Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BSBMKG603 Manage Plan Marketing Process
BSBMKG603 Manage Plan Marketing Process
Executive Summary
The Houzit is a established store offering eclectic home accessories and gifts to
consumers wanting to create a personalized home environment - that "I'm home"
feeling. The Houzit is planning to locate in the Sandy Springs/Lower Roswell area of
Atlanta, Georgia catering to middle- and upper-class consumers who look beyond the
national home accessory and gift chain stores for those expressions of individual
personality and style. In addition to the offering of unique products, unparallel
customer service, quality, value will complement the customer experience. In Year
Two, The Houzit will develop its online presence at www.thescarlettassel.com. In Year
Three, The Houzit will move to e-commerce, shipping directly to its web customers.
The Web will be an extension of the store concept - a virtual business card and
portfolio for the company - its online "home."
Growth plans for The Houzit include an expectation of quite comfortable total
revenue Year One. Year Two will develop services and marketing plans, in addition to
the Web presence, so that a 30% growth rate is realized. Year Three expectations of
further growth with development of e-commerce and continued awareness by the
consumer are set at approximately 20%. It is the feeling of both owners that these
expectations are realistic and attainable.
Deirdre Staab and Shelly Dozier-Mckee, bring a combined 36 years of experience to
this venture with expertise that crosses merchandising, marketing, purchasing,
forecasting, operations and direct import sourcing. The Houzit, Inc. is an S
corporation. Deirdre and Shelly each have a 50% share of the business and equity
investment. Additional funding is needed for asset purchases and start-up costs to
make The Houzit a reality.
1.1 New company goals adapted to the changed market situation
Company Mission
A celebration of the home, The Houzit is a store for the quality- and style-conscious
consumer. Providing unique, eclectic and affordable home accents and gifts, we
intend to generate a fair return to finance continued growth and expanded
community involvement.
Customer Creed
The Houzit will inform, inspire and show you, our customer, how to create an
expression of yourself within your home. Through custom services, smart pricing and
a sense of trust, it is our desire that you will look to us as your valued resource to
achieve a personalized home environment.
Employee Pledge
Our employees will enjoy a friendly, fair, and creative work environment, which
respects diversity, new ideas, and hard work.
ENSURE through daily management practices the values of The Houzit's mission are
followed so that a successful and growth-oriented business is developed and
maintained.
1.3 Objectives
⚫ Maintain a direct cost of sales of 45% or less, and gross margin of 55% or
greater.
⚫ Maintain operating expenses to equal or less than that of plan.
⚫ Generate total revenue of $626,000 in Year One.
⚫ Realize an annual growth rate of approximately 10% in Year Two.
⚫ Realize an annual growth rate of approximately 15% in Year Three.
STORE LOCATION
The Houzit will be located in the Brisbane. With easy access from Interstate 285, the
Sandy Springs/Lower Roswell area is well known throughout greater Atlanta and
attracts shoppers from many parts of the city. As a destination shopping area,
consumers come here because of the diversity of business venues available.
National chains such as Target and K-Mart enhance the community that offers many
local service establishments such as coffee houses, dry cleaners, restaurants, banks
and unique specialty shops. The Houzit looks to open a 3,500 square foot store
located in an urban lifestyle strip mall offering high visibility and established foot
traffic.
The surrounding tenants, primarily small gift, stationery and food-related stores will
enhance the shopping experience of The Houzit's customer base. Shopping at The
Houzit will be easy and convenient due to the following factors:
High visibility store front from the street level.
Lighted exterior signage.
Easy in and out driving access to the shopping complex - traffic light parallel to store
location.
Plentiful parking spots adjacent to the store.
Lighted parking lot.
STORE OPERATION
The Houzit will be open for operation Monday-Sunday, closed major holidays. Hours
of operation will be 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday. Hours will be extended to 7:00 p.m. during the Holidays.
The Houzit will initially be staffed by one full time employee, working 40 hours a
week and one part-time employee working 30 hours or less a week. When not
traveling or attending to outside business, both owners will be on site daily and will
provide additional sales and customer support assistance. Additional details on this
subject are provided in the Personnel Plan section.
The Houzit identified a need to gain feedback on the product and service offerings of
the concept as well as tap into the buying patterns and market awareness of women
within the greater Atlanta area. To do this we conducted a Shoppers Focus Group.
