MMB Case Study for Ecommerce Essay

1. The first 5 stages of customer loyalty: MMB’s customers are 80% repeat customers so it would make sense that most of the customers are at the commitment stage. They come back every year. I would say that %5 are in the separation stage because of losing interest in the activity, finding a different company, etc. %80 are in the commitment stage. %1-5 are in the familiarity stage that are repeat customers but haven’t committed to the company. %10 in the exploration stage because I think this is a bigger part of gaining customers, you find a lot of customers feeling a new hobby or company out and want to try something new, in this case it’s mountain biking. Also, because the case study said that MMB gets quite a few e-mails from the website. %1-5 of customers I would guess is in the awareness stage. 2. E-mail Marketing Strategy: MMB could implement a e-newsletter or a promotional email listing. Could MMB e-mail that list of 60k instead of mailing print? It would cut costs but still bring awareness to new customers. MMB could also sale some of those pictures with their logo on them via e-mail since there have been inquires for them. 3. Viral Marketing: The pictures that were put on the web site were popular. I would tell Jerry to convince Robin to take more and sale them on his website with MMB’s logo on them. Promotional posters could be sold too. I think the idea with the hats and jackets was a great idea maybe not so much to make a profit but to at least get customers wearing the gear to get the brand more recognition since so many customers are repeat customers getting them to wear the logo will bring awareness to new customers. Let the repeat customers be walking billboards. Maybe offer the caps and jackets to repeat customers to gain loyalty for every year they return. 4. Outline affiliate marketing strategy and 5 websites: Using Amazon.com is a good start. Almost everyone is on Amazon and it almost seems like a mandatory requirement for any company. I don’t know if MMB could sale something to bigger stores like Big 5 and Dick’s Sporting Goods even if it’s just a cap on their companies websites. Since Jerry doesn’t know a lot about photography getting an affiliate to sale those photos and manage the retail of the jackets and caps could help him. IStockPhoto.com is one of the top stock photo selling companies on the Internet. Getting an ad on Big5.com would reach some athletes looking to venture into biking. Another great and necessary way to gain customers is by social media. It’d be great for MMB to get a Facebook. Let the customers tag themselves, upload pictures, and comment on the explorations that MMB is doing. Pay Facebook.com to put ads on their website. MMB tried promoting it’s name in a sporting magazine but why not a specific mountain biking magazine? Or website. Mbaction.com is Mountain Biking Action Magazine’s website and advertising on there could be more beneficial to MMB’s advertising efforts than just a general sporting magazine.