Channel conflict at Apple
Presented by: Shikhar Saxena PGDM-Marketing (2012-2014)
HOW IT ALL STARTED??
Apple was founded on 1st April 1976 and incorporated on 3rd January 1977. The Apple I , its first offering was better then other machines because: It was priced lower than other computers available at the time. Had fewer parts, & Was marketed to only individuals with an interest in computers and electronic.
In its opening year the sale revenue was about USD 774,000 an impressive start.
HOW THE APPLE GREW
PRODUCTS LAUNCH FEATURES RESPONSE
APPLE I
1977 MOStek 6502 processor. TV as display unit. Big Hit APPLE II MOStek 6502 processor. Color Graphics. 1977 Audio cassette drive for (Upgraded in storage with 4 KB RAM 1978) Later upgraded with floppy disk drive & 48 KB RAM in 1978. Text & Graphics 128 KB RAM Updated System Software
Raked in about US $ 139 million within first 3 yrs. of its launch.
APPLE III 1980
LISA Type: Businesses Machines Launched: 1983 MACINTOSH
Innovative features like: Hand held mouse GUI
Primarily owing to high cost. Personal Users
1984
128 KB Memory 32-bit processor Mac OS that could run on all apple computers. Internet MAC Designed primarily for new users. Low Cost. 10 GB storage 1.8 Hard Drive iPOD shuffle had flash memory.
Big Corporations
iMAC SERIES
iMAC iMAC G5
-1998 -2004
iMAC Mini -2005 iPOD & iTUNES 2001 followed by iTunes in 2003 & iPOD shuffle in 2005
Reasons for apple opening its own retail stores
Increase market share
More control over sale of its products Highly competitive PC market
Better buying experience
Ambience and presentation of products
Building customer base and loyalty
Better understanding of customer needs Problem assessment (Genius Bar) Brand awareness
Apple store
Channel conflict resolution
Concerns of Resellers
Prices were low at apple retail stores predatory practices(discounts) Difficulty in procurements of new apple products Apple shipped new models to its own stores first Apple salesmen used to convince customers to buy only from apple stores. Faulty product return policy Customer data from resellers was used by Apple to approach them directly
Price Variation
Chart Title
1117
iBook
966
eMac
2173
PowerMac G4 Apple retail stores Independent Resellers
1287
Powerbook 12 inch
Minimun Advertised Price (US$)
2092
Titanium
1547
iMac
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Apples Policies towards resellers
Since a major chunk of their revenue came from its own stores it definitely gave preference to them Removal of middlemen to get more profits and build a bigger customer base
Conflict Resolution
Reseller Customer experience Discounts and freebies Adequate stock of accessories Better product presentation and promotion Apple Ensure Adequate inventory level Discounts offered should be identical
Warranty and product return policy should be changed
Discriminatory policies should be changed in revised agreement
Better training to salespersons to resolve customer doubts