Held in June, 2002, the focus group was comprised of 10 women representing a
diversity of backgrounds and lifestyles:
⚫ 30-60 years of age
⚫ Homemakers to independent business owners
⚫ Single to married
⚫ Living in four cities within the greater Atlanta area
⚫ Representing several ethnic groups
⚫ Unique and independent decorating styles
⚫ The objective of the focus group session was to gain insight into the following
topics:
⚫ Shopping experiences
⚫ Store services
⚫ Product concepts
⚫ Market and competitive awareness
The retail concept that came to be known as The Houzit
To solicit feedback, the focus group was asked a series of questions related to
shopping, shopping experiences and store services. Additional feedback was
gathered through a word association game focusing on the brand identity elements
of stores in the Atlanta area. Lastly the group was shown the concept boards for our
business and asked to describe what it represented to them.
The ideas gathered provided us with a wealth of information that helped to
formulate and define the products, services and marketing strategies outlined in this
plan. This focus group was a key element in establishing a successful blueprint for
The Houzit.
Year One
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Tassels
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Clocks
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Desk/Office Accessories
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Floral
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Lighting
⚫ Decorative Accessories--Candles
⚫ Accent Furniture--Shelving
⚫ Accent Furniture--Footstools & Benches
⚫ Accent Furniture--Bed & Bath
⚫ Accent Furniture--Chairs
⚫ Wall Decor--Framed Art
⚫ Wall Decor--Wall Grills & Plaques
⚫ Wall Decor--Mirrors
⚫ Home Textiles--Accent Pillows & Throws
⚫ Special Occasion Gifts--Men's
⚫ Special Occasion Gifts--Personal/Girlfriend
⚫ Special Occasion Gifts--Housewarming
⚫ Special Occasion Gifts--Hostess
⚫ Special Occasion Gifts--Baby
⚫ Personal Accessories--Bath & Body
⚫ Personal Accessories--Personal Interest Books
⚫ Personal Accessories--Pet Interest
⚫ Seasonal Decor--Halloween
⚫ Seasonal Decor--Fall Harvest
⚫ Seasonal Decor--Christmas
⚫ Garden Decor--Planters
⚫ Garden Decor--Fountains
⚫ Garden Decor--Garden Gifts
⚫ Garden Decor--Miscellaneous Gifts
Wall Decor: One of the fastest growing product categories in the home decorative
market, our wall decor offering will encompass a unique variety of items beyond
traditional framed artwork. Price-points in the category will range from $25 to $200.
⚫ Mirrors
⚫ Framed art
⚫ Wall grills and plaques
Home Textiles: Known as the "soft elements" in the home decorative market, our
home textile offering will provide the finishing touches to a room or table setting.
Price-points in this category will range from $15 to $150.
⚫ Accent pillows
⚫ Accent rugs
⚫ Tabletop linens
Seasonal Decor: Our unique offering of seasonal decor will allow our customers to
decorate their homes and entertain family and friends in fun and dynamic ways. Our
offering here will focus on several key holidays and range in price-point from $20 to
$175.
⚫ Giftable valentines
⚫ Halloween decor
⚫ Fall Harvest decor
⚫ Christmas/New Years decor
⚫ Other
Focusing on offering products with quality, value, style and uniqueness, The Houzit
will utilize established vendors from four home decorative product markets to
preview and purchase products from: Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings
Market, Dallas International Gift and Home Accessories Show, New York International
Gift Show and High Point International Home Furnishings Market. One-of-a-kind
products will be sourced through local artist and craftsmen via major antique
markets and craft shows.
3.1 Fulfillment
The company has a number of sources available for their product is vast as the home
decor market and industry is quite large. Management will rely on three markets for
preview and purchase of products from established vendors: Atlanta International
Gift & Home Furnishings Market, New York International Gift Show, and High Point
International Home Furnishings Market. Unique and one-of-a-kind products will be
sourced through local artists and craftsmen via major antique markets and craft
shows.
