Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

When any company has sales promotions it usually has a greater effect on consumers. Consumers tend to be more attracted to the item being sold.

When purchasing any Apple product directly from the Apple store, the items are always full price. No discounts, no coupons or anything. Of course when you are purchasing from the Apple store, the items are a lot more expensive. Apple sells it products to BestBuy for a cheaper price. Bestbuy sells the products of Apple at a lower price than Apple of course. If you are purchasing from BestBuy, sometimes they show the price you will pay if buying the item from the Apple store itself. Sometimes, on the website it says they are not allowed to show the price difference from the Apple store because it goes against there contract.

Apple is always trying to lure in new consumers. By comparing their products to other consumer products, they always inform their current consumers about ho well their products work, of course they know that, that's why they have purchased their products. As they try to lure in new consumers they want to show you what Apple products are capable of and why they are better than any other product. If you are looking to buy a laptop in BestBuy, not necessarily a MacBook, they have laptops out so the consumer can test the items out. They use sampling in stores so the possible consumer can determine whether or not to purchase the item.

Sometimes people buy items to buy items. They don't necessarily need the item but just want to have the item. When I decided i needed a new laptop because me Dell had a virus, I did not know what laptop I should turn to. Of course, my brother has a MacBook. He stated that MacBooks are a lot better because they do not get viruses and are a lot faster than any other laptop. I really did not care for the MacBook at first but as I went laptop shopping with my boyfriend, I was determined to buy a MacBook. The look of the laptop is beautiful. The speed is very quick and it does not catch any viruses. The amount of memory the laptops can hold is incredible and it never slows down. Of course I did not buy a $1,600 laptop for myself, my boyfriend bought it for me. I was determined to get the laptop because my brother sold the idea of it to me and being able to use it in person at the store was even better. The purchase of the laptop was based on Personal Selling by my brother.

Advertising and Public Relations

Advertising - one-way mass communication about a product or organization that is paid for by a marketer.

Public Relations - the element in the promotional mix that evaluates public attitudes, identifies issues that may elicit public concerns, and executes programs to gain public understanding and acceptance.

Apple advertises in all ways, through television, phone companies, newspapers, and online. The way Apple advertising brings their consumers in to what pay close attention to what the product has to offer. Most of the time they are able to catch the attention of their target market and have them purchase any product they are advertising. When Apple is advertising on television, they make sure to do it in a smooth manner. They show how light weight their products are, how fast it is to access any app of even browse the web.

When Apple advertises they use the objective, Product Advertising. They take the newly made item that they will release and advertise it to bring in more consumers. Since Apple has already made a name for themselves in the technology department they do not need to use institutional advertising, which is advertising to promote the company as a whole. Apple has already made their company big enough so the whole world could know about them. When using product advertising, Apple goes into depth about their products. They want to inform you on how well their newly made product works and its benefits to you as the consumer. Their product advertising shows how well and fast their internet browser works, how quick and easy it is to go from one app to another. Apple has done very well in using Product Advertising. When Apple does advertising, their slogan or theme is "Think Different." By using that slogan they are trying to inform the consumer or future consumers that Apple is very advanced in technology that it makes their products different than anything else out in the market.

When an Apple product has a problem or a glitch when it is first released, the company will gladly take the item back and give you a brand new one. They want to make sure that their consumers are always 100% satisfied with the product and service provided. Apple is always trying to figure out how to overcome problems with their devices just in case the device does get a glitch. Being one step ahead is how Apple is always figuring out how to solve problems or create new products.

Retailing

This week's blog post is about a different company. A company that is a department store. A department store that sells clothing, cosmetics, housewares, linens, electronics, shoes, and accessories. This department store has 7 locations that are always busy. There locations are in Downtown Manhattan, Upper West Side, Bay Ridge Brooklyn, Long Island, Morristown, Paramus, Rego Park. If you guessed Century 21 Department Stores than you are correct.

The heart of Century 21 is in downtown Manhattan near the world trade center. This location is always busy with consumers who work in the area or with tourists who are always coming to see the world trade center memorial. Century's is a department store that always has their items at discount prices and is always promoting new things. the latest thing that they have been promoting is their loyalty rewards program, where every dollar you spend is a point and when you reach 1000 points you begin to receive coupons. They are usually always promoting items in the cosmetics department. The concern of Century's is their customers. 100% customer satisfaction is their goal, and they always want to achieve it. Century 21 is now online and has the same merchandise online as it does in store. You can only shop online if you are a member of the loyalty rewards program.

Century 21 Department Store has a buyer for each department in their store. A buyer for mens, ladies, lingerie, accessories, handbags, shoes, linens, and housewares. Within each department there are buyers for the smaller department within the department as a whole. For example: Mens is the department as a whole, but there is a buyer dress shirts/ties/ and socks, a buyer for underwear and loungewear (pajamas), a buyer for mens accessories, a buyer for mens denim, a buyer for the European section and a buyer for mens separates. Each buyer determines what will be shipped back to the distributing center or to another store. They also let you know where to place merchandise based on how well the items sell. The buyers will always give you feedback on how well your floor looks and will also give you tips on how to improve your sales. Of course the buying office is located in the corporate office which is located in our downtown location.

Each store has a General Manager and assistant store managers. The general manager gives direction to each department and the store as a whole. Assistant Store Managers deal with all incoming problems in the store. Their concern is customer satisfaction at all times.

Consumer Decision Making

There are two ways a consumer comes across making a purchase. It is either a planned purchase, which the consumer carefully looks into the product they really want or need. They research to see all the benefits and disadvantages of the product. When researching the item they research online, or ask their peers if the product is worth purchasing. If it fulfills what they want it for they will purchase the item online or in store. The other purchase is an unplanned purchase, where the consumer sees the item and is attracted to the way it looks, feels, and works. They but it out of instinct.

When Apple comes out with new products and introduces it to the world, the consumers all over the world are in awe. They are attracted to the look of the item. Whether it is slim, lightweight and the color. The external look of the product drives the consumer closer to really think about purchasing the item. Once they show how the technology of the phone or computer works, the consumer is in the process of determining whether to purchase it or not. When the iPhone 5 was released on September 21, 2012, consumers around the United States were waiting online to purchase the phone. They were attracted to the sleek and slim look of the phone. The advanced technology of the phone was a huge hit with the consumers. With the speed of the internet being bast, the consumers were eager to purchase the item because they like easy and fast use of technology.

The pricing of Apple is apart of the decision making of their consumers but most of the time they are already in contract with a phone company so they are willing to pay the price of their product. When the iPhone was first announced for release, my brother, who is a huge fan of Apple, was sure to watch. He was attracted to the look and speed of the phone. He made sure that when the phone would be released he would purchase it no matter how long the process. He searched high and low for the phone, going to many AT&T phone companies, Apple stores, and Radioshacks. He found the phone about five to six days later and purchased it. He would not give up until the phone was in his possession. My brother is one of many consumers who will purchase Apple's products because of the look and technology installed inside the product.

Consumers make sure that before they purchase any item from any company, they do their research to make sure that they will be satisfied with their product. Many of Apple's products are brought by both research of the product and by instinct of the consumer. If they want it, they will have it.