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‘
Practical Business Solutions
Everett Stunz
May 1, 2015
This report is submitted to fulfill the requirements of
BA 404 - Integrative Business Analysis by:
Esmeralda Anaya
Julio Ascencio
Ana Franco
Christian Williams
2
Acknowledgements
This report was sponsored by the Small Business Consulting Center, a highly successful,
award-winning program that has served nearly one thousand small and medium sized
businesses in the San Diego region since its inception in the early 1970’s. In, addition, the
program has provided substantial learning and teaching opportunities to San Diego State
University students, Teaching Assistants, and Professors. The Small Business Consulting
Center would like to take the opportunity to thank the sponsors who helped make our program
and this report possible.
In addition, the student team would like to acknowledge the help and advice of Dr. John
Francis, course instructor; and Brandon McCann, Center Consulting and Course Teaching
Assistant
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 10
Company Description and History .......................................................................................... 10
Management/ Employees ........................................................................................................ 12
Background ................................................................................................................................. 14
Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 20
Project Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 21
Objective 1: Competitor Website Analysis ............................................................................. 21
Objective 2: Everett Stunz Marketing Analysis ...................................................................... 21
Objective 3: Demographic Analysis ....................................................................................... 21
Objective #1: Competitor Website Analysis .............................................................................. 22
Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 22
Results ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Objective #2: Marketing Promotions Analysis ........................................................................... 31
Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 31
Results: Traditional Media ...................................................................................................... 31
Results: Online and Electronic Media .................................................................................... 34
Objective #3: Demographic Analysis ......................................................................................... 40
Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 40
Results ..................................................................................................................................... 41
Research Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 46
Situational Analysis .................................................................................................................... 47
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 51
1) Distinguish brand through unique shopping experience and branding techniques ............ 51
2) Modify store layout and product presentation .................................................................... 53
3) Establish partnerships with local businesses ...................................................................... 57
4) Develop advertising campaign theme ................................................................................. 60
4
5) Develop Advertising Initiatives .......................................................................................... 62
6) Online Initiatives ................................................................................................................ 68
7) Integrate social media profiles ............................................................................................ 77
8) Increase online advertising budget by using Google Adwords ............................................................ 80
9) Reconfigure website ............................................................................................................................................... 81
Action Plan ............................................................................................................................................................................ 84
References ............................................................................................................................................................................. 90
Appendix ................................................................................................................................................................................ 92
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1: Segmentation- Bed & Mattress Industry ..................................................................... 15
Figure 2: key ratios ..................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 3: Industry efficiency Ratios- Furniture Stores ............................................................... 16
Figure 4: Industry Profitability- Furniture Stores 15 .................................................................. 17
Figure 5: Product Benefits- Sleepnumber.com ........................................................................... 23
Figure 6: Product Benefits – Sleepnumber.com ......................................................................... 23
Figure 7: Williams Sonoma ........................................................................................................ 25
Figure 8: Williams Sonoma ........................................................................................................ 26
Figure 9: Restoration Hardware Source Books .......................................................................... 27
Figure 10: Restoration Hardware Luxury Sheet Sets ................................................................. 28
Figure 11 ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 12 ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 13: Giving Back Magazine Advertisement ..................................................................... 33
Figure 14: San Diego Magazine Advertisement, July 2006 ....................................................... 34
Figure 15: Alexa.com Analysis for "Everettstunz.com"............................................................. 36
Figure 16: Alexa.com analysis ................................................................................................... 36
Figure 17: So Cal Living Showroom .......................................................................................... 54
Figure 18: Urban Life showroom Example ................................................................................ 55
Figure 19: Store Layout with Showrooms .................................................................................. 55
Figure 20: Hotel Notecard .......................................................................................................... 58
Figure 21: Contemporary Design Group Contact Information ................................................... 59
Figure 22: Beauty Starts in Bed Advertisement Example .......................................................... 60
5
Figure 23: Product and Campaign Support Notecards ............................................................... 61
Figure 24: Magazine Advertising Concept (Beds/Linens) ......................................................... 63
Figure 25: Magazine Advertising Concept (Beds/Linens) ......................................................... 64
Figure 26: Direct Mail Postcard Promotion ................................................................................ 66
Figure 27: Example of Facebook Advertisement ....................................................................... 72
Figure 28: Instagram Hashtag Campaign Example .................................................................... 73
Figure 29: Instagram Hashtag Campaign Example .................................................................... 74
Figure 30: Promotional Email Example ..................................................................................... 76
Figure 31 Email Example Promote Social Media ...................................................................... 77
Figure 32: New Concept for Website ......................................................................................... 84
Table 1: Newspaper Readership Demographics ......................................................................... 44
Table 2: Social Media Usage ...................................................................................................... 45
Table 3: Highest Income Zip Codes ........................................................................................... 67
Table 4: Top 10 Keywords "Everett Stunz" ............................................................................... 81
Table 6: May 2015- 2016 Marketing Plan .................................................................................. 89
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: UTC La Jolla Mall Store- Front Entrance ............................................................ 92
Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................................. 92
Appendix 3 .................................................................................................................................. 93
Appendix 4 .................................................................................................................................. 93
Appendix 5 .................................................................................................................................. 94
Appendix 6 .................................................................................................................................. 94
Appendix 7: Everett Stunz Website ............................................................................................ 95
Appendix 8: Google Search Results "Luxury Bedding" ............................................................ 95
Appendix 9: Yelp Page ............................................................................................................... 96
Appendix 10: Competitor Analysis ............................................................................................ 96
Appendix 11: SWOT Analysis Table ........................................................................................ 97
Appendix 12: SDRS Psychographics ......................................................................................... 98
Appendix 13: MRI+ Bedding and Bath Goods- Bought in the last 12 months .......................... 99
Appendix 14: MRI+ Bedding and Bath Goods ........................................................................ 100
Appendix 15: MRI+ Household furnishing Mattress Amount Spent ....................................... 101
6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Everett Stunz is a luxury bedroom-furnishing store that has experienced success over the last 50
years of their existence. They are a small, family owned store that focuses on serving the La
Jolla market with top-of-the-line mattresses and luxurious bedding, pillows, and bath products.
