International Journal of Entrepreneurship (Print ISSN: 1099-9264; Online ISSN: 1939-4675)

Research Article: 2019 Vol: 23 Issue: 4

What Promotion Strategies Should be used by Sunrise International Corporation in Order to Recapture the Lost Market Share in Animal Feed Industry?

Kalpana Solanki, Higher Colleges of Technology

Abstract

Sunrise International is a sole trading firm based in Rajasthan, India who manufactures the animal feed which is used in multiple industries as a raw material and in cattle and poultry farms as a food supplement for animals. The company is a small scale industry which is facing a decline in the market share because of the new entrant competitors in the market who are using attractive promotion strategies to sell the product. Sunrise has neglected the aspect of promotion for long time in fact they have never used any kind of promotion strategies until now thus facing a reduction in the profit margins. This research will provide feasible solutions to the owner of the firm to end this problem as soon as possible.

Keywords

Organizational Objectives, Organization Planning, Human Resource Management, Cost and Revenue, Market Research, Promotion Strategies.

Introduction

Sunrise Corporation was started as a small scale business in Rajasthan, India in 2005. I the beginning they started the work of corn-crop (animal feed) production only with 1 machine and an investment of 1 lakh rupees by the owner. The company has grown from humble beginning to become a medium sized industry (APPENDIX 1-4).

Sunrise International is a quality driven organization offering a wide range of Animal feed supplement, corn cob grit, powder. The firm supplies Animal feed supplement, corn cob grit within preset time limit. Sunrise International has gained immense expertise in supplying & trading of Animal feed supplement, corn cob grit, powder etc.

The market share of the company is decreasing the animal feed industry since last few years thus it is a good opportunity for the company to identify the loop holes in the business. Therefore, this research focus on the question What promotion strategies should be used by Sunrise International corporation in order to recapture the lost market share in animal feed industry?

The turnover of the firm has been at 70 lakh Re. Per annum approximately since last few years. Despite the increase in sales volume the market share of the firm is going down. The increase in the market competition has made the market penetration difficult (Sirinapa & Sakrapee, 2019). Thus an effective promotion strategy would help them retain the market share.

Organizational Objectives of the Company- The organizational objective of the company include the following:

a. To continue to improve the quality of the products in order to maintain competitive advantage.

b. To increase the market, share in animal feed production industry

c. To enter new geographical markets

d. Follow ethical business practices and corporate social responsibility.

Research Methodology

In this research the data was collected through primary and secondary methods which include interviews with owner, factory manager, customers of sunrise, questionnaires, articles, published reports, Figures and Tables etc.

Tools Used For Data Collection and Analysis

SWOT analysis was conducted in order to understand the internal and external factors that have an influence of the business of Sunrise Corporation.

Fish Bone Diagram was used as an analytical tool in order to understand the reasons behind decline in the Sunrise Corporation Market Share.

Promotional Mix was studied in order to suggest the optimize the sales and the profit margin. The cost related to the suggested Promotion Mix will be figured out in order to suggest and decide the future Promotion Budget for Sunrise Corporation.

Primary and Secondary Research

Primary Sources (Individuals to be contacted)

Data collection will be done by conducting an interview with the owner of the Sunrise Corporation in order to understand the current market situation. A face to face interview with a structured questionnaire was conducted.

Data collection will be done by conducting interview with the Marketing manager of the company to understand the root cause of the problem and who he will deal with this situation. A face to face interview with a structured questionnaire was conducted.

A focus group of customers of Sunrise were contacted to find out the reasons behind not giving orders to Sunrise Corporation. This will verify the information provided by the Factory Marketing manager and the Owner. A structured interview will be used.

Secondary Sources

Sources like peer reviewed Journal articles, newspaper and magazine articles, trade journals, the government published figures and charts in order to add value to the research, previous year’s records of the firm were used to understand the sales Figures and pattern.

Research Findings

Primary Research Findings

Sunrise is using traditional method of promotion i.e. word of mouth and current customer’s references but this seems to be insufficient in the current competitive market conditions.

