Best Practice Merchandising :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Best Practice Merchandising Introduction Retailing is around us everywhere. Whenever you buy something, it is usually from a retail outlet. Everywhere that you go, there is a retail outlet begging you to buy a new car or a jumper or a can of baked beans for only 39c. The world is also full of huge shopping centres and malls packed with retail outlets trying to make you purchase from their particular store. The competition in the retail industry is tremendous and these outlets all have to use certain techniques to try and make you buy from them. What are these techniques? Why do some retail outlets go bust and others flourish into multi-national organizations positioned all around the world? It all has to do with their retail strategy; which includes: - Retail branding and positioning within the market - Their merchandise range - Their product selection and pricing - Their in-store layout - How well their stores are merchandised Customer base Customers are the people that make retail outlets money. Marketing campaigns are directed at the customers in the hope that they can be enticed into the stores so that they will spend money. New customers and current customers are given offers everyday of the week. However studies have shown that current customers generate more revenue than new customers. Existing customers tend to purchase more than new customers and studies show that costs to retain customers are 80% lower than costs to generate new customers. There are also many benefits associated with existing customers. An increase in existing customer satisfaction leads to: - Increased positive word of mouth - Less reason to offer costly loss-leaders to generate traffic - Existing customers usually spend more than new customers - The profits earned from each individual customer grow the longer they remain loyal to the firm. (McLaughlin et al 1998) Retail Brand The retail brand is one thing that customers will always look at. What makes up the retail brand? Everything in the store that makes that particular store different from every other store makes up the retail brand. The lighting, the atmosphere, the music, the colour and the layout all go into making up the brand. The perception that a customer has of the stores image is the retail brand. In today’s competitive market where many retailers have a similar product range, the retail brand can be the key to customers.

The general election of 2002 – Voter apathy

a) Political apathy is when the voters feel disillusioned by the current state of politics. They feel that there is no point in voting because their vote will have no impact. In areas of high Labour support a conservative voter may feel little point in voting because it will have no effect. This means that that person, while still interested in politics, feels that their vote will be worthless and that they can do nothing to change the system. Also as the political parties move closer together in ideologies this means that voters no longer see much of a difference in who they choose to vote for which means they don't really feel the need to vote because it will make no difference and they don't care who is in power because they don't see that it affects them very much. On the very basic level this means that people may not be interested in politics at all. Less and less people watch the news each day, newspaper buying is in decline and the most popular programme is Eastenders. Programmes like Question time and other political debate programmes never get high ratings and this shows a continuing trend. People these days don't care about the government, don't feel that the government effects them, don't see any difference in the government and so don't really care who wins and this all boils down to Political apathy. b) No campaign differences Vote worthlessness Don't like anyone Too busy for something which does not matter. One of the main reasons for low voter turnout could have been the fact that more and more people do not see a difference between the parties. Whilst Labour and the Conservatives claim to have different ideologies their methods of running the country do not vary a great deal. In fact many people do not really notice much of difference from the way the country was run pre-1997 and how it was run afterwards. New Labour is very different to old Labour and thus it occupies the same space as the Conservatives did. This means that people feel that it does not matter who wins the election because nothing really changes for them on a street level. When people feel like that they then see no point in voting. Another small factor could be that Labour supporters felt unhappy at the way labour had acted but could not bring themselves to vote for Conservatives so they decided not to vote at all out of principle. Perhaps the biggest factor is that people feel that there vote won't make a difference. The problem with that is that they are correct. If there is a Labour supporter in a region which is a conservatives area then there is no point in that voting because the vote will not make a difference. That's not just a myth, that is true and people know this. Why take the time and the trouble to vote when it will do nothing. Being armed with this knowledge will mean that people will not bother to vote because they know that 1 vote will not make a difference anywhere. One way to reverse this is to get everyone in England to vote for a party and not for a candidate, which means every vote would be used in getting a party elected. The parties would then be able to win a number of MP's where then put into certain areas. Also in 2001, it is a fact that more people felt that they tough no one really represented what they wanted. This meant that they had no one to vote for and they did not want to vote for another party. This would mean that around 10% of the country had no one to vote for and that is a lot of votes that would not have been cast because of that. Another smaller factor is that people are busier and more stressed than ever these days. Many people may simply have not had had time to go to a polling booth to vote and coupled with the aforementioned facts, people may not have been that bothered to vote anyhow. But it is still true that people may just feel that they don't have enough time to go and vote and so just stay away. One reason, which is similar to another reason, which has been mentioned, is that people did not vote because they were happy with the current govt. If people feel that the current govt. is doing a good job then they don't feel the need to vote against it or to vote for it (the poll's all said Labour were going to win anyway). People were happy with Labour and did not want anyone else so they did not feel the need to vote unlike other instances where people are very unhappy with the state that the country is in and vote to get a new party elected to make some changes. If people are happy with the current govt. then they will not waste voting because they don't need to.

