— Matilde Olivero
Director of O & L Consultores Asociados/ Delegate of the Dreamingmarkets Platform in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay
What can strategic planning bring to a market?
Strategic planning is clearly a work tool that should be designed prior to any intervention in an existing market or the start-up of a new market. Always the fundamental thing will be the implementation - which is also part of the planning -. If the route is not planned and where you want to go, there are risks of unnecessary deviations, unforeseen events and even a possible deformation in the first idea of what market we want.
Therefore, the contribution of strategic planning is to give us a road map, where we will go to reach the goal. I would add that this planning must be flexible and allow for modifications as we go about implementing it. In today's changing world, we can not afford not to have options for change to initial planning. It is always good to be attentive to the risks, changes and innovations that may arise during the time we are planning and implementing, in this way we will be thinking about a market for the future.
What are the most common deficits of Market traders?
Here I think it is key to first consider the characteristics of market traders. In general, they manage small businesses that are usually transferred from generation to generation, therefore they are companies with an important bias of: small family businesses, which in many cases generate income similar to a dependent job and this is how merchants usually see it; finally they do not usually have the requirement of an administrator who professionally manages the joint commercial space, especially when the markets have been privatized to an association of inexperienced traders where the high delinquency in payments to generate income and sustain management make a plan untenable of improvements that do not even exist in general; or if they are managed by the public sector, they usually have subsidies that can be translated into: in a low rent or be exempt from it, the non-payment of expenses or common expenses, without penalties or fines in case of not paying the obligations, the non-contribution for the improvement and maintenance of the infrastructure and others; all these situations are usually harmful since the products, services, attention and staging of the stores are not valued by the merchant who usually settle for a subsistence income under the conditions mentioned.
Los niveles educativos suelen ser los mínimos y no suele haber formación o especialización en la gestión del negocio y hasta incluso en la especialización del negocio.
The educational levels are usually the minimum and there is usually no training or specialization in business management and even in the specialization of the business.
These mentioned characteristics are a great obstacle for the development of a joint brand, if the determination is not made to change, improve and project in the medium term both in each trade as in the set of them, I would say that the failure will occur in the short term.
I think we have to deepen the merchants' comprehension of the concept of "shopping experience" and give it a place in the personalized service trade, because that concept contains many key aspects of competitiveness. Today, consumers value the attention they receive, the solution of problems, advice and direct benefits.
To the extent that there are no improvements will continue to increase the loss of competitiveness of market traders with respect to other commercial formats.
On the other hand, it is difficult for them to work together, either to carry out joint business actions, negotiations with authorities and others that in the collaborative economy of today is fundamental forms of joint work for survival.
I would say that without a management model that is in line with the current needs of traders, consumers, users and governments, markets will tend to maintain or deepen their failure until they disappear.
The changes are possible and can be observed in several places in the Latin American region, where the determination to change and the professional team work, has managed to revitalize this commercial format and its merchants.
What brand value does a Market have?
The brand value of a market will depend on pre-existing factors as well as the development of the attributes of the desired brand.
The retail market is a commercial format that existed more than a century ago and that throughout history was mutating - at best - at other times remained unchanged, which generated a significant loss of the value of the brand Market.
Now, it is possible to rethink the value of the brand of a market, as long as we give the content expected by customers, they are what make "the wheel of value" of the brand grows or dwindles. Therefore, I understand that one aspect to consider - to focus on one, since the concept is broad - is what the Market gives its clients to give them value and how they communicate - in today's world - their attributes, values, principles and benefits for them. Are we meeting your needs? Do we take into account the values and principles of our clients or potential clients? As long as we respect our customers and exceed their expectations, they will value our brand.
What can be done to get new customers to the Market?
In the first place, I would mention the improvement of the content of a market, that is to say: the commercial mix of the market must adapt to what customers and future customers want. Secondly, the improvement of infrastructure according to the demands of the current public, which certainly are not the same as 50 years ago. Clients are increasingly demanding in terms of services in an infrastructure (reformed): thermal conditioning, cleaning, security, internet connection, being able to make online payments, etc. Third, but not less important than the other points mentioned, I would say "the shopping experience"; At present, there are chains of supermarkets and supermarkets that are seeing their sales diminish year by year, as customers increasingly use electronic commerce means for their purchases. Therefore, I understand that we should appeal to the senses, emotions, nostalgia and modernization in the place of purchase, so that potential customers want to approach a market. Without stopping to modernize and take advantage of all the technological advances.
In this sense, I suggest that markets focus (when we talk about strategic planning), in sharing, living together, accompanying, in short: being with others, so that we can think of a commercial format that lasts and that complies at the same time with a social purpose
You can make your purchases alone, but if you want to live a fuller experience, you will surely want to share it. It would seem then, that the gastronomic component in a market, will play a relevant role in the renewal of this format.
