Introduction
Consumers behavior is an important aspect of determining the most successful marketing plan and, therefore, quite elemental in providing a marketing strategy. Essentially, consumer behavior involves an individual or an organization, as well as the procedures involved in determining the requisite products, experiences or even ideas that can satisfy consumer demands and their effects on consumers’ purchasing pattern. In order to develop a pro-active determination of consumers behaviors, organizations blend psychological, social and anthropological aspects of consumer behaviors to settle at the most effective approach to consumers strategic positioning. Such an analysis improves market segments beyond the contemporary one through the efficiency and effectiveness in segmentation.
In understanding the consumers behavior, an organization analyzes both demographical and behavioral variables in order to comprehend individual and group needs. The analysis of customers behavior is basically entrenched in analyzing consumer buying trends with the centrality of the customer in the three main roles as buyers, payers and users. In understanding customers behavior, one of the most important aspects of the analysis is relationship marketing, which embarks on re-discovery of the implication of marketing through the conviction on the importance of business clients as an asset to the business. Furthermore, consumer behavior also involves the analysis of the consumer retention capacity, management of customer management, customization as well as direct marketing prospects (Marketdata Enterprises, 1999).
Understanding the General Consumer Decision Process
Consumer decision process is grounded on different factors that describe the behaviors of consumers in analyzing and subsequent purchasing of the actual firm products. Understanding consumer behaviors is quite essential as it enables a business to channel its sales presentations towards satisfying specific consumers needs. Indeed, consumers fit in four distinct categories, namely achievers, belongers, socially conscious, and emulators. Belongers comprise of a segment of patriotic consumers who confine their purchases to a specific business with minimal if any externalities. This group is often influenced by fellow clients in making purchase decisions. For instance, such a group may patronize boutique purchases simply because their allies do and do not want to be exempted from the purchasing activities. Besides that, the belongers consumer groups also believe in communal lifestyle and cohesiveness. This implies that such groups also move along with packs. Furthermore, belongers like to engage in purchasing approaches that are easy to comprehend and, therefore, very easy to recognize by a business. Consequently, when a business makes presentations towards belongers, it is important to place details of customers in the neighborhood of the belongers with similar consumer tastes and preferences. This group of consumers also prefers such phrases as “my favorite brand” among others and forms a base for analyzing their behaviors (Qatar Financial Centre, 2009).
On the other hand, emulators form a group of consumers that basically prefer to have what others already have, which often takes the course of imitating famous personalities and the rich. Indeed, such consumers are highly characterized with high image consciousness with close focus on the general or outward features of the products. In particular, the emulators revolve all their products needs around sexual appeals. Consequently, their purchasing behaviors revolves are based exclusively on abilities of the product with respect to enhancing its appearance and appealing facets. As a result, the group lacks fortified ethical focus and, therefore, follows short routes to achieving success and fame. For instance, emulators would max-out new credit cards within a week’s time after reception. Furthermore, such consumers are renowned for over spending in non-essential matters while at the same time being hyper-sensitive to any level of price increment. In general, emulators often look for a perfect market situation on any enterprise product. Consequently, such people often get trapped into purchasing imitations, as well fake goods with an over accessorized strategy. In this particular group of consumers, sales can be established more amicably through engaging in sensitizing debate on the end-result based on fulfillment gained after consuming the product (Marketdata Enterprises, 1999).
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Order nowThe achiever group of consumers comprises of the real group of consumers who base their purchases on the factual features of the products. Indeed, this group endeavors for success with a view to achieving individual goals. The group is justly successful, free from show off and, therefore, highly time conscious. Furthermore, the group also demands that the sales team undertake a fast and no-nonsense pitch of sales, which focuses on the factual aspect of the product, as well as sales prospects with respect to advantages of consumption of the product, as well as the pricing mechanism of the specific product.