1. Employees are mostly unskilled or semiskilled and needs more technical training

2. The USP of the product is the different sizes of animal feed granules and product. ISO 9001 certification.

3. The market competition was not high in past but is increasing drastically in the current situation. cost effective marketing are important for Sunrise to promote its market

4. Market competition is increasing every year because of the (Kaushal) skills promotion program initiated by Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India. The government is giving easy loans to the budding entrepreneurs in India in order to boost the small scale industries. This has led to new entrants in the industry

5. The profit margins have decline due to the low price offered by the competitors to the customers.

6. Sunrise is using traditional way of promotion in a modern economy where the customers are very demanding thus Sunrise has lost some big new customers to the competitors.

7. Sunrise customer’s services, product delivery, credit period for payment and technology are average. New promotion mix with attractive advertising, discounts and offers for the customers would increase the market share by minimum 5% (Mamedova et al., 2019).

8. Animal feed product demand is increasing in India. The dairy product is increasing in size every year.

Functions of Human Resource Management

Human resources are one of the most valued assets in Sunrise international. Sunrise international is a labor intensive firm since most of the work of crushing and preparing the animal feed supplement in different sizes is done by semi-skilled and skilled workers. Sunrise uses 2 methods of training the workers:

1. On the Job training methods -The skilled and semiskilled workers are being trained on the job related skills while they are working. This is a way of providing hands on training at workplace.

2. Mentoring method - The workers are trained by a senior experienced mentor who gives training to a new worker on the technical skills like grinding, separating the animal feed in different sizes (micro granules, small size, medium size and large size granules) according to the customer requirements and packaging it in bags of different sizes, storing the bags in the warehouse until dispatched to the customer.

Total number of employees working at sunrise international is as follows- 20 semiskilled and skilled workers, 1 marketing and factory manager and the owner.

Cost and Revenue

The cost of manufacturing per 1 Kg of the corn cop (animal feed) is 14.5 Rs. and the profit margin is 20 up to 25% of the manufacturing cost. Thus approximately 3 Rs will be the profit per Kg (Table 1).

Table 1: Manufacturing Cost And Revenue
Manufacturing cost per kg20/ 100X 14.5= 2.9 or 3 Rs approximately Profit/Revenue margin per kg
3 Rs per kg
Manufacturing cost per 100 kg
3/14.5X 100=20.68 Rs approximately
Profit/Revenue margin per 100 Kg
20.68 Rs approximately

Anticipated Cost of Advertising and Promotion

Online promotion and advertisement

This method is cost effective and it can reach large audience (consumers) in a spur of moment worldwide. I would suggest them to promote the product on the online sites like INDIA MART, amazon.com etc.

Online Advertising

Online advertising on the websites like Amazon.com can boost the sales to new heights for Sunrise. The advertising options provide by amazon for Business to Business selling and Business to customer selling is cost effective. These are as follows:

Sponsored products

This advertising product on Amazon.in is based on the bidding advertising program, where the advertising prices (Sokół & Słupińska, 2019) are based on click-per-click and prices are decided by online auction (Nikhil, 2015).

Sponsored search

This gives the advertiser a best place in the consumer search. This advertising is charged on click Per Click determined by online auction system (Nikhil, 2015).

Display Ads

This kind of advertising is priced on Cost Per Impression (CPM). It allows the advertiser to target a specific group of customer. Amazon gives analytics such as ad impressions, clicks, add-to-cart number and sales volume to help monitor ads performance (Nikhil, 2015).

Amazon Marketing Services

It is useful for the merchants who sell products on Amazon.in. It is a self-serve advertising and promotion tool where advertisers can create a display advertisement and customize landing page the prices are decided on CPC basis with price determined by online auction.

Online Promotion and Advertising Approximate Cost Calculation

Professional Selling Plan cost for Amazon .com advertising is USD$ 39.99 per month. Besides this 0.10 $ per click. This would be very effective solution for gaining the last market share (Table 2).

