Final Customer Purchasing from an Intermediary of the Product

Acquire Steps: Acquire steps include all activities the customer completes preceding the purchase of the product. These steps include the customer's efforts needed to identify and evaluate Intermediaries and travel to the Intermediary location.

B.
Resources: Reduce resources required for the use of the product

2.
Time: Reduce the time the customer must spend with the product

A. Reduce steps the customer must use with the product.

Bring products closer to the customer
Target your products on markets with limited competition from the leading industry competitors

Target locations with low populations

No. Year SIC Note
1 1999 5311 Duckwall-Alco Stores' strategy is to run small stores in small markets without competition from larger discount chains.
2 1999 5331 While Sears and other renowned merchants plunked their big stores in the cities and the suburbs, Wal-Mart saw its opportunity in rural America. Wal-Mart chose its sites skillfully, by buzzing an airplane low over the crossroads between small towns.
3 1999 5331 Dollar General isn't hesitant to locate next to a Wal-Mart. Its earnings grew 26% to $182 million last year and its net profit is 5.7% compared to Wal-Mart's 3.2%. Dollar General puts 6,000 sq. ft stores in towns with about 15,000 people.
4 1986 5412 Around 70% of Casey's stores are in towns with populations of 5,000 or less. Most of these lie in the farm belt, where many general stores have closed up, making Casey's the only store in town. Casey's earns an after-tax margin of 2.2%.
5 2003 5621 Lately the merchandisers that have been focusing on the plus-sized market are the smaller companies. A few niche merchandisers are starting to make good money.
6 1996 5941 HIBB's relative market position is more secure than many better known players due to its small market emphasis.
7 2002 5941 Hibbett's sales rose in the fourth quarter by 11.6%. Its small-market strategy is based on bringing top sports brands to small towns. Most of its stores serve towns in the countryside.
8 2002 5943 SPC Office Products tries to open stores 120 miles away from any Staples or Home Depot. It still, however, has to compete with their catalog and online sales.
9 2004 6321 Health Care Inc. provides services to small and mid-size managed care groups and employers. It announced two new contracts with Nevada and Louisiana to supply the prescription drug needs of Louisiana's state workers and their families.
10 2002 7841 Movie Gallery is the nations #3 video-rental retailer and it focuses on secondary markets: small towns and rural areas that have between 5,000-30,000 residents.
11 2002 8062 Health Management is a hospital chain that owns and operates 43 sites in small towns. It is the industry's largest for-profit operator in non-urban areas with sales of $2 billion.

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