Theoretical and practical aspects of designing a marketing information system in an enterprise are considered. Evaluation in progress modern methods processing and transformation of marketing information. The concept of a marketing information system and the main methods for analyzing multidimensional data are specified.
The integration of the marketing approach into the overall management system at the enterprise requires, first of all, a revision of the basic principles of management. This is largely due to the need to increase the flexibility of internal business processes and their coordination with the overall strategy of the company. The concept of managing individual business processes, which allows timely adaptation to changes in the external environment, is becoming increasingly relevant. At the same time, priority attention is paid to improving the efficiency of information communications between the internal and external environment of the enterprise.
The business process management system should consider the changing needs of the external environment as a basic element, and the marketing management system as the main information circuit. Information-based management provides for the determination of quantitative proportions and dependencies between market phenomena and the factors that affect them. Based on the conclusions and recommendations received at the analysis stage, strategic marketing planning is carried out, the structure of the marketing mix is specified, and the assessment of the correspondence between actual and forecasted indicators is performed.
The works of foreign and domestic scientists are devoted to the research of methodological aspects of assessing the role of information in the decision-making process. However, despite the relevance of the problem, the literature practically does not consider the principles of enterprise management based on marketing information. In this regard, it is important to study the mechanism of information transformation, as well as the possibility of its practical use for making managerial decisions.
The integration of various processes into a single information space of the enterprise involves the use of a systematic approach to organizing the collection, processing and subsequent analysis of data. The marketing information system (MIS) is designed on the basis of the complexity and balance of all components of its subject area, which is achieved through the use of modern means computer and information technology. The first definition of MIS was given by Cox D.F. and Good R.E. (1967), according to which MIS can be considered as a set of procedures and methods for planned analysis and presentation of information for decision-making.
Further study of this issue was associated with the search for a universal definition of IIA based on the general tasks facing the marketing service. The disadvantage of this approach is a significant simplification and formalization of information processes. In this regard, it seems important to determine the main functions of the MIS, taking into account the structure of the marketing management cycle at the enterprise (Fig. 1).
Thus, the MIS functions in the enterprise structure can be represented as a marketing decision support system (MDSS), which is the initial and final element of information processes.
It should be noted that the structure and functionality of the MIS should largely depend on the specifics and scale of the enterprise. F. Kotler distinguishes four main blocks in the structure of the MIS: the subsystem of internal reporting, the subsystem of marketing observation, the subsystem of marketing analysis and marketing research.
Separate works describe in sufficient detail the classification of these subsystems and the main sources of information. At the same time, the basic methods of transformation and the sequential process of information transfer are taken out of the scope of this issue.
To fill this gap, the interaction between subsystems must be presented as a sequential process of collecting, storing, processing and analyzing information necessary for making managerial decisions. The effectiveness and functionality of MIS will largely depend on the degree of automation of these processes. Conventionally, two levels (stages) of system automation can be distinguished. At the first level (characteristic of small and medium enterprises) there is no centralized information transfer scheme. In this case, the information content of the MIS is produced from various sources: the internal reporting subsystem - data from CRM and (or) ERP systems (executors - sales department and production), as well as from systems financial statements, subsystem of external observation and subsystem of marketing research - data collected by the marketing department (executors - marketing managers). Storage and analysis of information is often carried out using office applications (MS Access and MS Excel) or application programs. The transformed information is typically used at the senior management level to make strategic decisions. At the second level of automation (large companies and holdings), internal and external information of the company is consolidated on the basis of corporate information systems (CIS) (marketing is one of the components of the system) or unified marketing information systems. The effectiveness of marketing services is achieved through the regulation of processes for the exchange of information with other departments.
As the basis of the MIS model, we will consider the basic concepts of process automation, such as databases, OLAP analysis (on-line analytical processing), information analysis using statistical models and data-mining systems.
The implementation of a centralized exchange of information between departments of the enterprise is based on the possibility of using the same data by different users. Formation of own databases allows solving a number of specific applied problems that arise in the course of practical activities. Information in databases is structured in the form of tables, which are a set of rows and columns, where the rows correspond to an object instance, a specific event or phenomenon, and the columns correspond to the attributes (features, characteristics, parameters) of this object or phenomenon (Table 1).
In the above example, the columns "Date", "Customer", "Product" (product group, manufacturing method, etc.) are qualitative parameters, and the columns "Price", "Quantity", "Amount" (cost, marginal profit, profitability and etc.) contain a quantitative assessment of these parameters.
Such tables in one form or another are the most common form of storing information about sales, customers (CRM systems), production receipts, etc. For marketing analysis, it will be relevant to evaluate the qualitative parameters in various sections of such a table using quantitative parameters (the customer "Zak.1" purchased the goods "Commodity 1" with a total of 20 units for a total of 200 units).
It should be noted that the fields containing qualitative characteristics can contain a number of enumerated values and can also be presented in the form of a table. For example, the "Customer" field can be represented as follows:
As a rule, such tables contain static data and are often called directories. Relationship-related tables interact according to the main (master) - detailed (detail) principle. In the example above, the sales table is the main (parent) table and the customers table is the detail (child) table.
Thus, the main table is a multidimensional data warehouse, which is the main source for estimating quantitative relationships between various properties of various objects.
