snapdeal both are the Ecommerce Company where
customers buy products on line. These companies provide cash on delivery facility for the
customer’s needs.
3.2 Objective of studies
Ecommerce refers to the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the
operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for
an economy to function.
The overall aim of the study was to collect valid and reliable information on the attitudes,
experiences and expectations of administrative and support staff currently working in higher
education. Within this broad theme, the research had a number of specific objectives:
 To understand the impact of broader changes in higher education on the working lives of
administrative and support staff and in particular on their roles and responsibilities;
 To examine the opportunities available to them for training, staff development and career
progression;
 To assess levels and sources of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction; and
 To explore their ideas on the development of higher education over the next twenty years.
The overall study objective is to formulate a broad planning and development framework
setting out guidelines and standards for more effective and comprehensive planning for
pedestrians at different levels of planning, based on which conceptual Pedestrian Plans
would be prepared for application and assessment of broad impacts and implementation
mechanisms of the pedestrian planning proposals.

3.3 Purpose of the study
This project aims at development of marketing strategy of Earth infrastructure to improve
infrastructure that has developed in the country. The stand taken by the government in
relation to the FDI policies has resulted in a rise in investments in the realty sector. Earth
Group has embraced all the positive aspects of growth and is prepared to cater to all the
changing trends. This project addresses the key objective of National Mission by
providing accessible, high quality, course material at the postgraduate level in all subjects
at affordable costs with technology-enabled access that will not be limited by geographic
constraints. It seeks to make recommendations on how the shape, structure, size, and
funding of higher education should develop to meet the needs of the United Kingdom
over the next twenty years. It aims to address the issue of how to fund and organize what
is becoming a mass higher housing system.

CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
4.1 Primary research
Primary research consists of a collection of original primary data collected by the researcher. It
is often undertaken after the researcher has gained some insight into the issue by reviewing
secondary research or by analyzing previously collected primary data. It can be accomplished
through various methods, including questionnaires and telephone interviews in market research,
or experiments and direct observations in the physical sciences, amongst others.
The term primary research is widely used in academic research, market research and competitive
intelligence.
There are advantages and disadvantages to primary research.
Advantages:
 Researcher can focus on both qualitative and quantitative issues.
 Addresses specific research issues as the researcher controls the search design to fit their
needs
 Great control; not only does primary research enable the marketer to focus on specific
subjects; it also enables the researcher to have a higher control over how the information
is collected. Taking this into account, the researcher can decide on such requirements as
size of project, time frame and goal.
Disadvantages:
 Compared to secondary research, primary data may be very expensive in preparing and
carrying out the research. Costs can be incurred in producing the paper for questionnaires
or the equipment for an experiment of some sort.

 In order to be done properly, primary data collection requires the development and
execution of a research plan. It takes longer to undertake primary research than to acquire
secondary data.
 Some research projects, while potentially offering information that could prove quite
valuable, may not be within the reach of a researcher.
 By the time the research is complete it may be out of date.
 Low response rate has to be expected.
There are two main approaches to a research problem:
Quantitative Research
Self-completion
questionnaires
A series of questions that the respondent answers on their own. Self-
completion questionnaires are good for collecting data on relatively simple
topics, and for gaining a general overview of an issue. Questionnaires need
to have clear questions, an easy to follow design, and not be too long.
Structured
interviews
Similar to a self-completion questionnaire, except that the questions that are
asked by an interviewer to the interviewee. The same questions are read out
in the same way to all respondents. There will typically be a fixed choice of
answers for the respondents.
Structured
observation
Watching people and recording systematically their behavior. Prior to the
observation, an observation schedule will be produced which details what
exactly the researcher should look for and how those observations should be
recorded.
Table 2: Quantitative Research
 Quantitative research design is the standard experimental method of most scientific
disciplines.

