Final Customer Purchasing from an Intermediary of the Product

Maintain Steps: Maintain steps include all activities required to keep the product in working order. These steps include the costs the customer incurs to diagnose and correct product problems.

2.
Emotional: Segment customers according to the personal emotional needs of the segment.

A. Needs for comfort and status

2. Status through the recognition of customer’s individual needs for product.

Convenience of:

Maintenance and service

No. SIC Year Note
1 0 2000 America Online meticulously measures customer loyalty and purchase patterns to guide its decisions about strategy, marketing and site designs. It also monitors the root causes of calls to its customer support center in hopes of remedying the problem and cutting support costs.
2 4800 2005 After two decades of bulking up, Verizon and SBC Communications boast nationwide reach and every flavor of modern communications: local, long-distance, wireless, Internet and, if their plans bear fruit, television.
3 4841 2005 Comcast's digital cable service offers an assortment of HD channels. It insists on sending out a technician to install HD because of the complexity of choosing the right connections. The setup takes only a few minutes and adds about $7 to the cable bill.
4 5122 2001 AmeriSource's success as a drug distributor has been attributed to good cost control and a focus on customer service. "We empower our managers to make decisions at the distribution center level."
5 5311 1991 Sears lost its No. 1 spot in retailing to Wal-Mart. Sears' new KidVantage program features brand names, a frequent-purchase card and the free replacement of clothes if they wear out while the child's the same size.
6 5399 2005 At Wawa store managers have the best information on store operations and improving the performance of vendors. Twice a year the managers formally assess selected vendors' delivery accuracy, customer service, and other attributes. Vendors are then given an opportunity to discuss the feedback and determine what steps should be taken to improve performance.
7 5411 2001 Whole Foods staff is allowed to take risks. This is consistent with the store's attitude of empowerment and creative freedom for its workforce. In addition, Whole Foods sometimes sacrifices its own profits to please the customer.
8 5599 1997 Republic's AutoNation USA is an auto distributor that will sell, finance, lease, rent, repair, and recondition cars. Store amenities include children's play areas and computer kiosks displaying pictures, descriptions of cars in stock.
9 5621 2001 Chico's uses basic easy-care fabrics with loose fit and bright colors for their garments which range from about $20 to about $150. Their new items are well-marketed, though their clothing is meant to last throughout many seasons as basic items.
10 5731 1994 At Radio Shack, customers can call a toll-free number to get a general idea of whether a product is worth repairing. For $20, a prospective customer can get an itemized estimate that will be applied to the repair bill.
11 5734 2001 Apple Computer's retail stores are all staffed with onsite technicians to perform any necessary repairs.
12 5945 2001 Amazon and Toys 'R' Us teamed up in 2000. Amazon runs the Web site and delivers the goods. The combined store brought in $124 million in sales in past holiday season. Toys 'R' Us didn't have customers complaining about late deliveries.
13 5961 1997 Many of USOP's middle-market customers have requested technology services, as many of these customers are now approaching the size where hiring help for systems architecture is becoming a necessity.
14 6021 2004 For family trusts, rapid turnaround loans, and individually managed portfolios that may total in just the hundreds of thousands of dollars, smaller banks might be better-and more affordable.
15 6141 2001 A recent study found that four of five shoppers prefer not to shop around for the best deals- they'd rather stick with the tried and true, indicating an emotional connection. However, most customers don't feel important to the companies that they use. A credit card company sent out letters to customers who had fallen behind in their bills. The letter asked them to call to resolve the problem with credit counseling. The response rate and payments were high.
16 7375 2000 AOL is vulnerable in new technologies such as broadband and wireless Internet services. MSN isn't. Its new software is called MSN Explorer and it is easier to use and it packages its many services. MSN plans to attract new customers by continuing a $400 rebate program.
17 7375 2003 MSNAutos.com and Cars.com offer automotive prices and let consumers set up maintenance schedules for their cars online.

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