Under new ownership, the last 10 years of business have seen little to no sales growth, as they
have been affected by the economic recession. Seeking to raise their sales revenue, Everett
Stunz is looking for help in their marketing, advertising, sales promotions, and electronic
presence.
This report is designed to first take a deep look into the current situation of the company
and will include industry, competitive, and demographic analyses to further our understanding
of the market that Everett Stunz competes in. This secondary data guides us along the way, as
all of the information obtained will ultimately allow us to develop strategies to assist Everett
Stunz in gaining new customers and raising their sales levels among current customers.
For Everett Stunz to experience success in their respective industry, they must first be
made aware of what it takes to establish a strong brand identity, in hopes of differentiating
itself from direct competitors as well as their indirect competition that pose a bigger threat-
larger companies with more resources that also sell bedroom products. Despite the fact that
Everett Stunz has been in business for 50 years, the overall level of brand awareness is low and
the company has not constructed a relatively strong brand identity. One way to accomplish this
is by having a strong online presence, due to the increasing popularity of ecommerce and
widespread Internet adoption rates.
7
Currently, Everett Stunz does not have any strategic marketing plan implemented by which to
guide their promotional efforts. Over the life of the company, Mr. Coller has attempted several
advertising methods to bring additional attention to his business. So far, he has advertised using
television, radio, magazines, social media, and has relied on word of mouth to increase his
clientele. By analyzing these previous marketing and advertising attempts, we can pinpoint
areas for improvement and further guide our recommendations for future marketing initiatives.
Future branding efforts need to accentuate luxury and exclusivity of products, as they are the
primary competitive advantages that Everett Stunz possesses over their counterparts.
Customers, especially since the recession, need a reason to justify spending large sums of
money on certain items, and making sure that shoppers feel special and in a unique
environment will assist in instilling confidence the in products being sold.
Through conducting customer analysis, we assessed relevant trends, purchase patterns, and
customer preferences for those customers in the target age segment. As mentioned early, the
market saturation for the La Jolla market paired with the long purchase cycle for mattresses (15
years) and high-quality linens (5 year) affect sales figures. Determining how to better market
these products to current and prospective customers will allow Everett Stunz to experience an
increase in revenue.
The information and data gathered was sufficient in helping us create a set of specific
recommendations to address the issues that Everett Stunz has been affected by. First and
foremost, we agreed that creating a strong brand name should be the first order of business, as
all other activities performed by the company need to support the overall brand. This was
8
addressed by developing a “unique, Everett Stunz shopping experience”, which makes sure that
visitors of the store receive unparalleled service that they only receive when shopping at
Everett Stunz. The second part of this was to change the store layout, which included adding
showrooms and theme rooms to better showcase products, and compliment this unique
shopping experience. In addition, we also saw this necessary to better promote linens, bath
products, and other higher-margin goods that Everett Stunz sells.
Raising awareness for the company by branching out into the community in any way
possible is beneficial to nearly any company, which is why we recommended that Everett Stunz
contact local luxury hotels and seek to develop a partnership with them, by either providing or
selling them products at a discount for use in their rooms. As part of these agreements, Everett
Stunz would be able to display a little notecard in the bedroom with a simple greeting for hotel
patrons in an attempt to generate store or online traffic. Next was to locate nearby chiropractors
or clinics that understand the importance of a quality bed, inform them of the benefits of the
DUX bed, and have them serve as a means of word-of-mouth for their clients.
As far as future advertising efforts, Everett Stunz has a campaign to follow along with,
as we have developed and laid the groundwork for the “Beauty Starts in Bed” campaign theme.
This will not only guide marketing, advertising, and promotional initiatives, but also pave the
way for employees and support the Everett Stunz brand as a whole. The “Beauty Starts in Bed”
campaign will be implemented in print, search engine, outdoor, and social media advertising
tactics.
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We fully believe that the campaign we have developed can gain traction especially in
the social media and online realm. As the majority of Everett Stunz’ customers are in fact
women, the desire for beauty is something that they can relate with. The campaign will assist in
integrating social media efforts, through Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and will lead to
heightened levels of engagement with posts on the various platforms utilized.
Online marketing will also be achieved through Google Adwords campaigns, primarily
outside the local market in hopes of reaching beyond La Jolla and into parts of North and East
San Diego County. As part of this, we want to ensure that the website is fully optimized and
prepared to handle additional traffic, as well as keep visitors engaged and involved when
browsing the Everett Stunz website.
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INTRODUCTION
This report was prepared for Everett Stunz, a company dedicated to providing residents
of La Jolla, California, with the finest bed and bedding materials available on the market. As
the recession dramatically hurt furniture businesses across America, Everett Stunz also suffered
a significant loss in revenue. Unfortunately for them, the recovery from this occurrence has
been gradual. Paired with the economic downturn, profitability is affected by the long sales
cycle for high involvement products like mattresses, which generally covers a span of time
between ten and fifteen years. For a specialty mattress company like Everett Stunz, additional
marketing measures are needed to generate sales in this particular category.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
Everett Stunz, located in La Jolla, California, is San Diego’s premier bed and linen
store. They have been in business for 50 years, operating solely out of their flagship store in the
heart of La Jolla until last year when they opened a second store at the UTC mall, also in La
Jolla. Additionally, they have an exclusive selection of top-of-the-line adjustable and flat beds
that can be custom-made to each customer’s specifications. Their products are the highest
quality from all around the world, and they make sure to stay up-to-date with the latest designs
available. Everett Stunz staffs interior designers to assist with addressing the personalized
needs of consumers.