In practice, two-dimensional slices of such tables are often used, which express quantitative relationships between two properties of certain objects.
This example shows a two-dimensional slice of the main table by the "Customer Name" property of the "Customer" object and the "Product Name" property of the "Product" object. Quantitative relationships can also be established between other properties of the "Customer" object (industry affiliation, type, region, etc.) and the "Product" object (product group, subgroup, manufacturing method, packaging, etc.). Obviously, the total number of combinations of properties of two objects will be equal to m * n, where m is the number of properties of the first field, n is the number of properties of the second field. It should be taken into account that in this case static properties are considered, which do not change from order to order and are entered in the reference (child) tables. For example, the product "Commodity 1" has a certain type of packaging "Pack 1", which is a constant characteristic of this product. If the property changes from order to order, then it should be presented as a separate field in the main table, which will have its own reference (child) table listing the types of packaging (the same product "Commodity 1" may have different kinds packages).
The technology of representing a multidimensional data warehouse in the form of various slices is often referred to as OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing). OLAP technology allows you to reduce the overall dimension of a multidimensional data warehouse (OLAP cube) to the required level of detail. It should be noted that the simplest tools for implementing OLAP technology are pivot tables in MS Excel (or SQL queries in MS Access). The first evaluated parameter is entered in the row area (fields) (table No. 3 - "Customer"), the second - in the column area ("Product"), quantitative characteristics - in the data area (cost, profit, etc.). Detailing the received data to the required level can be carried out by using several parameters in the rows, columns or data area (in this case, the data is displayed in the form of nested tables) or by using the page area (often called filters). For structural analysis of sales, temporal indicators (year, month, week, day) are used as a filter, which allows reflecting multidimensional storage data for a certain period of time. Therefore, the most demonstrative will be a slice of a multidimensional cube along three axes - the 1st and 2nd parameter (object properties) and the time indicator.
If it is necessary to trace the dynamics of changes in the properties of the objects under study, then the time indicators are entered in the line area.
As a result of OLAP analysis, various combinations (cells of a multidimensional table) can be built, the total number of which will be equal to m1*m2*…*mn, where mi is the number of values of the i-th property. The total number of columns with such combinations will be equal to:
,
where m1*…*mn is the product of the number of values of all properties, excluding the i-th property. Obviously, from the entire set, it is necessary to select only those data sets that will have practical significance and be used for subsequent research. statistical analysis(Fig. 3).
It is important to determine the sequence and level of detail of the analysis. For example, when studying the analysis of the dynamics of the company's turnover by customers (line - "Name of the customer", column - "Time", a quantitative measure - the amount of thousand rubles), a total drop in revenue for the reporting month (March) was revealed by 4,000 thousand rubles.
One of the factors for the decrease in turnover in March was the decrease in income received from the customer "Zak.n" by 9,000 thousand rubles. At the next level of detail, it is necessary to analyze the income received from the customer "Zak.n" in the context of the goods sold to him (line - "Product", column - "Time"). Obviously, the decrease in income could have occurred both due to a decrease in the number of individual goods purchased by Zak.n, and due to a decrease in the price of these items. Therefore, for comparative analysis, it is necessary to use two quantitative characteristics - the quantity of goods and the amount in monetary units.
The table shows that the decrease in the total income from the customer "Zak.n" in March was due to a decrease in the total amount received from him for the goods "Commodity n" in the amount of 9,000 thousand rubles, while increasing the quantity of this product by 10 units. compared to February. From this it follows that the main factor in the decrease in income was the reduction in the price of the product "Commodity n". After reviewing the purchases of other customers, it was found that the decrease in the price of Item n led to an overall increase in the quantity and total amount received for Item n from these customers in March. Based on this, we can conclude that the product "Commodity n" has low elasticity only for the customer "Zak.n". To refine this indicator, you can analyze the relative changes in the price and quantity of "Commodity n" for this customer over a longer interval. The conclusions obtained should become the basis for making managerial decisions regarding the pricing method for the product "Commodity n" or the need to use additional means of sales promotion in relation to the customer "Zak.n".
This sequence is not universal and can be specified depending on various factors of the company's activities. If the assortment includes a small number of items, then it is advisable to start the sales analysis by studying the dynamics of turnover for individual items (“Product” - “Time”), only after that study the sales structure for the company’s customers (“Customer” - “Time”, filter - “ Product").
Statistical models allow in a certain way to transform the received data sets into predictive values of key indicators, on the basis of which optimal planning and management decisions are made. As a rule, such a transformation is carried out by grouping the initial data, determining the relationship between groups and determining the predictive values of some indicators using others. It is important to note that a necessary condition for grouping should be the continuity of the initial data either by the property being assessed, or by quantitative characteristics, or by temporal indicators.
On Fig. 4 and 5 show the grouping of data for a certain period of time, i.e. the sales structure is studied (filter "Time" is mandatory). The analysis of dependence between groups is often hampered by the presence of a large number factors that change when moving from one element of the group to another. For example, when evaluating the relationship between the groups "Tob.1" and "Tob.2" (columns of the table in Fig. 4), it is necessary to take into account differences in the characteristics of these goods, functions, customer preferences, etc. To reduce the influence of these factors and to study groups that are homogeneous in their content, you can use additional filters (“Product group”, “Packaging”, etc.). As a rule, before studying the relationship between groups, they are evaluated using statistical indicators (arithmetic mean, mode, median, standard deviation, range of variation, coefficient of variation). The most commonly used calculation is the arithmetic weighted average and variance:
where xi is a feature, mi is the weight of this feature, n is the number of group elements.
