Tunis Business School
HP Consumer Products Business Organization: Distributing Printers via the Internet
MRK330: Marketing Channels
Submitted to: Mr. Mehdi Zahaf
October 30, 2014
Prepared by:
Ahmad Ghanem Krid
Mahmoud Boujmil
Marwen Neji
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SITUATION ANALYSIS
In this case we are dealing with printers, specifically Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) printers, so a number of questions arise to provide us with what we need to know about this product: What are the types of HP printers and what’s the difference between them? Who are the buyers of these products? What is the market share of these HP printers? What is the Competitive situation of the product? And how buyers can get this product and through what? And …show more content…
After the internet started to expand since 1994 it was able to serve millions of users and fulfill a large number of functions and purposes in all parts of the world by the end of the 1990’s. This was clearly the best time to exploit the numerous opportunities presented by the explosion of the Internet and start selling new printers directly to customers, not only refurbished ones. This is where “hpshopping.com” came in the picture.
Before starting to sell new products online, a general manager needs to know which ones from the product line would bring growing sales numbers and continuous profit. In addition, the manager in this case has to know if the company should sell printers alone or also add the various related supplies. If the product and its price are chosen correctly, the company should see positive results since online transactions would be quick and would allow cheaper access to a broader customer base, and no intermediaries such as retailers and distributors would be required. This could however lead to more unwanted problems. If HP decides to start selling directly to customers, it could disrupt the company’s relation with its retail partners. Hurting old and solid business relations could be catastrophic to a company’s …show more content…
To guarantee the success of a customer-centric website, “website security” must be given great importance. In order to sell directly, the company needs to give the customers the option to create online accounts that they can use to purchase products. This means guaranteeing the protection and confidentiality of the customers’ information that the website would store, and also the security and safety of online transactions. Other issues include e-mail engines, design, website content, ease of access and solid hosting servers that can endure heavy traffic and large bandwidth