They are also one of the few California retailers who carry the exclusive DUX by
Duxiana bed, best known for supporting your body in a totally natural position so that the
11
muscles and joints are pressure-free. They also offer new eco-friendly products such as wood-
fiber sheets and bamboo towels. In addition to DUX beds, Everett Stunz sells Sharper Image
and Savvy Rest beds, which are not normally found in mattress chain stores. This exclusivity is
one aspect that gives Everett Stunz a unique competitive advantage within the industry.
Everett Stunz has a unique business model in the sense that they function as a one-stop
shop for luxury bedroom outfitting while also offering high-end bath goods such as towels and
bathrobes. Everett Stunz is a business that dedicates its focus to selling three brands of
mattresses that are difficult to find in most retail stores and also boasts a deep collection of top-
of-the-line bedding materials. They compete against mattress manufacturers, mattress retailers,
and other various furniture stores that sell similar products, though most of them carry distinct
mattress brands when compared to the other competitors. As the exclusive San Diego County
retailer of the Duxiana bed, and seller of the rare Savvy Rest, Everett Stunz offers a distinct
form of value to any wealthy customer that seeks to obtain the best mattress that they can buy.
Unfortunately, the customer base is very limited due to the high costs associated with
purchasing this type of product. At the same time, Everett Stunz faces intense competition from
local companies and operates in an industry that requires shoppers to undergo a high-
involvement purchase process. As a small company, Everett Stunz must find ways to convey
product benefits to any interested parties in order to generate additional sales.
While Everett Stunz currently has two stores in operation; one located in downtown La
Jolla and the other at the Westfield UTC mall, also in La Jolla, future operations will be
consolidated down into just the mall store with the original store in La Jolla shut down. The
12
main reason for this action is the heightened accessibility to visitors from outside the La Jolla
area, as the mall location is much more convenient and requires less travel time to reach upon
exiting the freeway. Another factor taken into consideration was the market saturation for
certain products in the small city of La Jolla, as sales within the area immediately surrounding
the original store have become stagnant, and Everett Stunz needs to expand the reach of their
operation into surrounding regions. The UTC mall store is set up in a simple yet luxurious
manner, a spacious showroom with a black-and-white color scheme throughout the store. The
beds on display are spread out liberally, making it easy for customers to move about within the
confines of the store. The signage in front is very imposing and conveys a message in itself.
The gold lettering and black background gives a feeling of luxury to customers while they pass
by. Upon entering the store, there is an exhibition of a DUX bed that has been decorated with
linens sold by Everett Stunz. The cashier desk is located on the right side of the store, about
halfway between the front and back of the store. There is always a sales associate available for
any questions or concerns the customer may have. Behind the cashier’s desk is a wall full of
6linens and bath products. This setup is advantageous because while the customer is making a
purchase, they can still notice an additional product to purchase, and may consider adding it to
their cart at checkout. Appendix 1 -6 capture the general essence of the store layout and product
displays.
MANAGEMENT/ EMPLOYEES
For about ten years Mr. Philip Coller has been the sole proprietor of Everett Stunz. He
is responsible for the overall management of the business, including areas such as marketing
13
and operations. He is the primary contact for any issue or question that may come to surface
and knows the ins-and-outs of not only the company, but also as the industry in which he
operates. He works at the UTC store location mostly all day Monday-Sunday. In addition to
Mr. Coller, Everett Stunz employs a staff that includes sales associates and interior designers.
Upon the closing of the downtown La Jolla store, all sales associates will move to the UTC
mall location.
14
BACKGROUND
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Everett Stunz is operating in the “Bed and Mattress Store Industry”, and as we can see from the
information indicated below, operates in an industry characterized by low profit margins, many
small players, and low growth levels. From these three factors, we can conclude that the bed
and mattress industry is in its maturity stage.
This number is broken down further into revenues based on types of products offered,
in which 49.3% of the $11.1 billion ($5.47 billion) consists of traditional mattresses, 23.1%
(roughly $2.553 billion) in specialty mattress sales, 19.0% frames and box springs, 8.6%
(approximately $955 million) is accounted for by ‘other’ products, including bedding/pillows.
As a specialty mattress retailer that also sells bedding, Everett Stunz is operating in a market
that brings in $3.508 billion each year, totaling the revenues from specialty mattresses and
‘other’. Segmentation based on various age groups can be seen in Figure 1.0 below.
15
FIGURE 1: SEGMENTATION- BED & MATTRESS INDUSTRY
Overall profit in this sector equates to $165.8 million, and as seen in many other mature
industries, the industry experienced a low growth level of 1.3% between 2009-2014, and is
projected to grow 2.1% from 2014 to 2019.
The furniture industry has shown a steady increase in return on sales since the recession
from 80% in 2009, to 180% in 2013 and continues to show a positive trend. The industry
average for revenue per employee has also shown a steady positive increase over the years. The
collection period has only increased slightly over the past 5 years from 14.4 days to 15.7 days.
Overall, the industry has shown increases in efficiency while profitability has remained
stagnant for the most part during this time span. (Figure 2, 3 and 4)
16
FIGURE 2: KEY RATIOS
FIGURE 3: INDUSTRY EFFICIENCY RATIOS- FURNITURE STORES
Industry Efficiency (Furniture Stores)
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Return on sales (%) 0.8 1 1.6 1.7 1.8
Return on Assets (%) 1.6 2.1 3 3.6 3.6
Return on Net Worth (%) 2.6 3.9 5.3 6 6.2
17
FIGURE 4: INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY- FURNITURE STORES 15
KEY COMPETITION
“Furniture Stores” is a very vague term, as there are many different types of furniture
and various business structures that sell furnishings. The primary industry, “Bed & Mattress
Stores in the United States”, “Sells sleep equipment, including mattresses, box springs, cots,
bedding, pillows and waterbeds. The industry excludes wholesale furniture distributors such as
department stores or direct non-store retailers, as well as sales of other bedroom furniture.