Besides that, Achievers also have the aggregate earmarks of success. They own the most sophisticated assets, such as cars and expensive homestead features. However, achievers are not particularly sensitive to the price of the products but prioritize product quality and, therefore, focus on values and the domino effect. Achievers further isolate themselves from the crowd effect but strive to sustain uniqueness through making purchases of distinct products differentiated through quality and are free from snobbery despite their attachment to gaining the best of reward from personal hard work.
Finally in this context, the socially conscious consumer group is classified into two distinct groups, namely social drop-ins and hippy drop-outs. Despite having distinct ideas on each category with a view to achieving individual goals, the two categories share common agendas in the sense that they aim at fixing the world with environmental consciousness. The socially conscious group also craves to acquire substantial information with respect to business product and service. In this regard, such a group basically attempts to understand the operation prospects of the business commodities. Like the achievers, the socially responsible group deeply anchors their decision prospects on the best offer in terms of the quality of product or service. In addition to that, the group is highly tactful and more practical in making purchases and feels socially responsible for interrogating the business premises on the product value and quality. Indeed, the socially conscious group also focuses on the developing hand camps particularly from the extracts of coupons (Marketdata Enterprises, 1999).
As a result of the group facets, it appears that this group is particularly one of the hardest to sell to and, therefore, requires frantic approaches to Business Process Management (BPM). In real life sales, a business should therefore engage in persistent analysis due to the shift in consumer behaviors with respect to the contemporary purchases being established. For instance, consumers may have achievers features when purchasing a home asset, while on the other hand, behaves as a socially conscious consumer when donating to charity. As a result, the preliminary aspect of developing a successful success presentation, a business should focus on the identification and subsequent fulfillment of the individual needs of the customers. Indeed, it is clear that a rehearsed universal presentation of sales is bound to fail at the rate of 75 percent on the timeline, thus the importance of understanding the varying features of customers behaviors, which guides the formulation of the, most effective sales presentation structures (Marketdata Enterprises, 1999).
Target Market Segment
CrossFit targets the population in Kuwait City. The city has a population of around 40,000 people. The concern about living a healthy lifestyle is one that concerns of everybody. However, concern about fitness is mainly associated with the young population. Approximately 96% of the population in Kuwait leaves in urban areas. As such, any city’s population profile may conform to the nation as.
Factors that Influence Decisions on Specific Market Segmentation, Circuit Plus of Kuwait
Circuit Plus is a fitness center in Kuwait, which is a new innovative enterprise in the region that offers services such as boot camps and CrossFit workouts using fight exercise drills among other modern workouts together with a class-oriented approach to balance off the main programs. Indeed, the center aims at providing unique and entertaining environment in the form of a gym. In the center, non-athletic people also enjoy the workouts due to integration of the enticing and famous CrossFit training program. Furthermore, the center also enables professional athletes to develop their professional caliber through proficiency and scalable exercises in the environment of the center. While at the center, the coaches are responsible for enhancing the perfection of the trainees techniques, and at the same time, the group workout tends to maximize individual motivations (Bell, Raiffa, & Tversky, 1988).
