Marketing Plan Through This Course You Have Learned About

Marketing Planthrough This Course You Have Learned About The Eleme

Throughout this course, you have learned about the elements of a marketing plan. This assignment will provide you with the opportunity to research the marketing methodology of an existing publicly traded company; using a publicly traded company will provide you with access to a greater amount of information to complete this assignment. As you research this company, apply the theoretical learning from this course. Include the sections below in your marketing plan.

Introduction: Include a brief introduction of the company.

Competitive Analysis: Who are your company’s competitors, and how is each differentiated? Identify two or three strengths and two or three weaknesses of your company compared to a minimum of two of your company’s competitors.

Marketing Strategies: What are the marketing strategies used by your company in the management of the global customer brand? Use the four Ps in your analysis, which are listed below.

• Product: Begin with a theoretical definition of a product. What is the product/service offering by your company? How did the development of these new products affect your company’s marketing strategy?
• Place: Begin with a theoretical definition of place. What are the distribution channels used by your company?
• Price: Begin with a theoretical definition of price. What is the pricing strategy used by your company?
• Promotion: Begin with a theoretical definition of promotion. What are the traditional and digital methods of marketing promotion used by your company? Explain a minimum of three traditional and three digital methods.

Competitive Advantage: Identify whether your company has a competitive advantage in each of the areas of the four Ps. Remember that your company could have a competitive advantage in one area and not in another. Include supporting rationale.

Remember that your submission must be in essay format and use subheadings. You need to include a minimum of five scholarly sources (no blogs, no Wikipedia), and three must be peer-reviewed sources. Your scholarly activity must be at least six pages in length, not counting the title page and references page. APA format is required.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Ele.me, established in 2008 and later acquired by Alibaba Group in 2018, is a prominent Chinese online food delivery service platform. It quickly gained popularity by providing a seamless digital interface that connects consumers with local restaurants. Ele.me's mission centers around facilitating convenient food delivery, enhancing customer experience through technological innovation, and expanding its reach in China's rapidly growing digital economy. As a leading player in China's competitive food delivery market, Ele.me continues to innovate its marketing strategies to maintain its market presence and expand its global footprint, aligning with trends in digital consumption and increased demand for quick, reliable food services.

Competitive Analysis

The primary competitors of Ele.me include Meituan-Dianping, Baidu Waimai, and other emerging food delivery services like JD Daojia. Meituan-Dianping remains the dominant competitor in China, offering integrated services including food delivery, hotel bookings, and entertainment. It differentiates itself through its extensive service portfolio and aggressive promotions. Baidu Waimai, although less prominent now, focused on leveraging Baidu's existing search engine ecosystem to target online consumers. Key strengths of Ele.me include its affiliation with Alibaba, allowing access to extensive logistics and payment infrastructure, and its technological innovation in developing a user-friendly app. Conversely, weaknesses include logistical challenges and high competition from Meituan’s aggressive expansion. Compared to its competitors, Ele.me’s strengths lie in its access to Alibaba’s ecosystem, but it faces weaknesses in regional market penetration and brand recognition outside China’s urban centers.

Marketing Strategies

Ele.me’s marketing strategy employs the four Ps—Product, Place, Price, and Promotion—to manage its global customer brand effectively.

Product: A product is a tangible good or intangible service capable of satisfying a need or desire. Ele.me offers food delivery services primarily, connecting consumers to local restaurants via a digital platform. Its app features include real-time order tracking, digital payment options, and personalized recommendation algorithms. The development of new services, such as contactless delivery during COVID-19, significantly impacted its marketing strategy by emphasizing health safety and convenience, aligning with customer preferences for contactless interactions and health consciousness.

Place: Theoretical definitions of place refer to the distribution channels and physical locations where a product or service is available. Ele.me utilizes a digital platform accessible via smartphones and web, complemented by a dense network of delivery drivers and logistics hubs across urban areas in China. Its platform’s extensive reach ensures availability in multiple cities, providing convenient access for consumers and facilitating rapid delivery times. The company’s strategic partnerships with local restaurants and logistics providers form a crucial aspect of its distribution strategy, optimizing service delivery and geographic coverage.

Price: Price, in marketing terms, refers to the amount consumers pay for a product or service, influenced by various pricing strategies. Ele.me employs dynamic pricing, promotional discounts, and subscription models to attract and retain customers. It often offers discounts during off-peak hours, and Alibaba’s subsidies help reduce prices, incentivizing frequent usage. The company’s strategy includes price differentiation based on location and order size, aiming to maximize profitability while maintaining competitive edge.

Promotion: Promotion encompasses communication strategies used to inform, persuade, and remind customers about products or services. Ele.me leverages both traditional and digital promotional methods to boost its brand presence. Traditional methods include billboards, print advertisements, and sponsorships at local events. Digital methods involve social media marketing, targeted advertisements via WeChat and Alipay platforms, and app-based promotional campaigns offering discounts and referral rewards. These combined efforts enable Ele.me to reach diverse customer segments effectively, intertwining offline and online promotional tactics to foster brand loyalty and expand market share.

Competitive Advantage

In terms of competitive advantage, Ele.me possesses strengths in certain areas of the four Ps. Its integration with Alibaba’s ecosystem provides a significant advantage in payment and logistics (product and place), fostering seamless transactions and rapid delivery. The company's innovative app features and customer-centric services give it a competitive edge over rivals like Baidu Waimai, which has less diversified ecosystem integration. However, in terms of pricing, Ele.me’s discounts and subsidies help attract consumers but could erode profit margins if not managed carefully, indicating a potential weakness. Its promotion strategies, leveraging both traditional and digital channels, provide broad brand exposure, but intense competition from Meituan often results in promotional price wars, making it hard to sustain long-term advantages in promotional effectiveness.

In conclusion, Ele.me’s competitive advantage primarily resides in its technological innovation and ecosystem integration, which enhance its product and place strategies. Nonetheless, continuous monitoring of pricing strategies and promotional effectiveness, coupled with regional expansion efforts, are necessary to strengthen overall competitiveness in a highly dynamic industry.

References

• Chen, Y., & Zhang, J. (2020). Digital transformation and platform competition: The case of food delivery services in China. Journal of Business Research, 121, 147-157.
• Liu, W., & Li, X. (2019). Marketing strategies in China's online food delivery industry. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 11(4), 23-34.
• Ma, H., & Cheng, Y. (2021). Ecosystem strategies and competitive advantages in digital platforms: Evidence from Ele.me. Journal of Strategic Management, 14(2), 105-120.
• Shen, Y., & Song, H. (2018). An analysis of competitive strategies in Chinese online food delivery markets. Asian Business & Management, 17(3), 175-193.
• Zhang, Q., & Wang, P. (2022). Mobile commerce and digital marketing: The case of Ele.me in China. International Journal of Digital Business, 3(1), 45-63.