Revenue from sales of sleep sofas, daybeds, futons and other dual-purpose furniture is not
included in industry revenue” (IbisWorld). As mentioned beforehand, the industry is highly
fragmented in nature, with the three major players, Mattress Firm, Select Comfort, and
Industry Profitability
(Furniture Stores)
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Collection Period (days) 14.4 17.5 13.9 10.6 15.7
Sales / Inventory (times) 5.1 4.9 4.9 4.9 5
Assets / Sales (%) 45.4 47.6 48.7 46.5 45.1
Sales / Net Working
Capital (times)
4.6 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.6
Accounts Payable / Sales
(%)
3.9 3.8 4.3 4.2 4
18
Sleepy’s combining for 28.2% of the market share, while no one remaining firm accounts for
over 1.0% of revenue, meaning that the average revenue for the rest of the firms equates to
around $1.3 million. These facts prove true in the case of Everett Stunz, as current revenue is
very near this figure. Though the following companies addressed include both manufacturers
and retailers, they are considered direct competition to Everett Stunz due primarily to
geographic proximity.
DIRECT (INTERNAL) COMPETITORS:
Select Comfort (Operates in retail sector under Sleep Number), Sleep Train, Furniture
& Mattress Warehouse, Real Deal Mattress, and San Diego Mattress Man, Martha Smith, and
Between the Sheets.
Direct competitors are defined as those involved in mattress retailing and stores specifically
selling beds and mattresses, as well as similar types of bedding materials.
INDIRECT (EXTERNAL) COMPETITORS:
Macy’s, Nordstrom, Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, these indirect
competitors are those that do not specialize particularly in bed and mattress sales, but include
department stores and furniture stores that sell some of the same products in addition to many
other goods. We believe they pose the biggest threat to Everett Stunz.
Sleep Number, Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, and Restoration Hardware find themselves
as the most threatening competition to Everett Stunz as the five of them all operate in the same
19
mall, Westfield UTC La Jolla. This is a mall never short of wealthy customers, as it is
strategically located. For Everett Stunz, it means that they must compete with a number of
other luxury-minded companies on a daily basis. Macy’s and Sleep Number offer economies of
scale in their production/ distribution models and both brands boast strong levels of awareness
for their goods and services. However, as Macy’s is a department store, they do not have one
particular main focus. This can work to Everett Stunz’ advantage through staffing a
knowledgeable workforce to stress benefits of their beds and bedding, as well as going the extra
mile to offer value-added services to customers. This ability to focus on a narrow product mix
also works to the disadvantage of Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware, whom both
stock multiple product categories rather than simply beds and bedding. As a single store
operation, Everett Stunz needs to stress superior product knowledge and the best customer
service to complement their product offerings and use their strengths to their advantage.
There are two local competitors in the retail bedding industry, Martha Smith (La Jolla),
and Between the Sheets (Del Mar). There is not much differentiation between the three when it
comes to the products offered, and, even though Everett Stunz is positioned through their
tagline as “The World’s Finest Bed, Bath & Linens”, Between the Sheets is similarly
positioned as “The World’s Finest Since 1986.” The appeal and presentation are visually
similar on both websites, and from first glance, there is not much differentiation between the
two companies. (Appendix 10 Competitor Analysis Table)
20
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Following the economic recession in 2007, Everett Stunz suffered a significant decline
in sales revenues, immediately reducing their profitability as many consumers were cutting
back on luxury products. Like many other small businesses, recovering and returning to the
level that once was previously reached has proved to be an arduous task for decision-makers.
Customer purchasing habits have changed, and the strategies and tactics that once brought
people in to shop at stores are not proving to be as effective as they used to be.
By addressing the Key Business Issues (below) that Everett Stunz is facing, we can
assist them in adapting their strategies to stay competitive, specifically focusing on ways to
increase sales and better understand and reach out to new customers through marketing,
advertising, promotions, search engine optimization, and product mix analysis.
● Everett Stunz has not established a strong brand name or identity
Marketing efforts have not successfully promoted company outside the La Jolla area
● Long purchase cycles for luxury goods affecting profitability
21
PROJECT OBJECTIVES Based on our preliminary competitor and background for Everett Stunz, there are three
areas that need additional research in order to provide evidence for our future
recommendations. These three objectives will guide us in obtaining important information
necessary to implement any recommendations.
OBJECTIVE 1: COMPETITOR WEBSITE ANALYSIS
For this objective, we will be conducting website analysis for four companies that
operate within the UTC mall, which is where Everett Stunz will be solely operating after May
1, 2015.
Samples from websites will be taken and analyzed to help us recommend how Everett Stunz
could better design their website.
OBJECTIVE 2: EVERETT STUNZ MARKETING ANALYSIS
As creating and running effective marketing and advertising tactics have been an issue
for Everett Stunz, understanding what has been done and how it could have been done better
will help create a marketing plan to reach more customers.
OBJECTIVE 3: DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
The third and final objective is to perform in-depth demographic research for San Diego
County. Gaining an understanding of key segments and how to properly reach them will guide
future marketing efforts in hopes of receiving greater return on investment.
22
OBJECTIVE #1: COMPETITOR WEBSITE ANALYSIS
METHODOLOGY By taking competitors website’s and looking into and observing strategies used for
design, displaying of content, and how these support the overall brand, we will be able to
determine how companies differentiate themselves. We will look for what the competition does
well and use that to form recommendations that might give Everett Stunz a competitive
advantage in the marketplace.
Due to the fact that Everett Stunz competes with different companies on different levels,
we decided to take various category leaders to perform our analyses; Sleep Number will be
first, a nationally recognized manufacturer that poses a big threat to Everett Stunz’ mattress
sales. Next, we will take examples from Williams-Sonoma, a widely successful luxury
furniture retailer who operates a store in the UTC mall. After that will be Restoration-
Hardware, also a luxury furniture retail store that sells beds and bedding, and finally Macy’s,
the leading department store for mattress and bedding sales.