— Rodolfo Rodríguez Campos
General Director of R & E Agri-Food Consultants/ Delegate of the Dreamingmarkets Platform in Costa Rica
What can strategic planning bring to a market?
Strategic planning starts from a serious analysis of the organization (market), its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Next, an analysis of the immediate environment or circle of immediate influence (partners, customers, competitors) is carried out to conclude with the analysis of the distant environment such as the macro economy and the policies that influence the organization positively or negatively.
With the previous base, the strategic objectives are defined, as well as the short, medium and long term strategies.
A serious organization must be able to carry out a thorough analysis of the situation outlined above and, above all, respect the objectives and strategies proposed. This eliminates the old tendency of the general administration to discard the stated objectives and subjectively impose their beliefs or business thoughts. In other words, strategic planning guarantees an objective attention to reality and the sustainability of objectives and strategies over time. Of course, strategic planning should be reviewed every year, even if it has been defined for periods of 4 or 5 years.
Strategic planning allows managers to reach their goals and determine the right path to reach their maximum business goals. Therefore, strategic market planning should seek to minimize its weaknesses and take advantage of its strengths and opportunities.
In the strategic planning of the market, there should always be the objectives of improving competitiveness and generating customer satisfaction through a supply of quality, good price, comfort, services and an adequate infrastructure.
What are the most common deficits of Market traders?
Retailer public markets, mostly municipal administration markets, generally use traditional marketing against modern customer-based marketing that uses the supermarket format.
Within the traditional, we find an important change in the commercial mix that originated in the markets a century ago. In the beginning these traditional markets were established as the benchmark for the food of the people and their offer had that "food" approach. With the passing of time, without realizing the changes that have taken place in demand, traditional markets abandon their raison d'être and incorporate a large number of other non-food products into the markets.
On the other hand, the market tenant presents a high level of individualism, seeking its own benefit, although this harms the collective market.
The tenant is concerned with generating a sale and not so much for winning a client. The personalized attention that is your advantage, is not strengthened by the use of uniforms, promotions, proper labeling, presentation of the product in your premises and in general to anticipate the tastes and preferences of the consumer that requires more and better services in one place.
What brand value does a Market have?
In the inspection marketing system, which is what is done in traditional markets, it is based on a structure called monopolistic competition. In this, the products are essentially the same, but different in the eyes of consumers. This assertion is enough to differentiate our market from others, and this is La Marca, although in this case our product is the collective of the market as a whole.
A market must be differentiated by its brand value, this implies being recognized within its population environment. It is based on its customers, on the trust they place in the market to make their purchases, regardless of whether there are other formats where they can obtain the same products.
The importance of the brand is its sustainability to position it over time in the minds of consumers. Therefore, it is essential to invest some time in its definition and promotion. As much as possible, the brand is not changed.
What can be done to get new customers to the Market?
First, we must start from the actual knowledge of the current clientele, measuring it technically to answer the following questions: how many customers visit us today, where do they live, how much do they buy, what is their frequency of visit, what are their age ranges, among others.
Based on this response, we must define our strategy to attract new customers and retain current ones. It is more expensive for the organization (market) to attract new customers than to keep current ones, so we must start from the knowledge of the current clients, if these are few according to our business expectations, the second strategy will be to try to attract new clients and apply them to these the first strategy, loyalty.
Customer loyalty is then the priority strategy to retain existing and new customers. This strategy should consider the current reality that there is a high level of competitiveness due to a wide variety of commercial formats, all of them trying to satisfy an increasingly demanding customer, which requires facilities to make their purchases in a short time, with a pleasant atmosphere, with products of good quality and price and above all with excellent service.
The adequate commercial mix is a factor of great importance to ensure the permanence and the incorporation of new clients in the markets, in such a way that the client can stock up on all the products and services that he requires in a single room, with a cozy atmosphere, pleasant and immersed in an adequate physical infrastructure.
— Claudia Quiroz Fernández
Specialist in Investigation of social, economic trends, consumer habits and fashion/ Trend watching/ Responsible for the Observatory of Global Trends/ Quirós Fernández Design & Development Connection
What can strategic planning bring to a market?
Undoubtedly, vision, it will be important that this is a vision to the future, to a future that at the moment seems uncertain, for which the new Strategic Planning will have to have a mobile and not fixed objective, ability to reinvent itself in the way.
Always empathic to the needs and expectations of future thought forms.
What brand value does a Market have?
Brand value will be its differential value, as long as it is alienated from global and local social values and demands. Important this new expectation, a paradoxical identity, where we seek to permeate and belong to a global world without losing our identity.
What are the most common deficits of Market traders?
Lack of training and therefore lack of vision and empathy to the. New expectations and speed of the environment.
It will be key to train Leaders with emotional intelligence, who know how to be the interlocutors between what is sold and what is expected to be sold and the markets of the future that go beyond products and quality ... environments of social coexistence is the future.