Abstract
The success of Mobile Marketing is to a large extent dependent on two factors: (1) the situation appropriateness, where demands are made on the ability of the supplier to process all the central characteristics of a customer situation and turn them into an offer that is appropriate to the situation; (2) the economic success of the supplier depends on the economic potential of the situation and his accurate appraisal of it. The supplier therefore has to model both the specific features and the profit potential of the various customer situations at the right time and in the right way. This chapter is going to demonstrate that the success of Mobile Marketing measures can be guaranteed by a synergic interplay of market and result orientation. On the one hand customer situations are systemized and placed in the context of an integrated Customer Relationship Management system; on the other hand the evaluation of situations, reference object hierarchies, and the various levels of situation profit and loss statements are shown.
TopSystematization Of Situations
As already shown, a special situation relationship marks the use of mobile terminals as information, communication, and sales channels. People normally use mobile terminals when they are on the move and confronted by changing situations. As their situations change, so do their requirements.
The following will analyse and systemize situations in fundamental detail. A basic distinction is to be made between macrostructure and microstructure.
In Figure 1 the connections are shown in outline (on microstructure cf. Kriewald, 2007). It is clear from this that both the particular basic situation – macrostructure – and the specific situation factors – microstructure – determine the customer situation to be considered for the situation-specific offer. The supplier, after analysing the customer situation, in the ideal case can make an offer tailored to the specialized individual situation. The formula for targeted direct marketing thus becomes considerably more effective as a result of the mobile factor.
Figure 1. Systematics of situations
Key Terms in this Chapter
Extended Concept of Invidualization: The extended concept of individualization includes the situation data (situation factors) in addition to the customer data. Therefore the supplier is able to model the (mobile) customer situation comprehensively and then to draw up a situation-appropriate offer.
Microstructure of Situations: The microstructure of situations contains the situation factors: person, place, time, purpose, knowledge, terminals and carrier.
Situation Profit and Loss Statement: Situation profit and loss statements imply the evaluation of the reference object “situation” in order to concentrate on situations which can yield the greatest success for the company and lead to competitive advantages in the sales market. Situation profit and loss statements reveal the entire profit potential associated with a particular situation. Reference object hierarchy in situation profit and loss statements: individual situation, customer- and product-specific situation type, limited situation type, general situation type.
Mobile Marketing: Mobile Marketing is market-derived leadership using mobile terminals.
Situation Appropriateness: The adequacy of an offer made by a supplier in a specific customer situation (considering the situation factors), central success factor of Mobile Marketing.
Situation Potential: The economic potential revealed by a situation, central success factor of Mobile Marketing.
Macrostructure of Situations: The macrostructure of situations contains the basic situations: idle times situation, search situation, emergency situation and quasi-stationary situation.