RESULTS
SLEEP NUMBER (SELECT COMFORT)
Select Comfort appears to pose the largest threat to Everett Stunz. They are a company
that has thrived in marketing their “Sleep Number” bed and have become a household name
across the nation in a relatively short time. They have a high-perceived level of quality about
them and it is reflected in their online media and television advertisements. To build this
23
strong brand image for themselves, Select Comfort engages in comparative advertising in an
attempt to prove the quality of their products, and posts results of clinical studies to support
their benefit claims, which can be seen in Figure 5 and 6.
FIGURE 5: PRODUCT BENEFITS- SLEEPNUMBER.COM
FIGURE 6: PRODUCT BENEFITS – SLEEPNUMBER.COM
24
From these two examples, we can see that Select Comfort clearly positions themselves
as the manufacturer with the premier product on the market, the Sleep Number bed. The
benefits are there, the studies support the benefits, and the prices are reasonably set, with retail
prices starting at $999.98, and ranging all the way up to $5,699.97 for their absolute top-of-
the-line set. From all this, we can see how the highly informative nature of their
communications, particularly online, has assisted them in developing a strong image among
consumers, positioned as being a great value and worth every dollar spent.
WILLIAMS-SONOMA
Williams- Sonoma is an interesting company, in that they have two main areas of focus,
kitchen and indoor/outdoor furniture. Similar to Everett Stunz, they sell beds as well as
bedding in their “Williams-Sonoma Home” line of products. Their selection of bedding is
limited and of lower quality when compared with that offered by Everett Stunz, and their beds
are more of a contemporary luxury appeal, considering the price range and the overall fit with
the company image. Pricing ranges from $595 to $6995 for their highest-end bed. One
advantage Williams-Sonoma has is the many options given to customers to customize the
fabric of their bed as well as the headboard coloration, in addition to other costly bedroom
furniture pieces that match with many of the beds, encouraging customers to shop their due to
ease of transaction and eliminating the need to visit various stores.
A wide selection of products and the options given to customers is seen as a strong
advantage for Williams-Sonoma, which has assisted them in becoming a national brand with
25
number of stores. An example of this can be seen in Figure 7 below, taken from a page on the
Williams-Sonoma Home website. Beds and furniture are displayed together on the same page,
and under each bed is a list of the color options (seen in the boxes left of +56 more and +59
more). Upon clicking on a particular bed, the customers can then select different colors to
view the product with various types of fabric. Another feature that stands out is the “Quick
Look”, which showcases the bed in a real-life setting, which allows customers to see the bed
with a certain personality rather than just the basic stock photo, and get a taste of what the
product may look like in their own home.
FIGURE 7: WILLIAMS SONOMA
26
FIGURE 8: WILLIAMS SONOMA
Figure 8, directly above, shows the page that displays when a particular bed is clicked
on. As the bed and headboard are sold together but as separate pieces, customers choose the
fabric, color, and price tier for each piece. Simply put, there is an impressive amount of
options made available to customers, but this comes at a price as well as a 6-8 week delivery
time frame.
RESTORATION HARDWARE
The brand image that Restoration Hardware is attempting to convey is made very clear
through their website. One would assume that they are attempting to be the destination store
for a classy and luxurious home. Everything from the construction of the store to the products
offered reflects this image in a strong manner. Another way in which Restoration Hardware
offers value to their customers while also promoting their products and taste is allowing
individuals to request “Source Books” from their website (Figure 9 below), which gives
design ideas for different types of settings. This gives Restoration Hardware a huge
27
competitive advantage in the marketplace, as they can showcase their complete line of
products in a somewhat personalized manner. Restoration Hardware promotes these source
books heavily, by placing them second on their website under a slideshow displaying some of
their new products. This makes it clear that Restoration Hardware is dedicated to helping their
customers make their homes beautiful by obtaining a certain look that they want relative to
their needs, environment, and style interests.
FIGURE 9: RESTORATION HARDWARE SOURCE BOOKS
“Bedroom Collections” feature beds and headboard sets with matching pieces of
furniture, with bed prices ranging from $805 all the way to $5395. Restoration Hardware
offers many different styles, colors, and finishes for their products, and the majority of beds
are closer to the low end of the price range than they are to the higher end. Bedding follows a
similar display method, as similar and complementary products are listed on the same page.
Though they do not compete in mattress sales, Restoration Hardware sells luxury bedding
items and are a very luxurious brand, seen in their store layouts, website layout, and overall
28
presentation of their brand. What Restoration Hardware does well here is allow customers to
see different products in different settings, similar to Williams-Sonoma. An example of this
was taken from the website and is pictured in Figure 10.
FIGURE 10: RESTORATION HARDWARE LUXURY SHEET SETS
As expressed in the “Key Success Factors” for bed and mattress stores, the ability to extend
credit to customers can be pivotal in securing a higher level of sales. At this moment in time,
Restoration Hardware is advertising a financing offer of as low as $44 per month at 5.99%
APR for customers that spend more than $3,000 or more in the store. As expressed in the
“Key Success Factors” for bed and mattress stores, the ability to extend credit to customers
can be pivotal in securing a higher level of sales, as offering financing can alleviate the
pressure coming from an expensive purchase.
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MACY’S Macy’s is the competitor most unlike Everett Stunz by nature, but in terms of mattress
sales, they resemble Everett Stunz to a fairly close degree. As a department store, Macy’s
primary focus is not on mattresses and linens, though they still carry a fairly deep selection of
the two categories. Macy’s lists 40 products under the “Beautyrest” name, including
mattresses that range everywhere from $515 to $10,089 as well as a number of different size
adjustable bases to accommodate individual with specific sleep preferences. Beautyrest
mattresses are made in USA, which conveys quality and craftsmanship to American
customers, which can prove to be a significant factor in the consumer decision-making process
when it comes to high-involvement purchase decisions. Next are the Serta mattresses, which
market the “iComfort” brand through Macy’s, a top-of-the-line adjustable bed system, rivaling
some of the products sold by Everett Stunz in terms of design, material, and price.