Table 2: Anticipated Cost Of Online Promotion
Anticipated Cost of online promotion and advertisement Amazon.com and India mart.com
Professional Selling Plan cost USD$ 39.99 per month ( fixed fee)
-Click per Click( CPC) or Cost Per Impression(CPM) USD$ 0.10 per click on the advertisement(variable fee)

Thus the firm is catering to limited segment of customers thus the expected clicks on the advertisement would be from specific customers (approximately 3000 clicks per month) compared to the FMCG products because animal feed used as a raw material in other business like cattle industry, poultry industry (Table 3).

Table 3: Anticipated Cpc Cost Per Annum
Exchange rate of 1 Rs = 3.6 $
Monthly PSP plan cost = 144s Rs approximately
Annual PSP plan cost = 144 X 12 = 1,728 Rs per annum
CPC cost for 1 click = 0.10 X 3.6=0.36Rs
CPC cost for approximate 3000 clicks per month = 0.36 X 3000 = 1,080 Rs
CPC cost for 36000 clicks per annum will be= 0.36 X 36000= 12,960 Rs per annum
Total cost per annum = 1728 +12,960 = 14,960 Rs Per annum

Benefits of online advertising are as follows:

1. Cost control –The seller has to pay only for the number of clicks they receive on their ad.

2. Sales increase -Buyers instantly locate the sellers

3. Brand visibility-The buyers can instantly view the brand and product details.

Participating in Trade Fairs and Expos in India:

This method is very effective for promoting the product on fair cost since Sunrise can find opportunities to meet new customers from different parts of India. The prominent expos and animal feed fairs in India are as follows:

1. Feed Tech Expo 2019: Pune Animal Feed Technology Exhibition (Feedtech, 2020)

2. Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) Trade Shows (Bioeconomy Event, 2020)

3. Hyderabad International Trade Exposition Centre (HITEX) Trade Shows in 2018-2019 (Bioeconomy Event, 2020)

4. Mahatma Mandir Exhibition Centre Trade Shows in Gandhinagar (Biomass and Bioenergy Event, 2020)

5. Feed Tech Expo 2019: Pune Animal Feed Technology Exhibition (Feedtech, 2020)

Trade Fair and Expo Participation Approximate Cost Calculation

Option 1-bare schemes

Floor rental, registration fee and company entry in the official show catalogue. The below mentioned prices and options are cost effective since this exhibition will have thousands of foot falls (Aggarwal, 2018).

The total cost for option 1 will be between 15,600 Rs up to 19,800 RS depending upon the size, display of the stall (Tables 4 & 5).

Table 4: Anticipated Cost Of Open Sky Raw Space
Option 1
Open to sky Raw(Bare) space in square meter pricing(approximate)
Size of stall Display of stall Price per stall in Rs.
Minimum 18 sqm 1 side open stall 3900 Rs /sqm
Minimum 36 sqm 2 side open stall 4300 Rs /sqm
Minimum 75 sqm 3 side open stall 4800 Rs /sqm
Table 5: Anticipated Cost Of Option 1 Participating In Expos And Events
Option 1-Participating in 4 expos per year cost
Size Display Approximately total cost(per day)
Minimum 18 sqm 1 side open stall 3900 X 4 = 15,600 Rs
Minimum 36 sqm 2 side open stall 4300 X 4 = 17,200 Rs
Minimum 75 sqm 3 side open stall 4800 X4 = 19,800 Rs

Option 2 -shell scheme

Floor rental, back and side walls, fascia board with company name, one table, two chairs (Per 9 Sqm.), 3 spot lights, registration fee, electric point (300 watt single power socket per booth), carpet and company entry in the official show catalogue (Aggarwal, 2018).

Option 2 total costs (Tables 6 & 7) of participating in 4 expos will range from minimum 24,000Rs up to 30,800 R.S. depending on the size and display of stall.

