Services Marketing; Modifying the marketing mix for business markets, services and international marketing

The first question is about services which is offered by the manufacturer and about extended marketing mix.

Services offered by the manufacterer of Sony phones is after-sales services. It is consumer service, and it provides guarantees that phone will be fixed if there is some manufacterer deffects. Also after-sales services provides some cards, coupons, tutorials, some gifts, periodical surveys or holiday announcement etc. And some of them are used by the Sony manufacturer.

The extended marketing mix for the Sony consists of 7P’s. Sony Corporation provides a lot of products: audio, video, TV, games, playstation, semiconductors and Sony phones as well. About the price factor, price of Sony products differs depending on the quality and characteristics. For the Sony phones, prices vary between 200 and 700 euros, and it really helps people to choose the phone with the price what they can afford, and phones will be with good quality regardless to the phone price. The next ‘P’ of extended marketing mix is place. Sony Corporation has their own website, where consumers can view all Sony products as well as prices included. Also Sony Corporation has distributors and wholesalers which are located around the world. Sony design their marketing plans based on their distribution channel.The ‘P’ of promotion. The company offers Sony Card, what can be used as a reward cards which allows to earn redeemable points when consumers purchase Sony products. Sony phones have a promotion everywhere; newspapers, internet, television, magazines and also in movies. The next ‘P’ is process. Sony employs an umbrella branding strategy by placing the product name along with corporate name. This strategy leads the product to assume its own identity and positioning, but also draws strength of the corporate brand. The goal is to bolster consumer confidence in the product. Sony has used this strategy to launch new products. The ‘P’ of physical evidence provides the modernity of phones, design and also phones are up to date. So Sony corporation provides the website where all this helpful information can be found. And the last ‘P’ is people. Sony Corporation targets teenagers. Sony phones are more useful for the teenagers. I think that for teenagers it is easier to understand all functions offered by Sony phones. 

Here are a lot of services what Sony could use. But which services could be interesting to use for Sony!?

A lot of people complain about the after-sale services. They said that Sony mobile service is very poor and work takes a lot of time. For example, if phone has some defects and they send it to the mobile service it took two months to fix this defect. It’s not about which service could be interesting to have, it is more important to develop services what don’t work good. In my opinion, Sony should improve their after-sales services. It would be better to improve services what is used now than starting using new services. And then, when consumers are satisfied with these services, Sony can start using new services. It is only one complain about the after-sales service. Besides, they can also make their customer services faster by having collaboration with the distributors. Therefore, distributors could also help Sony when customers are in need.

But I think that it would be interesting for Sony to start using personal phone call, because it ca help them to understand what actually consumers don’t like and what they do like, their clients would be happy to help Sony to improve phones. Also would be interesting to use birthday email or gift. It would be very nice to get a present from the company of phones what you use. It would be great to know that this company remember about their clients. I think these two services would be very interesting.

Intangibility, variability, inseparability and perishability of services which uses Sony Corporation.

Intangibility: Sony phones are more tangible product. Of course it can’t be tasted or smelled, but consumers can touch it and discovered. For example, tangible attributes of service that can be viewed prior to purchase are design, also if consumers came to the store they can touch and see how the phone looks like, if they look for the phone in the internet, Sony phone is more intangible product, because it cannot be perceived so good, like it can be perceived in real life.

Variability: actually services are provided by people who sale Sony phones, and also who produce them. Quality of Sony phone services depends on these people. And variability of Sony phones is high. For example, people who sale Sony phones provide services. Also distributors do a lot of work to provide good quality services. In my opinion, for this characteristic of service extended marketing mix could be the answer, because variability is the quality of services depends on WHO provides them, WHERE, WHEN and HOW. All these questions are related to 7P’s.

Inseparability:  Sony phones are separable products. It can be produced at the same time as they are consumed. Sony producers produce new phones at the same time when the other Sony phones are consumed. And also they can develop phones, and fix some problems at the same time as these phones are consumed.

Perishability: For Sony, to make a forecast on how many phone can be sold is quite difficult because it has to base on the income of customers as well as their desire for the product. For example, 10 years ago Sony was a leader on the market, but now demand of Sony phones decrease. There are a lot of competitors such as Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft, so demand may be very time-sensitive. But it is for a long time, not like a restaurant; there perishability is very high, and demand can change every day, but for Sony phones perishability changes for a long time(months). And services can be stored for later sale.

The quality of the service for the Sony phones could enhance the consumer’s quality perception by providing more credible information about the phones. For example, give more information for the upcoming phones, give more information how these phones are produced, because for some Sony fans this information can be useful and they can collect all information about the phones and choose which one will be more useful and better for them. I think that providing more information for the product is always good not only for consumer, but also for producer. And one more example of how the quality of service could enhance the client quality perception is including the service which provides testing of new phone for some time (few days, a week). I think it’s a good opportunity to give chance to understand how phone works, what is changed there, to reveal all characteristics. So Sony Corporation can produce some phones what consumers can use like a tester. It can be a good idea to do so, especially when they release a new phone, which wasn’t use by the costumers. But with this ‘tester’ they can get the feedbacks and change something, and after changing disadvantages sales will go up.

Let’s say that I export Sony phones in a country I never exported to before. What promotional strategies could I  follow in relation to the product issues and promotion!? I think if I would export Sony phone to a country, where I never exported to before I would follow the second strategy – “adapt promotion only”. In my opinion, it is the best way how to export Sony phones and be successful in a country where Sony phones weren’t exported before. Sony phones are just phones, of course company provides not only phones, but if we talk about this product of Sony Corporation this strategy is more suitable. It provides similar product – phones, so they don’t need to change the product, but they need to change the promotion. This approach may be necessary because of language, cultural difference, different perception of advertisement. Generally, the strategy of adapting only promotion infuses advertising with the culture of the people who will be exposed to the marketing communications activity. Often, promotion combines thinking globally and acting locally. 

There are 7P in marketing extended mix, but how 'P' of people is linked to Sony phones!?

‘P’ of people for Sony phones is linked from the perspective of personnel like that: as I wrote in previous answers phones are sold to the retailers (small or big stores) and there work personnel which can help consumers. The personnel who helps consumer to understand the information about the phone and also describe functions and prices of the phone, is very important is qualitied service. Personnel help customers and if customers are satisfied it tells about the good quality service and that also present the product. In that case, Sony phones are in a good view. Perception of the product is better if personnel is good in their work, and knows all information about the product. So ability to deliver good quality service is very important in product sale, and these services can provide personnel of stores, where consumers can buy Sony phones.