 These experiments are sometimes referred to as true science, and use traditional
mathematical and statistical means to measure results conclusively.
 They are most commonly used by physical scientists, although social sciences, education
and economics have been known to use this type of research. It is the opposite
of qualitative research.
 Quantitative experiments all use a standard format, with a few minor inter-disciplinary
differences, of generating a hypothesis to be proved or disproved. This hypothesis must
be provable by mathematical and statistical means, and is the basis around which the
whole experiment is designed.
 Randomization of any study groups is essential, and a control group should be included,
wherever possible. A sound quantitative design should only manipulate one variable at a
time, or statistical analysis becomes cumbersome and open to question.
 Ideally, the research should be constructed in a manner that allows others to repeat the
experiment and obtain similar results.
 When to perform the quantitative research design.
Advantages
 Quantitative research design is an excellent way of finalizing results and proving or
disproving a hypothesis. The structure has not changed for centuries, so is standard across
many scientific fields and disciplines.

 After statistical analysis of the results, a comprehensive answer is reached, and the results
can be legitimately discussed and published. Quantitative experiments also filter out
external factors, if properly designed, and so the results gained can be seen as real
and unbiased.
 Quantitative experiments are useful for testing the results gained by a series of qualitative
experiments, leading to a final answer, and a narrowing down of possible directions for
follow up research to take.
Disadvantages
 Quantitative experiments can be difficult and expensive and require a lot of time to
perform. They must be carefully planned to ensure that there is complete randomization
and correct designation of control groups.
 Quantitative studies usually require extensive statistical analysis, which can be difficult,
due to most scientists not being statisticians. The field of statistical study is a whole
scientific discipline and can be difficult for non-mathematicians
 In addition, the requirements for the successful statistical confirmation of results are very
stringent, with very few experiments comprehensively proving a hypothesis; there is
usually some ambiguity, which requires retesting and refinement to the design. This
means another investment of time and resources must be committed to fine-tune
the results.
 Quantitative research design also tends to generate only proved or unproven results, with
there being very little room for grey areas and uncertainty. For the social sciences,

education, anthropology and psychology, human nature is a lot more complex than just a
simple yes or no response.
Qualitative Research
In-depth interviews
A way of asking questions which allows the interviewee to have more
control of the interview. The interview could be semi-structured, which
uses an interview schedule to keep some control of the interview, but also
allows for some flexibility in terms of the interviewee’s responses. The
interview could be unstructured, here the aim is to explore the
interviewee’s feelings about the issue being explored and the style of
questioning is very informal. Or the interview could be a life history
where the interviewer tries to find out about the whole life, or a portion
of the person’s life.
Focus groups A form of interviewing where there are several participants; there is an
emphasis in the questioning on a tightly defined topic; the accent is on
interaction within the group and the joint construction of meaning. The
moderator tries to provide a relatively free rein to the discussion.
Participant
observation
This involves studying people in naturally occurring settings. The
researcher participates directly in the setting and collects data in a
systematic manner. The researcher will observe behavior, listen to
conversations, and ask questions.
Table 3: Qualitative research

 Qualitative research design is a research method used extensively by scientists and
researchers studying human behavior and habits.
 It is also very useful for product designers who want to make a product that will sell.
 For example, a designer generating some ideas for a new product might want to study
people’s habits and preferences, to make sure that the product is commercially
viable. Quantitative research is then used to assess whether the completed design is
popular or not.
 Qualitative research is often regarded as a precursor to quantitative research, in that it is
often used to generate possible leads and ideas which can be used to formulate a realistic
and testable hypothesis. This hypothesis can then be comprehensively tested and
mathematically analyzed, with standard quantitative research methods.
 For these reasons, these qualitative methods are often closely allied with interviews,
survey design techniques and individual case studies, as a way to reinforce and evaluate
findings over a broader scale.
 A study completed before the experiment was performed would reveal which of the
multitude of brands were the most popular. The quantitative experiment could then be
constructed around only these brands, saving a lot of time, money and resources.
 Qualitative methods are probably the oldest of all scientific techniques, with Ancient
Greek philosophers qualitatively observing the world around them and trying to come up
with answers which explained what they saw.

