Gaps Model

Discuss in detail the total product ‘Gaps model’ and the potential causes of the various ‘gaps’. Identify and explain the characteristics of ‘services’ that make some of these ‘gaps’ difficult to address and discuss how firms may attempt to resolve the gaps.

The experience pipe

* The total product is made up of substance, service, symbol and price. It all combines to perform a total product experience for the customer. Even if you have top product quality and excel in the substance area of your total product, you still need a good standard of customer service delivering this product to ensure the experience is made a great one and to ensure your customers are satisfied and keep coming back to YOU – not your competitors. (think fancy restaurant and rude staff!)

* Things included in customer service include delivery, help desk, order processing, payment credit control etc.

* It is important firms have a strategy to pull customers in and another strategy to keep them. Good communication is key – but remember promises must be kept, live up to your word!

* The experience pipe model works off the idea that customers congregate in a customer pool. The competitive firms will input all their different promotional activities into the customer pool to try and generate sales for their company.

* For example, consider the cosmetics industry. With the average British woman spending £100,000 on cosmetics in her lifetime, it is a massive industry with such a wide range of competing companies and brands. All companies use promotional activities to get one up on other companies and prove that their products are superior.

* Celebrity endorsements are currently a big form of promotion being used by the beauty industry. By taking beautiful a-list celebrities whom are often idols for many young women (eg: Beyonce or Kim Kardashian) or perhaps using more relatable celebrities like reality TV stars Charlotte Crosby and Millie Mackintosh, it encourages the...