Table 6: Anticipated Price For Shell Scheme Space For Stalls
Option 2
Shell Scheme space in square meter pricing(approximate)
Size of stall Display of stall Price per stall in Rs
Minimum 18 sqm 1 side open stall 6000 Rs /sqm
Minimum 36 sqm 2 side open stall 6900 Rs /sqm
Minimum 75 sqm 3 side open stall 7700 Rs /sqm
Table 7: Anticipated Cost For Option 2 For Participating In 4 Expos Annually
Option 2-Participating in 4 expos per year cost
Size Display Approximately total cost(per day)
Minimum 18 sqm 1 side open stall 6000X 4=24,000 Rs
Minimum 36 sqm 2 side open stall 6900 X4 =27,600 Rs
Minimum 75 sqm 3 side open stall 7700 X 4= 30,800 Rs

Secondary Research Findings

Market research included the study of online articles and report published by USDA which shows that corn animal feed granules dominate the Indian animal feed market. In March 2018 predicts the corn animal feed consumption for 2018/19 is predicted higher at 26.5 MMT. This includes 14.5 MMT for poultry feed and 1.5 MMT for ethnol, 1.5 MMT for other animal feed, 1.8 MMT for starch and remaining for animal seed etc. In fact the demand of animal feed in domestic market in India is increasing thus India will increase the net import of corn animal feed which is also manufactured by Sunrise international in 2018/2019 by 0.5 M Metric Tons according to USDA report. The below chart published by government of India shows comparison of the usage of corn-cop animal feed in domestic Indian market with other animal feed available in the market for 2017/18 (Jane, 2018).

Another study as shown by the planning commission of India reflects that the supply of crop residues-now the major component of feed-is a roughly constant ratio of the production of the cereal, pulse, oilseed, sugarcane, and other crops from which the residues are derived. Production of these crops is expanding at about 2.5 percent annually in volume terms, slower than milk output, and is likely to be primarily responsive to factors other than feed-demand pressures from the dairy sector. According to land use statistics, there has also been little change in land available for pasture and grazing, and sources report the degradation of these common property resources in some areas (Jane, 2018) (Planning Commission, 2007; 2012) Figure 1.

Figure 1:Usage Of Grains, Oil Meals And Other Feed Ingredients.

Below Figure 2 showing the composition of animal feed supply in India. (Source: USDA, Economic Research Service. Government of India, Planning Commission, 2012).

Figure 2:Animal Feed Compositions In India.

1. Pasture grazing= 12%

2. Corncob animal feed= 64%

3. cultivated green Fodder = 18%

4. Oil Cakes=6%

The above chart shows that corn crop is the most popular animal feed used in India with 64% usage followed by green fodder at 18%, pasture grazing at 12% and oil cakes at 6%. The corn crop has the highest nutritional value.

Promotion Strategies (4 P’s of Marketing)

Currently no specific marketing strategy is implemented by Sunrise the 4P’s analysis shows:

Product

The product (animal feed –corn-cop) has a growing market since the animal feed industry is increasing in size every year as shown by the market research. The below Figure 3 shows the sales of corncob from 2015 until 2018.

Figure 3:The 4p?s Analysis Shows

The above Sales Chart shows that the sales have fluctuated from 250 Metric Tons in 2015 to230 M Tons in 2016 and 260 Metric Tons in 2017 and 265 Metric tons in 2018. One of the reasons for this is poor promotion strategy of Sunrise Int. Ltd. Promotion of the product ac boost the sales and profit margins by at least 5%.

Price

The price of the product is very competitive and cannot be increased drastically for the west and north Indian market since the market competition is high, major price increase will lead to market loss for sunrise. Marginal price increase is possible. The current manufacturing cost of corncob is as follows (Tables 8-10).

Table 8: Animal Feed Cost Of Manufacturing Per Kg
Product name Cost of manufacturing
Corn cob animal feed 14.5 Re Per kg
Table 9: Profit Margin Per Kg
Profit Margin Per Kg
25 % of the cost of manufacturing 25/100X25= 3.6 Re profit per kg of corn cob
Projected profit margin increase after the implementation of new promotion strategy= 5% up to 15% increase The cost of manufacturing can be reduced up to 10 % by effective inventory management, training the workers and new technology. These need investment and effective resource management by Sunrise Int. Ltd.
Table 10:SWOT Analysis
Strengths (internal)
Product has a stable and growing market which will help the firm to grow.
The competitors in Rajasthan are limited. This gives a competitive advantage to the firm in local market.
Prices are competitive which help in increasing the sale.
Weakness (internal)
The technology used for production is becoming obsolete gradually.
The firm is not using Promotion campaign or advertising for increasing the public awareness.
Firm sells product on credit and recovery of the payment from the clients sometimes becomes a problem
Opportunities(external)
The south and east Indian market can be tapped successfully
Introduction of new animal feed products can be an opportunity
Diversification into supplementary feed product manufacturing like fish and seafood products can provide opportunity for growth.
Threats(external)
Increasing cost of manufacturing compares to other firms.
The number of competitors is increasing which can pose threat.
If the government increases the tax then the profit will reduce.

