MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 18

CUSTOMER CONVENIENCE
IS CUSTOMER
CONVENIENCE THE NEW
MARKETING?
By Carolyne Gathuru
M
arketing’s traditional four
P’s have over the years
graduated into five, then six,
then seven and now eight P’s. With
the latest conceptualization adding
on the most recent four Ps as People,
Perspective, Philosophy and Planning.
With respect to customer convenience,
even if the restriction remains within
the original four P’s under which the
rest may all be tucked, the need to
examine the central role this plays is
critical. It is said and quite rightly so
that for the customer – Convenience
is King. The attraction, acquisition,
growth and retention of the customer
is dictated by convenience. More so
now than ever in this digital age.
The disruption around customer
convenience continues to push
boundaries world over, with new and
innovative products and services that
make life easier, simpler and more
comfortable for the customer taking
center stage.
Product
Products must meet specific
customer demands and answer or
provide solutions to their needs. The
customer should be at the center of
any discussion on product and with
emphasis on how a product can
provide convenience of any sort to the
customer. This should be so much so
that the customer identifies with the
product in a way that has them feel
that their life would not be the same
without that product or service in it.
Product convenience be it an actual
tangib le product should take into
account: the packaging and if it
provides ease in terms of feel, handle,
‘‘ The disruption around customer
convenience continues to push boundaries
world over, with new and innovative products
and services that make life easier, simpler and
more comfortable for the customer taking
center stage.’’
16 MAL 18/17 ISSUE
grip, holding or shelving fit as well as
carriage; ease of look and feel, product
info accessibility and comprehension;
height, weight, width, depth and
volume; as well as its shape and
the necessity for cylindrical, square,
flat, rounded, oblong or triangular
application.
Service based products need to
provide relief to the customer where
they experience the joy of the service
bringing convenience in the sense of
saving time, saving money, saving them
from complexity or saving them from
what would be construed as a pain.
Convenience is everything where
products are concerned. Right from
product conceptualization to product
application, convenience must be
thought through and must form the
basic building blocks for marketing
success.
Price
Price is by far often given the most
attention and sometimes takes such
precedence in an organization’s
marketing agenda that it bears down
on everything else. Brands have
been known to engage in what are