Another benefit that a large retailer like Macy’s can capitalize on is their ability to offer
discounts and promotions to encourage repeat purchases and to gain new customers.
Macy’s.com has nearly every mattress discounted at this point in time, and an example of this
can be seen in Figure 11 and 12 on the following page.
Macy’s currently offers customers no interest on purchases of over $499 if the balance
is paid within 12 months, which is one of the key success factors that Restoration Hardware
also acknowledges and utilizes to gain customer consideration. This seems to be an advantage
that the larger companies have the power to take advantage of, and this must be understood by
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Everett Stunz in order to adjust to the pressures that they face.
FIGURE 11
FIGURE 12
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OBJECTIVE #2: MARKETING PROMOTIONS ANALYSIS
METHODOLOGY Our methodology for examining the previous marketing promotion activities will be
based on assessing the previous efforts and analyzing them based on how well they support the
brand, if they address the needs of potential customers, and how well they communicate the
value of their offering. To do this, we must locate previous activities used to promote the
company and determine what could have been done to make these advertisements more
effective. We will investigate both traditional methods, including television and print, then
assess the online and electronic marketing efforts by looking at the company website and
search engine results, social media platforms including Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and
other online profiles like Yelp. For traditional methods, we will look to the specific channels
used and how well the messages were communicated to customers. Real examples of previous
advertisements will be included in our research. Online and social media marketing will be
judged based on the engagement with followers, integration across various channels, and if the
communications compliment the brand and support other marketing efforts.
RESULTS: TRADITIONAL MEDIA
TELEVISION
In January of 2013, Mr. Coller was featured on a news segment held in the KUSI
studio, where he gave insightful information on beds and bedding, including what contributes
to a quality sleep experience and knowledge on linens, particularly thread count and different
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types of materials used to make linens. La Jolla patch included this clip on their Facebook page,
but did not experience much engagement on the post, as the profile only has 1,041 followers.
This is a good example of free exposure, but unfortunately, beyond the news segment, the reach
was fairly low. The exact time that the segment aired is unknown.
Similar to the previous mentioned news story was another interview conducted in 2008
on Fox San Diego news. This interview featured both Mr. Coller and his wife, Nicki,
approximately a year after becoming owners of Everett Stunz. Having both of them in the
studio was a good way for anyone watching to get familiarized with them and created a family
feel, a positive way to relate to potential customers.
A recent television ad can be found on the “Philip Coller” YouTube channel, posted to
the channel on June 16, 2014. This particular advertisement shows a woman joyfully browsing
the selection in the store, getting into a bed, and waking up at home looking re-energized and
happy. The narrator goes through the categories and mentions some of the premier products,
including the DUX bed, comforters and pillows, and the beachwood and Egyptian cotton
linens. The final image presented to viewers displays the company name, company tagline “the
world’s finest bed, bath, and linens”, the two locations (La Jolla and Westfield UTC), and the
company website.
PRINT In addition to television, advertisements have been purchased in several magazines and
periodicals, such as San Diego Home & Garden, Giving Back, as well as in several local
newspapers. These magazine efforts gave the least measurable return for the company. Figure
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13, shown on the next page, provides an example of an advertising placement in Giving Back
magazine. Aside from informing people about the business and the products offered, Mr. Coller
included informative data to build knowledge about the products. Another advertisement from
July of 2006 was placed in San Diego Magazine, and can be seen on the next page in Figure 14.
Here, Everett Stunz used a side-by-side, half page advertisement.
FIGURE 13: GIVING BACK MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT
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FIGURE 14: SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT, JULY 2006
Here, we see the left side serving as an advertisement for the store and the right side showing
an advertisement for the DUX bed. The separate advertisements do not seemingly compliment
each other effectively. We see a combination of different color text, various advertisement
styles (informational vs. visual), and a lack of flow. Our evaluation of this particular spread is
negative, and criticism for it stems from the poor sensory appeal of the two advertisements
placed directly next to each other.
RESULTS: ONLINE AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA
The primary electronic communication tool that Mr. Coller uses is the company
website, www.everettstunz.com. The website has an elegant feel to it, and includes important
information such as hours of operation, links to social media platforms and blog, cart update,
promotions, and pictures of products (Figure 4.2 in the appendix). In terms of these areas where
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Everett Stunz could make improvements, the blog needs additional relevant and informative
content added to it. Also, there is no mention of the actual physical location of the business
included in the website. In addition, they have a “reviews” section in the margin, but there are
no written reviews to be displayed.
Alexa.com gives us excellent measures to determine the engagement levels of website
visitors, by showing the bounce rate, daily page views per visitor, and daily time on site. From
what we can see in the images below, not much time is spent on the website, which is an area
that could use improvement and should be addressed immediately. With only 6 pageviews for
visitor, it is apparent that everettstunz.com is not able to effectively keep people engaged to
their website to browse through their selection, something very important for a company
looking to increase online sales. Inbound sites should be maximized, as this is a proven way to
increase traffic to a website. Figure 15 and 16, below, show a total of 22 websites linking in,
which is another area that should be addressed as soon as possible. Not only are these excellent
tools for gauging where a website stands, but these are all measures that can be observed,
documented, and tested for campaign effectiveness.
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FIGURE 15: ALEXA.COM ANALYSIS FOR "EVERETTSTUNZ.COM"
FIGURE 16: ALEXA.COM ANALYSIS
GOOGLE AD WORDS
Mr. Coller has been using Google Ad Words as a search engine optimization tool to
drive more traffic to his website. While typing specific keywords related to the business, the
Everett Stunz website came in, at minimum, within the first five pages of results during the
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majority of the searches; meaning that the website has been previously search engine optimized
and may be working to their advantage (Appendix 8). Currently, local searches generate
Everett Stunz towards the top of the search engine results pages, but Mr. Coller would like to
expand the company’s reach outside the San Diego region, especially for online sales.
