Sayma's Blog

While studying Chapter 20 on Using Social Media and Mobile Marketing to Connect with Consumers, I learned how companies are creatively merging the digital and physical worlds to enhance customer experiences. One great example of this is IKEA's virtual furniture fitting tool, available through their IKEA Place app, which uses augmented reality (AR) to let customers visualize how furniture would look in their homes before making a purchase. Simply by using a smartphone or tablet, users can "place" virtual versions of IKEA products in their living rooms, bedrooms, or offices. This clever use of mobile marketing not only enhances the shopping experience but also leverages social media platforms to engage users. With the ability to share AR setups on social media, IKEA invites customers to showcase their creativity while spreading brand awareness. Through these innovative marketing efforts, IKEA is not just selling furniture – they are offering a more interactive and personali...

This week, I learned how brands use different strategies to attract customers. For example, Dossier promotes perfumes through influencer ads, offers bundle discounts, and sends email deals directly to shoppers. Each method works together to boost sales and build brand loyalty.

This week in I learned about the different ways tariffs are implemented and how they can affect international trade. As someone who’s also diving into the world of marketing, especially digital and influencer-driven promotion, I started thinking about how tariffs can influence the popularity and accessibility of international products. One example that immediately came to mind is the global rise of Korean beauty products—or K-beauty. These items are constantly trending thanks to influencer marketing, but what happens when tariffs come into action. K-beauty has gone global, largely due to influencers showcasing products on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Their honest reviews and tutorials quickly turn niche Korean skincare items into international must-haves. Tariffs are taxes placed on imported goods by a country’s government. They can be used to protect domestic industries, raise revenue, or respond to trade imbalances. While tariffs may seem like something only economists or policy-m...

This week in class, we learned about the retail positioning matrix in Chapter 16. This tool helps us compare different retailers based on price, quality, and product variety. I thought about how new popular sites like Temu and Shein compare to traditional stores like Walmart and TJ Maxx. Temu:  is a new player in the U.S. market, offering many products at very low prices. They are now trying to attract more premium brands to have a wider range of products. Temu is in the low-price, moderate-quality category, focusing on expanding its variety to appeal to more customers. Shein: is well-known in the fast-fashion industry, especially among young people. They offer trendy and affordable clothes and quickly respond to fashion trends. Shein is in the low-price, high-variety category, providing many products at competitive prices and maintaining a strong online presence. Walmart: is a retail giant known for its wide range of products and low prices. They target a broad audience, including...

Sephora is a popular beauty store that has made shopping for beauty products so easy and enjoyable. They have physical stores where you can see, touch, and try different products, and beauty experts help you choose what’s best for you. This makes it fun to shop and learn about new products. But what I find especially interesting is how Sephora also has a strong online presence. You can shop for beauty products on their website or app, and they offer detailed product descriptions, reviews, and even makeup tutorials to guide you. They also make it easy to buy online and pick up in store if you don’t want to wait for delivery. Sephora uses social media like Instagram and YouTube to share beauty tips, product reviews, and promotions. It’s amazing how they connect with customers through influencers and real people, making the whole shopping experience feel more personal.

This week’s assignment focused on the importance of pricing when starting a business, and it highlighted how the right price can help set a product apart. Natural soap making is a great first business idea, as soap is an essential item for everyone, and using natural ingredients can differentiate the product from traditional soaps found on store shelves. With more people becoming conscious of what they put on their skin, natural soaps offer a simpler, healthier alternative to the long list of chemicals in conventional products.  One of the biggest benefits of natural soaps is the transparency of ingredients—clear, recognizable items like olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils—that build customer trust and loyalty, unlike traditional soaps with confusing, hard-to-pronounce chemicals.  Pricing handmade natural soaps should reflect their value as a luxury skincare product, not just a cleaning item. Strategies like value-based pricing can allow for higher prices w...

This week, I had an interesting experience with service marketing when I went for a test drive at a local Toyota dealership. Service marketing focuses on the customer experience, and I got to see firsthand how businesses use different strategies to keep potential buyers engaged. Before going, I had heard stories about car salespeople being too pushy or trying to upsell unnecessary features. However, my experience was quite different. The salesperson I interacted with was friendly and informative. He took the time to explain all the features of the car I was interested in and didn’t pressure me into making a quick decision. This approach made me feel more comfortable and more likely to trust the dealership. One challenge I faced was that the dealership didn’t have the trim level I wanted in stock. Toyota has been experiencing low inventory, especially for minivans, which made it harder to find the exact model I was looking for. However, instead of just ending the conversation there, the...