For example, the average for the group "Commodity 1" will be the average amount of the order of the product "Commodity 1" purchased by one customer for the selected period. In addition to calculating the overall assessment of the group, the classification of its constituent elements is carried out. The criterion for classification can be absolute or relative indicators (the indicator of the share of an element in the total amount is most often used), sorted in descending order, or interval values of a group, when a certain interval of the population corresponds to each element. In marketing analysis, one of the main classification tools is Pareto analysis (ABC analysis). In the general case, the Pareto law speaks of an uneven distribution of indicators - approximately 20% of consumers bring 80% of income. ABC-analysis allows you to identify the main and insignificant subgroups of elements in accordance with the share of each subgroup in the total. For example, in the "Amount" group (column "Sum." Fig. No. 5), three subgroups of customers can be distinguished: subgroup A - customers who provide 50% of income (other values \u200b\u200bcan be used - 60/30/10), subgroup B and C - 40% and 10% of income, respectively (the number of subgroups can also vary: the classic version is two 80/20 subgroups, or several ABCDE subgroups, if a more detailed classification is needed).
After a general assessment of the groups, the relationship between them is analyzed. One of the main indicators of the relationship between two random variables is the pair correlation coefficient.
r-values:
from 0 to +/-0.3 - there is practically no connection,
from +/-0.3 to +/-0.5 - weak,
from +/-0.5 to +/-0.7 - weak,
from +/-0.7 to +/-1 - strong.
For example, if, when evaluating the dependence of the groups “Tov.1” and “Tov.2” (Fig. 4), a positive correlation is revealed, then it can be assumed that these goods are complementary for the company’s customers (in the case of a negative relationship, they are interchangeable, t .e. with an increase in demand for the product "Commodity 1", the demand for "Commodity 2" will fall). For the groups "Amount" and "Quantity" (Fig. 5), the correlation coefficient is not equal to 1 (0.801), which indicates a difference in prices (discounts) for the same product for different customers (filter "Commodity n").
After the relationship between the two groups has been identified, it is necessary to give a mathematical description of this relationship using regression analysis models, i.e. choose a certain type of function that best reflects the nature of the relationship under study. It is often assumed that there is a linear relationship between the parameters, which is described by the regression equation:
Analysis of the data structure for a certain time interval allows you to detect implicit relationships between groups. At the same time, the use of an object property as an independent variable is often complicated by the presence of a large number of subjective factors that can change when moving from one value given property to another. The action of such factors can be described if the arguments for comparison are not different properties of objects, but the dynamics of the same properties over time. Thus, a time series, unlike a random sample, has a certain sequence and is associated with a time variable (Fig. 6, Fig. 7).
At the first stage of the analysis of time series, as well as in the analysis of the data structure for a certain time interval, it is necessary to calculate the general indicators of each group. Absolute and relative indicators of dynamics can be calculated for each element of the group (for each value of time - the level of the series): basic and chain increases in the levels of the series, growth rates and growth rates, or for the entire group - the average values of these indicators. In marketing analysis, one of the main indicators of dynamics is the frequency (stability) and the ability to predict the future values of group elements. To do this, the coefficient of variation is calculated for each element of the group, which characterizes the degree of deviation of the parameter from its average value.
The result of the analysis is the distribution of elements into three main subgroups: X - characterized by a stable quantitative assessment, Y - the degree of deviation is determined with a given accuracy, Z - a change in the assessment is characterized by irregularity and low prediction accuracy (XYZ analysis). In practice, ABC- and XYZ-analysis are carried out in parallel in order to classify the elements of the group simultaneously by the value of the quantitative assessment of the element in the overall structure (belonging to one of the subgroups A, B or C) and the dynamics of this element over time (belonging to one of the subgroups X , Y or Z).
There are two main goals of time series analysis: determining the nature of the series and predicting its future values. When choosing forecasting methods, it is necessary to determine whether there is a dependence of the parameter under study on other variables and whether there are predictive values of these variables. If there is no such dependence, then the only indicator of the predictive model will be the time factor, while it is considered that the influence of other factors is insignificant or indirectly affects through the time factor. In this case, the parameter x in the above regression equation is replaced by the time parameter t: Y = b0 + b1*t. The choice of the type of function describing the trend, the parameters of which are determined by the least squares method, is made empirically in most cases, by constructing a number of functions and comparing them with each other in terms of the mean square error.
Thus, time series forecasting methods are largely based on the possibility of extrapolating a deterministic component, which can be described using various trend models, and also adjusted for systematic deviations. The use of such methods is often complicated by the action of a random component, the quantitative assessment of which is often of a probabilistic nature. Therefore, to determine the random component, casual (causal) methods are used, which are based on the study of deep processes and the identification of hidden factors that determine the behavior of the predicted indicator. Among the widely used casual methods is the correlation-regression analysis discussed above. In the multivariate case, when more than one independent variable is used, the regression equation is: Y = b0 + b1 * x1 + b2 * x2 + b3 * x3 + ... + bn * xn. In this equation, the regression coefficients (b-coefficients) are the independent contributions of each variable (xi) to the dependent variable (Y) prediction. In practice, dependencies between the final values of groups are often investigated, without taking into account their internal relationships.
