The strategic marketing plan created for Shavasana Hammock Café analyzes the market and proves the project’s relevance and the ability to build a competitive advantage in the future. Given that the company’s positioning strategy is based on uniting the benefits of healthy food and yoga, the methods of measuring business performance should reflect this bifurcation and take into account different categories of consumer experiences. In relation to Shavasana Hammock Café, the parts of the strategy that need special attention during plan review are the projected demand for yoga cafes, competition, and pricing/food choices.
According to the original report, the popularity of restaurants that prioritize customers’ physical comfort and health is quite high due to the existing obesity trends. In some states, the prevalence of obesity continues to rise, especially when it comes to financially disadvantaged groups such as racial minorities (CDC, 2018). Therefore, it is possible to confirm the report’s initial conclusions concerning the steadiness of demand. As for the competitive environment, the report finds no manifestations of market oversupply, and this tendency continues since no new yoga cafes have appeared recently.
As for the method of measuring performance, the report highlights the importance of such factors as the volume of sales and customer feedback. More specifically, measurements can be conducted through the use of the “restaurant capacity ratio” calculated with the help of four variables and the retrospective analysis of sales volumes (Wang, Lin, Kuo, & Weng, 2017, p. 115).
Additionally, performance measurement will require the creation of standardized customer satisfaction survey forms with question sets referring to food quality, service quality, and impressions related to particular events such as yoga training sessions (Hanaysha, 2016). Performance will be evaluated through analysis of the results with reference to the existing development opportunities and with special attention to the identified gaps.
In general, the marketing plan has managed to achieve its objectives and goals due to the quality of analysis and the identification of potential issues. Its first objective refers to the opportunities for building brand awareness among target customers. The report discusses the issue using social media and online communication, and all of its practical recommendations are easy to implement and do not involve significant expenses. Another objective refers to expansion, and it has been accomplished in terms of theory and market analysis. The discussion of marketing communication efforts sheds light on the ways to increase the client base, thus contributing to expansion opportunities.
Despite the benefits of the report, there are potential challenges related to the choice of pricing strategies and menu solutions. As for prices, the report highlights that they tend to be increasing in the restaurant industry. To make the café popular, one should study the target customers in terms of financial opportunities and typical food choices. Moreover, the creation of the menu will require a comparative analysis of typical yoga diets and categories of products popular among people in the United States. Without it, the café will be incapable of offering unique dishes. Other issues that refer to marketing management include the absence of a well-developed plan related to event organization, the choice of events, and their cost-effectiveness.
To sum up, business environments can significantly change with the lapse of time due to the impact of new entrants, alterations in consumers’ needs, and similar factors. This problem should be taken into account to improve the organization of marketing activities related to the Shavasana Hammock Café project. Performance evaluations and measurements should be based on both objective (customer volumes, restaurant capacity, etc.) and subjective (client satisfaction, improvement recommendations) factors. Other potential problems to be analyzed include the effectiveness of food pricing politics and menu strategies, as well as the need for event organization guidelines.
References
CDC. Adult obesity facts. (2018). Web.
Hanaysha, J. (2016). Testing the effects of food quality, price fairness, and physical environment on customer satisfaction in fast food restaurant industry. Journal of Asian Business Strategy, 6(2), 31-40.
Wang, J. F., Lin, Y. C., Kuo, C. F., & Weng, S. J. (2017). Cherry-picking restaurant reservation customers. Asia Pacific Management Review, 22(3), 113-121.