Yummy, Yummy I Got Kebab in My Tummy Executive Summary The purpose of this research was to find out the reason behind the decrease in number of customers that comes to kababistan, located in pacific paradise. The report is looking at these reasons and attempted at finding out strategies for the kebab shop to increase their customer base and net profit. For that a proper customer holding strategy was to be adopted and suggested to be practiced in both negative and positive manner. This report has been structured in a way so that the outcome of the research and the findings are displayed in an understandable way for the readers. The report starts with a brief introduction about the research topic, giving the background details of the topic and the significance it holds in the field of research and the industry. The purpose of the research and the problem statement has been added too. The research question has been formulated and the boundaries that were faced while conducting the research were put forward too. From the whole discussion it has been found that a combined approach to marketing communications, with a straight approach to digital marketing would help Kababistan to reach their goal. Table of content Introduction 4. Purpose 4. Background and significance 4. Research question and objectives 5. Research Boundaries 5. Report outline 6. Literature Review 6. Introduction 6. Strategies To Know Customer Like And Dislikes 7. Observe Customer Retention 7. Invite Comments From The customers 8. Make Use Of Online Potential 8. Conduct Market Research 8. Making Offer 9. Use Of Social Media 9. Methodology 10. Introduction 10. Sources of data and Justification 10. Sampling 11. Proposed analysis 11-12. List of References 13. 1. Introduction The following report is about a proposal that intends to find out the reasons behind the decrease in the number of customers for Kababistan, located in Pacific Paradise. The report would look at these reasons and attempt at finding out strategies for kebabistanto increase their customer base and net profit. 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this report is to come up with strategy in increasing customer that comes to the kababistan. For that a proper customer holding strategy needs to be adopted and practiced in both negative and positive manner. 1.2 Background and significance The reduction in sales at kebabistan is as a result of increase in competition. The shop is facing competition from other food shops that are near the Pacific Paradise. Such shops include Domino’s, Eagle boys, Sushi noodle, Pizza capers, Indian and Srilankan Restaurant and Tavern. Another reason that might have led to the decrease in the sales of kebabs at kebabistan is ignoring the changing tastes and ideals of the Australian customers. Many kebab shops in Australia have moved to Adana kebab and Shish kebab but kebabistan is yet to start selling the traditional Turkish kebab. Research question and objectives The research question that this study wants to answer is: What strategies can kebabistan hold to increase its customer base and net profit? Research Objectives To determine what customer likes and dislikes about kebabistan To determine how marketing strategies such as the use of social media can be used to increase the customer base and net profits at kebabistan. 1.3 Research Boundaries Research boundaries include limitations that are out of the control of the researchers. The shortcomings and effects on the research methodology and conclusions needs to be considered while conducting any research. The limitations faced while conducting this research were the limits of time. The primary source of data has been selected for this research, which is apparently not enough for such researches. Integration of additional methods of data collection might have expanded the scope and detail of the analyses. Due to lack of wide experience in primary data collection, at times the nature operations were insufficient and compromised with (Shipman 2014). 1.4 Report outline This report has been structured in a way that is understandable way to the reader. The report starts with a brief introduction about the research topic, giving the background details of the topic and the significance it holds in the field of research and the industry. The purpose of the research and the problem statement has been added too. The research question has been formulated and the boundaries that were faced while conducting the research were put forward too. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Kababistan has identified the terrible need of holding their existing customers and also obtaining new customers to improve their customer base and net profits. Prior to lodging on the holding strategy, it is important for them to understand their customers to make sure their chosen holding strategy is in line with the existing customer base. For that a proper profile is required to be built up of the customers with whom they would be interacting. Holding is all about engaging the existing customer base to obtain wealthy amount analytical insights about the customers, how they remain in touch with the organization and what is their purchasing pattern. Appropriate holding tactics that works in most of the situations are search engine optimization, emailing tactics, social media marketing, affiliate marketing and monitoring, managing and measuring the performance of the organization. The most important business metric in ensuring a strong customer base and good share of profits is maintenance of customer loyalty. With the advancement in technology digital marketing has become an impactful tool in ensuring the building of brand loyalty and organizational success. 2.2 Strategies To Know Customer Like And Dislikes Understanding the needs of customers and responding to them in the right manner is the secret for business success. Once the needs are understood, the business has to communicate the benefits of the available services or products to prospective customers so as to attract and retain them (Sharma, 2008). However, many enterprises fail to identify the likes and dislikes of their customers or lack the means to interact which gives them a chance to understand their customers better. Every business seeking to know its customer’s interests has to engage in research to identify the market needs. The following are some of the strategies Kebabistan can apply to establish what the customers like or not like in their products. 2.3 Observe Customer Retention Customer loyalty is a precious asset to any business. Customers become loyal to business when they are satisfied with their relationship with it. Satisfied customers will keep coming back for more service or products. If they are unhappy with what they get, they will react by failing to come to the shop. The business should take note of how often the buyers come back to the business (Schultz, 2010). It should also observe whether old consumers will attract others to the business. When people are happy with the services, they will encourage the people close to them to experience the same. 2.4 Invite Comments From The customers The business should design a way that will encourage the customers express their genuine comments about the products. Some people are bold enough to express their views directly while others would be more comfortable if they were allowed some privacy. Whatever method is used, the idea is to allow the employees express their opinions (Witkowska, 2010). Since consumer demands keep changing, it the process of seeking customer opinions should be a continuous process. 