Report On Marketing Plan For A Soup Store Front

Target Market

In the present time, to have the healthy diet has become fashion. In previous time, huge junk food used to flood in market, but the improvement in living standard, modern people tired to have the greasy food that is natural, healthy, and nutritious, which long towards experience of giving original flavor and taste of natural foods (Alipour, Hajaliakbari & Javanbakht, 2011). The company targets all age group of people, but their main focus is on those people, who prefer healthy diet.

Unique Selling Position

The unique selling proposition of Soup Store Front is that, their soups are made with real vegetables, which help in better way to provide to children and adults with healthy foods in form of soups (Alipour, Hajaliakbari & Javanbakht, 2011). The core value of Soup Store Front is that it offers healthiness to people through offering rich food in form of soup. The brand is positioned in a better way in different places of New York such as, Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island (Alipour, Hajaliakbari & Javanbakht, 2011).

Value to Customers

Soup Store Front products are healthy and even have low cholesterol and fat, which has goodness of vegetables. The company believes in perceived value, which is more than the price of the product (Ionitã, 2012). The store offers variety of soups like, Potato Soup, Tomato Soup, French Onion, Clam Chowder, Chicken, Tomato Bisque, Split Pea, Chicken Noodle, Cheese Soup, and Tomato (Ionitã, 2012). Therefore, they have good perceived value and customer prefer purchasing it.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths
American food holds the characteristic of being healthy from many ages. Soup includes the symbol of healthy food item. It’s just like the original soup man as well as Campbell soup, which has the huge range of items in order to fulfill the demand with the variation in age (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). As the people are looking around for the healthy as well as green food constantly, it seems quite feasible for the soup main course to remain as soup (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). There are various ways to cook the main course in the grill, steam, and stew (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010).
In comparison with other goods, which have high fats, proteins and calories, but at actually low in vitamins, soups are better for the health of the people, who has the need to have healthy and nutritional diet (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). Along with this, the company is the only one which focuses on the complete menu on healthy and nutritional food in comparison to the competitors. There are many local industries, which have understood the healthy trend and have even added the selection on their menu, but at the same time they consider the alternatives as compared with main dishes (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010).
In the present time, people spend around $30 to $45 on their meal, and these expenses are not easily affordable by the general public. In the soup stores, it comes to around $12 to have the healthy food, and this price is actually affordable to many customers in New York. As the prices of buffet are $10.5 each person, the margin of profit is actually high, because most of the ingredients used are soup or either vegetables (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). Moreover, it’s noted that people who regularly have soup would be concerned with their health and will try to avoid overeating in restaurants. As the soup already have the superiority in healthy style of dining and even hold the advanced managerial experience in America, and in most of the domestic city development has also started, this concept of soup is developed before the increase in competition (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010).

Weaknesses

As the dining concept is not new for people in America, but it face the tough competition from the rivals like, Campbell and Hale and Hearty soups that has set up their business in New York market (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). When Soup land in the market of New York, it took certain period of time to explore out the adapted system of operation management along with appropriate menu design (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010). This could be enhanced through operating the actual soup in New York. Other concern is the requirements of soup stores to develop their own local supplies along with distribution chain so that expenses could be preserved (Wang, Chung & Kuo, 2010).

Opportunities

The potential of restaurant industries is enormous in New York, as it’s noted that there growth rate is obvious (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999). It’s noted that in New York, the restaurant industries has reached the highest Soup with around 28 countries in last 20 years. The American government has listed the restaurant industry as the rapidly increasing industry (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999). It’s noted that people frequently go for dinners and they are able to afford to spend more on better foods (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999). All these consumers demand for the high quality items, nutrition, food safety, as well as atmosphere; therefore, it’s true that soup has the bright future (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999).

Threats

There is limited degree of competition from the rival groups (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999). There are many competitors of the company in New York such as the original soup man, Campbell Soup, and Hale and Hearty soup. It’s noted that supermarkets are providing prepared soups and therefore, to some extent they occupies the market share of healthy foods and poses the threat on the soup Store Front (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999). Also, there are many domestic companies, who are quite strong in imitation, whenever they notice the opportunity to earn the profits, they try to copycat and also try to generate the similar items with quick service in order to obtain the market share without working out (Hwang, Glass & Molter, 1999).

Competitors

Presently, the company faces tough competition with Campbell Soup. Providing healthy and fresh soups is the key characteristic of Campbell soup (Kitter & Sucher, 2008). It gives guarantee to their customers that they will offer healthy, nutritious and fresh items to their customers each day. The soups have unique taste. Beside the competitive advantage it also offers the opening service, unification standard, as well as strong support systems (Kitter & Sucher, 2008). The company also offers the optimal operations to their partners, which help them in running their smooth business.
The Soup Store Front also face competition from the Hale and Hearty Soup that was founded in year 1996, with the mission of coming up with hearty, as well as high quality items, which are made through the comfort food to the busy people (Kitter & Sucher, 2008). The soups made by the company include fresh and finest ingredients, which are sourced from both far and near. The company is proud to work with the purveyors, whose products they are using such as Esposito that was founded in the year 1924 in New York (Kitter & Sucher, 2008).
The Soup Store Front also faces competition from the Original Soup Man, located in New York. The company even has its many franchisees in various parts of United States. The franchisees offer 45 soup varieties to the customers (Kitter & Sucher, 2008).