• "The home has become the most desired status symbol for
Americans, and as such, a growing portion of the American
families' discretionary spending is budgeted for the
home." Source: Unity Marketing, The Home Report 2001: The Market,
The Competitors, The Trends
• "In the past two years consumers spent more money on home
furnishings than they did on clothes. Consumers are not just
striving to make their homes more 'beautiful,' rather they are
seeking decorative items that can positively impact the mood
and emotional climate of their home." Source: Unity Marketing,
The Gifts and Decorative Accessories Report 2001: The Market, The
Industry, The Trends
• Primarily Female
• 30 - 60 Years of Age
• Educated
• Homeowner
• Family Oriented
• Quality Conscious
• Value Conscious
Ongoing Costs
⚫ Website name registration for both www.thescarlettassel.com and
www.scarlettassel.com - $70 per year.
⚫ Site Hosting - $30 or less per month.
⚫ Search Engine Registration - $200 per year.
⚫ Site Design Changes - Changes in the site, such as photography costs
(estimated at $150-$200 per shot), are considered to be part of Marketing and
Advertising.
Price
Product pricing is based on offering high value to our customers compared to most
price points in the market. Value is determined based on the best quality available,
convenience, and timeliness in acquiring the product. We will consistently be below
the price points offered through interior designers and consistently above prices
offered through the warehouse/seconds retail stores, but we will offer better quality
and selection.
Promotion
The most successful advertising and promotion has been through the following:
⚫ Newspaper Advertisements - Boise Herald.
⚫ Television Advertisements - "Martha Stewart" and "Interior Motives" television
shows.
⚫ Quarterly Newsletter and Postcard - A direct mail, 4-page newsletter distributed
to the customer mailing list generated from people completing the "register"
sign up in the store. The mailing list now totals more than 4,300 people.
⚫ In Store Classes - "How to" classes, most of which are free, have been successful
because of the traffic and sales they generate after the class. Typically 90
minutes in length and most held on Saturday, these are the most popular
classes:
⚫ "Pillow Talk" - Pillow fabrication.
⚫ "Speaking of Slip Covers" - Slip cover presentation and discussion.
⚫ "Shades of the Season" - Window treatment options with fabric.
⚫ Profit: This goes without saying, but it is still important to note, as this is one of
the most important performance indicators out there. Don’t forget to analyze
both gross and net profit margin to better understand how successful your
organization is at generating a high return.
⚫ Cost: Measure cost effectiveness and find the best ways to reduce and manage
your costs.
⚫ LOB Revenue Vs. Target: This is a comparison between your actual revenue and
your projected revenue. Charting and analyzing the discrepancies between
these two numbers will help you identify how your department is performing.
⚫ Cost Of Goods Sold: By tallying all production costs for the product your
company is selling, you can get a better idea of both what your product markup
should look like and your actual profit margin. This information is key in
determining how to outsell your competition.
⚫ Day Sales Outstanding (DSO): Take your accounts receivable and divide them by
the number of total credit sales. Take that number and multiply it by the
number of days in the time frame you are examining. Congratulations. Run this
formula every month, quarter, or year to see how you are improving.
⚫ Sales By Region: Through analyzing which regions are meeting sales objectives,
you can provide better feedback for underperforming regions.
⚫ LOB Expenses Vs. Budget: Compare your actual overhead with your forecasted
budget. Understanding where you deviated from your plan can help you create
a more effective departmental budget in the future.
Customer Metrics
⚫ Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Minimizing cost isn’t the only (or the best) way
to optimize your customer acquisition. CLV helps you look at the value your
organization is getting from a long-term customer relationship. Use this
performance indicator to narrow down which channel helps you gain the best
customers for the best price.
⚫ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Divide your total acquisition costs by the
number of new customers in the time frame you’re examining. Voila! You have
found your CAC. This is considered one of the most important metrics in e-
commerce because it can help you evaluate the cost effectiveness of your
marketing campaigns.
⚫ Customer Satisfaction & Retention: On the surface, this is simple: Make the
customer happy and they will continue to be your customer. Many firms argue,
however, that this is more for shareholder value than it is for the customers
themselves. You can use multiple performance indicators to measure CSR,
including customer satisfaction scores and percentage of customers repeating a
purchase.
⚫ Net Promoter Score (NPS): Finding out your NPS is one of the best ways to
indicate long-term company growth. To determine your NPS score, send out
quarterly surveys to your customers to see how likely it is that they’ll
recommend your organization to someone they know. Establish a baseline with
your first survey and put measures in place that will help those numbers grow
quarter to quarter.