Promotion

Sunrise is currently promoting the product through word of mouth thus if they want to increase their presence in the Indian market then they need to use innovative and cost effective promotion.

Place

The place or the market for sunrise is limited up to north and western states of India thus they have the opportunity to trap the south and east Indian market. The below chart shows the market share of different firms in Animal feed industry in 2018.

Tools

Fishbone diagram

The organizational planning tool that was used in this research is a Fish Bone diagram (Figures 4 & 5) (Sonia, 2019). It is also called a cause and effect diagram or Ishikawa diagram, is a visualization tool for identifying the probable causes of a problem in order to identify its root causes. The below diagram shows that the main causes for loss of market share are semiskilled workforce, complex manufacturing process, obsolete machinery, shortage of raw material and lack of advertising and promotion (Figure 6).

Figure 4:Market Share In 2018.

Figure 5:Inflation-Adjusted Wholesale Price Indices For Feeds.

Figure 6:Fish Bone Diagram Showing The Cause And Effect For Loos Of Manufacture.

Sources or Methods of Data Collection

Interview with the Owner

1. Sunrise has been in the animal feed industry since 2005. The products include animal feed like Animal feed supplement, corn cob grit, powder The are the bulk supplier for the best quality animal feed products and service 2. Sunrise is a ISO 9001 certified company. They are committed for manufacturing good quality product.

3. Currently sunrise is only using tradition promotion method of word of mouth which is outdated in today’s competitive market. There is a need of cost effective Promotion and marketing strategy.

4. Market expansion is required in untapped territories of East and south India.

5. The government policy is neutral about animal feed industry and this sector needs more government regulations and attention.

Interview with the Marketing and Factory Manager

1. The firm is facing high competition in the market because of new entrants because of the market opportunities.

2. The firm is looking for modern and cost effective promotion and advertising which has large reachability.

3. Online promotion seems to be an effective solution for regaining the market share. Earlier the market share was 40% but now it has dropped to 30%.

4. The firm plans to use latest technology in manufacturing and improve the transportation services.

5. The firm has some loyal customers but plans to get more in the future.

Interview with the Customers of Sunrise

1. Sunrise is a very old firm who is supplying product in time since long time.

2. Sunrise should now focus on giving credit notes, more days of credit extension and discounts and offers from time to time.

3. Customer wants Sunrise to make the prices more competent as other firms are reducing the prices.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Conclusion

The research has given me an opportunity to conduct a micro study the Sunrise International Ltd. The study shows that the sunrise urgently needs a promotion strategy in order to regain its lost market share. The cost effective promotion strategy options can be online advertising, references and direct selling along with participation in the prominent national expos and trade fairs (Mayorova et al., 2018). The promotion cost as the market research is manageable and has many benefits. However, the positive results of using the promotion tools are yet to be seen as it is an experiment for Sunrise.

Recommendations

Organizational planning tools

As per the analysis of the Fish bone diagram there are multiple root causes for the decline in the market share. I would suggest Sunrise to invest in the promotion and advertising, improving the skills of the workers, simplify manufacturing process, reduce maintenance cost of machinery, and reduce inventory cost etc. in order to regain the market share.

Cost of suggested Promotion mix

The suggested promotion mix is cost effective it includes the right balanced mix of the online promotion. Participation in Animal Feed fairs and expos, direct selling and references. The total cost of the implementing the promotion strategy will be as follows (Table 11).

