Ethel's Chocolate Lounges Essay
Case Study- Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges Jessica D Harvey
Professor “O”
Principles of Marketing
4/26/11
UNDERSTANDING PURCHASING
To understand what makes Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges successful, one must first understand the process that is Consumer Buying. One may think a consumer just opens the fridge and realizes, “Oh! I am out of milk; I should run out and procure another.” However, it is much more complicated than that.
CONSUMER BUSINESS PROCESS The above analogy is partly correct. It demonstrates the first part of the Consumer Buying Process (CBP), Problem Recognition or recognition of a need. Problem recognition occurs the moment the consumer realizes the need for a product or service. When the consumer opened the fridge and saw no milk, they became aware of the need for more. Following the realization of the need for more milk, came the second step of the CBP, information search. The consumer started to think about all the types of milk and which best suits his or her needs. Would Organic or Non Organic be best? Does the consumer need Milk with 1%, 2%, or whole milk fat? Do they …show more content…
need an entire gallon or just a quart? This is the step where a consumer reviews their memory (or any other information they have access to) to decide the best product for them. While this particular step is occurring, there is one that may well run simultaneously, and that is the third step of evaluating the alternatives. The consumer starts comparing the types of milk to purchase the one most suitable for him or her. Next in line is the Purchase decision. This is when the consumer decides on the exact Milk he or she will purchase and where, followed by the second to last step of actually purchasing the product. Once the product is purchased by the consumer there is a period after which he or she thinks about the purchase this is the final step of the CBP and is known as the Post Purchase Evaluation. The main question during the Post Purchase Evaluation normally is, “Did I the consumer make the right purchase?” This second guessing of the purchase is known as Cognitive Dissonance. It usually goes away once the consumer sees a commercial for the product they just bought explaining how wonderful the product is or they get reassurance from a peer who uses the product as well.
INFLUINCING FACTORS There are factors that influence the CBP. Some are Personal (done for a unique to the consumer reason), some are Psychological (done because or a neurological trigger), and some are Social (done because the consumer is influenced by their surroundings). In the case of Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges I believe there are several decisions that describe why people choose to indulge in the chocolates they serve but the best is personal. The consumer is the one that decides what they would like to eat. It is defiantly a personal taste. Not all consumers enjoy the taste of Coca and no amount of Social or Psychological prodding is going to change the fact that the consumer does not enjoy. If the consumer personally enjoys chocolate and likes to have it different ways then they personally can choose to procure the specialty chocolates at Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges. WHY IT WORKS Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges offer a variety of “creature comforts” or reasons for the consumer to feel comfortable and secure at the establishment. They offer a variety of different specialty chocolates and beverages, package deals on those delectable’s that allow you to taste the different styles of chocolate offered, comfortable chairs, and a relaxing and suitable atmosphere whose ambiance encourages interaction between the customers. The more comfortable the consumer feels, the longer he or she are inclined to stay. If the consumer finds someone to strike up a conversation with more than likely they will stay longer and spend more money as well, maybe sampling chocolates recommended by their new acquaintance. All these different things are marketing tools that combine to make an atmosphere suitable for a profitable venue.
MOTIVATION
Out of all the factors (marketing tools included) discusses in Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges, the factor that most motivates the customer to spend money at the establishment is that is offers more than just chocolates.
Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge offers a chance to relax and pamper ones self and to step out of his or her everyday life. Not everyone can afford to purchase chocolates of such quality. It is a chance to make the consumer feel privileged. He or she gets to sit in boutique like surroundings, enjoying fancy sweets, and also gets to interact with other people who may be considered, or who consider themselves to be “upscale.” It may feel like an accomplishment to be part of that crowd. That is a feeling many people would pay to have. So that is Ethel’s “up card” on the competition. Another factor is that there are not many stores like Ethel’s, so that helps out quite a
bit!
NEEDS
Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge is defiantly there suiting the need to fulfill a sweet tooth. Along with that, as stated in the previous paragraph it fulfills the consumers need to feel special. One can feel like they are living in the lap of luxury sipping on chocolate flavored beverages and eating an assortment of chocolate sweets. Its fulfilling a personal satisfaction need. Which are very important to all consumers’ right?
CONCLUSION
Ethel’s is successful because the proprietors of the establishment obviously did their research and worked on making themselves stand out to consumers. They know how to market themselves and be appealing at the same time. Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge is a place that one can go into and enjoy sweets, beverages, and the company of others. You can make yourself ill on chocolates while making friends! What better first impression right? This writer believes that if they continue to accommodate their customers in the way they do and continually improve to bring more customers in, they will be in business for quite a while.
