Client Overview
Kakao Chocolate produces exquisite samples of chocolate and other sweets made of purely natural ingredients. You may find the rare flavors there which go beyond imagination: chocolate combined with pepper, tea, and even bacon. The customer service is great because they invite you to see the process of creation of their sweets by yourself.
Pricing
The company’s prices are quite affordable and vary between $3,50 for pieces of chocolate bark and $45,75 for an exclusive set of truffles:
- Big squeal bacon pecan brittle: $5,00;
- Dragees: $8,00;
- Marshmallows: $4,00-$5,00;
- Hot chocolate mixes: $6,00;
- Pates de fruits: $5,00;
- Sea salt caramels: $7,00;
- Toasted Missouri pecans – milk bark: $3,50;
- Truffles, 25-piece box: $45,75;
- Sea salt caramels gift box: $11,50-$36,00.
Distribution Channels
- Gordon Food Service Store (3200 Laclede Station Rd, Maplewood);
- Shop ’n Save (7057 Chippewa St, St. Louis);
- Straub’s (302 Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis);
- Walmart Supercenter (1900 Maplewood Commons Dr, Maplewood);
- Schnucks (8800 Manchester Rd, St. Louis).
New Retail Store
I would locate a new store in the Four Seasons Resort (315 Four Seasons Dr, Lake Ozark, MO). I chose this location because many people from nearby cities as well as from faraway places come here. They would buy chocolate as souvenirs to take home and in this way, the brand would be promoted.
Competitive Analysis
Direct competitors:
- Grandma’s Candy Kitchen (1470 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Lake Ozark);
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate (4540 Osage Beach Pkwy N, Osage Beach).
Indirect competitors:
- Scoops Ice Cream (1396 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Lake Ozark);
- Easy Street Dessert and Dessert Bar (1100 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Lake Ozark);
- The Yoghurt Bar (1311 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Lake Ozark).
Kakao Chocolate will be in a strong position against its competitors because it has such advantages as entirely hand-made production and only natural ingredients.
Discussion Questions
“A Day in the Life of Your Ideal Client”
I would like to conduct such field research because it looks really interesting and beneficial for the business. I think that “shadowing” the customers gives a fantastic opportunity to get to know them and their purchasing habits better.
The thing that particularly impressed me about Korean consumers was that they do their shopping every day because they buy only fresh products. This information allowed Coke to adjust their marketing tactics to these people: they decided not to sell big bottles because the shoppers were unlikely to want them. Also, they came up with ways of advertising their store based on the typical consumer’s daily routine.
Target Audience, Description, and Media Choice
| Name of Target | Brief Description | Specific Media Choice (with the link) |
| Families with children and pets | They live in the Midwest, together they earn approximately $200,000 per year, and love spending their vacation in peaceful but elegant places. They enjoy relaxation during their holidays, and they love having fun together. Their pets are like family members, and they always travel with them. | Midwest Living Magazine  |
Rationale: The resort has an indoor pool, a TV with cable channels, a spa, and a health club. Visitors may choose from a variety of activities such as biking, fishing, boating, and hiking. All these opportunities will be appreciated by the kids who love having fun and their parents who need to relax after an exhaustive year of work. The resort also has a great cinema where the guests may watch movies for free every night, which is an ideal option for families. Finally, the resort is pet-friendly, which means the visitors do not need to worry about their favorite animals while having their rest. Since the Midwest Living Magazine publications describe the ways of spending one’s free time and focus on various recreational opportunities, it is a perfect way of reaching my target audience.