Week 4 EOC:There's An App for That

“SmartyPants”

I would like to have an app where people can track their children’s phones. There are a lot of problems with pedophile and people trying to talk to kids over the net by on line chatting, networking sites, and many other ways. This app will be made so parents can tap into any phone that is on their account. You would just download the app, input the number you want to track and all of your acct info to make sure it matches. Then you will have complete access to anything that goes on in the phone. What things are downloaded, any IM chats, any texts sent out or received, any emails sent or received, a history of any and all websites visited.

I think this is good because kids, especially teenagers hide things from their parents or erase things out of their phone for their parents not to see. This is the perfect way for parents to keep a hold of their children’s daily lives and help monitor good decision making skills. I would advertise this app as a security app, for the parents who truly care about their kids. I believe when it comes to your children and their safety you can never be too cautious, making sure your kid is at the location they say they are at is very important. Also knowing whom your children are talking to on a daily basis and what websites they are visiting on a daily basis is very important as well.

As children grow into teenagers they become more distant with their parents, whether it’s because they feel that they don’t understand them, or for many other reasons. This way parents can always stay in tuned with their teenager, know what their into and not into, know what’s bothering and what hurting them. Bullying is very big now of days. This app can definitely start helping parents become more aware and bring this horrible hobby to an end.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

“Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. This group includes several age cohorts: tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). With total purchasing power of more than $733 billion, the Millennials make up a huge and attractive market. One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with digital technology. They don’t just embrace technology; it’s a way of life… A recent study found that 91 percent of Millennials are on the Web, making up 32 percent of all U.S. Internet users. According to another study, 77 percent of Millennials frequent social networking sites and 71 percent use instant messaging… For them, “it’s not something separate. It’s just something they do.” (Marketing an Introduction, Armstrong Kotler, page 73&74)
This is the information I got from the text book and this is how is applies to me… I was born in 1988 and I am 24 years old now, most of what they have to say in this quote, if not everything does relate to me. I am extremely comfortable with digital technology, I did graduate from high school, and I plan on graduating from college next year in 2013. I definitely use social networks and for sure I am on the web everyday. My phone is with me all the time; I have everything on my phone and can’t live without it. I also do a lot of purchasing, even if it’s just food. I don’t really eat fast food; I love nice restaurants and the spa. I spend at least $200 a week on things that I don’t necessarily need and I don’t mind spending $500 on a spa day or $150 on a nice steak in a nice restaurant. Purchasing power is definitely apart of this demographics.

Week 3 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

There are so many different video game manufacturers in the industry now, I honestly don’t know where to start. The video game s a very lucrative market, especially this year, Microsoft “dominated by sales of the Xbox video game system and related products. Revenue from that division grew 15 percent to $4.24 billion from the year-earlier period, reflecting strong sales of the Xbox 360 console, the Kinect game sensor and the Xbox Live online game service.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/technology/weak-sales-of-pcs-hurt-microsofts-income.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=microsoft%20video%20games&st=cse) This is one part of the company that never really suffers and just keeps improving, not only for Microsoft but Nintendo and many other manufacturers as well like Sony. Even though, according to NY Times, “In recent years Sony has been overtaken by more nimble rivals like Apple, which has surpassed Sony in digital music players; Nintendo, which leads Sony in gaming” (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/sony_corporation/index.html?scp=1&sq=nintendo%20revenue&st=cse) "SBUs change their positions in the growth-share matrix... The company needs to add new products and units continuously so that some of them will become stars and, eventually, cash cows that will help finance other SBUs." (Marketing an Introduction, Armstrong Kotler, page45) According to CNET Reviews, if we were to make a BCG analysis for the video game market; the XBOX 360 Kinect would be our cash cow; the Wii would be the Star; the Question Mark would be the Sony PlayStation 3; and the Dog would be a Nintendo 3DS. Of course everyone’s opinion is different but according to statics and peoples opinion this is the best possible analysis.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

I am currently in high-end retail so I deal with customer loyalty and making sure I deliver a great customer service experience to our customers everyday. Therefore I know the importance of customer service, especially when spending a large amount of money on something that you can always buy from somewhere else and maybe even get a better deal on it. One of the best experiences I have ever had with customer service had to be at Nordstrom, they not only care about their customers but they care about the experience that their customers receive. I have had plenty of time where I brought something and regret it later, when shopping at Nordstrom’s I never have that problem. The last time I shopped at Nordstrom I was in a rush to buy a dress to go out for the evening, I didn’t try it on because I didn’t have time. I just brought the size I thought was going to fit and left in a hurry. I had to get dressed in a friend’s car in a parking garage, and go figure. The dress didn’t fit right, I had to run to the Forums shops in Caesars Palace and buy another dress. This time I tried it on and just wore it out the store. The next day when I went to Nordstrom’s to take the dress back and felt so embarrassed for many reasons. The first was because it smelt horrible, it smelt like smoke and at least 4 different perfumes, the dress was wrinkled from being sat on by whoever was sitting in the back seat, and to top it off I couldn’t find my receipt. Not only did Nordstrom return the dress for me, they were so nice and understanding. They returned my money the to my card with no problem. They truly made me a customer for life. “Good customer relationship management creates customer delight. In turn, delighted customers remain loyal and talk favorably to others about the company and its products. Studies show big differences in the loyalty of customers who are less satisfied, somewhat satisfied, and completely satisfied. Even a slight drop from complete satisfaction can create an enormous drop in loyalty. Thus, the aim of customer relationship management is to create not just customer satisfaction, but customer delight.” (Marketing Introduction, Armstrong Kotler, page 21)

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

I absolutely love everything that has to do with fashion, from the fashion shows to the production of a new collection for a new season. I believe fashion has a way of capturing everyone’s attention, no matter who you are and what your sense of style may be. Fashion is something that I have always had a sincere passion for, which started when I was very young. Every since I could remember, I have always picked out my own clothes to wear to school, and always played “Dress Up” in my mother’s clothes. However, in my heart my true love is for the business side of it all. I am currently working in high-end retail and I must say evaluating consumer buying habits first hand has been quite an experience for me. I love giving good customer service and working with people every day. I chose high-end retail because I have an eye for detail and quality, I believe in “you pay for what you get” in most cases. So now you can understand a little better why becoming a buyer for a major designer or department store is truly my dream. I graduate in the spring of 2013 and I am preparing to study in Paris after my graduation, I believe to really understand a country’s sense of fashion you must understand their culture and why their fashion sense is the way it is. Fashion is an industry that not only constantly changes and transforms on a regular basis, but it also constantly repeats itself over time. So that means I am constantly learning new things and gaining new experiences every day. This is the only industry that I truly feel the most comfortable in and feel as if I fit perfectly.