For example, as a result of studying the dynamics of sales volume (Fig. 8), a regression equation was obtained, which reflects the actual data with a high degree of accuracy: Amount (rubles) = -166.7 + 26.7 * Goods (pcs) + 16, 7 * Salary (rubles) (the LINEST function in MS Excel was used for the calculation). The accuracy of calculation models is determined using the coefficient of determination and the Pearson coefficient. In this example, posterior variables were used as independent variables, the values of which cannot be known in advance and are used only to describe the relationship between groups. However, to predict indicators, variables are needed whose values can be determined at the input of the analysis (a priori known variables - sales factors) for their further transformation using the selected model and obtaining future function values at the output (a posteriori values - sales indicators).
The choice of factors involves their classification into factors of the external environment and factors of the internal environment of the organization. From the point of view of management, all factors can be divided into manageable and unmanageable.
Using the methods of regression-correlation analysis, the dependence of the sales volume on each factor is estimated (a table of pairwise correlations is built), and the coefficients bi in the regression equation are also determined. If it is necessary to build a predictive profit model, then cost factors are added to the specified sales factors.
The regression model is one of the most common models for the mathematical description of dependencies between different groups of variables. At the same time, the diversity and heterogeneity of marketing information often reveals the need to use complex algorithms to identify hidden dependencies. The multidimensional nature of this problem is now considered within a separate area, often referred to as Data Mining (data mining). Data Mining is the process of revealing hidden relationships within multidimensional information arrays. As a rule, there are five standard types of patterns that are the object of study of Data Mining: association, sequence, classification, clustering, and prediction. On the basis of the identified patterns, typical templates are formed that interpret the initial data into the information necessary for making managerial decisions.
The use of marketing information becomes a necessary condition for increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the enterprise management system. At the same time, the introduction of MIS should be preceded by the stage of describing the internal business processes of the enterprise and detailing the main quantitative parameters for their assessment. Thus, the design of MIS is a complex and multi-stage process, during which methods of algorithmization of information processes and methods of their interpretation for making managerial decisions are specified.
Bibliographic list
1. Buzzel R., Cox D., Brown R. Information and risk in marketing - M.: Finstatinform, 1993
2. Belyaevsky I.K. Marketing research: information, analysis, forecast. — M.: Finance and statistics, 2001. — 578 p.
3. Mkhitaryan S.V. Marketing information system. - M .: Eksmo Publishing House, 2006. - 336 p.
4. Golubkov E.P. Marketing Research: Theory, Methodology and Practice: Textbook. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M .: Publishing house "Finpress", 2003. - 496 p.
5. Kotler F. Fundamentals of marketing. Short course.: Publishing house "Williams", 2007. - 656 p.
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The concept, features and classification of marketing information. Sources of primary information. Marketing Information System (MIS) and Decision Support System. Characteristics of official sources of information. The task of functioning of the MIS.
Marketing Information System includes individuals, equipment and procedures for collecting, sorting, analyzing, evaluating and distributing the necessary timely and reliable information used in making marketing decisions.
To perform the tasks of analysis, planning, execution of plans and control, marketing managers need information about changes in the market environment. The role of the MIS is to determine the information needs for marketing management, obtain it, accumulate it and provide it to the appropriate managers in a timely manner. The necessary information is obtained from the company's internal reporting, marketing observations, research and data analysis.
Internal reporting system- the basis of MIS. It reflects information about orders, sales, prices, stocks, receivables and payables, etc. The analysis of internal information allows the marketing manager to identify promising opportunities and pressing problems of the company.
1. Cycle order - payment. Sales representatives, dealers and consumers send their orders to the company. The sales department issues invoices to customers, copies of which are sent to other departments. Applications that cannot currently be satisfied are sent to the production order department. Shipment of goods is accompanied by waybills and payment documents, copies of which are also received by various divisions of the company.
2. Sales control system. Marketing managers must receive timely information about current sales. Computer techologies made a revolution in the work of sales representatives: the "art" of sales has become an easily reproducible business process.
The marketing information system of the company should be created taking into account the wishes of marketing managers, their real needs and economic feasibility. A useful step in this task could be the establishment of an internal commission on IIAs. She will conduct the necessary coordination with the departments with which marketers interact: manufacturers, sales managers, salespeople and other interested parties to determine their information needs. In doing so, the following questions need to be answered.
· In what kind of decisions do you regularly make decisions?
What kind of information do you need to make a decision?
· What information do you regularly receive?
· Do you use special research to obtain information, and if so, which ones?
· What information do you not receive but would like to have?
What information do you need on a daily basis? Weekly? Monthly? Annually?
· What periodicals and reference materials would you like to receive on a regular basis?
· What special issues would you like to be aware of?
· What kind of data processing programs would you like to have access to?
· What are the four most important improvements that can be made to the current marketing information system?
The IIA panel should carefully consider staff responses, focusing on pressing needs or complaints and discarding fanciful and unrealistic ideas.
