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J,C.PENNEY.
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Research proposal in marketing research to develop strategy for retail clothing sales at Houma, Louisiana, store.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Research proposal in marketing research to develop strategy for retail clothing sales at Houma, Louisiana, store.
Paper Introduction:
A MARKETING PROPOSAL TO DIVERT SPENDING ON RETAIL CLOTHING TO LOCAL STORES
Introduction
This research develops a proposal for a marketing research study, the objective of which will be to develop information necessary for the preparation of a strategy to divert spending on the retail purchase of clothing by residents of the Houma, Louisiana Metropolitan Area (Terrebonne Parish and Lafourche Parish) from retail shopping areas located in the New Orleans Metropolitan Area and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area to retail shopping entities located in the Houma Metropolitan Area. The focus retailer for the proposed marketing research study will be the J. C. Penney store located in the Southland Mall in the City of Houma.
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( ) Better Selection ( ) Low Price ( ) Equal Quality ( ) Free services such as alterations ( ) A "no questions asked" return policy within 3 days6. Park, C. ( ) Under $15, ( ) $15, -2 , ( ) $2 , -29, ( ) $3 , -39, ( ) $4 , -49, ( ) Over $49, 3. Handbook in research andevaluation. Pfaffenberger, R. One factor involved in the somewhat lackluster sales performance ofthe J. Positioning: The battle for your mind. Penney, a national fashion retailer (the J. The marketing research proposal presented herein is a comprehensivedocument. In addition, faced with the increasing power of retailers,manufacturers of consumer products realize that having the strongest brandsis vital to strengthening their position with retailers as well as withconsumers (Murphy & Enis, 1995). Consumers who would rather not deal with advertising messages pose areal problem for marketers, who must find a way to get their messages intothe minds of consumers. C. 2. (1994, May). 3. Business Today http://www.naplesnews.com/today/business/penney.htm Houma, La. Penney companyconverted from a general department store to a fashion retailer in theearly-199 s). Penney stores. Statement of Research Questions/Hypotheses Three research questions will be investigated in the proposedmarketing research study. The criterion for the rejection of the null will be adetermination of statistical significance at p<. Thedata collected through the conduct of a survey must be amenable toexpression in numerical terms. A copy ofthe survey questionnaire is attached to this proposal for a marketingresearch study as an appendix. Homewood, Illinois:Richard D. The marketer must deal honestly with the position of the company andthe product. The name should be unique, informative, andeasy to remember (Ries & Trout, 1993). A survey is "aprocess of collecting data from existing population units, with noparticular control over factors that may affect the populationcharacteristics of interest in the study" (Pfaffenberger & Paterson, 1994,p. C. A survey-based method formeasuring and understanding brand equity and its extendibility. Justification for the Research The conduct of this research is justified because sales at the J. This announcement followed thelay off of 1,25 employees in the Fall of 1997. In contemporary marketing, thevalue derived from brand name is called "brand equity" (Park & Srinivasan,1994, p. PenneyCompany is actively closing under-performing stores. 4. C. Irwin, Inc. Proposed Methodology for the Study The population from which the data for the proposed marketing researchstudy will be obtained will be those persons in the 15-to-49 years old agegroup residing within the Houma Metropolitan Area. Thus, the J. Penney Company posted strong sales performance in theSpring-quarter of 1998, sales in the Summer-quarter of 1998 were belowexpectations. Research methods. The largerpopulations of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area (1.3 million) and BatonRouge Metropolitan Area (53 , ) results in a greater variety of retailshopping venues in those areas than exist in the Houma Metropolitan Area(183, ). There are two different approaches-group and individual-to theconduct of interview survey research (Emory, 1993). What are the income groups that provide most of theresidents of the Houma Metropolitan Area who routinely travel to either NewOrleans or Baton Rouge to purchase clothing, as opposed to shopping forclothing at retail establishments located within the Houma MetropolitanArea? The J. Retailshopping