Pricing Strategy

Soup Store Front pricing strategy varies from customers to customers. Prices with the retail customers are actually fixed through the chairs and rely over the relative cost of the living indicator (Ni & Alon, 2010). The Soup Store Front retail prices will be most likely to be competitive at around $6 in case of soups. Most of the customers are interested to pay for getting the healthy food that is served in clean as well as comfortable environment (Ni & Alon, 2010).
The highest margin of the store comes through their large sub products and services. The store also focuses on expanding their market segment as soon as possible (Ni & Alon, 2010). The goal of pricing strategy of the company is to build on recommendations in order to achieve the net increase of cost within the flat growing industry (Ni & Alon, 2010). The action taken in pricing strategy by the store was that, lower average retail price was $1.70/can in the year 2009, but in 2011 it increase by 6% and come up to $1.80/can (Ni & Alon, 2010).

Promotion Strategy

As in beginning the soup budget would permit to have the large advertising budget, and therefore, it’s important to carefully implement the advertising (Schneider, 1998). The Soup items will be promoted through the use of pamphlets, flyers or through sales promotion. The store can set up the survey system for consumers in order to offer feedback about what they can eat, how they feel about store services that offer soups, and how their quality is rank (Schneider, 1998).
Through the help of survey system, the company will try to gather the important information related to soup preferences of the customers, along with locations of the western style restaurants, and suggestions they offer to the soup, so that the store could make required changes in order to fulfill the desires of the customers (Schneider, 1998). The store can set up the soup website, which could introduce the images, which stress over icons, green products and packaging (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).
The main goal of the store is actually to promote the green consumption. The store can promote their products in restaurants by having the green decorations that make the healthy environment (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011). The company can even have wood tables having the flowers as the key theme, and play light music in the restaurant. In short, soups will be environmentally clean, and will be build over the social responsibility, which offers membership access and try to build the green as well as comfortable environment (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).

Marketing Goals

Specific- the goal of the company is to increase their value market share by 80% in the soup market by 2014.
Measurable- In order to achieve this goal the company adopts the line extension through introducing new products in the market (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).
Achievable-This goal is achievable through upgrading the previous features of the products like, ingredients, packaging, along with special additives relies over the feedback of the customers (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).
Reliable-This goal is reliable, as it attracts many customers, due to its USP. Most of the customers believe that the store will offer convenient and healthy food (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).

Time- It’s expected that the goal could be achieved by 2014.

Budget
The Soup Store Front will make use of advanced technology in order to develop the unique soups, and will try to regularly gather the information of customer and constantly try to promote new items as the competitive advantage in the copycat competition (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011). The company will also try to create the local suppliers as well as distribution chain that will help in saving the budget along with cost of transportation.
The company has set up the budget for home-made soups at $125. The company will have the advertising spending up to $36 million (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011). In the New York market, the store will try to spend around $430 million every year on the advertising. The company is also planning to list itself in the list of top 100 leading advertisers of New York. In order to promote the company on television, it will spend up to $233.7 million (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011).

Action Items

In order to set up the business in New York, Soup Store Front will first launch their online community that will help them in enhancing their features. They will also distribute soup in around 500 retail stores every year. The company can even increase the budget by 850 million (Simoneaux & Stroud, 2011). They can even try to increase the prices up to $1.80 and try to maintain the same.

References

Alipour, M., Hajaliakbari, F., & Javanbakht, N. (2011). The impact of web-marketing mix (4s) n development of tourism industry in Iran. Wiley.
Hwang, M, Y., Glass, R. M., & Molter, J. (1999). Why you should eat more fruits and vegetables. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282(13), 1304.
Ionitã, D. (2012). Entrepreneurial marketing: A new approach for challenging times. SAGE
Kitter, P. G., & Sucher, K. P. (2008). Food and culture. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.
Ni, L., & Alon, I. (2010). U.S.-based fast-food restaurants: Factors influencing the international expansion of franchise systems. Journal of Marketing Channels, 17(4), 339-359
Schneider, T. D. (1998). Building a business plan. Journal of Property Management, 63(6), 30-32.
Simoneaux, S. & Stroud, C. (2011). A business plan: The GPS for your company. Journal of Pension Benefits, 17(3), 92-95.
Wang, I., Chung, G., & Kuo, C. (2010). A study of marketing and advertising strategies of academic organizations in taiwan adult learning. Wiley.