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Essentially, the Circuit premises segments its market through a well laid plan with respect to the business client positioning. Indeed, the Kuwait based fitness center has developed into a renowned fitness hub in the region due to its sharp focus on satisfying its clients through the management of aspects of distributors, fitness clubs, as well as the vertical market projections. Indeed, the Circuit fitness equipment is virtually distributed across the precincts of the US via various distribution agents and direct supply from manufacturers. However, most of the fitness equipment that determines the end market segment is distributed through distributors. This therefore implies that the distribution channel is characterized with a large number of players in the US and perhaps implying that Circuit fitness imports have many distributors and end consumers as the main target consumers. In the light of the above, Circuit Plus analyzes the consumer trend with respect to preferences of the fitness products from various manufacturers and set to acquire the most contemporary and high-rated fitness products. However, due to sparseness of data regarding distributors, the center has established a technologically driven approach to the distribution analysis, as well as the consumer behavioral patterns within the vicinity of the US and the Middle East. Essentially, research findings also indicate that about 60 percent of the fitness club market comprises of independent clubs and, therefore, the rational of the business marketing strategy of the Circuit Plus Center. On the other hand, about 40 percent of the fitness club market comprises of franchises and chains, which at times base their purchases on distributing agents with superior purchasing power and direct purchases from the actual producers (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
On the other hand, health clubs emerge as the second biggest market of fitness equipment. This therefore forms a major market segment for the Circuit Plus fitness center through enhanced service delivery, as well as provision of high-rated fitness equipment by virtue of consumer behavior analysis in the region and beyond. Furthermore, shifts in demographics are also a significant aspect that helps Circuit Plus in defining its market with respect to health clubs. Furthermore, according to the analytical findings of the center, the majority of fitness oriented people merge from urban centers while obscuring the remote based client base. While identifying the prospective clients, the center’s analytical findings also show that about 22 percent of fitness oriented groups are generally enthusiastic, which is manifested by their 50 days stay at home and 96 days stay at clubs every year. Additionally, further statistics that assists the center in identifying its respective market segment is based on the findings that about 23 percent and 16 percent of the people exercise at homes and in the clubs respectively within the metropolitan areas. Furthermore, about 5 percent of all facilities in clubs are confined to female clients while leaving the biggest proportion to the male and general client facilities (Fitness NSW, 1998).
With respect to vertical markets, the Circuit Plus Center also focuses on non-health related clubs where a significant proportion of clients attend to, for recreation and fitness purposes, which constitute a significant proportion of consumers if well tapped and, therefore, capitalize on extending its scope to cover up hospital, hotels and apartment complexes with respect to offering fitness services. Of late, it has been discovered that the fitness market is growing quite fast due to the increased demand for consumers to conveniently access exercise facilities. Consequently, this helps the fitness center to tap a significant proportion of fitness clients through improved facilities and the classical approach to fitness prompts.
Furthermore, the cross fitness Circuit Plus Center also uses a tri-fold market segment strategy in defining its prospective market segment based on some critical reasons as elaborated above. For instance, the distribution network involves a chained relay of fitness products with health clubs making the bulk of purchases and perhaps the main competitor in the industry. On the other hand, health clubs have varying sizes and superior purchasing powers, which eventually eliminate the dominance of distributors and limits the lobbying of distributors on the actual product manufacturers, while at the same time, produces a subsequent change in cost of services within fitness centers, thus affecting the complex chain of fitness supply. Finally in this context, vertical markets fall outside the traditional industry with respect to the costs of fitness equipment. In such a situation, the Circuit Plus Center subdues the challenge by establishing direct purchases from producers, which does not only reduce costs of operations, but also eases the logistical aspects of the business, thus promoting management prospects of the center and allowing time for innovativeness (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
On account of the product development of the Circuit Plus Center, the center identifies the American market as the soundest market for its fitness products. Rating it at about $5.8 billion, the center identifies the market and categorizes it as an isolated industry and perhaps the main market for sporting products. On account of growth, fitness markets realized a growth of approximately 6 percent in the year 2000. Essentially, the fitness industry has witnessed momentous growth accelerated by increased campaigns on the important correlation between fitness and health aspects of people. In particular, the societal epidemic with respect to obesity has compelled people to look for alternative non-dietary measures aimed at combating the ailments. Consequently, this has made most of the American population love and appreciate the importance of fitness with respect to their individual health. As the saying has been going, “looking good is less important relative to feeling good”. Indeed, the demand for fitness by the current generation has increasingly gained significance in the public domain since it has consistently produced intuitive appeals to good health. Furthermore, various organizations and individualized entities have grown to large enterprises with high disposable incomes that have become an important pillar in developing classical fitness in order to contain diet-related ailments besides promoting happiness in individual lifestyles (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