in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area is accessible to theresidents of the Houma Metropolitan Area via a four-lane divided highwaythat requires approximately 55 minutes driving time. The trend in survey research is toward the use of the interview type.The interview survey type will be used in the proposed marketing researchstudy. Themajor anchor tenants in the Southland Mall are (1) Dillard's, a regionaldepartment store chain, (2) Sears, a national department store chain, and(3) J. C. The focusretailer for the proposed marketing research study will be the J. A survey must be objective (Isaac & Michael, 1994). Retailer says June sales slide will cause earnings to fall short ofexpectations, (1998, 18 August). M. 3. A Marketing Proposal to Divert Spending on Retail Clothing to Local Stores Introduction This research develops a proposal for a marketing research study, theobjective of which will be to develop information necessary for thepreparation of a strategy to divert spending on the retail purchase ofclothing by residents of the Houma, Louisiana Metropolitan Area (TerrebonneParish and Lafourche Parish) from retail shopping areas located in the NewOrleans Metropolitan Area and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area to retailshopping entities located in the Houma Metropolitan Area. In January 1998, the J.C. The importance of branding has been recognized increasinglyin recent years, as brand managers have come to realize that after years oflook-alike advertising and copying with me-too brands, they now live in aworld of product parity. ( ) Stores in the Houma Metropolitan Area. New York: Warner Books, 1993. Inrecent years, the company has been closing 2 -to-25 stores per year, whileopening approximately 12-to-15 new stores each year (Fairbank, 1998). C.Penney store locate in the Southland Mall have been lackluster in the faceof strong employment performance within the Houma Metropolitan Area. Value LineInvestors Survey, 1634. Penney Company certainly is not a marketingunknown; however, neither can the company be fairly described as the marketleader in the retail fashion segment of the industry. Louisiana labor market information. A survey must be systematic (Isaac & Michael, 1994). Brand equity can be separated into attribute-based and non attribute-based components. Statistical methodsfor business and economics. C. The datasought through the conduct of the survey must be observable and they mustbe capable of explicit measurement. Ifthe J. What factors would most influence you to shop other in Houma area stores rather than in New Orleans or Baton Rouge? Schnieder, B. Penney store located inthe Southland Mall to develop a strategy that will assure the continuedoperation of the Southland store. What factors, if developed by Houma area retailers, wouldmost influence Houma area shoppers to purchase clothing at retailestablishments located within the Houma Metropolitan Area, as opposed totraveling to either New Orleans or Baton Rouge to make such purchases? A sampleof 4 will be drawn from this population. Murphy, P. Penney storelocated in the Southland Mall. Brand associationscreate a non attribute-based component of brand equity, which is a part ofa brand's overall preference unrelated to product attributes. An element essential in such aneffort is the product name. The brand name for a product must be developed with a view towardattracting the intended target market. 2. The company reported that same-store sales, or sales atstores open at least one year, declined 2.1 percent in June from thecomparable period in 1997, and that total sales declined 2.6 percent from athe comparable quarter in 1997 (Cable News Network, 1998).The Houma Metropolitan Area The Houma Metropolitan Area is comprised of two parishes (counties insouth central Louisiana-Terrebonne (population 96,982) and Lafourche(population 85,86 ). It is hypothesized that most of the residents of the HoumaMetropolitan Area who routinely travel to either New Orleans or Baton Rougeto purchase clothing, as opposed to shopping for clothing at retailestablishments located within the Houma Metropolitan Area could bepersuaded to shop in local area establishments as opposed to traveling toeither New Orleans or Baton Rouge through the provision of services bylocal area retailers that are not routinely provided by clothing retailersin the larger metropolitan areas, such as free alterations and a "noquestions asked" product return policy within a specified period. Market segmentation is the subdividing of a market intodistinct customer sub-sets, where any sub-set may be selected as a targetmarket to be reached with a distinct marketing mix. The J. 271). Depending upon the type of