Table 11: Promotion Tool Used And Its Suggested Annual Budget
Promotion tool Suggested annual( budget) as per cost
Online Advertising and promotion 15000Rs approximately
Stalls in EXPOS and trade fairs 31,000Rs approximately
Direct selling and references 30,000 approximately
Miscellaneous expenses
(banners creating advertisement, pamphlets, giveaways to visitors etc.)
24000 approximately
TOTAL ( annual budget)COST (promotion cost will increase if the usage of the suggested promotion tools is changed) 15,000+31,000+30,000+24,000= 100,000Rs per annum

Table 12 suggested Promotion Mix/allocated budget/ medium of advertising and its possible advantages and disadvantages.

Table 12: Promotion Mix Elements
Suggested Promotion mix element Suggested allocated budget Suggested medium of advertising Possible advantages Possible disadvantages
Online advertising 15,000 Rs. per annum Amazon.com and India Mart Cost effective. Price on the basis of clicks on the ad. It has limited reach in B to B market
Participation in EXPOS and industry events 31,000 Rs. Per annum( cost per stall per day is between approximately 4500 and 7000Rs.) Major animal feed expos in India Cost effective. Meet the customers directly from the industry Booking a stall in prominent expos is difficult
Direct selling and references from current customers 30,000 Rs. per annum Maintain good relations with current customers Give discounts gifts and offers to loyal customers. Call to the customers. Sell through the current references directly. Direct selling is more effective in B to C products

Promotion strategies

The promotion mix (advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing etc.) should include suggested budget for ONLINE advertising and Putting up stalls in prominent Animal Feed trade fairs across India along with references and direct marketing. It is a cost effective promotion mix which will help in regaining the lost market share in a cost effective way.

Training and development (HRM)

I would suggest that besides on the job training and mentoring sunrise should also send their employees for apprenticeship and Induction training for new workers. Both are cost effective and result oriented method for improving the performance of workers.

Cost and Revenue

The cost of manufacturing can be controlled revenues can be increased if sunrise is able to buy raw material on low cost in the right season and reduce the manufacturing cost. The advertising cost is calculated in the research and it is affordable. Cost can be controlled by the firm by increasing or decreasing the usage of a promotion tool (online promotion, expo participation, direct selling and references etc.).

Limitations

1. The sample size is limited and could have been increased. The customers of sunrise are too busy to answer the research questions thus the answers might be ambiguous.

2. Time constraint- The owner and marketing manager did not have enough time to answer the questions in detail

3. Reliability of the shared information might be limited. Biased information could have been provided by the customers and the marketing manager

4. There is no guarantee that the suggested promotion strategy will be 100% successful for the firm as limited micro and macro factors were studied.

5. The market conditions are dynamic thus in future the recommended Promotion strategy might become useless.

Appendix

Appendix 1-Map of Rajasthan

image

Appendix 2-Interview with the Owner

Questionnaire - (owner of the Sunrise Int. Ltd)

1) How long you have been in the animal feed business? Kindly summarize your business activities. Answer- Sunrise Corporation was started as a small scale business in Rajasthan in 2005. I the beginning they started the work of corn-crop (animal feed) production only with 1 machine and an investment of 1 lakh rupees. The company has grown from humble beginning to become a medium sized industry.

2) What is the current method of product promotion used by the firm? Answer –We are using traditional method of promotion i.e. word of mouth and current customer’s references but this seems to be insufficient in the current competitive market conditions.

3) Why sunrise has not focused on promotion of the product since long time? Answer- The market competition was not high in past but is increasing now. We did not realize the importance of promotion earlier but now we can see that it is an effective way of advertising.

4) Do you think promotion will help in increasing the profit of the firm? Answer- yes surely because promotion will help in product advertising and today customer is aware about the product choice available in the market. Promotion will help in creating public awareness about the product, utility and features

5) What are the future marketing strategies of the firm? Answer- We plan to use cost effective marketing strategies because we have a budgetary limitation thus we would like to experiment within a small budget as see the results.