Design
 The design of qualitative research is probably the most flexible of the various
experimental techniques, encompassing a variety of accepted methods and structures.
 From an individual case study to an extensive interview, this type of study still needs to
be carefully constructed and designed, but there is no standardized structure.
 Case studies, interviews and survey designs are the most commonly used methods.
 When to use the Qualitative Research Design
Advantages
 Qualitative techniques are extremely useful when a subject is too complex be answered
by a simple yes or no hypothesis. These types of designs are much easier to plan and
carry out. They are also useful when budgetary decisions have to be taken into account.
 The broader scope covered by these designs ensures that some useful data is always
generated, whereas an unproved hypothesis in a quantitative experiment can mean that a
lot of time has been wasted. Qualitative research methods are not as dependent upon
sample sizes as quantitative methods; a case study, for example, can generate meaningful
results with a small sample group.

Disadvantages
 Whilst not as time or resource consuming as quantitative experiments, qualitative
methods still require a lot of careful thought and planning, to ensure that the results
obtained are as accurate as possible.
 Qualitative data cannot be mathematically analyzed in the same comprehensive way as
quantitative results, so can only give a guide to general trends. It is a lot more open to
personal opinion and judgment, and so can only ever give observations rather than
results.
 Any qualitative research design is usually unique and cannot be exactly recreated,
meaning that they do lack the ability to be replicated.
Qualitative research focuses on gathering of mainly verbal data rather than measurements.
Gathered information is then analyzed in an interpretative manner, subjective, impressionistic or
even diagnostic.
4.1.1 Questionnaires
In contrast with interviews, where an enumerator poses questions directly, questionnaires refer to
forms filled in by respondents alone. Questionnaires can be handed out or sent by mail and later
collected or returned by stamped addressed envelope. This method can be adopted for the entire
population or sampled sectors.
Questionnaires may be used to collect regular or infrequent routine data, and data for specialized
studies. While the information in this section applies to questionnaires for all these uses,

examples will concern only routine data, whether regular or infrequent. Some of the data often
obtained through questionnaires include demographic characteristics, fishing practices, opinions
of stakeholders on fisheries issues or management, general information on fishers and household
food budgets.
A questionnaire requires respondents to fill out the form themselves, and so requires a high level
of literacy. Where multiple languages are common, questionnaires should be prepared using the
major languages of the target group. Special care needs to be taken in these cases to ensure
accurate translations.
In order to maximize return rates, questionnaires should be designed to be as simple and clear as
possible, with targeted sections and questions. Most importantly, questionnaires should also be
as short as possible. If the questionnaire is being given to a sample population, then it may be
preferable to prepare several smaller, more targeted questionnaires, each provided to a sub-
sample. If the questionnaire is used for a complete enumeration, then special care needs to be
taken to avoid overburdening the respondent. If, for instance, several agencies require the same
data, attempts should be made to co-ordinate its collection to avoid duplication.
The information that can be obtained through questionnaires consists of almost any data variable.
For example, catch or landing information can be collected through questionnaire from fishers,
market middle-persons, market sellers and buyers, processors etc. Likewise, socio-economic data
can also be obtained through questionnaires from a variety of sources. However, in all cases
variables obtained are an opinion and not a direct measurement, and so may be subject to serious
errors. Using direct observations or reporting systems for these sorts of data is more reliable.
Questionnaires, like interviews, can contain either structured questions with blanks to be filled
in, multiple choice questions, or they can contain open-ended questions where the respondent is
encouraged to reply at length and choose their own focus to some extent.
To facilitate filling out forms and data entry in a structured format, the form should ideally be
machine-readable, or at least laid out with data fields clearly identifiable and responses pre-
coded. In general, writing should be reduced to a minimum (e.g. tick boxes, multiple choices),

