Exploring success factors of 2 different positioning that lead a consumer to buy an identity product

Thèmes abordés

Products, Tourists, Positioning

Résumé du document

TLSE is a small office company created in 2006, by Isabelle BERNARDINI whose activity focuses on the design and sale of a range of identity products around the city of Toulouse, France (Region Midi-Pyrénées). At first, its offer was mainly focused on textiles printed with logos and then gradually diversified (greetings cards, frames, souvenirs gifts, etc.). (see APPENDIX 1, 2 and 3 to know more about the company's offer and its market)From the beginning, the company was resolutely aimed at the identity market segment and there was a real demand for that kind of product as people from Toulouse felt the need to claim their identity. Tourists also represent a big part of TLSE's customer base as they can find among the company's products original and modern gifts and souvenirs.

Nevertheless, during the last years, the company's activity has experienced a decreasing performance which has undermined its durability.We can thus wonder if this under performance is directly connected to the fact that the company is focusing on two different positioning: identity brand and souvenirs. Positioning is essential for a business to be successful: ‘Positioning is the single largest influence on the buying decision' (Moore, G. 1998:145) as it will influence the buying decision in many ways.

Extraits

[...] This is made possible by companies, through different strategies, either by emphasizing the distinguish features of their brand (what it is, what it does, how it does, etc) or also by creating a special image proper to this brand (cheap vs. premium, common use vs. luxury, etc). ‘Consumer behaviour is the activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services' (Blackwell et al, 2001:6). It is crucial for the company to understand why and how is the customer making his purchase in order to articulate its offer on a marketing plan that will meet his needs and desires. [...]

[...] (see APPENDIX and 3 to know more about the company's offer and its market) From the beginning, the company was resolutely aimed at the identity market segment and there was a real demand for that kind of product as people from Toulouse felt the need to claim their identity. Tourists also represent a big part of TLSE's customer base as they can find among the company's products original and modern gifts and souvenirs. Nevertheless, during the last years, the company's activity has experienced a decreasing performance which has undermined its durability. [...]

[...] By doing so, we are expecting to identify success factors of two positioning that are directly linked to the development of the company. First of all, we will define the main concepts and explain how we will proceed to measure the variables and test the hypothesis. Then, we will collect data and analyse them in order to address relevant recommendations to ensure TLSE's development www.oboolo.com II) CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK SYNTHESIS In the study at stake, we are interested in finding out the most relevant positioning for the company to remain profitable. [...]

[...] (SWOT and Internal Analysis available in APPENDIX 4 www.oboolo.com III) METHODOLOGY & DATA COLLECTION Figure The research ‘onion' Source: Lewis, P., Saunders, M., Thornhill, A Research methods for business students, 6th edition, Pearson, p.138 (See APPENDIX 3 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY) 5 www.oboolo.com IV) DATA ANALYSIS Sample Description Each of the 100 completed surveys will provide information about a potential consumer that is part of the ‘identity brand' market in which TLSE plays a role. As shown below, descriptive statistics lead us to observe that our sample is mostly composed of women against 40% of male. [...]

[...] The firm must regard consumer behaviour as ‘dynamic, and emphasises the interaction of many different elements in determining consumer behaviour' (Blythe, 2008:7). An identity brand is a concept that can be seen as a desire for the consumer to claim his cultural and geographical belonging through different types of products such as clothing, accessories or even interior decoration. This study also lead us to understand what is a ‘souvenir product', as it is one of the two positioning explored. Consumers tend to buy souvenirs for utility purpose, as a remembering from a place they visited – for themselves or for a gift. [...]