Gateway Case

CASE ANALYSIS #2

Gateway

Situation Analysis:

Nature of demand for the product

The products under consideration, a wide range of plasma, LCD, and rear projection TVs, digital cameras, consumer electronics, and PCs, target the consumer and professional customers. The list expands into enterprise systems and communication tools, applications, and training and related services. They can be divided into product systems and non-product systems. The product systems include items such as the portable and desktop PCs and servers. The non-product end contains the computer services, enterprise systems and training.

The PCs and its peripherals have become integrated into our everyday lives so uses are as diverse as the internals of the machinery. The amalgamation into everyday use has made PC use a necessity that can only be realized when one loses access or suffers a system crash. The different type of television communications has also expanded within the developed world so the plasma, LCD, and rear projection televisions demand has grown. Each is used as a form of communication with the difference being that one is more of a receiver; whereas, the other can be both a receiver and transmitter.

This paper will focus on the PC side of Gateway, Inc and their approach to marketing. The PC market is extremely large and continues to grow with the primary focus being the business, consumer, education, and governmental sectors. Each has its own specific needs that can be met with the Gateway offerings. If we were to expand each specific need, we could fill volumes of pages so topics will be generalized. Gateway offers sale of its PCs and peripherals in its ‘bricks and clicks’ stores, through direct sales and also via Internet sales.

Sales are determined by the individual or company needs. Initially when personal computers became available many years ago, the Jones’ mentality overcame the groups with excessive disposal income....