Running Head: STRATEGIC MARKETING
Kudler Fine Foods: Three Strategic Marketing Objectives
Frank Bicocchi
University Of Phoenix
Introduction
Customer loyalty programs have arisen in the early stages of the development of trade. Each seller knew his regular customers, their interests, and tried to offer the product that is needed by the client. In addition, the seller offered certain benefits, valuable for a particular client. For example, the seller could offer the customer rare goods or provide a discount. These methods helped to keep loyal customers and make trade more stable. However, with the growth of population and increase of stores, the relationship between the buyer and the seller became more impersonal.
Over time, the market stopped growing at the same rate, and customers were no longer enough for every store. Then managers of trading companies began to think that it would be nice to personalize the relationship with the buyer. One of the first steps was the credit offer. Some companies started to issue special cards to their most wealthy clients. However, the development and operation of such systems was limited dur to the technical issues. The problem was the lack of technical means to conduct large customer bases. However, with the development of computer technology, the previous local systems were united into international ones and spread around the world (Khurana 2010, p. 90).
As a result, almost every trading company had its discount system, arranged and produced sales contests that began to cause negative feelings among consumers and businesses. For example, frequent discounts weakened consumer confidence in the proposed prices, discounts reduced the consumer feeling of goods quality, and the use of discounts is acting some time but then new discounts are required. Despite all attempts to establish personal relationship with the customer, the companies could not achieve the desired effect. Discounts offered to all...