Customer relationships and marketing for a pet clothing producer
Pietikäinen, Mona (2018)
Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018120820559
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018120820559
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this thesis was to understand different aspects of customer-driven marketing and apply the theory to the research findings that were related to relationships between the commissioning party’s German retailers and German distributor, and what the retailers think about one of the commissioning party’s brands.
The commissioning party was Best Friend Group Oy which produces and sells pet products and food in the Nordic countries. However, this thesis was made for one of its brands, Hurtta, which focuses on producing and selling clothing and accessories for dogs. The focus of the thesis was on the German market since the objectives of the thesis were to find out and analyze what was the relationship between Hurtta’s distributor in Germany and the retailers in Germany, and how the retailers felt about Hurtta as a brand.
The theoretical background of the thesis covered the basics of the customer-driven marketing which included themes about customer relationships; understanding the needs of the customer, how to build the customer relationships, how to create customer value, and lastly what is partnering and what does that involve. Moreover, the second theoretical part included aspects about customer-driven marketing mix; products, brand, marketing channels, and integrated marketing channels.
Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this thesis. As the quantitative research method, a survey was used. The survey was conducted electronically with Webropol among the retailers. The qualitative method was an email interview which was held with three retailers that were chosen based on the survey results.
The results showed that the operations in Germany would need improvement in order to maintain or improve the customer relationships and marketing in Germany. However, it is a long and complex process which requires a deep understanding of the situation and possible consequences.
The commissioning party was Best Friend Group Oy which produces and sells pet products and food in the Nordic countries. However, this thesis was made for one of its brands, Hurtta, which focuses on producing and selling clothing and accessories for dogs. The focus of the thesis was on the German market since the objectives of the thesis were to find out and analyze what was the relationship between Hurtta’s distributor in Germany and the retailers in Germany, and how the retailers felt about Hurtta as a brand.
The theoretical background of the thesis covered the basics of the customer-driven marketing which included themes about customer relationships; understanding the needs of the customer, how to build the customer relationships, how to create customer value, and lastly what is partnering and what does that involve. Moreover, the second theoretical part included aspects about customer-driven marketing mix; products, brand, marketing channels, and integrated marketing channels.
Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this thesis. As the quantitative research method, a survey was used. The survey was conducted electronically with Webropol among the retailers. The qualitative method was an email interview which was held with three retailers that were chosen based on the survey results.
The results showed that the operations in Germany would need improvement in order to maintain or improve the customer relationships and marketing in Germany. However, it is a long and complex process which requires a deep understanding of the situation and possible consequences.