Marketing Information System
In order for a producer of goods or serviceshad the opportunity to work productively, he needed, among other things, sales channels. That is, it is not enough to produce goods, it must be made as such, as the consumer wants to see and for which he agrees to pay money. The system of marketing information is designed to determine the wishes and preferences of consumers, take into account their demand and wishes for quality, price, appearance and so on.
The system of marketing information is:
- Internal reporting. As a result of the analysis of the internal activity of the enterprise (stocks of products, movement of goods, advertising costs, etc.), one can draw conclusions about the profitability of a particular product or service, sales dynamics, distribution channels, and the like.
- Observation of the external environment. This is an analysis of the changing situation in the country, the incomes of the population, the actions of competitors, the changing of production technologies and others. All this makes it possible to make timely adjustments to the company's activities.
- The system of marketing information is also an analysis of one-off measures. For example, as reflected in the increase / decrease in the price of a product or the expansion of a single product line.
These measures, taken in a comprehensive way, illuminateevents occurring within the company and, of course, in the external environment. This allows you to analyze and identify the weaknesses of the enterprise, as well as identify threats that can harm production.
The marketing information system providesa wide opportunity to take into account the needs and requirements of potential buyers, expand the sales market and its territory, move to non-price competition. Marketing researchers solve the following typical tasks:
- study the characteristics of the market;
- determine its potential;
- analyze the distribution of market shares among different firms;
- study business activity;
- analyze the products of competitors, their advantages and disadvantages.
The task of marketing research also includesshort-term forecasting, as well as a detailed study of the price policy and consumer reaction to a new product, market opportunities relative to this product and the competitive potential of the enterprise. It is necessary to find out who the final consumer of the product is and find out the distribution channels for it.
Market research should provide an answerto the question: who will buy this product or service, in what quantity and at what price. Companies whose activities are studying this issue, do the following for the customer:
- find out the preferences of customers, conducting interviews and interviews;
- level of demand by consumer segments and by regions;
- determination of the most profitable sales markets;
- Price analysis: wholesale, retail, contractual;
- recommendations for increasing sales;
- analysis of competitive goods;
- study the range of similar goods on the market, pricing policy;
- systematize all data and provide recommendations based on the results of these studies.
A detailed analysis of the market situation givesthe opportunity to study the situation from two sides - the general economic and specific goods, its position in the market. And the main goal of this activity is to determine the prospects for the development of the market in the near future, to understand how you can meet the ever-changing needs of customers and more rationally use the capabilities of the enterprise.
Market research provides an opportunityto understand the situation on the market, the level of market activity, supply and demand, prices and anticipated possible sales volumes. All this allows the production in time to take the most appropriate measures to promote the goods and combat competition in the market of goods and services.