NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Marketing Laura Ashley brand is so poplar with women because they have applied the right marketing techniques and have studied the buyer behavior of their clients appropriately. Consumers can be put into groups if they have similar characteristics, i. e. if they come from the same social class, background, age, lifestyle.
Working and non-working women can be segmented in two separate groups. They are different because of many influences. Some are external due their social environment. What they do with these social stimuli involves a psychological process that differs from each other. These social influences and internal processes may evolve into a decision by the consumer to make a purchase or not.
As both groups possess different characteristics, it is necessary for marketers to understand that they will have different wants and needs. The promoters of Laura Ashley brand realize that the culture of a working woman will be very different from that of a non working female. In a materialist society economic well-being much determines what social class you are in. If this was the case, than working women would be in a much higher class than non working.
However focusing primarily on income fails to recognize the differences in spending of disposal income characteristics of social classes. For example a teacher who earns the same as a truck driver will spend their money in distinctly different ways, the service and goods will not be the same. Working women may spend their money on socializing i. e. with friends etc. whereas a non working woman may have children and therefore spend much money on the family Social class differences are variations in life-styles, in values, interpersonal attitudes and self perception.
These differences influence consumer behavior, shopping patterns, and effective communications. Therefore marketing practitioners should understand that social class should be considered as a variable when may be helpful in developing strategies of product differentiation and market segmentation, however this does depend on the type of product itself the patterns of usage and competitive climate in which the product exists in. The working woman will more likely be earning a salary / wage than the non working which then puts them into different social group. Because of the money being earned this again changes the lifestyles, behavior and attitudes of the non working female. The significance of reference group to buying behavior varies depending upon the product or service, i. e.
whether it is a necessity or luxury. Reference groups can be segmented into different categories, primary references will include immediate families, close friends and work co-workers. This group is particularly important when are purchases are made that will affect other members of the family such as holidays are booked. Secondary reference groups are those who we have formal contact with such as religious organizations, trade unions. Women change as consumers, as they have move through different stages of the lifecycle. The way they buy, and use products, read, watch and listen to media is affected by whom they live with, i.
e. if there is a partner, children or single. New work patterns favor women with family commitments with approximately 50 % of employed women having flexible working arrangements. With more women in labor forces, the quality of the labor force increases. This reduces the risks of shortages of labor and increases demand for goods and services that will assist to make the working womans life easier i. e.
convenience foods, meals out, more weekend breaks. This pattern of life varies significantly from the non working woman who has different demands. Consumer behavior analyzed at Laura Ashley can be described as a decision process. The non-working women will have limited resources where they will not be able to buy everything they want; the working woman will have more of an opportunity due to more finance. Both groups will have to make decisions as to which goods and services they will purchase.
Even after the product or service has been purchased, other decisions will remain. Working women prefer to shop in department stores than a specialist store, suggesting that convenience of one stop shopping is of prime importance. This may be due to working women having 40 hours less time than non workers to perform shopping functions. Therefore she is dependent upon marketing efforts to provide the appropriate products and services. Convenience of shopping is an important aspect for Laura Ashley; the function of price is less significant. Non-working mothers with children are more likely to buy childrens clothes from by mail order than working mothers.
The former may be that children accept parents choice more and a significant percentage of the group are on limited incomes, which may reflect the easy availability of credit that some catalogues offer. Products which are mostly bought are games, toys and baby equipment. Laura Ashley targets working women with direct mail catalogue. It mailed 500, 000 copies of its autumn / winter catalogues to its target group of 18 - 50 yr olds with an income of over? 7, 000. Even though non working mothers buy more often via mail order, this particular group would not fit in with their target group as Laura Ashley produce clothes that are not in the budget range of the non working woman. Working women more likely to be persuaded by special promotions and offers.
They are most likely to plan ahead, be cautious and brand loyal. However studies show that they are impulse buyers but then this depends on the product or service being purchased. One suggestion could be that they have less time to browse and make considered decisions. The non working female however describes herself as not being an impulse buyer, being more economically minded.
To explain rational brand choice behavior within the limits of individuals capacities, the Howard Sheth model can be applied. It is one of the contemporary models of consumer behavior as it attempts to deal with both overt and internal behavior that cannot be observed directly. To overcome this problem, Howard and Sheth undertake four sets of variables. The first is input variables - These are stimuli from the buyers behavior ie. the working or non working woman. They include product variables such a quality, price, distinctiveness, availability and service.
Non working women are more likely to buy non branded products because they are cheaper whereas working women will by a product that is more expensive because they perceive it as being of quality. The second variable is outputs that are attention, comprehension, attitudes and purchase behavior. Again working and non working women differ due to their internal influences. The third variable is the hypothetical construct which consist of perceptual constructs that involve information processing and learning constructs that lead to concept formation.
Finally the last variable is the exogenous variables which include importance of purchase, social class, culture and personality perceptions. Again the two groups vary significantly as discussed earlier in the report. The study of this model is important in attempting to identify the major variables influencing consumer behavior. It shows that the consumer (in this case the working and non working women) actively seeking information from the environment using past experience and forming generalizations as a guide to decision making. However one major limitation to this model is that it is of little value to market practitioners.
Marketing is becoming more competitive and to gain a strong position in the market place it is very important that Laura Ashley continues its advertising and promotional efforts. The companys marketers should look at working women and non working women as two separate segments. This is because they shop differently, favor different brands, use media differently, have different motives and lifestyles. From the research carried out, evidence shows that working women will not purchase products and services essentially the same. Many internal and external factors will determine their purchase decision making. Non working women will be cautious about the value of products and services, whereas the higher salary /wage earned by the working woman will vary in the cost of what they will pay for a service or product.
The working woman may be brand loyal; however the non working woman will usually buy a less expensive product. Advertisers and marketers need to target working women differently from non-working women. This is because non working women watch more television than working women who scarcely view it morning or evening. Also working and non working women perceive different perceptions and messages from advertising. For example a study was conducted to examine how employed and non-employed wives respond to different elements of automobile advertising messages.
Data was gathered by interviewing 727 women via telephone. Results revealed that employment status significantly affects perceptions of advertising message appeals. More so, retired wives respond differently from other home-makers even though they are also non-employed. It also found that employed wives views value for money, interest rate of loan and monthly payment more important than non-working women. However the latter considered length of warranty and special rebate offer to be of greater importance than employed women. All those aspects should be considered by Laura Ashley's marketing specialists.
Words Count: 1, 505. Bibliography: Adcock, D. , Bradfield, R. , Harbor, A. , Ross, R. , Marketing Principles and Practice. Pub-Pitman Publishing, 1993. Runyon, K. E. Consumer Behavior and the Practice of Marketing. 2 nd edition.
Bell and Howell Company, 1989. Spiro, R. L Persuasion in Family Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research 9, 4 (1999): 393 402. What Every Marketer Should Know About Women. Harvard Business Review 56, 3 (1998): 73 - 85.
The Moving target: The impact of Womens Employment on Consumer Behavior. Journal of Marketing 41, 3 (1997): 31 - 37.
Free research essays on topics related to: working women, product or service, goods and services, products and services, consumer behavior
Research essay sample on Product Or Service Products And Services