As modernity sets in, there has been a relative rise in demand for services perhaps by use of machines that would provide the highest possible fitness satisfaction since free time has progressively declined due to changed economic aspects of society in the US and other global points. Consequently, the center has continued to find out major improvement mechanisms in developing high powered fitness services through advanced technology driven machines in the fitness industry and perhaps luring majority of the clients from both western and eastern regions of the world, as well as focusing on the rigid local clients whose feeling for the fitness activity has also began to rise proportionately with the rise in health demands for improved health. Indeed, the insurgence of a hotel that offers fitness services has also tended to diversify the scope of fitness programs. In attempt to diversify its scope, Circuit Plus has an extensive IT oriented program, which integrates technological interventions in the business framework (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
The products and equipment used by the firm are basically those oriented towards establishing a high-rated level of consumer satisfaction from a diverse perspective of sources. For instance, the Precor is the main producer of fitness equipment. However, Circuit Plus capitalizes on the commercial line of graded equipment, particularly the cardiovascular appliances. Other Circuit Plus prospective suppliers include the Paramount and the Cybex. Paramount comprises of a number of light commercial fitness appliances only, while on the other hand, Cybex capitalizes on light fitness appliances with mid-price points. This is perhaps one of the main suppliers of fitness equipment to Circuit Plus and the price of their equipment ensures effective price determination of fitness product and services at the Circuit premises. Cybex therefore plays a significant role in the 12 hour schedule of fitness services of Circuit Plus and contributes significantly to the progress of the center, particularly in the vertical market situation (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
Kuwait City has approximately 2.35 million people. The population is dominated by young people with a medium age of 28 years. The per capita income is $43,000, forming one of the wealthiest populations in the world. The maturity age for females is 15 years, while for males, it is 17 years. This makes the country have a higher fertility rate of more than 4 children per homestead. As such, the demand for fitness to handle daily activities effectively is likely to be associated with youth. They may also be able to withstand the demanding movements, leave alone making it a life time commitment. Linking these variables to various aspects of consumer behavior will offer a better opportunity to optimize the product (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
Product of Trade, Circuit Plus
Essentially, Circuit Plus Fitness Center trades have an exclusive product in the form of a fitness program by virtue of fitness products, especially like a gym with specific equipment, such as the elliptical and footgear for the athlete trainees. This program is commonly referred to as the Circuit Plus Athlete Program. This program is offered on weekly schedule, which marks a progressive check of the clients fitness conditions. Basically, this program is focused on capturing clients from the East, mainly from within the region. Every week’s schedule of the program is aimed at achieving a specific program in the fitness prospect of the clients. In particular, the program officers are responsible for ensuring that clients gain general skills blended with some specific skills upon the completion of the program so as to improve lifestyles and general perception of people towards fitness as a way of improving lives in the context of practicing a healthy lifestyle. Such a program further demands that people engage in both mental and physical preparation prior to the exercise regardless of practical involvement in the competition every time within the practice period. For instance, in the event of complete practice, an individual is supposed to not only complete any workouts. Instead, the later may involve working on two of the three movements simultaneously, which helps generate Completion Workouts and efficiency in the transition between adjacent workouts (Marketdata Enterprises, 1999).
The Circuit Plus CrossFit in Kuwait is an exclusive center for fitness in the region. Essentially, the center provides Bootcamp and other CrossFit workouts. Such products have fight training grills among other modern workouts. In the face of Circuit Plus, it offers class-oriented approaches as a complementary exercise for the main curriculum. As a matter of fact, the center is distinct in approach and aims at providing a unique entertaining environment possible in any gymnasium setting. Furthermore, the product and services offered at Circuit Plus aim at gathering the most optimal satisfaction for any person regardless of being an athlete or not in engaging through the offered workouts. Besides that, the center also provides close coaches supervision, which enhances perfections, as well as maximizes motivation among the practitioners.