The purpose of the marketing surveillance system is to provide information about the situation on the market at the moment. Marketing Surveillance System- an ordered set of information sources and procedures for obtaining it, used by managers to recreate the current picture of the changes taking place in the market environment.
Most often, a marketer monitors the development of market processes by reading books, newspapers, specialized publications, communicating with buyers, suppliers, distributors and other market entities external to the company, as well as from conversations with other managers and company personnel. Since his actions are quite random, valuable information is received either late or completely overlooked. Managers learn about the actions of competitors, about new customer needs, about problems of dealers too late, before they have time to take retaliatory steps.
In order to increase the quality of marketing observations, a well-managed company can take the following steps.
First, to train and motivate the sales staff directly related to the ability to notice the changes that are taking place and report them to marketers. Salespeople and salespeople are the "eyes and ears" of the company and are in a great position to collect information that is not available by other means. But they are primarily occupied with their immediate duties and are not always able to switch to the search and transmission of information. Therefore, the firm must make the role of "information collectors" especially attractive to all personnel in direct contact with customers. Sales agents and sellers must know what information to report and to whom.
Secondly, a competitive company encourages its distributors and other intermediaries to pass on all significant comments to it.
The company can obtain information about competitors by purchasing their products, participating in various exhibitions and "days open doors”, by studying published reports, attending shareholder meetings, talking with former and current employees, dealers, distributors, suppliers and carriers, analyzing advertising, as well as studying the business press and special publications.
Third, the company can buy marketing and other information from specialized firms. Research firms collect data and offer it to clients for much less than they would self-study market.
Fourth, some companies have their own marketing information centers that collect and disseminate the results of ongoing observations of the market environment. Employees of these centers monitor the most important news and reviews published in the media, and then send specially prepared newsletters to marketing managers. They collect, categorize and store information of interest to the firm and help its managers evaluate new information. Such services can dramatically improve the quality of information coming to marketers.
Marketing research- this is the systematic preparation and conduct of various surveys, analysis of the data obtained and presentation of the results and conclusions in a form corresponding to the specific marketing task facing the company.
Do not confuse marketing research with market research. Market research is carried out on a specific segment and is one of the possible elements of marketing research.
A company can obtain market research results in a variety of ways. Majority large companies has its own research departments. The manager of such a department usually reports directly to the vice president of marketing and acts as head of research, administrator, consultant, and advocate for the firm.
COMMODITY POLICY
1. The concept of a marketing information system (MIS). The role and tasks of MIS in the organization's marketing.
In the modern concept of marketing, the study of markets is of particular importance. These studies serve as the basis for the strategy and tactics developed by the enterprise to enter the markets, to conduct a targeted product policy.
The purpose of any market research is to assess the current situation (conjuncture) and develop a market development forecast. The program of such a comprehensive study depends on the characteristics of the goods, the nature of the enterprise, the scale of production of export goods and a number of other factors.
Market research is not an end in itself, but a source of information for making an effective management decision. This decision can apply to any aspect of foreign trade and marketing activities, so it is irrational to limit the cost of such research due to "cost savings": the losses caused by the wrong decision are usually 10 to 100 times greater.
The use of market research varies widely depending on the company and the type of information required. Although most firms conduct research in one form or another, research departments are found in large rather than small firms. Typically, a US firm with annual sales of $25 million or more spends about
3.5% of their marketing budget, while a company with less than $25 million in sales spends about 1.5%. In addition, consumer goods firms spend more on market research than manufacturing firms.
In order to function properly in a marketing environment, it is necessary to obtain adequate information before and after decisions are made.
There are many reasons why marketing information should be collected when developing, implementing, and reviewing a firm's marketing plan or any of its elements. It is not enough to rely on the intuition of the judgment of leaders and the experience of the past.
Good information allows marketers to: Reap concrete benefits Reduce financial risk and sample hazards Determine consumer attitudes Monitor the external environment Coordinate strategy Evaluate performance Increase credibility of advertising Gain decision support Reinforce intuition Improve effectiveness.
If you approach the collection of marketing information as a random, rare event that is needed only when you need to obtain data on a specific issue, you can run into a number of problems.
For example, a situation may arise when:
1. the results of previous studies are stored in a form that is inconvenient for use;
2. imperceptible changes in environment and actions of competitors;
3. an unsystematized collection of information is carried out;
4. there are delays when a new study is needed;
5. for a number of time periods there are no data necessary for analysis;
6. marketing plans and decisions are analyzed inefficiently;
7. Actions are only reactions, not foresight.
Marketing research should be considered as part of a permanent integrated information process.
It is essential that the firm develops and maintains a system of continuous monitoring of the environment and storage of data so that they can be analyzed in the future. A marketing information system can be defined as a set of procedures and methods designed to generate, analyze, and disseminate information for proactive marketing decisions on a regular, ongoing basis.
On fig. 1 shows a diagram of a marketing information system.
impact feedback
First, the firm sets the company's goals, which determine the general direction of marketing planning. These goals are influenced by environmental factors (competition, government, economy). Marketing plans include the controllable factors identified in the previous sections, including the choice of target market, target marketing, type of marketing organization, marketing strategy(product or service, distribution, promotion and price) and management.