product involved-physical, service,and so forth, not all of these characteristics will be applicable in eachinstance (Murphy & Enis, 1995). C. Cable News Networkhttp://www2.cnnfn.com/hotstories/companies/98 7/ 9/jcpenney/ Ries, A., & Trout, J. In the ANOVAS, the independent variable will be therespondent classification as either an "outshopper" or an "inshopper." Thedependent variables will be (1) household income level (Hypothesis One),(2) identified factors influencing outshopping decisions (Hypothesis Two),and (3) factors that would cause Houma area residents to shop locally(Hypothesis Three). (1995). C.Penney particularly, therefore, must both provide advantages to consumersand communicate those advantages to consumers to persuade residents of theHouma Metropolitan Area to shop locally, as opposed to shopping in NewOrleans or Baton Rouge.Market Positioning and Marketing Communication Communicating effectively with consumers in the contemporary period ismore difficult than has been the case in the recent past. To accomplish this end, the marketmust be segmented. What factors would most influence you to shop other in Houma area stores rather than shop by mail order? C., & Paterson, J. Marketing researchis the most effective means of obtaining the information necessary toformulate a strategy to counter the problem facing the J. While the SouthlandMall store is not under-performing, sales levels are not sufficientlystrong to assure its continued operation over the long-term. This behavior isparticularly true with respect to advertising. Emory, C. It is hypothesized that most of the residents of the HoumaMetropolitan Area who routinely travel to either New Orleans or Baton Rougeto purchase clothing, as opposed to shopping for clothing at retailestablishments located within the Houma Metropolitan Area are from middle-income and upper-income households. The attribute-based component of brand equity capturesthe effects of brand-building activities on the consumer's attributeperceptions. A survey must be representative (Isaac & Michael, 1994). The nonattribute-based component can be created by image-oriented (as opposed toattribute-specific) advertising through the likable aspects of theadvertising or through repeated exposures to the advertising message (Park& Srinivasan, 1994, p. When dividingbuyers according to personality differences, marketers attempt to developproduct brand personalities, or images, which are designed to appeal tocorresponding consumer personalities (Murphy & Enis, 1995). Wal-Mart has become thecenter of attention, because that company has become the nation's largestretailer without operating in any of the country's largest markets. Surveys, thus, are reactive in nature. C. H. There are five basic typesof surveys-survey of records, mailed questionnaire, telephone surveys,group interviews, and individual interviews (Isaac & Michael, 1994). Surveys are dependent on the direct communication with personspossessing the characteristics or factors to be measured (Isaac & Michael,1994). What factors act as the strongest influences on shopper'sdecisions to travel to either New Orleans or Baton Rouge to purchaseclothing, as opposed to shopping for clothing at retail establishmentslocated within the Houma Metropolitan Area? This personality association creates a non-attribute-basedcomponent for a brand. The surveyquestionnaire will be administered over the telephone. In a society overloaded with information, however, a marketer stillmust find a way to reach the consumer. Included in this proposal are (1) the presentation of backgroundinformation for the proposed marketing research study, (2) a statement ofthe research problem/opportunity, (3) the justification for the proposedmarketing research study, (4) a statement of the research objectives forthe proposed marketing research study, (5) a statement of the researchquestions and hypotheses for the proposed marketing research study, and (7)a research methodology for the proposed marketing research study. User imagery (what type of person uses the brand), usage consumptionimagery (what it feels like to use the brand), and usage situation imagery(under what types of situations the brand is used) can be used effectivelywith psychographic-based market segmentation, and can cause consumers toassociate a personality (such as masculinity or youthfulness) with aspecific brand. Consumers typically recognize five distinctiveproduct characteristics-quality level, features, styling, brand name, andpackaging. Appendix: Survey Questionnaire1. Is the company a market leader, a market follower, or amarketing unknown?. Before a marketer can present her or hisadvertising messages in such a way that they will not be filtered out byconsumers, however, the marketer first must determine some very specificpoints about both the company and the product. Penney store in the SouthlandMall must use advertising effectively to effectively position itself inrelation to the retail shopping areas in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The four guiding principles underlie effective surveys are asfollows: 1. 3. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures will be employed in theassessment of the data that will be collected for the proposed marketingresearch study. Marketing. Background for the StudyRetail Focus in the Houma Metropolitan Area The primary retail shopping center for the Houma Metropolitan Area islocated in the City of Houma, which is the site of the Southland Mall. The individual surveyinterview will be used in the proposed marketing research study. The largest city in the metropolitan area is Houma inTerrebonne Parish with a population of 3 ,495, while the second largestcity, Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish has a population of 14,851 (Houma, La.,1996; Thibodaux, La., 1996). Census tract data will be usedto randomly select the sample of 4 persons from the population. The cost of living in the Houma Metropolitan Area is approximatelyfive-percent below the national average. Thereare advantages and disadvantages associated with each type of survey. Thibodaux, La. J.C. Journal ofMarketing Research, 31(5), 271-289. Wal Mart, a discount department store,is now the retail leaders in the United States. Tactics such as price competition through short-term price promotions reduces the profitability of brands, leadingmanufacturers to look for ways to strengthen consumers loyalty toward theirbrands. C. Penney Company announced an intention toclose 75 stores and lay off approximately 4,9 employees as the companystruggles to improve its retail division. Thisproblem also provides the management of the J. Al Ries and JackTrout (1993), in Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind, attribute thissituation to the development of an era of information overload, wherein somuch information is presented to the consumer in contemporary society thatmost people attempt to "tune out" most of it. Brand name, as suggested by Ries and Trout (1993), also is used tobuild value for the marketing company. Penney name, while wellestablished over the past century, is not as well recognized as an upscalefashion retailer (into which the company transformed itself in the early-199 s) as are such fashion retailers as Nieman-Marcus, Nordstrom's, andothers.The Influence of the Four "Ps" of Marketing The marketing practices that most often lead to big troubles forbusinesses are those related to the Four Ps of marketing-product, price,place, and promotion. ( ) Mail order or stores in other locations.4. Similarly, personal income islower than the national average. The practice of social research. The segmentation taskmay be approached in several different ways; however, in the contemporarymarketing environment, segmentation frequently is accomplished through theapplication of the concept of psychographics. What is your age? C. C. The research problem confronting the management at the J. Glenview,Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company. E., & Enis, B. Thesampling procedure must assure that the characteristics of the researchsample closely approximates the characteristics of the population fromwhich it was drawn. 2. Pathfinder http://pathfinder.com/ Money/best-cities-96/citypages/THIBODAUX_LA.HTM The survey instrument that will be used tocollect the data for the proposed marketing research study included all ofthe items of data that will be required to complete the proposed study. 271).The Retail Department Store and Fashion Retailer Environment Traditional retail clothing stores such as the J. ( ) Selection ( ) Price ( ) Quality ( ) Other attractions in the area of the stores5. (6th ed.).Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Statement of the Research Problem/Opportunity The problem for the J. 271). Penney Companyalso continue to face stiff competition from discount stores, such as WalMart and Target (Schnieder, 1998). PenneyStore located in the Southland Mall is to determine why Houma area shoppersare bypassing local area clothing stores in favor of clothing storeslocated in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and to formulate a strategy tocounter this consumer behavior on the part of Houma area residents. S., & Srinivasan, V. Retail store industry. Where do you usually shop for clothing? C. B. The J. While the J. Penney Store located in the Southland Mall cannot post acceptablesales records during