CrossFit therefore indicates the act of performing functional movements that are essential in everyday life activities, which may be suitable for different professions, such as the military, doctors, police, housewives and school teachers among others. As opposed to globo gym that is full of machines, CrossFit is done in a facility called CrossFit box endowed with qualified individuals to help clients in three fitness paths. This includes Gymnastics, Olympic Weightlifting and Cardiovascular. The three fields are varied over time to produce the WorkOut of a day, described as WoD. The WoD may last for 2 to 30 minutes long. The movements are made such that every part of the body is involved even if a particular group of muscles is not programmed to do so in an ordinary circumstance (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
The program requires robust preparations, which may involve a strict follow-up of the programmed procedures. For instance, at times, the program requires the practitioner to maintain freshness, sufficient sleep, normally taking eight hours every day, as well as dietary control by avoiding caffeine potential, especially later in the day. Furthermore, the program also provides that dietary measures should be taken at a personal level and the general level to mitigate poor health. For instance, at the end of the scheduled training program within the complex athlete program, the center advocates for consumption of high quality calorie food items at the comfort of the individual victims. Furthermore, food items such as sweet potatoes and rice are highly recommended between consecutive workouts with a timed delay of about one or two hours. Besides, the program also provides that one consume recovery shakes with sugary content after the completion of workouts in order to restore the levels of glycogen. Indeed, the program integrates individuals with interests in fitness amidst a hail of civil critics.
Applied Virtue of Consumer Theory
Basically, there are two major approaches that define consumer behaviors and demands. These constitute the marginal utility, as well as the ordinalist approach. With respect to the cardinal analysis, it is clear that human needs are recurrent and vary in intensity among different people. This therefore means that individuals do not only have scarcity of resources, but also difficulties in defining the optimal utility from incomes. Consequently, this aspect affects the people’s choice of gyms in the CrossFit programs that seem to conglomerate into a luxury other than basic needs. Despite the importance of fitness in promoting health standards of people, the economic theme of scarcity perpetuated by poverty decreases the propensity of people to engage in fitness programs that are a luxury in the scale of preference. Consequently, the client base of the Circuit Plus is adversely affected by the scarcity of resources. For instance, due to increased economic challenges in the contemporary world, consumers have been finding diverse challenges in choosing from a pool of choices but often take the course governed by scale of preference. Therefore, these aspects sums up the strains in acquiring prospective clients into the CrossFit center amidst a range of economic challenges based on utility maximization (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
According to Jevon, the first economist to introduce the aspect of economics Utility, it affects the individual demands for commodities in different capacities for different people. Indeed, utility defines the ability of goods or services in satisfying human needs. As a matter of fact, utility bears satisfaction of the consumers and defines the prospective consumer behavior in anticipation for fulfillment of certain needs and, therefore, its subjectivity between different individuals with respect to the levels of satisfaction that it offers. In this regard, different people have different parameters of utility. Consequently, the majority of people disregard fitness products and activities relative to other basic components of living. On the same note, poison products are considered immensely dangerous to many people. However, in real sense, poison provides satisfaction to people with the prospects to die and, therefore, a utility function of such individuals. Similarly, fitness activities are perceived eminently as a distortion of the health complex of individuals. As a result, significant proportions of individuals disregard the activity due to the health concerns despite its claim of enhancing good health. This further exerts marketing strains of the center in defining its market for fitness services and products (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
Consumer Decision Making Process
Every producer aims at capturing customers minds and driving them into making actual purchases. However, the process of convincing consumers to make purchases is diverse and takes various perspectives. For instance, some consumers are easily convinced depending on the bargaining abilities of the business personnel. Consequently, the consumers process of making purchase decisions follows some critical path that holds for the majority of consumers with a few exceptions. The main process involves five major steps, namely recognition of the commodity, searching procedure, comparison between one product and the other of fellow producers, selection of the respective product, as well as self-evaluation with respect to a personal decision to buy. However, this process is often limited to situations where customers are eminently separated from the seller.