2.5 Make Use Of Online Potential Nowadays,many people are using the internet to shop for goods and services. Kebabistan should invest in website to attract online traffic that can later be converted into physical customers (Sharma, 2008). The website can be used by the clients to express their views if they would not like to disclose their identity. The website should have a facility allowing the clients make their views for the business to gather and respond to them. 2.6 Conduct Market Research Market research can help identify the needs of the customers in depth as the market may cover a large area. Market researchers have the resources to cover the entire market and deliver the desired results (Schultz, 2010). It will help to hire expert advice on the best method to use to reach out to the targeted prospects. Some forms of market research may not work well for the business. The choice of the method to use depends on the type of market being targeted by the research. The research should be specific on establishing the needs of the market as. 2.7 Making Offer Making offers to the customers allows the business to establish how the market rates the products. If consumers like the products, they will take advantage of the offers but will avoid the same if they have issues with the product or service. Many clients will rush to cash in on the offer if the products are of good quality (Rao, 2016). While seeking to find the likes or dislikes of customers, it should be noted that there is no single strategy that can deliver the desired results (Kursunluoglu, 2014). A number of strategies may be tried jointly for the best results. Hiring a professional marketer is required to choose the best option. 2.8 Use Of Social Media In modern times, a lot of communication is conducted on social media. People air their views on various issues on social media sites and these can form a good way of finding out how the market thinks about your products or services. The internet has many tools you can use to know the views of the public about you (Sharma, 2008). However, some of them are costly to small businesses but many of them are within reach of kebabistan. The business can use Google Alerts by adding its name to search parameters and add an alert. This method ensures you get all the details about what people are saying about the business so you can take appropriate action. 3. Methodology 3.1 Introduction Turkish Kebab needs to determine the best method to use to expand its customer base. For it to reach this objective, it needs to gather information from the customers. The most effective method of gathering the information is by using a questionnaire (Rao, 2016). Using a questionnaire is a reliable way of getting the views of the consumers regarding the services or products they buy. The questionnaire has to be specific to allow the employees give the expected responses. Questionnaires provides insights into the customers who buy the goods or services and how better one can improve the services to them. 3.2 Sources of data and Justification In the scope of academic researches, the method data collection is a crucial pillar of the whole research project. The obtaining of data contains the complete development of knowledge by means of effective research data collection. The quality of the collected data largely influences the research quality and its outcome. Therefore, it is important to appropriately decide on the data collection method. In this regard, two types of data classes have been identified - primary and secondary. Primary data is collected via interviews and surveys, whereas secondary data is collected via different books, journals, newspaper articles and web articles (O’Leary 2013). In this research project the collection of primary data has been carried out by surveying the customers of Kebabistan to get an idea of their preferences and likes and dislikes, which would help the shop in modifying their business approaches to generate more business and gain and hold customers. This research project has sections of both primary and secondary data in order to employ a more effective data collection process for gaining of broader insight on the research issue. 3.3 Sampling Since it is not possible to get every customer fill the questionnaire, the business has to identify who will be targeted in the survey (Lamb, 2010). The selected group has to be most representative of the customers. Thus, the business has to use some common qualities of the sample to use depending on the overall target for the exercise. Having a wide range of views from the customers will allow the business to find the best action to take to grow its client’s base and eventually improve its sales and profits. The selections of respondents can be based on gender, age, occupation, nationality, income range, and other relevant factors. Each of these categories will provide different perspectives necessary to shape the decision of the marketing team to develop the right strategy. 3.4 Proposed analysis Respondents by gender Number of respondents % Men 10 45.45 Women 12 54.54 Total respondents 22 100 Respondents by age Age bracket Respondents % 18 – 25 4 18.18 26 – 30 3 13.63 31 – 35 4 18.18 36 – 40 5 22.72 41 – 50 3 13.63 60 and above 3 13.63 Total 22 100.0 The analysis of the responses depends will be grouped into two categories, gender and age. From the two groups, the management will determine how to design its marketing strategy that is effective. It is important to group the customer prospects so that the marketing strategies are designed with a view of addressing the needs of each category. All the categories are important and their interests have to be addressed (Witkowska, 2010). From these results, it is easy to tell the number of customers that the business can depend for its push to increase sales. Its customer base is well represented by all age brackets. Thus, when developing its marketing plans, it can create one targeting all the groups instead of focusing on the groups individually. In conclusion, Kebabistan can understand the likes and dislikes of its customers by conducting a market research using questionnaires. The questionnaires used must be designed well for them to deliver the desired objective (Kursunluoglu, 2014). Questionnaires may vary from one market to another and they can also be adjusted from time to time. The process needs to be continuous since the situation in the market is not static. List of References Kursunluoglu, E. (2014). Shopping centre customer service: creating customer satisfaction and loyalty. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 32(4), pp.528-548. Lamb, C. (2010). Marketing. 1st ed. Cape Town, South Africa: Oxford University Press Southern Africa. O'Leary, Z., 2013. The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage. Rao, A. (2016). From Brand to Customer.Journal of Creating Value, 2(1), pp.18-30. Schultz, D.E., 2010. Integrated brand marketing and measuring returns. In Integrated Brand Marketing and Measuring Returns (pp. 58-93). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Sharma, S. (2008).Service marketing. 1st ed. Jaipur: Paradise Publishers. Shipman, M.D., 2014. The limitations of social research. Routledge. Sirkeci, I., 2016. Transnational Döner Kebab taking over the UK.Transnational Marketing Journal, 4(2), pp.143-158. Witkowska, A. (2010). Creating own Brand Equity Versus Customer Loyalty in a Commercial Enterprise. JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, 3(1), pp.109-115. Rao, A. (2016). From Brand to Customer.Journal of Creating Value, 2(1), pp.18-30.