Once the marketing plan is in place, an information network that includes research, ongoing observation, and data collection can be used to refine and satisfy the overall information needs of the marketing department. Marketing research provides accurate information to solve research problems. It may require stored information (internal secondary data) or collection of external secondary and/or primary information. Continuous monitoring is a procedure by which the changing environment is regularly analyzed. This may include reading news bulletins, receiving regular feedback from employees and consumers, attending industry meetings, and observing the actions of competitors. Data storage is the accumulation of all kinds of meaningful internal information (such as sales volume, costs, personnel performance, etc.), as well as information collected through market research and ongoing surveillance. This data helps to make decisions and is stored for future use.
Depending on the firm's resources and the complexity of the information needs, the marketing information network may or may not be computerized. Small firms can effectively use such systems without computers. Consistency, thoroughness and good storage technique are essential ingredients for the success of any system.
Marketing plans should be implemented based on data obtained from the information network. For example, as a result of continuous monitoring, a firm may conclude that the cost of raw materials will increase by 7% within next year. This will give the company time to explore marketing options.
(switching to substitutes, redistribution of costs, acceptance of additional costs) and choose one of the alternatives for implementation. If there was no observation, then the firm could be caught off guard and take on additional costs without any choice.
In general, a marketing information system provides many advantages:
8. organized collection of information;
9. avoiding crises;
10. marketing plan coordination;
11. speed;
12. results expressed in quantitative form;
13. cost-benefit analysis.
However, building a marketing information system can be tricky. The initial costs of time and human resources are large, and great difficulties can be associated with the creation of a system.
2. Market coverage strategy; intensive, selective marketing, exclusive distribution and franchising.
The franchisor is the owner of a trademark, goods, services.
He sells the rights to his property.
Franchisee - Buyer
Franchise - the subject of a purchase / sale agreement
Franchising - the general name of the relationship
Today, franchising is a relatively new phenomenon for our economy, while in developed countries it has been practiced for centuries as a means of meeting the needs of society in various services.
The first example of franchising in the United States can be considered the legislative granting of rights to private businesses in such areas as railroads and banks. The exclusive right received from the government gave an incentive to private business to invest significant capital in the development of these enterprises, although in this case a certain state control over the work of railways and banks was maintained. At the same time, certain privileges were granted to those who could provide the required services. For example, the transfer of land use rights to a person who will supply the army, or the transfer of authority to a certain person to collect tax on behalf of the government.
Thus, private business this allowed the relatively fast and high-quality development of enterprises different areas services without public funding.
Even more interesting examples of the use of franchising by private business were in the 50s of the XIX century, when exclusive rights were granted to manufacturers in the United States. At this time, a number of large enterprises, for example, the Singer company, franchise the right to sell their products.
(sewing machines) throughout the United States. At that time, buying such equipment in a store was unusual and housewives were skeptical about mechanical equipment. In addition, their husbands had to pay a large sum for a thing that was useless in their understanding, having only one merit - facilitating the work of their wives. The only way selling such a product is an aggressive salesman who is able to bring the product directly to the buyer and show the wonders that this machine can do. Since the company did not have the money to hire sellers, the young Singer came up with a system where independent sellers (dealers) could buy the right to sell sewing machines in a certain area. Dealers paid $60 for a car and sold it for $125. Within a few years, hundreds of dealers became rich people.
One of the first successful franchise systems was applied by General Motors. In 1898, a young company that did not have enough cash capital to open stores began selling steam engines through a system of dealers. This system remains the main way cars are sold to this day. Some of the first franchisors were the owners of bicycle shops and shops selling industrial goods.
In many countries, the franchising system for creating hotels and restaurants began to develop especially quickly. This was facilitated by the emergence in the United States of the trademark law. An enterprise-manufacturer of products, works or services that had its own competitors among its competitors individual characteristics, a fairly high reputation for quality service. acquired a trademark under certain conditions ( trademark). The owner of the trademark could issue licenses to other firms for a certain period of time during which the owner controls the quality of goods or services sold under his trademark.
Selling the right to other enterprises or using their trademark under comprehensive control and under the protection of the law allowed the owner to expand the boundaries of his business without large capital and operating costs.
An important component of success is the entrepreneur's clear and complete knowledge of the essence of franchising, its variety, structure, advantages and possible risks when using it.
Franchising can be defined as a way to deliver products or services to a consumer, a way to develop a business and conquer the market based on the cooperation of material and financial resources and the efforts of various enterprises. Franchising can also be viewed as an agreement in which the manufacturer or sole distributor of a product or service protected by a trademark gives exclusive rights to distribute its products or services in a given territory to independent entrepreneurs.
(to retailers) in exchange for receiving payments (royalties) from them, subject to compliance with the technologies of production and service operations.
Franchising, as already noted, involves two groups of businessmen. The one who grants this right (franchise) is called the franchisor. He usually has many years of experience in the production of a given product, developed the system, gave it his name or trademark, and has knowledge of what can and cannot lead to success. A franchisee is a person who buys the right to conduct a business (franchise) under a name or trademark.