Indeed, the product offered by the Circuit fit center is basically service oriented with various permanently installed facilities, such as weight lifting materials installed at the premises for occasional services on commercial purposes. This implies that the exposures of the commodities to the respective clients are limited by the location of the product in the premises as opposed to trade in fitness products, which are meant for the clients to use at homes. With increased health challenges, however, medical officers have prescribed their clients to attending fitness centers, which has tend to increase the publicity of the places despite the negative notion that such places are meant for rich and leisure driven people. The effectiveness of the fitness product at the CrossFit Circuit Plus Center has been instrumental in luring more clients both locally and overseas (Ekmekcioglu & Touitou, 2011).
In the due process of decision making, the clients engage in a rigorous exercise where they identify the problem that requires special attention whose fulfillment arises from the use of the respective product. As mentioned earlier, people discover the diet related challenges and seek to fight through medical directive for fitness related approaches as opposed to pure medical attention. The Americans have continuously produced high quality fitness products and distributed them to respective consumers. However, households have formed very insignificant proportion of customers with respect to fitness products. On the contrary, the Circuit Plus Center have emerged as one of the most pro-active center of fitness services that has gained a high customer flow due to high-rated fitness services. Due to the scarcity of the fitness center and little information dispersal, the consumers follow the search process of the fitness service providers particularly from the medical directives.
The cognitive aspect of any product is accelerated by uniqueness with respect to other competing products. However, in the wake of few outstanding fitness centers in the world and the region in particular, high quality services of Circuit Center make it highly competitive in the region as far as fitness services are concerned. However, the center experiences a number of challenges in identifying tome frame under which demographic recognition of the product and services offered at the center grows and depends on general trends in the regional market. Furthermore, the global market for the fitness services and products remains relatively small except the recent growth in American manufacturers and supply which has tends to expand the entire supply chain with increased demand for healthy lifestyle perpetuated through healthy living and fitness engagement (Fitness NSW, 1998).
In the search process of consumers decision making process, the practical engagement is complicated by the lack of expertise on the best products that could result in maximum utility. Consequently, sensitization programs on the effectiveness of fitness products and activities. Among such programs includes the athlete programs which had an extensive focus on a wide range of services and facilities within the center. On account of the latter, Circuit Fitness Center in Kuwait is very naive in the sense that it is still in the process of developing from into the naive market that requires high level of sensitization of the importance of cross fitness and the respective benefits in order to persuade clients into the business (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
While the cross fit business in Kuwait remain very young clients with health challenges that demands attendance to by various approaches customers engage in a rigorous decision level of evaluating the available alternatives with respect to effectiveness and the cost functions. To retain the cost of its products relatively low, the Fitness center acquires high-rated facilities from the West which makes the cost of operations relatively low while maintaining cost of its products considerably low. This attracts most of the clients from both local and international precinct. However, the number of people partaking in fitness programs is relatively low in Kuwait perhaps due to inadequate information about the importance of body fitness relative to the individual health. Consequently, people engage in alternative measures that contribute to their health among other conjunctive purposes of fitness activities (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
Bearing in mind that other facilities such as private and public health facilities offer competing products and services, this exerts pressure on the consumers in making sound selection of the best products that would meet their respective needs both within and without Circuit plus Center. For instance, the center offers another program commonly called Zumba-Zumba which basically involves a dance with exhilarating features and easy to follow. Essentially, this dance is particularly effective in the sense that it is perceived to enhance burning of calorie which drives millions of victims into healthy life and joyous lifestyles. Furthermore, the Zumba-Zumba classes are considered high fitness value with sophisticated choreography thus very enticing to the vast majority of its clients. This explains some of the features that enhance the performance of the center as a fitness center in a naïve region. For instance, parents and guardians perceives Zumbatonic dances as very creative in enhancing the prospects of the consumers in advancing focus and confidence on their kids, besides promoting metabolism and coordination. Consequently, this leads to better selection option from other alternatives (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
