Post 6: 3 Tips on How to Survive the Holiday Shopping Season

It’s almost that time of year again! The holiday season is one of the best seasons there is in my opinion, because it means a break from school, time to spend with my friends and family, good food, and most importantly some of the best shopping of the year. The American holiday shopping season begins with what could be regarded by some as the infamous day we call Black Friday, which promptly follows Thanksgiving. From then up until New Years Eve, we as consumers will be bombarded with promotion and sales offerings by all businesses no matter how big or small they are. This is because they want to cash in on our holiday spirit spending. The holiday season can be especially intimidating and tricky when making a purchase decision  so because of this I thought I would dedicate a blog post to my top three tips for how to scope out the best deals from the not so worth it ones. By the end of this blog post I hope you feel confident in your ability to survive the holiday shopping season and get the most for your money!

Tip # 1: For big purchases, research before you go to the store.

I think that this tip is important no matter what time of year it is, however it is especially relevant during the holiday shopping season. I know that whenever I go to a store and am presented with current deals and promotions that are being offered, I can become confused as to which ones are the best choices.  This is why I think it is important to do some research before you go to the store so that you know what your options are. This is good advice for all of your purchases, but especially your big-ticket items. There are two main product categories that fit here. The first are shopping products, which are products that can be expensive and require some research and opinion from close friends or family or those who have used the product before you purchase them, as well as specialty products, which are the most expensive types of products you can get and consequently require lots of research before a decision is made to buy them. Bottom line, don’t go into a store blind!

Tip # 2: Make a list, and check it twice!

This next tip relates back to the first. I am a big fan of list making. Although I am a very organized person, I find that this is a really helpful trick for those who lack in organization skills too because it forces them to engage with and sort out the task at hand. Going into any store during the holiday season will be tough, because you will be exposed to thousands of different deals and promotions that will all seem so appealing and fantastic. However if you go into a store with a pre-made list of the items you came in for, you will have stronger will power to avoid purchases that you did not intend for. Such purchases are known as unsought products. In this sense a list is like a pair of sunglasses, it shields away the glare from the harmful rays of advertisements.

Tip # 3: Don’t underestimate the power of small gifts!

Shopping can be hard, especially when you are trying to get a gift for a loved one and you have no idea where to start. Instead of putting down a lot of money on one large gift for someone, I would recommend getting them a bunch of little, less expensive items for a few different reasons. The first being that if you are uncertain if they will like the gift you got them, why not get them an assortment of little gifts you know that they will like rather than pooling all your money towards an item they may or may not end up liking and or returning. The second reason I recommend buying gifts this way is because it is more fun. I would much rather get a bunch of little gifts that had meaning to me than a large fancy gift that probably put a lot of pressure both emotionally and financially on the person who got it for me. Basically, I believe that it should not take much to impress your loved one. So if you are stumped on what to buy, don’t sweat it- just get them little things that have meaning that they’ll be sure to like!

That’s all for now,

-XOXO M

Sources:

Marketing, 12th Edition Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2015

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-christmas-shopping-crowd-image12675931

http://www.truewoman.com/?id=886

http://www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com/christmas-shopping-list-printable/

http://www.hercampus.com/school/strath/how-keep-sane-christmas-shopping

Post 5: Public SERVICE Announcement

This week I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the service industry and how heavily it relies on the notion of experience. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had a rude waitress? How did this make you feel? Do you think it impacted your overall impression of the restaurant and the experience you had there? While you may not automatically assume that it had an effect on you, more often than not it certainly did! Recently I had such an experience while out to eat with my friends. Ever since then it has made me wonder just how important customer relations is for a company.

In earlier weeks we discussed some sociocultural influences on consumer behavior. From the textbook we learned that a consumer’s purchase is often influenced by the views, opinions, or behaviors of others. A main influence on a consumer is individuals known as opinion leaders. These individuals are considered to be very knowledgeable about a particular product or service and can have a tremendous impact on a potential customers likelihood of purchasing that product or service.

  

One of the ways in which consumers learn from opinion leaders is by means of word of mouth conversation. Word of mouth marketing occurs when those who have already used the particular product or service in question influence people in conversation about that particular product or service. Often times word of mouth marketing occurs naturally and is unprompted. It happens when a consumer has either a good or a bad experience with a business and as a result, feels the need to share that experience with others. This is why it is essential for businesses to pay attention to their customers and be aware of any feedback they may have to give, because otherwise word of mouth marketing can be very dangerous to their future success.

After a consumer has tried a product or service, there are several different forms of evaluation that occur afterwards. In the service industry, quality is assed by five dimensions. The first is reliability, which is the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. If a service is not seemed reliable, it will most likely be forgone in the future. The second dimension is tangibility. This refers to the physical appearance of the facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. For example, in a restaurant customers do not want to see a dirty table, bathroom, or kitchen because this will make them question the overall quality of the food and detract from their experience. The third dimension is responsiveness. Responsiveness refers to the willingness of employees to help customers and provide them with prompt service. This is arguably the most important dimension in the food industry. There is nothing worse than a rude waiter or waitress in my opinion and oftentimes a negative interaction as such will result in the customer not coming back and choosing to dine at another restaurant instead. The fourth dimension is assurance. This refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence to the customer. In my mind this sort of ties back to responsiveness, because a customer does not want to deal with a rude or disingenuous employee. The fifth and final dimension is empathy, which relates to employees caring, individualized attention that is provided to a customer. All five of these dimensions are integral to the success of a business and that is why it is very important for employees to be properly trained.

The main takeaway from this post is that impressions matter in the business world, so it is very important that a business gets it right with a customer not only during their initial contact with the company, but each and every time they return! Otherwise, they risk loosing not only that customer but also any or all of those in which they decide to tell about their experience.

I leave you with a funny piece of pop culture from the hit show Seinfeld.

That’s all for now,

-XOXO M

Sources:

Marketing, 12th Edition Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2015

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-does-a-waitress-do.htm 

http://crea-mc.co.uk/services/customer-relations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xqkpP59UgM