Facebook is a tool that can bring a lot of traffic to the store and the website. Mr. Coller
has been using this platform for a while now and has been managing it himself. They currently
have four Facebook profiles, the “Everett Stunz” page being the most liked, though none have
more than a thousand likes and poor engagement associated with most posts. Profile posts are
performed on a daily basis, most containing an announcement of a new product or to inform
followers about something related to the business.
When used properly, Facebook can prove to be a very effective way to promote a local
business, considering the immense number of users this particular platform boasts. Currently,
Everett Stunz manages four different Everett Stunz Facebook pages: “Everett Stunz”, “Everett
Stunz Westfield UTC, “Duxiana La Jolla”, and “Duxiana San Diego”. The one profile that is
linked to his website is “Everett Stunz”, and this particular page also happens to be the one with
the most likes and engagement. Most of Everett Stunz Facebook posts are informative articles
about health benefits of their products or promotions and discounts on their products. Everett
Stunz also encourages customers to post company reviews to their Facebook profiles; they
currently have 11 reviews and an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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In terms of the format of the Everett Stunz Facebook posts, they are very textually dense and
followers do not engage as much. Most of their posts have between 3-5 comments and 5-10
likes. Lastly, they have 5 informative videos about their products and one about Mr. Phillip
Coller.
Instagram is a very visual platform and is growing rapidly. Currently, Everett Stunz has an
Instagram profile with 33 followers and 112 posts. Mr. Coller is the manager of the page and he
posts very frequently (3-4 times a week). Unfortunately, the posts struggle to secure
engagement. Most of the images have between 3-5 likes and very few comments. The images
are not high quality pictures and there is no use of a consistent hashtag campaign. Most of the
posts are of the products in store and there are not any promotions, discounts or campaigns
running.
Twitter is a very useful tool to send short and strong messages about the brand to the
customers. It can be very especialy helpful when hashtags are properly utilized. In addition,
tweets with images linked have more engagement than do ones simply consisting of plain text.
Currently, Everett Stunz has 1089 twitter followers and 2,217 tweets. Most of their tweets do
not have linked images and there is not much engagement on their posts. They have Twitter
and Facebook linked together, which is a positive. On the other hand, the background picture is
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a high quality picture of the storefront in UTC mall, which may bring more traffic to the profile
only by looking at it.
Pinterest can be a very helpful platform for e-commerce businesses. Since its launch, it
has become one of the leading social media sites for shopping. Forty percent of the pins are
home-related pins, which is the second most popular topic on Pinterest. Women’s 25-34 are the
target market for this type of social media platform and they are generally looking for coupons
and information about a product.
Currently, Everett Stunz possesses a wide variety of pins in their board. Their content
encompasses a wide variety of activities and appears to be interesting to their followers. They
have a total of 46 boards ranging from the products they offer to food and decoration ideas.
There is not much engagement with their boards even though home related topics are the most
searched topics in this social media platform. In addition, not any of their posts have a redirect
link to Everett Stunz webpage
YOUTUBE
YouTube, when used effectively, can popularize a product, help a company get
feedback, and improve overall brand visibility while sending messages to the consumer. Everett
Stunz currently has multiple YouTube channels, under the name “Preeverett”, with four videos
on the profile. However, there is another YouTube channel under the “Philip Coller” name
with sixteen videos about Everett Stunz products, informational videos from other sources, and
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an interview with Mr. Coller at KUSI news, which is the most popular video in the channel.
These videos are also shared on Facebook. An overarching theme among the videos that can be
found in these two channels, as well as other channels featuring Everett Stunz, are low amounts
of views, something that could be improved upon by finding new channels and profiles to
feature on.
YELP
The Everett Stunz Yelp page has six reviews; two of the reviews are less than two stars
and the remaining are five stars; the administrator has responded only one review. In addition,
they offer a voucher redeemable for $75 dollars at the store and also provide business
information such as store hours, business information, and background. Lastly, Mr. Coller has
posted several pictures of the store and products (Figure 4.6, in the appendix).
OBJECTIVE #3: DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY
For much of the company’s existence, the target market consisted primarily of local La
Jolla residents, as the only operating store was located deep in the city of La Jolla. This means
that the primary customers were those located close to the store, a segment consisting of mostly
wealthy, older individuals. At this point in time, with operations shifting to the UTC mall
location, the target consumer base can expand beyond its original reach, as the new location is
more accessible to those visiting the La Jolla mall from all around San Diego. In order to solve
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this issue, we will perform research into our current target consumer segment, females between
the ages of 30 and 54, and develop an understanding of the most effective forms of media to
reach them with.
RESULTS
According to Forbes Magazine, San Diego is the fifth wealthiest city in the United States with a
population of 1,345,895. San Diego County, total population over 3 million, consists of a
primarily upper-middle class income, significantly above the national index (SRDR/Kantar).
These facts validate that San Diego truly is a good area to operate a luxury bed and bedding
store like Everett Stunz. Secondary research revealed helpful information that can help the
company better target its customers, profile their specific interests and visions, and address
them in the marketing efforts.
In our secondary research (based on psychographic information of the population of the
county), we found that San Diego residents prefer to buy in specialty stores because they feel
that they are treated in an exclusive manner. By visiting these kinds of stores, they are being
provided with better information from the employees since they consider them to have better
knowledge of the products being sold. San Diego residents also feel that specialty stores carry
better brands, which gives an advantage to a company like Everett Stunz, since they are a in
fact a specialty retailer. It is imperative that Everett Stunz puts emphasis on the expertise of
their personnel with respect to the respective categories that they sell. Customers in the area
show a specific interest in being informed on purchases they make. San Diego County ranks
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above the national index average for people preferring specialty stores against department
stores (SRDS/ Kantar).