Benefits from joining forces in business are not easy to reap. When people cooperate, this not only has a beneficial effect, but also creates certain difficulties and limitations arising from the system of cooperation. Each partner must submit himself to a common goal, general rules, general agreements, i.e., to coordinate their interests with the interests of the other side. For people with the character of an entrepreneur, such subordination is a very painful matter. Quite rightly, Harvey McKay, CEO of a successful American corporation"McKay Envelope" says "If there is one characteristic of people with an entrepreneurial streak, it is the semi-mad and fanatical desire of each of them to do everything himself, not allowing anyone to poke his nose into his affairs, ask questions or point out , what to do". The hardest test for such a person
- Lose full control over your business. Therefore, it is very difficult to establish effective relations for the cooperation of entrepreneurial activities in the franchising system.
Anyone who nevertheless decides to work in the franchising system must carefully consider all the chances of future relationships, the forms of their establishment and implementation, all possible costs. which will inevitably precede the expected benefits. Relationships should be built in such a way that costs are minimized and benefits maximized. At the same time, the case must be beneficial to both parties, otherwise it will not last any long.
The concept of franchising creates objective prerequisites for achieving the goals of the two partners, since each side has certain advantages.
From the position of a franchisor, you must answer a number of questions, first of all, the first of them: “Can franchising be applied to this idea, concept, product or service?”
What is the nature of their competition in your defined market space?
Is your product or service unique, will it fill a gap in the market?
What is the estimated cost of the product or service?
Serious study requires the question: what are the time costs and the degree of risk involved Money? It is very important here not to overlook the risks of lost or alternative opportunities.
In what enterprises could you spend the same amount of effort and time to get similar or even better results? It is also important to understand the size of the market for your franchise. Besides. you need to know approximately the number of potential investors that could become your franchisees, given their monetary obligations and the time that must be spent to achieve a profitable franchise.
This stage (analysis and evaluation) is extremely important, as it forms the foundation on which the success of the entire franchise program will be based. And if you, after working through all the points of your franchise program, are confident that franchising will be successful, and you believe that your business will find buyers for your product or service, then you are on your way to proving to yourself that you have a franchise concept.
If you are attracted to the idea of franchising as a user of the franchise, the stage of analysis and evaluation is also necessary for you before making a final decision.
Among the questions you need to answer are the following:
Is the product or service offered for franchising specific, that is, can the buyer single out this particular product or service?
What is the price of the product and the level of competition in the market?
What benefits will this system give you (training, advertising, supplies, etc.)?
How do franchise fees compare to the costs of entering into a new relationship?
What are the prospects for your business in this region?
A positive assessment of all these problems brings you closer to agreeing to work in the franchising system. You are convinced that your business can flourish on this basis.
The entrepreneur must evaluate several franchise options (it is important to consider more than one offer) in order to decide which one is preferable. There are a number of factors to consider before making a final decision.
An unexperienced franchise may be a less expensive investment, but the lower investment may be outweighed by the significant risk involved. It is possible that with an untried franchise, the owner may make a number of mistakes as the business expands. There is a possibility that as a result of these mistakes the enterprise will fail. At the same time, the constant reorganization of a new franchise can lead to confusion and poor management. The advantages of a new untested franchise include the underdevelopment of this market segment, the monopoly offer of this service or product (recall the queues at the first
McDonald's in Moscow), this is the most attractive feature for starting a business in this direction. In addition, it creates serious prerequisites for high profits if the business grows at a rapid pace. Tried and tested franchises involve less risk, but they require a significant financial investment. However, we should not forget that a certain amount of risk is present in many established franchises.
Speaking about market segments, it should be noted that marketing segmentation reveals the possibilities of various market segments in which the seller will have to act. The firm then needs to decide 1) how many segments to cover and 2) how to identify the most profitable segments for it. Let's consider these two problems in turn.
A firm can use three market coverage strategies: undifferentiated marketing, differentiated marketing, and concentrated marketing. These three approaches are illustrated in the figure and described below.
Undifferentiated (intensive) marketing.
Differentiated (selective) marketing.
Concentrated Marketing.
Undifferentiated (intensive) marketing. Perhaps the firm decides to ignore the differences in segments and appeal to the entire market at once with the same offer ". In this case, it concentrates its efforts not on how the needs of customers differ from each other, but on what these needs have in common. It develops a product and a marketing program that will appeal to as many customers as possible It relies on mass distribution and mass advertising methods It seeks to give the product an image of superiority in people's minds An example of undifferentiated marketing is the Hershey firm, which somewhat years ago, offered one brand of chocolate for everyone.
Undifferentiated marketing is economical. The costs of producing a product, maintaining its inventory and transporting it are low. Advertising costs with undifferentiated marketing are also kept low. The absence of the need for marketing research of market segments and planning broken down by these segments helps to reduce the cost of marketing research and product management.
A firm adjacent to undifferentiated marketing usually creates a product designed for the largest market segments. When several firms do this at the same time, there is intense competition in large segments, and buyers in smaller segments are less satisfied. Thus, the American automobile industry for many years produced only large cars. As a result, work in large segments of the market may be less profitable due to the fierce competition prevailing there.
Differentiated (selective) marketing. In this case, the company decides to act in several market segments and develops a separate offer for each of them. Thus, the General Motors Corporation strives to produce cars "for any wallet, any purpose, any person."