Professor “O”
Principles of Marketing
4/26/11
UNDERSTANDING PURCHASING
To understand what makes Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges successful, one must first understand the process that is Consumer Buying. One may think a consumer just opens the fridge and realizes, “Oh! I am out of milk; I should run out and procure another.” However, it is much more complicated than that.
CONSUMER BUSINESS PROCESS The above analogy is partly correct. It demonstrates the first part of the Consumer Buying Process (CBP), Problem Recognition or recognition of a need. Problem recognition occurs the moment the consumer realizes the need for a product or service. When the consumer opened the fridge and saw no milk, they became aware of the need for more. Following the realization of the need for more milk, came the second step of the CBP, information search. The consumer started to think about all the types of milk and which best suits his or her needs. Would Organic or Non Organic be best? Does the consumer need Milk with 1%, 2%, or whole milk fat? Do they …show more content…
need an entire gallon or just a quart? This is the step where a consumer reviews their memory (or any other information they have access to) to decide the best product for them. While this particular step is occurring, there is one that may well run simultaneously, and that is the third step of evaluating the alternatives. The consumer starts comparing the types of milk to purchase the one most suitable for him or her. Next in line is the Purchase decision. This is when the consumer decides on the exact Milk he or she will purchase and where, followed by the second to last step of actually purchasing the product. Once the product is purchased by the consumer there is a period after which he or she thinks about the purchase this is the final step of the CBP and is known as the Post Purchase Evaluation. The main question during the Post Purchase Evaluation normally is, “Did I the consumer make the right purchase?” This second guessing of the purchase is known as Cognitive Dissonance. It usually goes away once the consumer sees a commercial for the product they just bought explaining how wonderful the product is or they get reassurance from a peer who uses the product as well.
INFLUINCING FACTORS There are factors that influence the CBP. Some are Personal (done for a unique to the consumer reason), some are Psychological (done because or a neurological trigger), and some are Social (done because the consumer is influenced by their surroundings). In the case of Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges I believe there are several decisions that describe why people choose to indulge in the chocolates they serve but the best is personal. The consumer is the one that decides what they would like to eat. It is defiantly a personal taste. Not all consumers enjoy the taste of Coca and no amount of Social or Psychological prodding is going to change the fact that the consumer does not enjoy. If the consumer personally enjoys chocolate and likes to have it different ways then they personally can choose to procure the specialty chocolates at Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges. WHY IT WORKS Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges offer a variety of “creature comforts” or reasons for the consumer to feel comfortable and secure at the establishment. They offer a variety of different specialty chocolates and beverages, package deals on those delectable’s that allow you to taste the different styles of chocolate offered, comfortable chairs, and a relaxing and suitable atmosphere whose ambiance encourages interaction between the customers. The more comfortable the consumer feels, the longer he or she are inclined to stay. If the consumer finds someone to strike up a conversation with more than likely they will stay longer and spend more money as well, maybe sampling chocolates recommended by their new acquaintance. All these different things are marketing tools that combine to make an atmosphere suitable for a profitable venue.
MOTIVATION
Out of all the factors (marketing tools included) discusses in Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges, the factor that most motivates the customer to spend money at the establishment is that is offers more than just chocolates.
Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge offers a chance to relax and pamper ones self and to step out of his or her everyday life. Not everyone can afford to purchase chocolates of such quality. It is a chance to make the consumer feel privileged. He or she gets to sit in boutique like surroundings, enjoying fancy sweets, and also gets to interact with other people who may be considered, or who consider themselves to be “upscale.” It may feel like an accomplishment to be part of that crowd. That is a feeling many people would pay to have. So that is Ethel’s “up card” on the competition. Another factor is that there are not many stores like Ethel’s, so that helps out quite a
bit!
NEEDS
Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge is defiantly there suiting the need to fulfill a sweet tooth. Along with that, as stated in the previous paragraph it fulfills the consumers need to feel special. One can feel like they are living in the lap of luxury sipping on chocolate flavored beverages and eating an assortment of chocolate sweets. Its fulfilling a personal satisfaction need. Which are very important to all consumers’ right?
CONCLUSION
Ethel’s is successful because the proprietors of the establishment obviously did their research and worked on making themselves stand out to consumers. They know how to market themselves and be appealing at the same time. Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge is a place that one can go into and enjoy sweets, beverages, and the company of others. You can make yourself ill on chocolates while making friends! What better first impression right? This writer believes that if they continue to accommodate their customers in the way they do and continually improve to bring more customers in, they will be in business for quite a while.