Convenience- Marketing Mix study on eCommerce

The Third C within the marketing mix is convenience. Convenience is often compared to “place” in the 4P’s marketing strategy. However, Convenience is a much more customer-oriented approach to this marketing strategy. Analyze the audience using analytics to know the preferred shopping touch-points for consumers. Using the marketing mix 4c’s, convenience means that you make it easy, simple, and fast for your customers to avail of your product(s) or service(s).  

Importance of Convenience in the marketing mix

In today’s fast-paced, busy lifestyle, it is important to factor in how consumers are able to find out and get hold of your brand at their convenience. The place utility often is a differentiating factor in the success stories of many a promising product. With the success of e-commerce and how it allows consumers to make a purchase with just a click of a computer mouse, it is not enough that a product can be found only in an actual brick-and-mortar store.

The key thing in the Convenience aspect of the four C’s is to make it easy for the customer to get your product. Here are few things to ponder on when thinking about making it convenient for anyone to buy your product.

• Simplify the process as your customers have to go through in doing business with you.
• Make your customers feel good about complying with your business process.
• Seek new ways to connect with your customers/consumers and to distribute/deliver your product(s) or service(s).

Also evaluate the following questions:

• What are potential barriers a customer may face in locating and purchasing a service?
• How do you plan to remove these barriers?
• Do you have an informative and easy-to-navigate website in place?
• Is the website optimized for mobile use?
• If you sell online, are the purchase, payment and fulfillment processes secure and intuitive?
• Is your product available to buy through multiple channels?
• Is there adequate customer support in place?

Convenience on Web

In a content marketing situation, the convenience will translate into how often the consumer reads the content. Any number of factors will reduce and affect this convenience, such as too many pop-ups or adverts or lack of optimization for a mobile device. Even with good search engine optimization, it may not be enough to assume that the consumer will find you. Instead the content needs to be easy to access through multiple channels such as email, newsletters, blog features and social media posts and repost. This goes well with all the online marketplaces websites where the user looks for accurate and easy access of information.

Example from eCommerce

Customer segmentation often involves personalisation who will buy in a certain way & certain products. Similarly, Amazon targets the middle class & upper class people who have got hands on experience in the basic technology but don’t have time or prefer convenience over shopping from the physical outlets. Amazon has successfully positioned itself as a Glocal (Go global Act local) e-commerce giant where one can buy anything & get it delivered at any remote locations. Using the catchphrase #AurDikhao in its most recent campaign in India, it has further helped them create a distinct space in the consumer’s mind.

Also, Amazon India has an offer to deliver your order to a trusted neighbor in case you wouldn’t be available to receive the package. This option will be great for those who live alone and will be at job at the time of order delivery. Working couples finds this mode of delivery as the best option to get their package delivered to neighbours. You can choose to have your order delivered to an Amazon pickup location, so you can collect it at a time that is convenient for you. Once your package is delivered to the pickup location, you receive an e-mail notification.

Similarly, omni-channel strategies deployed by retailers like Abof, Tata CLiQ and many more speaks for convenience strategy inside Marketing Mix campaign where you can buy online as well as offline the same brand.

Conclusion:

Convenience covers all aspects of a sales cycle from before, during, to after a sale is made.Consider combining the four Cs when drafting your marketing plan.