Titled ‘What Norwegian’s New All-Inclusive Fares Reveal About Cruise Pricing’ and written by Justin Bachman, the article mainly focuses on the pricing strategy of Norwegian Cruise Lines’ (NCLH), an all-inclusive package. The strategy employed by Norwegian Cruise is not new in the service industry because as it is now, there are many companies in the tourism sector that use the strategy.
According to the article, Norwegian Cruise Line has for a long time now promoted itself as a comprehensive vacation. Among the services that the cruise line offers include port-stops, onboard entertainment, abundant dining options and lodging that are all packaged in the fares. However, in the new scheme, there are waivers that cruisers will enjoy, and discounts on cruises that will depend on the cruise types and the offer will begin with cruises in the year 2015.
In the service industry, customer focus is an important factor, and its observation is vital to the success of an organization. In an article by Bachman, Norwegian Cruise has its focus on its customers because of the pricing strategies it is using to make its customers satisfied. For example, the company has included waivers and discounts on prices to encourage customers to try their offers.
On the other hand, the cruise line has focused on understanding customer requirements as it is providing a number of benefits to its customers. Benefits that Norwegian cruisers enjoy include four hours of unlimited internet connection, twenty photos and six bottles of water among other benefits. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line is preparing itself for cruises in the year 2015. The company is using the low season to sell cruises for the high season through the discounts and exemptions it is offering to its customers. However, it is worth noting that some companies promise a host of services to their clients but they do not deliver.
For Norwegian, it is providing all services outlined and as its customers develop trust, ensuring that customers are not disappointed is crucial to its operations. Thus, the article has great relevance to service marketing and how companies in the service industry integrate customer focus across the platform.
If an organization is not able to meet the needs of its customers, it will not achieve its marketing goals and in the process, customers loyal to the organization may get disappointed. However, Norwegian Cruise Line seems to have considered this point because it offers unique content to customers as a way of making their service packages unique. Gaining insights into customer expectations is one of the important ways in which an organization can understand how customers shape their attitudes and views about services offered to them. As the author has noted, a company needs to make sure that customers enjoy all the services included in the pricing plan.
As a company fulfils the promise, it creates a good relationship between itself and its customers. In return, customers perceive the organization as operating under transparency, and their trust in the organization keeps growing.
As another recommendation, it is important for customers to have a better insight into the services provided by the organization. If possible, customers will know what they are paying for and the extent to which they will enjoy some of the benefits provided by a service company. The approach is clear in the article by Bachman because Norwegian Cruise Line has outlined the benefits and services that come with an all-inclusive cruise package. In marketing, if the customer experience is not as good as defined, marketing goals will be unachievable. Thus, it is the role and duty of a marketing team in an organization to adjust its services so that it can meet the expectations of its customers. Norwegian Cruise Line has not overlooked this aspect because its all-inclusive package aims at making its customers have a good experience and make them loyal.
Lastly, it is my opinion that the article by Bachman is of significance to all people in the service industry marketing. Thus, taking the article into account is not an option, and they need to align with its contents if at all they are to taste success. Among the reasons why this article sets the pace for people in the service, the industry is because it highlights important aspects in the industry. For example, if a company cannot offer a particular service or if it will limit its availability, it is significant to inform customers before they develop a normative perception that is unrealistic if they realize that what they are getting, in reality, is different from what they initially perceived as the truth.
In an overview, organizations and marketers in the service industry need to practice reality in their marketing strategies. This way, a good relationship between a company and its customers will emerge, and the relationship will make the company grow on all folds and expand its market share. Service marketers and companies need constant learning for them to know industry trends and rules for better services and service delivery.