THE global and local scenes have experienced significant and dramatic changes in business and marketing over the last decade.
The pace of change has continued to accelerate, introducing new concepts and technologies that dictate major shifts and turns and inevitably requiring businesses and marketers to actively adapt.
The advance in technology has meant that the Internet is now, more than ever before, a more pronounced medium of communication.
Everyone is getting motivated to buy and sell on-line.
Additionally, the ever growing use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook implies that businesses have to use techniques such as viral marketing to catch the attention of individuals with high social networking potential.
In Zambia, since 1998, the myriad mobile device too, has had a telling effect on the marketing landscape.
Large numbers of mobile users are increasingly using mobile phones not just for conventional purposes, but also for interaction on social networking communities and e-commerce.
Payments systems such as Zesco billing, Multichoice DSTV monthly subscriptions are now available on mobile phones.
The above trends have had a transformative effect in the way the marketing function of business relates to the customer and consequently have an effect on the businesses competitive position on the market.
Marketers have echoed the growing shift from the conventional marketing communication channels like newspapers, billboards, direct marketing, television advertisements and the like.
These channels are slowly giving way to technologically enhanced channels, with the increasing mobile phone usage and digital marketing activities.
Consumer purchase behavior and market trends suggest the integration of marketing channels will be fostered via the mobile telephony.
Additionally, marketers have indicated the increasing complexity of the purchase decision as the contributing factor to the above change.
A closer look at the Amazon.com and the eBay market place could enable us to draw some lessons for possible application in our market places and businesses.
On the Amazon.com and eBay market places, pull marketing tactics are taking over push marketing.
This implies that the consumer sovereignty is gradually taking the centre stage.
The prime difference between the two methods lies in how the customer is approached.
In push marketing, the idea is to promote products by promoting them on to people while pull marketing methods seek to establish a loyal following, customer satisfaction and draw satisfied customers on to their products.
Additionally, the marketing mix can be said to have evolved to include an extra element: the importance of data.
Modern market places such as the Amazon.com have embraced the role that data plays in marketing.
Customer data such as their personal details including contact preferences, and a history of their shopping habits and spending patterns are captured using marketing information systems.
After a purchase, the marketing system will contact you to inform you of other products or services that are within your preferences.
These systems will also inform you of complimentary products or services to your purchase.
Recent research also shows that the human mind now generally loses concentration after eight seconds!
This concentration span is particularly lower than the famous ill focused gold fish, whose concentration span is nine seconds.
The above observation is particularly important in marketing campaigns. Marketers therefore have an onerous task of conquering the gold fish effect in their design of marketing channels and messages to market products and services.
Due to the low concentration span, customers may no longer need to be loaded with advertisements of products and services in the newspaper and other digital media.
More than ever before, customers are looking for products such as clothes, phones, books, magazines on their mobile phones rather than from conventional marketplaces.
Marketers have recognised the above need and are now tailoring mobile phones with market place applications such as eBay and Amazon so that customers can ‘kill two birds with one stone’: use the mobile phone for their primary motives while also providing an e-commerce platform.
Marketers in Zambia have to be increasingly aware of the immediacy of the mobile telephony as a key factor to leverage.
Personalisation of products and services in marketing is gradually taking precedence over globalisation!
As we have earlier noted, the mobile gadgets has brought in an era of personalisation. This therefore requires marketing to be built around the consumer rather than the product.
Many companies seem to be proactively suggesting products based on customers’ previous interests, and purchases. This strategy is likely to win over push marketing and promotions.
Modern trends suggest that marketers need to be intuitive in their campaigns and drive the personalisation agenda.
They need to increasingly think of their customers as a group, but with diverse unmet needs and interests.
Marketing trends are changing at a fast pace. The advent of the mobile telephony has dramatically changed the marketing landscape.
Marketers should increasingly keep abreast of the changes to catch the attention of the customer who is constantly seeking value and satisfaction while personalising the goods and services. [The author is the Managing Consultant at GN Grant Business Consultant, a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) holder and a candidate for the Herriot Watt University (Scotland) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) ]