CASE STUDY G2 Designs Limited is a fashion house operating in Kenya. They make fashionable designer clothes for women. Their outletss are located along Moi avenue, Ngong road, Mombasa road and at Ridgeways. They boast of 20% market share in the fashion industry in Kenya. Most of their clients are from the middle and upper class; teens and young adults as well as more mature clients who are fashion conscious. They source the best fabrics and other requirements from Britain and Germany to come up with premium fashion pieces for which their customers willingly pay a premium price. They are known for accuracy in taking measurements; for making clothes that fit perfectly and clothes that are as per customer specifications. Rarely do customers complain about anything but in the event that customers are unhappy, they refund the total amount paid by the client. Their customers are brand ambassadors for G2 Designs although G2 designs also relies on personal selling as well as internet marketing. Once in a while they hold a fashion show to showcase their collection of designs. They have heavily invested in research in an attempt to understand the market. The employees of G2 designs are carefully selected, trained and motivated. They are highly competent, courteous, reliable and responsive. The sales people are always neatly dressed by G2 Designs, graceful, elegant as well as courteous. They help customers choose fabrics and designs, show them the ready pieces explaining to them the finer details. The tag line for G2 Designs is, “We stand out in making you stand out.” Beside collecting their attires from the three outlets, customers can have their items delivered to them at a fee. All their outlets are in buildings with great architechture, have a spacious lounge that is executively furnished. They are air conditioned, well lit, creatively painted with unique interior decor. In each outlet there is a show room and workshop. Once a customer is ready to place an order, they fill in an order form with their specifications, measurements are taken and a down payment of 80% paid. 20% is payable on delivery. The customer indicates when they will come for the fitting, when they would want their attire ready, whether they would want to collect the attire or if they would want it delivered to them and where they would want it delivered. They then sign a contract form which is filled out for them. They make their payment, a receipt is ifter they fit the attire, if they are satisfied that it is as they had ordered, they pay the rest of the money and take their attire. If they request, they may have it adjusted. They may then pay the balance and either collect the attire or have it sent to them. The customer has an opportunity to give feedback either face to face, on phone or via the website. Required:

a) Explain the overall positioning strategy used by G2 designs.

b) Evaluate the marketing management philosophy applied by the management of G2 Designs.

c) Analyze the variables used by G2 Designs to segment the market.

d) Discuss the factors that may influence the buying behavior of G2 Designs’ customers.

e) Describe the marketing mix as used by G2 Designs.