Finally in this context, the clients also engage in the final stage of decision making, which involves the evaluation of the exact decision after making the actual purchases. For instance, after the exposure of children towards the fitness activity at Circuit Plus, their parents evaluate the effect of such an engagement in behavioral response of the children. On realizing a positive change, this affirms the effectiveness of Zumba-Zumba in promoting a healthy lifestyle, as well as engaging the youths in constructive engagements and, therefore, promotes market suitability of the center. A single bad experience of the clients remorse and perception with respect to business brand tarnishes the consumers product image on a lifetime basis and may prove hard to change. Similarly, a positive product impression on the consumers promotes loyalty of the consumers towards the product on a long-term basis. As a matter of fact, Circuit Plus has been quite instrumental in developing high sensitivity of clients towards the product and, therefore, the suitability. However, the center is relatively small with thematic inference of promoting healthy lifestyle. Essentially, the center focuses on intensified exercises in collaboration with advanced movements aimed at strengthening and optimizing human health conditions. Besides that, the center also provides a social framework where people are conjoined to a caring community. Such internal frameworks ensure that the organizations influence the decision making framework of the prospective clients of the Circuit Plus Center (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
Other Factors Influencing the Behavior of Consumers in the Fitness Industry
Brand Loyalty
Brand is an important factor that spells the behaviors of customers with respect to loyalty to their producer. Brand loyalty is an aspect of the consumer that refers to the specific commodity. Loyalty is closely related to other factors, such as usage experience and expertise. As a matter of fact, gym and fitness programs in Kuwait are tender upcoming offers on the market. As a result, peoples loyalty to Circuit Plus is also minimal due to slugged experience in fitness programs as health improvement initiatives. However, experience in use does not dictate customers loyalty in isolation. Other than the customers experience, another factor that dictates brand loyalty includes high switching barriers with respect to psychological, technical and socio-economic factors. Such factors discourage customers adjustment from previous utility imparting facilities for the new products in the market. For instance, the changeover of Kuwait population from old fitness programs with traditional aspects often informal are derailed by such factors and, therefore, pose significant challenges in enhancing the success of the fitness center.
According to various research findings, brand loyalty is quite instrumental in defining the customer decision making process. Basically, there are seven main factors which dictate consumers brand loyalty and therefore their subsequent purchasing decisions. Such factors include brand name, designs, prices, storage environment as well as quality of services within the business premises. Famous brands instigate selling prospects and provide a platform for the establishment of high consumer influx. Major brand names are more trusted by consumers than new brands. However, this implies that for brand preference to come about, the product must be in the market under public domain for a long time. This also implies that the product must be able to appeal to the people within the region of exchange. For instance, the short term existence of the Gym and other fitness products in Kuwait has been a significant factor that has tended to derail the process of selling fitness programs despite the gradual rise in awareness of the positive health impact of the program. Brand name also creates an image of the product identity and may prove time consuming and expensive before full establishment. However, the people in UAE region have believe that imported products are superior and therefore lean towards the imported products as opposed to local products. This is perhaps one of the clear reasons as to the quick establishment of gym facility at Circuit Plus from imported fitness products from US among other production hubs (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
Besides that, the product quality also explains the market suitability of the specific item. Quality encompasses product features with respect to its ability to satisfy certain human wants and therefore the fitness of use. Consumers therefore make purchasing decisions based on quality and may establish a concrete purchasing pattern of a single product due to its physical quality. Some categories of consumers commonly known as the perfectionists look for exemplary products and therefore need extremely high quality to propel their purchasing decision process. The quality of the gymnasium at Circuit Plus is one of the aspects that lures the attention of most clients into establishing and identifying with the center. For instance, the center offers fitness product that accommodates people from all discipline regardless of their professionalism in athletics or otherwise. This enchants the spirit of worthiness due to its ability to accommodate all groups of people across the globe. High costs of installation of training facilities in the field and gym in the center also derails the fast growth of the center. Furthermore, information hick-ups also emerge as a significant factor that tend to breach the potential of the center to accommodate more clients. This further necessitates the setting up of prices as the determiner of brand loyalty to be relatively low in order to lure more clients in the tender fitness center particularly for the average consumers. While at the center, the organizers, as well as the management, employ most of their time resource in capacity building. This is done through exclusive programs that enhance both physical and mental body fitness that builds pertinent memories on the clients and perhaps ensures loyalty after leaving the center upon the lapse of a training program (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
