Final Customer Buying from the Product Producer
Acquire Steps: Acquire steps include all activities the customer completes preceding the use or the consumption of the product. These steps include the customer's efforts needed for evaluation and acquisition of the product.
3. Intellectual: Segment customers on the basis of their current knowledge and understanding of the company and its products.
A. Knowledge of company and company product
1. Familiarity with company and brand, crossing all products
Customer knows both company and brand – Segment knows company and brand primariliy for:
Function
No. | SIC | Year | Note |
1 | 2000 | 2004 | The M3 Power by Gillette at $14.99 is expensive. A staggering 67% premium over the suggested full retail price of Schick's Quattro and the Mach3 Turbo. In the competitive market even $10 is a major barrier. Schick may soon offer a cheaper battery-powered wet shaving system. Gillette brings competitive advantages by claiming 74% of the $7 bullion global wet shaving market vs. the 12% Schick claims. Gillette will launch an upgraded women's razor Venus Divine. |
2 | 2385 | 2002 | North Face outdoor gear supplier is expanding its footwear lines and entering into weekend-casual sportswear that includes men's and women's cotton tops and bottoms, called A5. |
3 | 2393 | 2001 | Coach Corp.'s bestselling line is a Signature collection, which is covered in the made-over "C" logo. |
4 | 2800 | 2005 | Crest's new formula of mouthwash has been in the works for a decade, as Crest sought to offer consumers something different. Crest's parent company is investing $100 million marketing campaign on the Crest brand mouthwash. |
5 | 3140 | 2000 | Timberland is hoping to build a lifestyle brand, and differentiate it from the rest of the pack. They will also add a third merchandising category, called outdoor recreation, to a lineup that now includes its Trek Travel and rugged casual categories. |
6 | 3571 | 2001 | Dell Computer Corp. plans to reveal that it has expanded its line of data storage products, unveiling servers that can be linked with a broad range of hardware. Dell is the sixth largest supplier of machines that store data on disks, with sales last year of about $1 billion according to market research firm International Data Corp. That's paltry compared with total Dell sales of $32 billion. But like other big computer companies, Dell is putting a fresh focus on the booming data storage market. |
7 | 3571 | 2002 | Sony is unveiling its new home entertainment software on all its PCs. Gateway is launching a new 42 inch plasma TV. |
8 | 3571 | 2003 | With so many PC-makers entering into the consumer electronics (CE) market, the traditional CE makers are getting ready to compete. CE maker Sony has been able to charge premium prices for its products, which offer more features. Sony has an understanding of the PC business because of its Vaio laptop, launched in the late 1990's. Sony also broke the office-productivity standard of PCs with its Vaio by creating an entertainment-focused computer, preempting the home entertainment revolution in electronics. |
9 | 3571 | 2004 | PCs are gaining respect as Apple machines were used to create one of the world's fastest supercomputers. |
10 | 3571 | 2004 | In order to branch out and improve profit margins, computer manufacturers are moving into new arenas including improving the hardware, looking at high-margin consumer electronics and improving service offerings. Consumer electronics are a promising choice for PC makers, offering higher margins and faster growth than the PC market. Dell, HP and Gateway are all hustling to get in on the game. Apple owes much of its success to its iPod music player. |
11 | 3571 | 2005 | Apple has tried to emphasize the unique experience of their company, opening 74 retail shops when many other companies have gone online. These shops allow customers a hands-on experience and skilled employees ready to help. They hope to appeal to existing Mac users with new innovations and draw in new customers with exciting products. |
12 | 3600 | 1986 | Schlage is advertising heavily on its home security system – banking on the fact that Schlage has a trusted name. |
13 | 3663 | 2002 | As the world's premier electronics maker, Sony was at an advantage over other competitors in the new broadband market because of its sharp brand reputation and connection to the technological elite. |
14 | 3674 | 1991 | Intel has magazine ads that promote the Intel brand name to end users, even though Intel product only comes through channels . |
15 | 3851 | 2000 | Oakley is expanding its shoe distribution from 900 to 1,400 individual stores. Their future growth will be driven by new products unrelated to eyewear. |
16 | 3861 | 2002 | Kodak tried to stem the threat by immediately launching the Instamatic, a small camera using traditional film that was instant in nothing but name. Still, it was easy to use and gave amateur photographers the feeling that Kodak was trying to simplify the process. |
17 | 4512 | 2001 | United Airlines, the second-biggest commercial airline in the U.S., hopes to use its knowledge of and experience with aviation to succeed in the private jet market, whose popularity is growing due to the dropping standards of traditional air travel. |
18 | 7200 | 2003 | Kodak, the biggest photography company, bought Ofoto in June 2001 and has been expanding its digital services as demand for film declines. |
19 | 7291 | 2004 | H&R Block lost 4% of its taxpayer clients in 2003, one of several factors leading to the company's persuading of customers to buy newer home mortgages, business consulting, and brokerage services, among other new services. |
20 | 8200 | 1991 | Berlitz exploits one of the world's most recognized brand names by putting it on language phrasebooks, travel guides, travel books, and an electronic translator. |
<<Return to Acquire Steps