By offering a variety of products, it hopes to achieve sales growth and deeper penetration into each of its market segments. She expects that by strengthening her position in several market segments, she will be able to identify in the mind of the consumer a company with a given product category. Moreover, it expects an increase in repeat purchases, since it is the company's product that corresponds to the desires of consumers, and not vice versa. An increasing number of firms are resorting to the practice of differentiated marketing.
Concentrated marketing. Many firms also see a third marketing opportunity that is especially attractive to organizations with limited resources. Instead of concentrating efforts on a small fraction of a large market, a firm concentrates efforts on a large fraction of one or more submarkets.
There are several examples of such concentrated marketing. Volkswagen focused on the small car market, Hewlett-Packard on the expensive calculator market, and Richard D. Irwin, the publisher of this book, on the market for economics and business textbooks. Through concentrated marketing, the firm secures a strong market position in the segments it serves because it knows the needs of those segments better than anyone else and enjoys a certain reputation. Moreover, as a result of the specialization of production, distribution and sales promotion measures, the firm achieves economies in many areas of its activity.
At the same time, concentrated marketing is associated with increased level risk. A chosen segment of the market may not live up to expectations, as happened, for example, when young women suddenly stopped buying sportswear.
As a result, the Bobby Brooke firm that produces such clothes suffered heavy losses. Or it may happen that a competitor wants to infiltrate your chosen market segment. Given these considerations, many firms choose to diversify their activities across multiple different segments market.
When choosing a market coverage strategy, the following factors should be considered:
Company resources. With limited resources, the most rational strategy is concentrated marketing.
The degree of product homogeneity. An undifferentiated marketing strategy is suitable for uniform products such as grapefruit or steel. For products that may differ in design, such as cameras and cars, differentiated or concentrated marketing strategies are more appropriate.
Stage of the product life cycle. When a company enters the market with a new product, it is advisable to offer only one version of the novelty.
At the same time, it is most reasonable to use undifferentiated or concentrated marketing strategies.
Degree of homogeneity of the market. If buyers have the same tastes, they buy the same quantities of goods at the same time intervals. and respond in the same way to the same marketing stimuli, it is appropriate to use an undifferentiated marketing strategy.
Marketing strategies of competitors. If competitors are engaged in market segmentation, the use of an undifferentiated marketing strategy can be disastrous. Conversely, if competitors use undifferentiated marketing, the firm may benefit from using differentiated or concentrated marketing strategies.
Bibliography.
1. F. Kotler "Fundamentals of Marketing", M., 1996.
2. J.M. Evans, B. Berman "Marketing"
3. Romanov A.N. "Marketing"
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Environment
Company goals
Marketing Plans
Marketing Tracking System
Market Research
Permanent tracking, data storage
Using Marketing Plans
The firm's marketing mix.
Option 1
The firm's marketing mix.
Option 2
The firm's marketing mix
Option 3
The firm's marketing mix
The marketing information system transforms data obtained from internal and external sources, into the information needed for managers and specialists of marketing services. MIS, interacting with other automated systems of the enterprise, supplies the necessary information to the heads of other services of the enterprise.
The marketing information system covers four subsystems:
subsystem of internal reporting;
a subsystem for collecting external marketing information;
marketing research subsystem;
subsystem of marketing information analysis.
Subsystems of the marketing information system is shown in fig. 4.3.
Rice. 4.3. Marketing Information System
Let's consider each of the marketing information subsystems in more detail.
Internal reporting subsystem. This subsystem reflects the indicators of the current sales volume, the amount of expenses, inventories, cash flow, receivables and payables. It is the most accessible for marketers, it is fully supported by computers and computer networks, ensures the efficiency and accuracy of the data. internal system information allows you to determine the upper and lower limits of sales prices, establish a zone of commercial risk, a line of financial equilibrium, a critical point of financial stability.
Subsystem for collecting current external marketing information. This subsystem provides managers with information about events in the environment. Sources of information can be: books, newspapers and specialized publications, conversations with customers, buying information from third-party suppliers (collections of weekly changes in market share, prices of branded goods, etc.). Also created are their own departments for the collection and transmission of current marketing information.
This subsystem is less focused on computer support than the internal reporting system, but due to the development of telecommunications and external databases, the subsystem for collecting current external marketing information becomes highly computerized and operational.
Marketing research subsystem. The subsystem ensures regular determination of the range of data required in connection with the marketing situation, as well as their collection, analysis and reporting on the results. In conducting research, participation of specialized organizations or organizations of their own research department is possible. Actively supported by computer systems. Used here software databases, spreadsheets, graphical modeling, various special statistical data processing packages.
Basis of the marketing research subsystem form two groups funds:
1. Means of statistical modeling ("statistical bank") - a set of modern methods of statistical processing of information;
2. A set of special marketing models that contribute to the adoption of more optimal marketing decisions. Special marketing models can serve as the basis for the regular computerized generation of recommendations based on knowledge bases.
Subsystem for analysis of marketing information. The subsystem performs the following functions step by step according to a certain technological scheme (see Fig. 4.4).
Rice. 4.4. Functions of the marketing information analysis subsystem
The marketing information analysis subsystem (SAMI) allows you to determine:
The influence of the main factors on the sale of products (sales volume) and the importance of each of them;
Possibility of sale with an increase in prices or advertising costs;
Evaluation of the company's activities;
Parameters of the enterprise's products that ensure its competitiveness;
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