Marketing Essay.

Here are 3 examples of very good papers. The assignment was different, but the writing is exemplary. You can say my comments at the end of each paper.

by Gurveen Vohra:  

Our group research project is based on H&M's sustainability and profitability, based on their trendy and cost-effective clothing line, appealing to young fashionistas. In such a scenario, H&M's business need is to make the latest fashion trends available for fashionistas on a budget. The main research question that arises here is whether, 'consumer age' is relevant to increasing sales for companies like H&M.

According to Mintel academic database, H&M sales have increased up to 16% in the past couple of months, since it improved its e-commerce visibility and usability, through apps and expanded into other home and beauty products, appealing to its young female customers. Research shows that, "H&M is the third most popular retailer among young females aged 16 to 24." Based on the Mintel source, it would be safe to assume that, the tech savvy young shoppers are the driving force behind the increased sales growth of H&M since August 2014. (Anonymous 2015) Another statistical report from Adroit Digital, found on eMarketer database, shows that young shoppers between the ages of 18 and 35, prefer browsing the Internet for retail purchases, using PCs and Mobile apps over in-store shopping. Given the rise in mobile app development as well as the popularity of smart devices among young users, very well can be a solid reason for the increased sales and growth for retailers like H&M, who are trying to appeal to the millennials. As long as retailers like H&M keep enhancing their e-commerce strategy to attract more and more young shoppers, sales are expected to grow. (Anonymous 2015) In another astounding fact found on Factiva database, analysts have forewarned the European retail chain from expanding its target consumer range from 35 years to 45 years, as it may negatively impact the gross margin of the company. Analysts predict that, so long as H&M focuses primarily on its more dominant target consumer ranging from 25 to 35 years, it should do just fine with sales growth. (Carruthers 2001) In looking at these facts from various databases, it is safe to predict that age of the average shopper at H&M that contributes greatly to its sales growth, is of a younger demographic ranging from 18 to 35 years. However it is not the only driving factor in sales growth at H&M. There are other factors that drive the upward sales growth at H&M such as price, trend, accessibility, visibility and expansion. Given that age is a prominent driving factor in the sales growth for H&M, I would stick to my original observation and research question.

Citation Anonymous. August 18th, 2015. H&M drives double-digit growth in July. Mintel: 1.  1http://academic.mintel.com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/sinatra/oxygen_academic/export_basket/&sort=my_order&list=export_basket/display/id=746272 Anonymous. July 30th, 2015.  2 Favorite Apparel Brand According to US Internet Users, by Age and Gender, July 2015 (% of respondents in each group). eMarketer: 1.  1http://totalaccess.emarketer.com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/Chart.aspx?R=175526 Carruthers, R. February 3rd, 2015. H&M shift in focus poses UK danger. Factiva. Drapers Record. DRPREC 8: 1. 3 https://global-factiva-com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/ha/default.aspx#./!?&_suid=1442895937245047970209429471883

Professor's comments:  Good discussion of the facts in relation to the research question. What behaviors or values are associated here w/ AGE? If shopping behavior and values are at stake, then why use AGE as a proxy?

by Jessica Piccolino:

Our group research project focuses on the social networking service of the most widely used photo-sharing application for smartphones, Instagram. While Instagram specializes in editing, adjusting, and enhancing personal photos and videos to post and share with other users, there have been countless photo-editing apps created that offer many more options and features to users than Instagram provides, which enables them to develop their photos even further than they can with the Instagram app. In order to compete with these other photo-editing apps, the business needs to work on improving its features to match those of the competition so that they can deliver more editing options and preferences to users who would normally turn elsewhere to further enhance their photos before posting them to Instagram. Our research question is: How can Instagram better improve its features for users so that they don’t need to use other photo-editing apps?

According to an Asahi Group survey taken in April 2015 sourced from eMarketer, almost 70% of respondents, out of 2,076 internet users in Japan age 20 and up, admit that those focused on photo-editing are the leading smartphone apps used. This is related to our group research project because this fact demonstrates that apps used for tweaking photos are dominating the “App Store” market and that smartphone users are looking elsewhere to enhance their pictures rather than Instagram.

