Is The Perfect Place To Shop For Tudung Marketing Essay

In order to accomplish our purposes, we specify on selling headscarves or better known as tudung because we believe that this item is the one item that completes your outfit. Yet, we still provide accessories that add up to that “wow” look which is brooches. The best thing about brooches is that it is suitable to be worn on any garments. We offer high quality products at affordable price ranges with special offers from time to time. Moreover, our staffs are trained to give the best customer service that suits everyone.

Our store is located at a strategic place and is open for business every day, except on certain public holidays. The policy in Mariah Co. makes sure that we always keep the store on tip-top condition so that customers are comfortable upon stepping in.

STORE LOCATION

Mariah Co. is located in the heart of Shah Alam at the PKNS shopping mall. PKNS shopping mall was chosen to be the location due several reasons. First, the main product of Mariah Co. are scarfs, brouches, handsocks and etc. PKNS is known to be the place to go in searching these kind of items. Regardless of the season whether it is Hari Raya, Chinese New Year or Deepavali it is always packed with consumers. Therefore it is the most suitable location for Mariah Co. Other than that, PKNS shopping mall location cost is at a reasonable price. Whether the business is generating profit or break even we are able to cover the location cost. Besides that, the target market for Mariah Co. are muslims ladies. Shah Alam has a big muslim community thus we are providing convinience for the community in Shah Alam as they do not have to go all the way Kuala Lumpur to get the items.

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STORE OPERATION

We at Mariah Co. focused on providing good services, excellent quality and high level of cleanliness to our customer. Besides that, we are trying our best to design store layout and accuracy of ordering to make shopping at our stores a truly enjoyable experience every time. The latest new store management system really helps in creating the right shopping environment.

Our staffs work together to ensure the requirement of our services, quality and cleanliness are up to the maximum level and currently according to the standard. By fulfilling all the requirements, our store will be as welcoming as possible and provide a memorable shopping experience.

In term of services, our target is to provide our customer a friendly and caring attention during their presence at the store. From the aspect of quality, we try to create attractive merchandise displays and ensure a good quality product delivered to customers. To maintain our level of cleanliness, we guarantee that every cleaning process is down until the last speck of dirt.

There are 3 workers currently in charge of our store at PKNS, Shah Alam. Our store operates from 10.00 a.m. in the morning until 10.00 p.m.

Below is the important checklist applicable to all Mariah Co. staffs;

SERVICES

1

Always greet customer when he/she enters or leaves

2

Greet the customer and ask if the customer has a loyalty card

3

Attend to the customer promptly

4

Hand over the change and receipt

QUALITY

5

Arrange products neatly

6

Make sure product packages are displayed appropriately

7

Keep magazines and gondola displays tidy

CLEANLINESS

8

Keep the store entrance and clean

9

Clean out bins

10

Clean the floor

11

Clean gondola shelving and products

12

Tidy and clean up around the corner

MERCHANDISING

Tudung bawal NUR

There are many types of tudung NUR and they are classified according to grades 1, 2 and 3. All of these depend on the quality of the fabric. The better quality of the tudung, the better it will look upon wearing.

Tudung bawal NUR no. 1

It is the highest quality of tudung. The embroidery is usually hand-stitched and very delicate. The material is quite gauzy, does not fray at all. The colours are gorgeous pastels and it is very easy to iron. The price ranges from RM 60-80.

Tudung bawal NUR no. 2

This is a good quality tudung. The material is soft, easy to handle and fold when wearing. The colours are quite pretty as they are not too bright or garish. The material is quite thin. The price ranges from RM 40-60.

Tudung bawal NUR no. 3

This is a lower grade of tudung bawal. The material is quite stiff and resembles cotton. The colours are slightly pale and not flattering to the skin. The material also is easily frayed after some washes. The price ranges from RM 20-40.

BB Scarf

There are two types of BB scarf, which are plain and have stylish prints on it. They are very high quality of ladies scarves. The materials are made of chiffon. Chiffon scarves have a lovely lightweight feel and create a soft look, so they are perfect with sharp tailoring and simple outfits. There are wide ranges of striking warm and vibrant colours. These scarves will make an ideal gift of quality and will brighten up any outfit. The price ranges from RM 10-40.

Plain:

Stylish prints:

Brooch

A brooch which is known in earliest times as a fibula, is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold. They are used for all kinds of events and other special occasions. They are a great gift item especially to someone special or to loved ones. Many of the brooches are designed based on natural theme, animals and flowers. The price ranges from RM 10-100.

PRICING

Pricing is an important contributor to profitability. Specifically the decision to price an item at certain level should be related to the retailer’s decisions on lines of merchandise carried, location, promotion, credit/cash cashing, customer service as well as the store image.

Our company, Mariah Co. carefully analyzes the attributes of the merchandise being priced. We decided to buy an item which is sold at specific price; which was purchased at low cost merchandise and have high gross margin to offset the higher expenses needed to sell at that price. Besides that, since our store is near to competitors who is also selling similar item, we have to sell lower price than them to attract and capture more customer.

As a new provider, we need to achieve a market share. Our company uses a variable pricing approach in order to gain profit. Variable pricing is used when differences in demand and cost force us to change prices in a fairly predictable manner. Prices could be increased or decreased at a later date. For instance, for now we decided to sell tudung bawal Nur no. 1 at price RM69.00. Later on when the demand is greater on special occasion such as on Mother’s Day we decided to markup till RM79.00.

