Technological
environment- 1) Cold storage containers: the importation of ice creams requires
the use of Cold storage containers, which can be easily leased from the
companies. 2) The cold storage warehouse: which will be located at the Jebel Ali
Free Zone 3) Chillers: will be used at the super markets to store Ben & Jerry's
ice cream products. 4) Marketing Information System: Most of the ice cream
parlors in Dubai use a computerized system to record the sales, however they do
not have any system which record customer data, customer liking, and their
addresses. We will use such a system that will enable us to provide them home
delivery without the hassle of asking their addresses again and again. This will
provide customer satisfaction and their reactions which will enable us to
respond to their needs better and form a base for the primary data for future
research. . Opportunities å Ben & Jerry's is well established Brand in Europe
and thus has an existing potential clientele with the European expat population.
å Ben & Jerry's has a huge market in terms of U.A.E. as it has a very high per
capita consumption of ice creams. å Ben & Jerry's has also the option to export
to the other G.C.C. countries and other Middle East countries. Threats å Ben &
Jerry's has to set up a project of international standards will have to invest
in moneys which to date have not done so, and might find it difficult to sustain
the profitability for the 1st few years. å The other players already have a head
start over Ben & Jerry's over the past 2 decades, and are very well established
in the market. å To generate consumer awareness, product trials and store
traffic, Vadilal will have to spend big amount of moneys in terms of advertising
and promotions, which will be in excess of what the other multinational brands
are spending.
The embargo on certain flavors due to specific ingredients that
are prohibited in the U.A.E. Ingredients such as gelatine or those specially
derived from pig fat. Segmentation Market segmentation process: 1. Identify
dimensions: The dimension is already identified. We want to go in for ice cream
business. 2. Develop relevant market segment profile: Ice cream is an item,
which appeals to all the sectors of society. We can cater to the following
segments: å Families å Kids (1-12 yrs) å Teenagers (13-20) å Young adults
(20-35) å Adults (35 & above) 3. Forecast total market potential for each
segment: a) Analyze competitive forces within each segment: Strong competition
exists for families, kids, teenagers, and young adult categories from Baskin
Robins, TCBY, and Bresler's and Haagen-Dazs. These are our main competitors. b)
Determine marketing mix to serve each segment: We have the capabilities and
resources to cater to all of the above segments and the marketing mix is
discussed later in the case. 4. Forecast own market share for each segments. 5.
Estimate cost/Benefits for each segment: 6. Do benefits achieve company and
justify development of each segment: Yes, benefits each of these segments will
result in customer satisfaction and achieve our organizational objectives. 7.
Decision on selection of target market segment: We think that the best segment
is that of Families, teenagers, and young adults. Based on our research we are
going to segment our market based on demographics segmentation. Under this we
shall attract families who have a middle social class or above. In addition to
this our target group will include young people (17 & above). We shall attract
families and young people by appealing to their motives and lifestyles. We will
be using unconcentrated strategy to attract customers. The marketing research
process is a five-step application of the scientific method that includes: 1.
Defining the problem: We needed an initial market research to determine the
following aspects: å Awareness of Ben & Jerry's. å Acceptance level of fresh
fruit ice creams å Share of competitive brands.