Information breach is a stumbling block to the quick progress of the center. For instance, strange persons may define the cost of services and products at the center are higher than other places. However, in a real sense this is not the case but can only be perceived after close examination and perhaps enrollment into the fitness program. This also implies that the main public element that enhances the publications of the center is the former clients to the center with constrained number of new entrants. Indeed both cross fit and other functional training whose prices run below the typical gyms in absolute terms. Essentially, the center charges flat charges for the use of equipments. Among the paid for products includes workouts, the instruction of movements, as well as the nutritional information that may be needed within the confine of the premises. In particular, the charges appear as shown in the table below:
Mode of the Activity |
Charge (KD) |
Unlimited Month | 85 |
Unlimited 3 Months | 240 |
Unlimited 6 months | 400 |
A Day pass (Drop in) | 5 |
Source: (Kawwaz & Mahad al-Arabi lil-Takhtit, 2005).
A very competent standard of services and products is pivotal for the center. For instance, Jonathan, a former rugby and swimming player was involved in serious injury. Consequently, he joined the CrossFit for training after being unable to continue in rugby owing to the succumbed injuries. However, afterwards, Jonathan partook in various CrossFit Competitions and emerged first in the event of South Island Showdown Competition, 2012; and third in Central Manchester CrossFit competitions. This explained the competency of the center and perhaps made a significant step in establishing the image of the tender gym center. Such publications were quite essential in broadcasting the center as a competent center of physical fitness and talent development. Such image building activities are quite essential to an organization as they ensure high with clients join such an institution and contribute to the long-term success of the business. All those factors among others sum up to the determiners of brand suitability and, therefore, essentials of consumers decision making processes (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013).
Recommendations
From the findings of this research, the consumer decision making is a function of many factors but majors on the corporate image and quality of service delivery as far as the organizational capacity is concerned. Furthermore, along with the research, the Circuit Center is perceived to operate in a less developed fitness industrial position. This implies that the institutional capacity has a minimum tendency to grow if external interventions are not made. The center is also charged with low publication prospects. This means that there is low vigor to publicize the affairs of the center in terms of product and services offered. This means that there is very little information if any within the public domain. As a matter of fact, this means that prospective clients who intend to join the center for fitness may shy off due to the fear of costs in preference to other typical gyms while overlooking Circuit Plus due to ignorance. In this regard, the center should develop a pronounced publication outreach program aimed at gathering both research finding on external market, as well as advertising the competencies of the center relative to other centers of its kind within and without the Kuwait region.
In addition to that, Circuit plus should also provide individualized nutritional directives on its clients in order to promote high fitness standards other than leaving the dietary part at the clients domain. In this regard, the maximized attention to nutritional standards would enhance the achievement of set targets, while at the same time, reducing the time of stay at the center per individual with a view to reducing the overall operational costs of the enterprises. This also means that perpetual engage in ritual standard food program will effectively mould the feeding pattern of the individuals within the scope of their stay at the center and have a similar appealing effect after the departure from the center.
Finally, the Circuit Plus center should also develop specialized fitness programs especially those that fit female clients into special gyms. This would act as a catalyst to the female clients intending to join the center but fear the mingling out with their male counterpart. In the contemporary situation, such facilities are very limited and almost insignificant. Indeed, such an intervention will not only promote the singular performance of the center, but also create a strong customer loyalty from both sexes from Kuwait and the world in general bearing in mind that Kuwait is an oil producing country and, therefore, less hit by economic downturns as compared to other countries globally. This means that people often could have the financial capacity to participate in body fitness programs, which could otherwise be considered a luxury in developing and economically hit states like Djibouti in Africa.
References
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