Questions for Discussion
Q1. Please give examples that illustrate the distinctions among needs, wants, and demands for Diwan’s customers.
Answer:
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Needs:
These are the basic requirements for survival and well-being. They include physical needs like food, clothing, and shelter; social needs like belongingness and love; and individual needs like knowledge and self-expression. For example, Diwan’s customers need to improve themselves culturally and intellectually to feel fulfilled. -
Wants:
These are the desires that arise from a person’s culture or personality. They take the form of specific products or services that can satisfy their needs. For instance, Diwan’s customers want a wider selection of books to choose from because they have a hunger for up-to-date books. -
Demands:
These are wants backed by buying power or purchasing ability. In other words, people demand products or services when they have the means to pay for them. For example, Diwan’s customers demand more books when they have enough money to buy them.
The customers requested a bookstore with a larger variety of books that were difficult to find in Egypt.
Q2. Provide a detailed description of Diwan’s product offerings.
Diwan offers an extensive selection of services, including a diverse assortment of books in Arabic, English, French, and German that span various genres. Their multimedia department provides audio books, DVDs, educational CD-ROMs, music CDs, and PC games suitable for both children and adults. Additionally, they carry rare classics that are difficult to find in the Egyptian market.
Apart from their book collection, each branch of Diwan also features a stationary section that offers items sourced locally and internationally. These include artistic calendars, bookmarks, and notebooks. Furthermore, Diwan provides various other services such as book binding, children’s activities, corporate gifts and services, gift wrapping, services for schools (such as field trips and supplying books for school libraries), event hosting, and used book exchanges.
Q3. Which of the five marketing management concepts best describes Diwan?
Underlying the design and implementation of marketing strategy are five different alternative concepts that organizations can utilize.
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Production concept:
This concept focuses on producing high-quality products at a low cost and making them widely available to customers. -
Product concept:
This concept emphasizes creating superior products that meet customer needs better than competitors’ offerings. -
Selling concept:
This concept involves aggressive sales techniques to persuade customers to buy a company’s products, regardless of their actual needs or desires. -
Marketing concept:
This concept centers around understanding customer needs and wants and creating products and services that satisfy those needs more effectively than competitors’ offerings. -
Societal marketing concept:
This is an extension of the marketing concept, which also takes into account the broader societal implications of a company’s actions, such as environmental impact or social responsibility.
Further information about Diwan’s approach to marketing would be required in order to determine which of these concepts best describes the company.
Product concept, selling concept, marketing concept, and societal marketing concept.
Out of the five marketing concepts, the marketing approach that aligns most closely with Diwan is centered around identifying the ideal product for the customer instead of seeking out the perfect customers for a product. Diwan begins by targeting a specific market and prioritizes addressing customer needs through all marketing efforts. By doing so, it generates profits by establishing enduring relationships with the right customers, driven by customer value and satisfaction. In essence, this approach epitomizes the core principles of the marketing concept.
Q4. Discuss in depth the value that Diwan provides for its customers.
Diwan’s management culture is built on passion, honesty, and a recognition of community needs. These principles emphasize the value of collaboration over hierarchy and prioritize trust, recognition, social responsibility, and innovation.
The primary goal of this company is to ensure customer satisfaction. They achieve this by establishing a welcoming atmosphere and providing customized services. Moreover, they consistently endeavor for innovation, generating fresh concepts to revitalize conventional bookstores into dynamic cultural hubs where intellectuals convene to enhance the cultural landscape.
Diwan has created its own website to improve its services. The website includes features like discussion forums, book clubs, and daily entries on history, culture, and arts.
Q5: Will Diwan succeed in maintaining customer relationships in the future? What are the reasons for this success or failure?
Diwan’s top priority has consistently been customer service and satisfaction, evident through the establishment of services like delivery and loyalty cards. The primary goal is to empower their teams for higher productivity and customer satisfaction. Moreover, Diwan has formed partnerships with various strategic allies who share a common passion for revolutionizing Egyptian society’s book culture. These allies comprise publishers, writers, local non-governmental organizations, and cultural centers.
These partners contribute to Diwan’s efforts of making books more widespread, while also expanding the range of services they provide and broadening their target marketing.
