Ecommerce and Marketing Plan

eCommerce & Marketing Plan

The first thought is that the Zoo might have a faulty measurement process. It seems unreasonable that they would have 90% of the 50-200 miles radius captured but only 13% of the 20-50-mile radius. This is not mentioned in the text but certainly this type of gross discrepancy should stand out and be investigated. How does the Zoo get these figures and how reliable are these sources? If they are derived from Internet site usage, do the figures result from an ISP in the 50-200-mile radius who users show up as being from that area no matter where they are physically situated? Such things should be investigated. However, if the figures are correct there are a number of important things to consider as far as Internet marketing strategy is concerned.

If you build it, they will come certainly does not hold in this instance. On a fundamental level, the Zoo has a website that, if their assumptions are correct, is not attractive to a segment of the audience. They have not built a website that attracts that particular audience. It is important, then, to develop an understanding of why the site does not appeal to that particular audience. It is worth considering a number of variables, including demographics and psychographics. A study of that characteristics of that area compared with the other two areas might help the Zoo to understand why it is failing to attract that market.

When a specific geographic area or demographic group can be isolated for targeting, the Zoo can utilize special promotions to help drive traffic. Online contests are valuable for generating interest in a product or service among any target market. One of the reasons that special promotions are so valuable is that they have relatively high potential to go viral. A well-constructed promotion sells itself, by compelling users to spread the word about the promotion. In this case, the promotion needs to engage users to spread the word about the Zoo in some creative way. This will capture attention from the audience that currently does not give much attention to the zoo.

The Zoo needs to be prepared for its research to indicate that the 20-50-mile radius will never be a good market for the zoo. If this is the case, the Zoo will need to build its marketing around its existing core target markets. These mature markets are called Stage 3, and there are many tactics that can be used to market to them. With email and mailing addresses, direct marketing can be used. There are particular elements of the zoo that can be the focus of the marketing. This target market might be much easier to reach, since it already has an interest in the Zoo's product offering.

The website needs to bring users back, to keep the consumer captive. Existing customers need reasons to return to the website. New customers -- especially those from the 20-50 radius -- may be drawn in by a promotion but they too need a reason to come back. The Zoo needs to analyze whether this reason will be the same for both, or different, and design its website content around that knowledge.