According to a report posted by foodservice analyst Bethany Wall in July 2014 sourced from Mintel, restaurants are starting to integrate smartphones and social media into their businesses; for example, a Mexican restaurant called El Burro provides ambient lighting for customers to take professional photos of their meals. This is significant with regards to our research project because it emphasizes the extent to which Instagram users value taking professional looking photos, that they will even use altered types of lighting to enhance their pictures.

According to a report written by Professors Eunice Kim, Jhih-Syuan Lin, and Yongjun Sung in 2013 sourced from Warc, Colgate has designed an app called “MaxWhite Photo Recharger,” which provides an editing tool with which users can alter the appearance of their teeth by whitening them in pictures. This is relevant to our research project because it stands as an example of one of the many photo-editing tools that Instagram can incorporate into the app in order to allow users to further enhance their photos.

1 The facts about Instagram that I have found during my research have not motivated me to change my initial definition of the research project. I believe that the information that is available on the databases at hand regarding Instagram is consistent with what I have identified as the business need and that in order to determine which features and tools Instagram should incorporate into the app, I must further research these subjects of photo-editing and look into what the other apps offer that Instagram can improve on.

Professor's comments:  Good introduction and relevant facts. Good discussion of these facts! The research question could be slightly modified from HOW (which reads like a question to IT) to WHICH features Instagram improve (setting priorities on the basis of some clear criteria).

by Allison Ng:

My group has chosen to focus on the company Shake Shack, which sells hotdogs and hamburgers. More recently, people have become more health conscious and have started to take interest in what kind of food they eat and where it comes from. Currently, Shake Shack offers little-to-no ‘healthy’ options on the menu. Would Shake Shack’s revenue and market share increase if they offered healthier options?

The first fact I found is:  1 “Adults who drink diet beverages tend to compensate by eating more unhealthy, nutrient-poor foods, according to a study published Friday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.” The article, “Drink diet beverages?  You probably make terrible food choices. No judgment.” was written by Elahe Izadi and was published in The Hamilton Spectator on September 11, 2015. I found it through Factiva. Shake Shack is a fast-slow restaurant that offers unhealthy, calorie-high options while also offering ‘healthier’ drink options such as fresh lemonade. I want to know if Shake Shack offered healthier items would customers still choose the unhealthy option. The more variety a customer has, the more difficult it can be to decide on an item.

The second fact I found is: “A third of consumers report ordering healthy items more this past year compared to last year.” This statement was part of the report “Burger and Chicken Concepts – US – August 2015,” which was published by Mintel Academic and posted by Mintel in August 2015. The analyst/author of this report is Caleb Bryant. This directly relates to our company because if customers are ordering healthier food, it means they are ordering less unhealthy food. Shake Shack’s menu options fall into the unhealthy category, which people are shying away from. Healthy food is capturing more of the market, and that is where the trend appears to be going.

2 The last fact is “Studies led by New York University School of Medicine researcher Brian Elbel found no evidence that people ate less fast food after the city's calorie labeling law took effect.” It’s from the article “Gut Check at Shake Shack” written by Jacob Gershman on September 12, 2012 for The Wall Street Journal.  3 I found it through ABI/Inform Global. Here, this fact specifically focuses on consumers and calorie intake. Food from Shake Shack is high in calories, but people did not cut back even when they became aware of this fact. This relates to our research because we are focusing on the growing health trends and adding healthy options to the menu. While consumers are becoming more aware of the things they eat, people still gravitate towards foods high in fat and calories.

After beginning my research about consumers and healthy food choices, these articles have made me question whether or not our original research question is going to provide us with one direct answer. I went into this project with my own preconceived idea about the food industry and the new found health-food consciousness. The last fact I found about the calorie count was a little surprising – I thought it would change sales, even for a short period. What I do know now is that there is plenty of research about this topic and I am eager to learn more about this subject.

Professor's comments:  Great discussion of the facts and clear writing! One suggestion: Make the research question even MORE specific. This would make it more amendable to FIELD research. The secondary research suggests some dead-ends as well as possible "tests". For example, one could say: The secondary literature suggests a link b/w diet beverage and unhealthy food choice, but is this pattern also in evidence among Shake Shack customers? Shake Shack wants to know whether this is the case in order to consider how to bundle food options OR what beverages to promote etc