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ZHANG Zhenjia[a],*
[a]
Abstract
1. LITERATURE REVIEWS
1.1 Marketing Mix
Product elements, place cyberspace and time, promotion
and education, price and other user outlays, process,
productivity and quality, people, and physical evidence
are the eight strategic elements for managers in service
organizations, which refers to Lovelock and Wright (2002)
as 8Ps model. In the research by Kasper et al. (1999), the
implementation of Marketing Mix is aimed at actually
accomplishing the goals set, the competitive advantages
given the relationship the firm and the customer want to
attain and the success they are looking for.
1.2 Positioning
Positioning strategy is used by a company to distinguish
its products from those of its competitors in order to give
it a competitive advantage within a market (Palmer, 2000).
Lovelock and Wright (2002) pointed out that positioning
means establishing a distinctive place in the minds of
customers relative to competing products. Additionally,
in the research by Anderson and Narus (2004), market
positioning includes three critical components: target
market, product attributes and value proposition.
According to the research by Czinkota et al. (2000)
and Quester et al. (2001), a firms target market is more
formally recognized as the specific group of customers
based on their needs, geographical, social, economic and
INTRODUCTION
Starbucks, as a U.S. based coffee retail chain, is successful
in marketing in a global environment. With the interests in
its big success, this essay is mainly focused on its Surfers
Paradise coffee shop. Based on a series of researches
including literature reviewing of relevant marketing theories,
interview with manager and staff of the shop, distribution
of questionnaires, and the analysis of various kinds of data
collected, the essay is conducted to find out the competitive
advantages of Starbucks Surfers Paradise coffee shop.
In the first part of the article, researchers review some
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2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3. RESULTS
According to the 100 questionnaires, there are 36 male
customers and 64 females, and 38 of them are from local,
and 62 are tourists (22 are domestic tourists and 40 are
international tourists). Most of them have heard about
Starbucks brand before. The reasons for them to visit
this shop are partly because they can easy pass by it, and
partly because the quality and the service of Starbucks.
The main things that the group found was first, that
their target market are tourists and local community, who
are easily passing by this shop, and are often spend $5-$10
per visit (see Figure 1 to 4). Secondly, some competitive
advantages have been found, such as coffee quality,
atmosphere, location, service quality etc., which will be
discussed further (see Figure 5) .Thirdly, their competitors
are some coffee shops around the area, and especially
Gloria Jeans (see Figure 6).
Target market
38%
40%
Local
Demestic tourists
22%
International
tourists
Figure 1
Target Market
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4. ANALYSIS
35
30
25
20
Series
1
15
10
5
0
once/mon
th
2-3
times/mon
th
4-5
times/mon
th
over
5times/mon
th
Figure 2
How Often Do the Customers Visit Starbucks Serfers
Paradise Shop Within a Month
70
60
50
40
Series1
30
20
10
0
Under $5
$5 - $10
$10 - &20
over $20
Figure 3
How Much the Customers Spend per Visit
60
50
40
30
Series1
20
10
0
Just pass by
it:
From other
people:
Yellow pages
Tourist's
publications:
Figure 4
How Do the Customers Know About This Coffee Shop
Can sit ouside
12%
Decration is nice
1% 3% 2% 4%
26%
Friedly staff
Atomosphere
Coffee quality
Location
32%
20%
Good price
Hygien
Figure 5
What Is the Best Quality of Starbucks (Customers
View)
70
60
50
40
30
Series1
20
10
0
Zarraffa's
Coffee club
Rosso
Gloria Jean's
Figure 6
Competitors of Starbucks Surfers Paradise Shop
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and the way of service are exactly the same as what she
experienced in her home country. Additionally, Starbucks
Surfers Paradise coffee shop provides consistent
commitments about its coffee and service quality during
the whole trading hours.
4.3.4 Employee Satisfaction
For a service organization, there is a positive relationship
between job satisfaction and customer satisfaction (Kasper
et al., 1999). Jason Bourne believes that only the happy
and knowledgeable employees can make best efforts
to satisfy the customers. Starbucks Surfers Paradise
shop gives every possible staff training. Meanwhile, the
employees of Starbucks are encouraged to help customers
to choose the most appropriate coffee products according
to their personal tastes. This point can be drawn from
interviewing the staff who stated that he was satisfied with
the job and was willing to.
4.3.5 Service Innovation
Innovation and new products development have become
the key strategic focus for todays most successful
companies (Doyle, 1998). The service innovation is
defined as developing and delivering products or services
that offer benefits which customers perceive as new and
superior (Doyle, 1998, p.198). As demonstrated above,
Freppuccino Blended Coffee, green tea, newspapers
and high-chair are offered by Starbucks Surfers paradise
coffee shop for acquiring its competitive advantages.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the previous analysis, there are some issues
should be taken into considerations to make further
improvements for the Starbucks Surfers Paradise coffee
shop.
First one is based on the customers expectation from
the survey results. Some customers suggest that Starbucks
should offer more comfortable armchairs and coaches,
canopy and replace the outdoor floor with the wooden
floor as same as the indoor decoration. In service industry,
customers often look for tangible clues, namely physical
evidence which can influence customers evaluation of
service quality (Lovelock & Wright, 2002). In this case,
there is knowledge gap between the service providers
and the customers perceived service quality (Lovelock &
Wright, 2002). (or standards gap? Actually, I dont think
this point is necessary.) More comfortable environment
can help create friendlier atmosphere, which enhance the
supplementary services by adding values to customers
(Lovelock & Wright, 2002). It is more attractive to
customers, especially when they want to have a relaxed
time in this Starbucks shop except for a cup of coffee.
Besides that, many customers were surprised when
they heard that Starbucks also offer a reward card called
Starbucks Card Duetto Visa, which, however, is not
CONCLUSION
As one of the famous Starbucks brand shop, the Surfers
Paradise coffee shop does well in the field of marketing.
According to the analysis of the shops situations
concerning the marketing mix and positioning, a clear
picture of the shops competitive advantages can be
achieved. Generally speaking, there are some important
factors that help the shop to achieve business success,
which include convenient location, guaranteed high
quality of both coffee and service, and the Starbucks
brand itself. On the other hand, the essay also gives some
recommendations to help to solve problems found during
the course of research. For example, the shop should pay
more attention to create a more comfortable environment
in the guests area, and be more positive to introduce the
Starbucks Card Duetto Visa which can help to build
more stable and loyal customer relationship.
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