Strangers on a Train Essay - 817 Words

Strangers on a Train In Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock uses a unique combination of continuity and narration in order to create a fluid story while also drawing the spectator in with suspenseful situations. The spectator becomes immersed in the story because of how well Hitchcock uses these techniques. The spectator is given all the information throughout the story, which helps Hitchcock create suspense because the spectator worries for the characters because they know the entire situation while the characters are still figuring everything out. With these techniques, Hitchcock tells a unique story while totally engaging the audience in the story. Using the continuity system, Hitchcock uses the shot and reverse shot technique,†¦show more content†¦Also the spectator doesn’t know how Anne will react to this. In the story, Bruno eventually starts to butt into Guy’s life. He starts appearing everywhere watching him and eventually coming up to him and conversing with him as if they ha d never met. Hitchcock reveals to the audience that Anne starts to become suspicious. Anne realizes that something isn’t right when she sees Bruno’s tie clip. Finally, Bruno starts to strangle someone at a party while looking at Anne’s sister. Anne immediately confronts Guy about who Bruno is and Guy tells her everything. By telling select information to Anne, Hitchcock builds the suspense up because the audience doesn’t want Anne to know. One of the best suspense building series of scenes happens when Guy plays his tennis match. While Guy plays his tennis match, many things are happening. Guy must finish his match quickly so he can beat Bruno to the scene of the crime. He also must lose the police that are following his every step. In order to intensify the situation, Hitchcock cuts between the Tennis match and Bruno’s trip to Metcalf. The audience wants Guy to prevent Bruno from planting evidence at the scene of the crime, but at the time it seem s very likely that Bruno will beat him to it. Hitchcock adds even more suspense by making the tennis match last all 5 sets, and at the same time, Bruno drops the lighter down a drain and tries to retrieve it. TheShow MoreRelatedBeing A Stranger On A Train954 Words   |  4 Pagesthe social norms I chose to break was talking to a stranger on a train. I chose this social norm due to its simplicity. As I was on the train, waiting to meet my friend at Times Square, I decided to complete the task. As I boarded the train, I observed the vast amounts of civil inattention being displayed on the train. Many people were on the train were on their cell phones, tablets, books, and newspapers. Considering how I rarely take the train, I decided to use this particular opportunity to breakRead MoreGender Roles In Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window And Strangers On A Train1232 Words   |  5 Pagesfor quite sometime. Women are often portrayed as sexual objects, or delicate individuals; a body with no b rain or strength. These traits are easily found within many novels and movies- old and new. In Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Rear Window and Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock begins his films representing women with the same characteristics as stated above. They are very stylish, attractive and presented as second-class individuals to males. But after examining these two films, Hitchcock does somethingRead MoreThroughout Alfred Hitchcock’S Filmography, There Are Conspicuous1661 Words   |  7 Pagesfilms. His camera work is what captures the subtle elements, one of the most common implicit tropes are the challenge and switch of the gender norms and sexual ambiguity by the Hitchockian characters and it is not the exception in the film Strangers on a Train (1951). The main characters, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) and Guy Haines (Farley Granger), do not ever mention their sexual orientation, but it is implied through the camera that they are homosexuals concealing their ident ities in a criticalRead MoreThe Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time - Original Writing897 Words   |  4 PagesHe discovers the truth about his fathers reckless lies and searches for the answers to the secrets his father has hidden for so long. Screenplay The chapter I have chosen to adapt is when Christopher decides to go to Swindon train station to make a journey to London in search of his mother. As Christopher stands at the bottom of the concrete steps leading to the Stations entrance the audience can see fear in his face. He is wearing a pair of scruffy blue jeansRead MoreTheme and Technique in Films1212 Words   |  5 Pagestechniques depends on the theme of the film and how effective the filmmakers want to communicate their ideas. This essay aims at illuminating theme and technique in films basing its argument on Alfred Hitchcock’s movies; Notorious movie, Rope, and Strangers on the Train. Alfred Hitchcock was a director of movies and his place in the film studies is unrivalled. He is famously known due to his brilliant plots, witty dialogue, and his ability to tell stories visually. This unique ability brought a new revolutionRead MoreAnalysis Of Highsmith Moved Into The Yaddo Artist s Retreat1367 Words   |  6 PagesThis is especially prevalent in regards to her sexuality. Strangers on a Train, Highsmith’s first novel, deals with both psychopathy and homosexuality. The main characters of this novel happen upon one another during a chance encounter on a train. Guy, the protagonist, meets Bruno. Afterward, the two start discussing the problems in their lives, and Guy spills his heart out to Bruno, for â€Å"Bruno was not the ordinary stranger on the train by any means. He was cruel and corrupt enough himself to appreciateRead MoreAn Analysis of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon839 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent types of autism. Communication, does not like talking to strangers. Behavioural, does not ant normal around other people. Social. Because he does not like things about other people. Christopher Boone has a excellent understanding of his difference from others and displays his three symptoms of autism through his narration. Christopher Boone shows communication problems because, he does not like talking to strangers. Firstly, Christopher gives straight answers to the police officerRead MoreChristopher Boone Conflict1087 Words   |  5 Pagesnovel â€Å"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time† the readers get a glimpse into the treacherous journey faced by Christopher Boone, and the internal and external conflicts he encounters along the way. Internally he struggles with talking to strangers as he feels he cannot trust them enough when he doesn’t know exactly who they are. He also can be wary of trusting his dad after his father kills the neighbor’s dog and lies to Christopher about his mother’s death. Christopher Boone, a fourteen-year-oldRead MoreLiving with Strangers Analysis1219 Words   |  5 PagesB. Living With Strangers In 2011 8,244,910 people were living in one of the United States’ most famous cities: New York. New York has the highest population density in the United States with over 27000 people per square mile and it is estimated that 200 languages are spoken in the city. In a city with so many people, different cultures, and languages converts may have difficulties with growing accustomed to a city full of strangers. The American novelist and essayist, Siri Hustvedt, debatesRead MoreAnalysis Of Agatha Christie s And Then There Were None 1448 Words   |  6 PagesJournal Number One The book â€Å"And then there were None,† by Agatha Christie, thus far, I feel has an unrealistic plot, but the format and writing style of this story makes it very intriguing to read. I find it odd how ten strangers get a letter from someone they are not too familiar with and regardless of the fact that some of them haven t even meet the host’s, all ten characters decide to accept the invitation to Soldier Island. It seems unrealistic because almost no one would offer you a free vacation