Besides that, we have decided to use odd-pricing policy because we want the consumer to respond on emotional, rather than rational basis. We feel that odd prices produce significantly higher sales. For instance, for BB scarf we decided to sell it for RM19.90 instead of RM20.00. This strategy encourages the customer to purchase more units.

We also decided to use leader pricing strategies. In leader pricing, a high demand item is priced low and it is advertised heavily in an effort to attract more customers into our store. The items that we select for leader pricing are widely purchased by the customer. For example BB scarf and brooch worth RM10 is widely purchased by the customers. We made an advertisement in the television and provide adequate information that will permit customers to make price comparisons.

Finally, we also use bundle-pricing strategy. Bundling generally is involved when customer purchases multiple items at a special price. For example, if customer buys 5 tudung bawal Nur no. 3 worth RM20 each, we will sell them for only RM90. That means the customer gets RM2 discount for each tudung. Bundling can increase our revenue since the customer may actually purchase more tudung than originally planned.

PROMOTIONS

Festive season (Eid Fitri)

Mariah Co. will have an annual in-store promotion. During festive month, the store offers special bargain for customers. For every purchase of:

Four (4) tudung bawal Nur no. 1 which ranges from RM 60-80, customers will get free one (1) tudung bawal Nur no. 2 worth RM 50.

Eight (8) tudung bawal Nur no. 1 which ranges from RM 60-80, customers will get free one (1) brooch set worth RM 80.

Four (4) tudung bawal Nur no. 2 which ranges from RM 40-60, customers will get free one (1) brooch set worth RM 30.

Three (3) sets of brooch worth RM 100, customers will get one (1) set of brooch worth RM 50 for free.

Although we do not reduce the prices, but we offer our product which is high quality for free.

Graduation special

We know students would like to look glamorous and beautiful during graduation day. So, our store offers students a 15% discounts for every purchase of one (1) tudung bawal Nur No. 1. Students must show ID card with graduation bill and official letter from university to get this offer.

ADVERTISING

Mariah Co.’s advertising strategy focuses on media advertising. Our company uses television advertisements as our tool to promote our tudung, scarves and brooches.

The main reason beneath choosing television advertising is the possibility of high level of customers’ attention through the right and suitable approach. Television gives a big impact on customers’ purchasing behaviour. We are confident that by promoting our products through television advertisements, viewers will make a wise impression and decision on our products, regardless of whether they are attracted or not.

To attract customers, we:

Present our products as clear as the real look with the aid of original pictures and videos

Explain the types of tudung, scarves and brooches that we offer including their special features

Provide information about the price for each tudung, scarf and brooch, according to their types or classes

Provide information about the various offers that we are making and their benefits, for seasonal promotion (festive seasons and graduations)

Present clearly our store layout and location by pictures and videos

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Supply chain is a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities, and suppliers that participate in the production, delivery and sale of a product to the consumer. The level or the degree of complexity for a supply chain depends on the size of the business and number of items that are manufactured.

Our retail store focuses only one product which is headscarves. Our headscarves are either purchased based on the catalogues provided by the company or designed by us but we will place an order based on our designs.

THE PROCESS

The whole process begins when we decided to purchase a product that has been offered for sale. We will contact the sales department of the company that we deal with, which enters the sales order for a specific quantity to be delivered on a specific date. If the product has to be manufactured, let say we designed the headscarves, the requirement that needs to be fulfilled by the production facility will be attached together with the sales order.

Next would be planning. The planning department will create a production plan based on the deadline given and to fulfill the requirement mentioned by us. This department will then notify the purchasing department and direct the particular department to purchase the raw materials needed.

The purchasing department received a list of raw materials required by the production line in order to complete the orders like fabric and dyes. The purchasing department will then clarify with the production line and finally place a purchase order and send it to selected suppliers.

Once the raw materials are received from the suppliers, they are checked for quality and accuracy based on the purchase order. Once approved it will be moved into the warehouse. The supplier will then send an invoice to the company for the items to be delivered. The materials are stored until they are required by the production department.

Based on the production plan, the raw materials are moved inventory to the production area and the process of making the product begins. The finished products ordered by the customer are manufactured using the raw materials purchased from suppliers. After the items have been completed, tested and checked, they are moved back into the warehouse prior to delivery to the customer.

When the finished product arrives in the warehouse, the shipping department will come into play and determines the method to deliver the products so that they are delivered on or before the date specified by the customer. When the goods are received by the customer, the company will send an invoice for the delivered products.

In our case, the warehouse is provided by the company hence we do not need to pay extra in order due to rental of lots in the public warehouse. Besides, our raw materials are all obtained within the country therefore making out production cost cheaper than importing the materials from outside.

CONCLUSION

Mariah Co. Is the perfect place to shop for tudung. Quality and satisfaction is guaranteed.

FACULTY OF PHARMACY

RET 530

CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES OF RETAILING

RETAIL MIX ASSIGNMENT

MARIAH CO.

PREPARED FOR

MS. ZARITH DELAILA BT ABD AZIZ

PREPARED BY

BALQIS BINTI MOHAMAD ZIN 2007239994

IZZATI BINTI ABDUL HALIM ZAKI 2007297212

MARIAH BINTI KASSIM 2007286686

NUR AIMI BINTI MOHAMAD 2007297798

NUR FARHANAH BTE MOHD GHAZALI 2007297802

NUR NADRAH BINTI MAT SUPRI 2007297846

ZAHIRAH BINTI ZAHARUDDIN 2007297836

ZUBAIDAH BINTI MUHAMAD ZULKAPLEY 2007297818

PH 210

DATE OF SUBMISSION

4 MARCH 2010