Mktg1501 - Brisk Baristas: Marketing Overview

MKTG1501 Marketing Plan Outline (Part A)      

Brisk Baristas: Marketing overview

(539 words excluding references, tables, titles, labels for figures/tables)

The product we will be offering is “No-wait coffee”. Brisk Baristas will provide a range of coffees (mochas, cappuccinos, flat whites, macchiato, etc.) and light snacks (sandwiches, muffins, wraps, etc.) within UQ’s St Lucia campus. Our service aims to create customer value by providing a unique form of ordering coffee within the campus: customers will be able to pre-order (and pay) online or via a mobile app to minimise or remove waiting times. Given the relaxed time pressure on our baristas, we will be able to provide this value while striving towards high quality coffee to thus maximise customer satisfaction.[pic 1][pic 2]

Our market will be defined via psychographic segmentation. Given prices do not vary significantly between coffees, our service targets consumers with busy lifestyles and consequently a shortage of time. Figure 1 shows approximately half of all coffee consumers belong to the “pick me up” category. This segment of consumers find value with little to no waiting time, and are satisfied with coffee with consistent quality (as opposed to high quality). This market is sustainable given constant growth in UQ student and staff numbers and the increasingly busy lifestyle of millennial students. A large proportion of revenue will be via this segment, giving Brisk Baristas the opportunity to specialise in a market niche.

Brisk Baristas’ marketing plan requires consideration of the demographic, economic, social and technological trends.

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Figure 2 Growth in student numbers at the University of Queensland (University of Queensland, 2017)

Figure 2 suggests a constant growth in students at UQ. Also, given the environment of an education institution, demand for caffeinated foods is noticeably higher. Finally, with our point of differentiation being the use of technology, it is favourable that smartphone usage is steadily increasing in Australia (Wang, 2016). This could however prove detrimental with the possibility of new innovation overtaking our structure.

Table 1 also provides primary data gathered by visiting major competitors individually. Currently, there are no competitors within the area that provide a “no-waiting” service. However, given the low capital cost required to implement it, competitors may adopt this service as well.

Table 1 Competitor waiting times and google ratings

To add value, Brisk Baristas will implement a pickup stall which should eliminate the wait in line and preparation time of making a coffee. At Brisk Barristers, users can place their order through an app (or web browser) and pick it up at a scheduled time convenient to them. This method provides a competitive advantage against UQ competitors by cutting the element of a physical line, and allows students and tutors who have back to back classes get a quality coffee within their 10-minute break. Our functional attributes will be on par with competitors and we will be appealing to our market segment psychologically by eliminating the issue of lack of time.