The customer service satisfaction survey that is currently in place on the Kudler website will help to identify what the customer’s like and don’t like about a minimum number of variables but market research needs to also include other vital information like culture, socio-economic background, health, and other marketing mix elements. Great marketing research will allow Kudler Fine Foods to perform studies to learn what they should focus on with their current
The creation of a roadmap to a strategic plan should be followed up with a scorecard of the business. The scorecard will allow the business to see if the roadmap is work or not and allow some adjustments to the plan where needed. As a small bakery it is important that my strategic plan helps to drive consumers and generate revenue. Small businesses needs to monitor their plan on a daily bases to stay ahead of the competition. Small business will need to think outside of the normal circumstances in marketing their product.
Strategic planning is crucial at this stage and there are tools available to help any business perform the analysis needed to succeed. Kudler Fine Foods is an upscale food store specializing in foods and services that appeal to a niche market; gourmet chefs and gourmet chefs in training. The firm had good initial success with its first two stores, but its third store is suffering with lower than expected sales. The firm wishes to continue expansion and increase profitable growth. Before moving forward the company’s owner, Kathy Kudler, needs to understand her company fully and have accurate knowledge about the firm’s internal and external environment.
The product departmentalization strategy of the grocery stores works to streamline the operation of each gourmet specialty department. It allows the top managers of each area to monitor productivity and make strategic adjustments that are beneficial for that department. The key here is specialization. This is a small business that needs to be very specific in its administration and product availability. The key positions that support the functional organizational structure are the President, the Store Managers, the Director of Finance, the Director of Human Resources, and the Director of Store Operations.
Kaizen is another form of quality management that Kudler Fine Foods can use. Kaizen is focused on the idea of continuous improvement within the organization. This method also focuses on ways to eliminate waste in materials and inventory. Kudler Fine Foods should continue to work on improvements in purchasing and with inventory. Performance standards are the results that are expected for performance to be satisfactory or successful.
Engaging the staff at this point is key to making the store work. This will give the staff empowerment and a sense of worth rather than being seen as a cog. Restructure of staff, replacing the night managers with a supervisor. A rota should then be put in place for the manager, assistant manager and supervisor to cover the different shifts on a rota basis. This will give the management team a better overview of the business at different parts of the day and will give a better understanding of the staff regime.
Healthy eating is a trend currently sweeping through the world. By determining if most of the potential and current clients eat healthy, the company will want to market products that promote healthy eating. This information is obtainable through food websites by tracking what surfers view what type of recipes and information. This way Kudler will target specific ads to specific customers. Using the Consumer Decision-Making Process The consumer decision-making process plays a major role in the purchases that consumers make.
Through obtaining products directly from local farmers would also lower shipping costs, thus satisfy customer requests, and contribute to the local community, while continuing to be profitable. Consumers still experience a limited product selection during the season, but the overall satisfaction during the peak times will help sustain customer loyalty. As season products change, the employees should stay current as to what products will be available, and when shipments arrive. The more knowledgeable the employee is, the more trust the customer will have in the business as a whole. Empowering employees with experience will allow them to help the public successfully resulting in an overall customer service experience that will set them apart from other local grocery store chains.
Other aspects of product are economic- customer value, functional- service at the point of sales, before sales and after the sales and the psychological aspect of the product like image of the product. Kudler Fine Foods is a gourmet ingredients shop and offers in-store parties and now going in to catering business. It is managed by Kathy Kudler. So customers know that it is going to be gourmet food experience because she notices some of the people at the catering places are regular customers at her stores. KFF should research the market to find the needs of the customers.
Kudler has created a niche market. Kudler uses innovation and customer-oriented strategies aimed at the bargaining power of customers, the threat of substitute products or services and industry rivalry by offering products and services for customers that go beyond other food stores. Kudler offers foods from around the world including making available any specialty items that customers might request; they have initiated a frequent shopper awards program and offer cooking classes that persuade customers to shop with