6) What is the unique selling point of your product? Answer- The USP of our product is the different sizes of animal feed granules and the good quality of our product. We are a ISO 9001 certified company. Which adhere to the quality standards of the industry.

Appendix 3- Interview with the Marketing and Factory Manager

Questionnaire- (marketing and factory manager)

1) What is the current promotion method used by Sunrise to promote its products. If any? Answer –Word of mouth only but we are planning to make a marketing strategy soon. We are looking for cost effective promotion strategy.

2) Who are your main customers in the industry and which products of your firm as popular? Answer- We mainly supplies the product to business customers like the cattle feed manufacturers, oil mills, poultry farms etc.

3) Do you think that promoting the product will have a positive impact on the sales of the firm? Answer- Yes because the market competition is increasing every year because of the (Kaushal). Skills promotion program initiated by Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India. The government is giving easy loans to the budding entrepreneurs in India in order to boost the small scale industries. This has led to new entrants in the industry,

4) What is the impact of not using promotion for promoting the product on the sales of Sunrise international? Answer –The sales have been stagnant and little improvement has been seen in the sales in the recent years. The profit margins have decline due to the low price offered by the competitors to the customers.

5) How much is the anticipated budget you are planning to allocate for promotion in 2019- 20? Answer- Until now we have never used any formal Promotion tool for advertising. The tentative budget which should be approximately 100,000 Re. per annum. This would be a trial experiment for us and if it is successful then we will invest more in Advertising in the future.

6) What according to you are the best medium of promotion of your product? why. Answer- I think that online advertising and participating in trade fairs are cost effective and reachability to customer is excellent. Today customers are vigilant, educated and aware about the product options available in the market thus they can easily compare different firms and their product in one click.

Appendix 4-Interview with the customers

Customer Interview

Interview was conducted with 10 customers of sunrise international –The following questions were asked to them.

1) Greetings sir/Madam. How long you have been the customer of Sunrise International? Answer – 6 customers out of the 10 who were interviews said that they of them have been loyal customers from past 10 years. 3 customers are buying from sunrise for past 5 years and 1 since last 2 years.

2) Are you satisfied with the product promotion methods of Sunrise? Answer- Six customers said they are satisfied with the current promotion through word of mouth and customer references but the remaining said online advertising should be done. The customers believe that internet has provided them a great opportunity to compare the products and prices of different firms.

3) What is the impact of lack of promotion efforts on market share of sunrise? Answer-Sunrise is using traditional way of promotion in a modern economy where the customers are very demanding thus Sunrise has lost some big new customers to the competitors.

4) How can Sunrise regain the market share? Answer –Sunrise should focus on improving its customer’s services, product advertising and technology It should develop a good promotion mix with attractive advertising, discounts and offers for the customers. This would increase the market share by minimum 5 %.

5) Is the animal feed market competitive? If yes, then explain the type of competition. Answer-Most of them said yes, the competition is gradually increasing because the animal feed product demand is increasing in India. The dairy product is increasing in size every year.

6) What are your complaints in the products supplied by Sunrise? Answer – 3 said delay in product delivery, 3 said expensive, 3 said poor customer service and 2 said limited credit period for payment.

Glossary

B to B selling B2B is shorthand for business to business. It refers to sales you make to other businesses rather than to individual consumers.
B to C selling Sales from Business to consumers are referred to as “business-to-consumer” sales or B2C.
Promotion strategy The goal of promotion strategies in marketing is to make the public aware of your product, to influence them to purchase it, and to establish a long-term relationship that will make them repeat customers. There is no one-size-fits-all promotional strategy.
Online advertising Online advertising is a marketing strategy that involves the use of the Internet as a medium to obtain website traffic and target and deliver marketing messages to the right customers.
On the Job Training Employee training at the place of work while he or she is doing the actual job. Usually a professional trainer (or sometimes an experienced employee) serves as the course instructor using hands-on training often supported by formal classroom training.
Mentoring senior or more experienced individual (the mentor) is assigned to act as an advisor, counselor, or guide to a junior or trainee. The mentor is responsible for providing support to, and feedback on, the individual in his or her charge.

References

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