preferably being limited to numerals. In an open-ended format, keywords and other structuring
procedures should be imposed later to facilitate database entry and analysis, if necessary.
4.2 Secondary Data Analysis
Secondary data is data collected by someone other than the user. Common sources of secondary
data for social science include censuses, organizational records and data collected through
qualitative methodologies or qualitative research. Primary data, by contrast, are collected by the
investigator conducting the research.
Secondary data analysis saves time that would otherwise be spent collecting data and,
particularly in the case of quantitative data, provides larger and higher-quality databases that
would be unfeasible for any individual researcher to collect on their own. In addition, analysts of
social and economic change consider secondary data essential, since it is impossible to conduct a
new survey that can adequately capture past change and/or developments.
Advantages of Secondary Data Analysis
The biggest advantage of using secondary data is economics. Someone else has already collected
the data, so the researcher does not have to devote money, time, energy, and other resources to
this phase of research. Sometimes the secondary data set must be purchased, but the cost is
almost always certainly lower than the expense of collecting a similar data set from scratch,
which usually entails salaries, travel/transportation, etc. There is also a huge savings in time.
Since the data is already collected and usually cleaned and stored in electronic format, the
researcher can spend most of his or time analyzing the data instead of getting the data ready for
analysis.
A second major advantage of using secondary data is the breadth of data available. The federal
government conducts numerous studies on a large, national scale that individual researchers
would have a difficult time collecting. Many of these data sets are also longitudinal, meaning
that the same data has been collected from the same population over several different time
periods. This allows researchers to look at trends and changes of phenomena over time.

A third major advantage of using secondary data is that the data collection process is often
guided by expertise and professionalism that may not be available to individual researchers or
small research projects. For example, data collection for many federal data sets is often
performed by staff members who specialize in certain tasks and have many years of experience
in that particular area and with that particular survey. Many smaller research projects do not have
that level of expertise available, as data is usually collected by students working at a part-time or
temporary job.
Disadvantages of Secondary Data Analysis
A major disadvantage of using secondary data is that it may not answer the researcher’s specific
research questions or contain specific information that the researcher would like to have. Or it
may not have been collected in the geographic region desired, in the years desired, or the specific
population that the researcher is interested in studying. Since the researcher did not collect the
data, he or she has no control over what is contained in the data set. Often times this can limit the
analysis or alter the original questions the researcher sought out to answer.
A related problem is that the variables may have been defined or categorized differently than the
researcher would have chosen. For example, age may have been collected in categories rather
than as a continuous variable, or race may be defined as “White” and “Other” instead of
containing every major race category.
Another major disadvantage to using secondary data is that the researcher/analyst does not know
exactly how the data collection process was done and how well it was done. The researcher is
therefore not usually privy to information about how seriously the data are affected by problems
such as low response rate or respondent misunderstanding of specific survey questions.
Sometimes this information is readily available, as is the case with many federal data sets.
However, many other secondary data sets are not accompanied by this type of information and
the analyst must learn to read between the lines and consider what problems might have been
encountered in the data collection process.

CHAPTER V
FINDINGS/ OBSERVATION
5.1 Findings of the study
The process of primary analysis helps an organization to understand more about its strategic
position and to construct answers to questions such as:
 What is happening to our business environment?
 What do we need to know about our markets and customers?
 What new options should we consider?
 How can we develop our competences to meet all of the changes in the business
environment?
The Earth infrastructure Strategy Group intends to enter the market for providing marketing and
management consulting services to new and emerging small businesses. The sections below
discuss our analysis of the environment, the target market, our competitors, and the company.
The environment is well suited for the Earth infrastructure Strategy Group. While the market for
startups and skyrocketing IPOs appears to be cooling off, this slowdown provides an opportunity
for Earth infrastructure to establish a presence in the small business arena before the next growth
period.
5.2 Limitations of study
The limitation to a marketing strategy will be limited to where your marketing messages are
placed (advertisements) and how your sales departments interact with business clients. While
mass marketing works for many businesses in the consumer market, the business market is a far
more targeted sector with many industries that relate to one another in a different fashion. There
is a greater emphasis on building professional relationships with business clients that require
constant communication far after a purchase has been made. In short, target marketing and
personal marketing are the main succeeding traits of a B2B economy. Mass advertising however