a period of relative prosperity, the store faces direprospects when the local area economy begins to slow. (5th ed.). Thus, the attribute-based equity incorporates the differencebetween subjectively perceived and objectively measured attribute levels byconsumers. The J. In psychographicsegmentation, life style refers to the distinctive mode of individual orgroup orientation toward consumption, work, or leisure. (1994). A survey must be quantifiable (Isaac & Michael, 1994). It is hypothesized that most of the residents of the HoumaMetropolitan Area who routinely travel to either New Orleans or Baton Rougeto purchase clothing, as opposed to shopping for clothing at retailestablishments located within the Houma Metropolitan Area are influencedmost in their decisions to outshop by greater choice in product selectionand lower prices. (1993). ( ) Stores in New Orleans or Baton rouge. 13). Pathfinder http://pathfinder.com/Money/ best-cities-96/citypages/HOUMA_LA.HTM Isaac, S., & Michael, W. (Rvsd.ed.). What factors most influence you to shop other than in Houma area stores? Penney store in the Southland Mall in Houma,Louisiana is that sales levels are not growing at the rate that is requiredto assure that the store will remain open, as the parent J. C. Houma Metropolitan Area retailers generally and the J. ( ) 15-19 ( ) 2 -29 ( ) 3 -39 ( ) 4 -492. C. Penney Store in the Southland Mall is the behavior of manyresidents in the Houma Metropolitan Area who routinely travel to retailsales centers located in either the New Orleans Metropolitan Area or theBaton Rouge Metropolitan Area to purchase clothing, as opposed to shoppingat retail clothing stores located within the Houma Metropolitan Area. BatonRouge, Louisiana: Department of Labor. C. (1996). These hypotheses are as follows: 1. Endorsements by celebrities and sponsorships ofathletic events and charities also can create brand associations unrelatedto product attributes (Park & Srinivasan, 1994, p. The cutbacks are designedto save the company $5 million in 1998 and $1 5 million in 1999 from theclosure of under-performing retail stores (Fairbank, 1998). What is your annual household income? A product is defined as anything offered forexchange to another person including physical objects, services, places,organizations, and ideas. 5. (1996). (1998, 26 May). Unemployment in the Houma Metropolitan Area in the early-fall of1998, however, is lower than the national unemployment rate and theunemployment rate in the State of Louisiana (Department of Labor, Office ofEmployment Security, 1998). C. These research questions are as follows: 1. C. Hypotheses will be tested in relation to each of the researchquestions that will be investigated. ( ) Better Selection ( ) Low Price ( ) Equal Quality ( ) Free services such as alterations ( ) A "no questions asked" return policy within 3 days References Babbie, E. (5th ed.). (4th ed.). An assumption will bemade that a 5 /5 bionomial percentage distribution will characterize theresponses of a sample of this population. Penney to close 75 stores,laying off thousands. (1992). W. (3rd ed.). (1998, October). Theplanning and execution of the survey must assure appropriate contentcoverage and sound, efficient data collection. Fairbank, K. A sample size of 4 persons,thus, will provide a 95 percent confidence level (Babbie, 1992). San Diego, California: EdITS Publishers. (1998, 27 January). (1994). Penney Company operates 1,2 J. Penneystore located in the Southland Mall in the City of Houma. The non attribute-based component of brand equity capturesbrand associations unrelated to product attributes, such as the he-manimage in the advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes. Department of Labor, Office of Employment Security, State ofLouisiana. C.Penney Company in the Southland Mall must persuade Houma Metropolitan Arearesidents that good reasons exist why they should shop for clothing at thelocal Penney's store, as opposed to traveling to either New Orleans orBaton Rouge to shop for clothing. Persons selected for the research sample will be contacted bytelephone and asked to complete a brief survey questionnaire. C. Retail shopping in the New Orleans Metropolitan Area is accessible tothe residents of the Houma Metropolitan Area via a four-lane dividedhighway that requires approximately 45 minutes driving time. Median household income in the HoumaMetropolitan Area is 1 .8 percent below the median for the State ofLouisiana, 26.4 percent below the median for the New Orleans Metropolitanarea, and 37.8 percent below the median for the Baton Rouge MetropolitanArea. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D.Irwin, Inc.
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