Order custom Harvard Business Case Study Analysis & Solution. Starting just $19
Fern Fort University
Costco Companies, Inc. Marketing Strategy Analysis & Solution
Marketing & Sales Case Study Analysis and Solution
At Fern Fort University, we use Harvard Business Review (HBR) marketing principles and framework to analyze Costco Companies, Inc. case study. Costco Companies, Inc. is a Harvard Business Review case study written by David E. Bell, Ann Leamonfor the students of Sales & Marketing. The case study also include other relevant topics and learning material on – Competitive strategy, Employee retention, IT, Leadership development, Managing uncertainty, Motivating people, Organizational structure, Risk management
Strategic Marketing Analysis of Costco Companies, Inc. case study written by David E. Bell, Ann Leamon will comprise following sections –
- Costco Companies, Inc. Case Description
- Marketing Definition
- Market Potential Analysis of Costco Companies, Inc.
- Market Share Potential Analysis
- Segmentation and Segment Attractiveness Analysis
- Competition and Competitiveness Analysis of Costco Companies, Inc.
- Customer Value Analysis of Costco Companies, Inc. case study
Order Now - Costco Companies, Inc. Marketing & Sales Case Study Solution
Order Now - Costco Companies, Inc. Porter 5 Forces and Strategy Analysis
Costco Companies, Inc. Marketing Case Description
Sales & Marketing Case Study | Authors :: David E. Bell, Ann Leamon
Costco Companies, one of the major players in the wholesale club industry, has developed a new class of membership that offers discounted services--auto, health, and home insurance, business credit card processing, real estate services--in exchange for a higher annual fee ($100 vs. $40). The case poses two questions: 1) how should the new membership be marketed, to whom, and how much should be spent on the effort? and 2) what are the potential risks and benefits for Costco, which generated $22 billion in 1997 selling products in bulk, in offering services? Which question is emphasized depends on whether the case is taught in a marketing or a retailing course.
Competitive strategy, Employee retention, IT, Leadership development, Managing uncertainty, Motivating people, Organizational structure, Risk management
Marketing Definition
According to American Marketing Association – Marketing is a set of activities that a firm undertakes for creating, communicating, delivering, & exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
Kotler explains - Marketing is a process by which organizations can create value for its potential and current customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value in return.
Market Potential Analysis of Costco Companies, Inc.
Market potential analysis comprises evaluating the overall market size of the related product that the firm is planning to launch. This will involve defining – Why the target market segment needs the product and how it will provide a solution to full its consumers’ needs. Market potential of Costco Companies, Inc. products various on factors such as –
- Maturity of the market. In mature markets the profitability is often stable but the market potential is less as most of the players have already taken market share based on the segment they are serving. New players have to go for market share strategies in marketing.
- Technological competence of the existing players and culture of innovation and development in the industry.
- Untapped market sizes and barriers to both enter the market and serving the customers. Often companies can easily see the unfulfilled needs in the markets but they are difficult to serve as there are costly barriers.
- Define the core need that your product is serving and list out all the direct and indirect competitors in the market place. This will help not only in positioning of the product but also in defining or creating a segment better.
- Uncovering the current and untapped market sizes and barriers to serving the larger market. Analyze the areas that you need to sort out while launching the products to wider market and what are the challenges the firm will face in market place.
- Estimate the current stage in product life cycle and its implications for marketing decisions for the product.
Market Share Potential Analysis
- Understanding the buyer behavior model for Costco Companies, Inc.industry.
- Identifying the market share drivers relevant to Costco Companies, Inc. market.
- Segment Attractiveness Analysis – Our analysis will work out which are the most attractive segments and which are the one the firm should go ahead and target. We point out in great detail which segments will be most lucrative for the company to enter.
- Understanding the different needs and relative value of your offering by segment.
- Developing segment priorities and positioning the product based on the product need fit developed by the firm.
Order Now - Costco Companies, Inc. Case Memo
Order Now - Costco Companies, Inc. SWOT & PESTEL Analysis
Competition & Competitive Position Analysis
- Uncovering customer-based competitive positions for key rivals and firm’s offering. This will not only help in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors but also help in defining and positioning of the product.
- Developing a positioning and launching strategy. It will require not only distribution channel analysis but also promotion mix for the product.
- Strategic Marketing Planning — the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organization’s objectives and capabilities and the ever evolving marketing opportunities for its products.
Costco Companies, Inc. - Customer Value Analysis
Capturing customer value is essential to marketing efforts as it results in higher return in the form of both current & future sales, greater market share, and higher profits. By creating superior customer value, the organization can create highly satisfied customers who stay loyal and buy more. This, in turn, means greater long-run returns for the firm.
- The crucial role of customer perceived value in acquiring and retaining profitable customers. Product differentiation is often based on building on a value niche that a firm believes that is very important to the customer. This niche contributes to perceived value. If the perceived value is high then customer stay loyal to the product if not then she can switch to the competitor’s product.
- Graphically displaying value differences for deeper understanding and better internal communication. This helps is building a narrative that a customer can identify with. The better the insight more are the chances of connecting with the potential customers.
- Identifying and selecting actionable value creation options. This can help in increasing the customer lifetime value. Customer lifetime value is the value of the entire stream of purchases that the customer would make over a lifetime of patronage.
NOTE: Every marketing case study solution varies based on the details and data provided in the case. We write unique marketing strategy case solution for each HBR case study with no plagiarism. The specific case dictate the exact format for the case study analysis.
You can order Costco Companies, Inc. Marketing Strategy Case Study Solution with us at Fern Fort University .
Order Now
Next 5 Marketing Case Study Solution
- Ledals Redistributor: Enacting Policies that Frustrate Salespeople and Customers Marketing Strategy Solution
- Gentera: Beyond Microcredit Marketing Strategy Solution
- Mountain Equipment Co-op: Digital Strategy Marketing Strategy Solution
- Visa Inc.: Accounting for Marketing Marketing Strategy Solution
- National Dairy: Defending Market Leadership Marketing Strategy Solution
Previous 5 Marketing Case Study Solution
- Sustainability at Siemens Marketing Strategy Solution
- Tom Muccio: Negotiating the P&G Relationship with Wal-Mart (A) Marketing Strategy Solution
- Managing the Competition: Category Captaincy on the Frozen Food Aisle Marketing Strategy Solution
- Procter & Gamble Canada (B): The Canadian MDO Marketing Strategy Solution
- Southern Chair Company: No Time for Sitting Around! Marketing Strategy Solution
HBR Case Studies Solutions
- Ledals Redistributor: Enacting Policies that Frustrate Salespeople and Customers Porter, SWOT,& PESTEL Analysis
- Gentera: Beyond Microcredit Porter, SWOT,& PESTEL Analysis
- Mountain Equipment Co-op: Digital Strategy Porter, SWOT,& PESTEL Analysis
- Visa Inc.: Accounting for Marketing Porter, SWOT,& PESTEL Analysis
- National Dairy: Defending Market Leadership Porter, SWOT,& PESTEL Analysis