was recently done in the Super Bowl for the company so it may very well be that mass marketing
is coming to B2B and reducing the limitations to marketing.
Marketing research, which is based on science, can be a valuable tool, but it has human
limitations. Marketing research projects are widely used by businesses to aid in decision making
and can provide direction when analyzing a complex problem. Like the human beings who
conduct it, however, marketing research has its flaws.
Unpredictable Behavior
Human behavior is unpredictable. Marketing research attempts to measure the behavior of a
group of individuals, but there is no guarantee that the measured behavior will be repeated in the
future.
No Duplication
Results cannot be replicated. It is not possible to conduct a research project in such a way as to
produce the exact same results when using a different facilitator and a different group of
respondents. Humans are individuals, and no one human being acts or responds in the same way
as any other human being.
Different Interpretations
Results can be interpreted differently. Faced with survey results indicating that eight out of 10
dentists would recommend a particular product, one business executive may feel that this is a
result that can be used in an advertising campaign, while another executive may feel that 80
percent approval falls short of a positive product endorsement.
Bias
Believe it or not, marketing research has shown that marketing research has bias. Researchers
may write leading questions or arrange questions in an order likely to produce a particular
answer.

CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSION
After studying the concept, definitions and boundaries of strategic marketing and marketing
strategy it is crucial to see that even most of authors agree about the term, it is not a static term
and it changes after the time. We could say that the foundations of the strategic marketing
orientations and thoughts are based on the same ideas and pathways but they need to be
reoriented under a totally different world where business transactions are bigger, the
competitiveness has a different nature, and the scale of the marketing strategies can be bigger
and wider.
One of the most interesting findings is that strategic marketing consists in a process of thinking,
analyzing and acting under possible and potential changes. These changes lead us to uncertainty
and risk, and it looks that these variables are not very deeply tested in front of the planning
process, although still more research about this is required.
Business opportunities exist to develop further the research stream building on the initial work
done through the literature review. A range of suitable topics are available for research
consistent with the overall themes of the work in the role of strategic marketing. These include:
 Further work to characterize the nature of individual practices in strategic marketing
analysis and the context within which they are relevant.
 Research within an industry or industries understanding the factors affecting transition
between strategic marketing theory and strategic implementation.
 Further work on the antecedents and consequences of the various strategic marketing
practices identified.
 The role of IT in strategic marketing practice.
 The impact that some specific marketing strategies in terms of positioning, competitive
advantage, segmentation, etc… have in risk reduction and uncertainty related to
profitability.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Books
1. Aaker& A., D. 1998. Developing business strategies (6th ed.). New
York; Chichester: Wiley.Aaker& A., D. 2004. Strategic market
management (7th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley.
2. Abell, F., D., Hammond, & S., J. 1979. Strategic market planning :
problems andanalytical approaches. Englewood Cliffs; London (etc.)):
Prentice-Hall. Accountants., C. I. o. M., McShane, P., & Accountants.,
C. I. o. M. 1988. Management accounting: strategic planning and
marketing; stage 4. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
3. Boyd, W., H., Walker, C., O., Larrâechâe, & Jean-Claude. 1998.
Marketingmanagement : a strategic approach with a global orientation
(4th ed.). New York: McGraw.
4. Brown, A., J., Sommers, & E., D. 1982. Developing a Strategic
Marketing Orientation in a Large Industrial Firm. Industrial Marketing
Management, 11(3): 167.

 References
1. http://people.uwec.edu/piercech/researchmethods/data%20collection%20methods/
data%20collection%20methods.htm
2. http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/y1669e/y1669e02.htm
3. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe/r4_179.htm
4. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/amway/developing-competitive-marketing-
strategies/strategic-analysis.html#axzz3CkFG0Jq8
5. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/limitation-marketing-research-project-75633.html

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