Process Metrics
⚫ Customer Support Tickets: Analysis of the number of new tickets, the number of
resolved tickets, and resolution time will help you create the best customer
service department in your industry.
⚫ Percentage Of Product Defects: Take the number of defective units and divide it
by the total number of units produced in the time frame you’re examining. This
will give you the percentage of defective products. Clearly, the lower you can get
this number, the better.
People Metrics
⚫ Employee Turnover Rate (ETR): To determine your ETR, take the number of
employees who have departed the company and divide it by the average
number of employees. If you have a high ETR, spend some time examining your
workplace culture, employment packages, and work environment.
1. Setting goals
Will organise weekly meeting by providing to employees where can achieve
greatest return that to work toward and has the potential to increase productivity in
the workplace.
2. Providing Feedback
We believe that consistent feedback from mentors and coaches not only helps
improve employee performance, but it ensures employees are not caught off guard
when disciplined for poor performance.
4. Collaboration
Managers will provide for new employees to collaborate with as they begin working
with a Houzit. I believe that managers help employees learn to navigate an
organization and how to complete tasks effectively.
Resources
Scenario 1
One-on-one coaching will include:
⚫ Role-play activities
⚫ Testing and reviewing answers
⚫ Meetings to encourage the employee to perform and homework in which
answers are reviewed The manager provides the individualized coaching to her
employee. May set up a time line with preset intervals to review progress
Scenario 2
Performance measurement and Corrective actions such as:
⚫ Ask the employee to rate themselves
⚫ Provide a written performance review to the employee
⚫ Make sure that can back up any positives and negatives with specific examples
Conduct a review meeting within 48 hours of the written performance review
Note and file any employee comments and then ensure that the final version
goes on file. Customize the one-on-one coaching template of Houzit company’s
requirements and hand to employees to complete prior to a performance
review.
Identifying weaknesses:
To evaluate our employees weaknesses, we will consider factors such as:
⚫ Tardiness
⚫ Communication problems
⚫ Lack of enthusiasm or drive
⚫ Poor comprehension of materials or program
⚫ Difficulty getting along with others.
We will work with each employee to come up with measurable goals for
improvement. For example: devise a system to track each employee progress and
check in regularly. If an employee has a problem with attendance or tardiness, for
instance, create an attendance chart and offer positive reinforcement, such as praise
or recognition for good attendance each week. For employees with technical
problems or a lack of understanding, offer training on computer programs or
systems. Other ways to track employees ; progress may include having employees
keep track of their daily or weekly sales numbers. For more subjective areas, such as
people skills, consider holding office seminars on topics such as diversity,
compromise or communication or paying for employees to attend training. Offer
incentives for the training; such as lunch for all participants or a certificate.
Reporting Performance report
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In 2016, McPherson’s Consumer Products continued to hold the leading retail value
share of 8% within homewares overall. This was due to the company’s strong
presence across most categories in homewares and the strong brand recognition of
its main brand, Wiltshire. However, the company’s value sales declined by 1% in 2016
due to strong price competition from private label homewares products offered by
mass merchandisers or supermarkets as well as the weakening Australian dollar,
resulting in challenging trading conditions for the company. In 2016, the company
sold its remaining stake in housewares category to the Fackelmann Group and the
impact of this transaction is yet to be seen in Australia.
PROSPECTS
Marketing objectives
The estimate for home-wares is currently $199 mln p.a up from $175 mln This year’s
predicted growth 10% and expecting to continue for the next 5 years Average weekly
sale has grown $28,200 although expectation was 8.5% growth on $24,680 Market
share targeted 12%
Last 6 months marketing expenditure:
Advertising- $250,000
PR- $30,000
In store promotion- $60,000
Internet marketing-$100,000
The cause of the profit increase was we have successfully implemented the new
strategies by actively engaging to achieve the marketing objectives. There was a
seasonal demand that occurred during the last year by giving growth in share
from10-12%. Increase in share will be remained in next force able 5 years, which is
giving more opportunity to Houzit stay in the market specifically continue to focus on
magazine advertising and PR, together with in store promotions. Also, we should
invest more on web based promotions in the next marketing period. With a growing
market we should maintain the market share to bring to the Houzit solid and
controllable growth.
Targets
We should maintain our high performance as much as we can. There will be a large
growing increase in interstate migration consequently the home-wares and the
building activity for at least next five years.