Another important aspect that stands out among the interest of San Diego residents is
that they feel compelled and responsible to take care of the environment. In the information
collected, San Diegans scored a higher index than the national average in preferring to buy eco-
friendly products. Everett Stunz carries natural environmental friendly linens, and this is
another aspect that could be emphasized to attract more customers to the store as well as gain
favor in the consideration of non-customers. In terms of their tendency to buy luxury and well-
known brands, residents of the county also score above the national index, once again
indicating that the greater San Diego area is a good fit for Everett Stunz.
We conducted secondary research on the customers’ buying patterns and also researched
demographic information on Mediamark Reporter (MRI+). There were interesting and useful
results regarding the industry and buying patterns among the customers in the United States. In
2013, 235,577 people were asked if they had spent more than $700 on mattresses, and from that
total, only 4970 said that they did (roughly 2.11%). Out of those 4970, most of the buyers were
identified as being female whom also graduated college. The age range rendering the highest
index score were for those that fell between the ages of 35-44. From this research, one can start
to get a better picture of our target market; educated, married middle-aged women. Consumers
with the highest inclination to buy luxury mattresses are those with a yearly income of
$150,000 and up.
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Results for bedding and bath goods bought in the previous 12 months were very similar to the
results stated above. Women predominately were the decision makers and made most of the
purchases within the categories of products that Everett Stunz offers.
All tables containing MRI+ and SRDS data can be found in the Appendix.
In an article published in the LA Times, Meredith Blake highlights the shift in television
viewership, and explains the changes occurring by breaking the numbers down into age groups
and shows how television is changing to accommodate the high number of Baby Boomers
(Blake). The median age at the time the article was published, February 22, 2014, was the
highest ever at 54 years. TV networks are prompting advertisers to address who is referred to as
the “Alpha Boomers”, or those between the ages of 55 to 64 who are affluent and influential.
While at the upper end of our target segment, these individuals cannot be disregarded.
Primetime shows are becoming more focused on the older age group rather than the 14 to 49-
age segment.
San Diego newspaper usage is primarily between two different publications, the UT San Diego
and the San Diego Reader, which boasts circulation figures of 439,000 Sunday and 373,000
daily, and 115,000 weekly, respectively. For North San Diego County, the North County Times
is the newspaper with the highest reach, with 93,000 readers for both the Sunday and the daily
editions. While newspaper subscription and readership levels have been declining over the
years, we still see a fairly high number of those in the target age groups (35 and older) that read
the newspaper on a consistent basis. The statistics displayed in Table 1 below reveal that a high
amount of adults do in fact still rely on newspapers for information, perhaps because of the
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novelty factor associated with it. Still, this shows that newspaper advertising could still be an
effective means of communication with the target customers(The Associated Press).
TABLE 1: NEWSPAPER READERSHIP DEMOGRAPHICS
Source: www.naa.org
Magazines are another medium under scrutiny, as many have spoken that traditional
journalism is dying, and that advertising through magazines is simply not worth it anymore.
While this may prove true in some cases, Seasons magazine, published for La Jolla and Del
Mar, have found a way to captivate the interests of the two markets that they serve. As a
quarterly and highly targeted publication, Seasons boasts 100% coverage in the markets that
they serve, which equates to 17,000 households in La Jolla and 5,000 households in Del Mar.
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Social media use is another important component of our research, as advertising and
marketing campaigns on these platforms are effective, generate exposure and leads, and
sometimes come at little to no cost. Due to the growing popularity of various platforms,
developing an understanding of usage rates among key demographics is a vital measure. In
Table 3, relevant Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube user information is
displayed. The most important factors here are female, ages 30-49, College education, and
income over $75,000, as these all represent the target customers for Everett Stunz.
TABLE 2: SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE
Male Female Ages 30-
49
Ages
50-64
College + Income
$75,000+
Suburba
n
Facebook 66% 77% 73% 63% 74% 72% 72%
INSTAGRA
M 22% 29% 25% 11% 24% 26% 26%
TWITTER 21% 24% 25% 12% 30% 27% 23%
PINTEREST 13% 42% 28% 27% 32% 34% 29%
YOUTUBE 58% 57% 60% 53% N/A N/A N/A
SOURCE: WWW.PEWINTERNET.ORG
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RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
In summary, our entire competitor benchmarking shows how each of these companies find
ways to accentuate their core competencies through their websites, all the while providing
support for their established brand image. The key word here is differentiation, or what they do
specifically to gain a competitive edge over their counterparts.
From the information gathered pertaining to branding, marketing, and the target
customer group of Everett Stunz, we were able to identify ways to assist Everett Stunz. Based
on their current market position, it is essential that Everett Stunz maximize their return-on-
investment when engaging in marketing and advertising activities, all the while finding cheap
and cost-effective methods to promote their brand and increase overall awareness for their
company.
Though much has already been done in attempting to market to customers, especially in
online and electronic forms of media, there is still a lot of room for improvement in these
regards. Everett Stunz has established a good foundation for social media marketing tactics, but
the execution, for the most part, has been carried out ineffectively, as engagement levels for
social media activity are low and messages are inconsistent across various platforms. Focusing
on building relationships with customers to create a distinct brand personality is one of the
most valuable benefits of having a strong social media and website presence, and this will be
one of the main focuses of our recommendations to Everett Stunz going forward.
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SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS In order to properly determine where Everett Stunz is at as a company, we needed to
conduct a situational analysis to help us better understand the current state of the business, as
well as outside threats that may prove detrimental to the future success of the company.
STRENGTHS
We identified several factors that make Everett Stunz unique and could
contribute to a positive and convenient experience for its customers. The new location of the
store at the UTC mall gives Everett Stunz a competitive advantage over their direct
competitors, since it is in closer proximity to many other areas within San Diego County. At the
same time, the store has a strong location inside the mall, which can lead to increased levels of
foot traffic. The store is also located in an area where people who live near and visit the mall
fall within the target customer income level. Another strength for Everett Stunz is that they
carry unique products that are not easy to obtain at any other nearby retailers and certain
products found in the store cannot be purchased online. As a result, they portray a sense of
exclusivity in their offerings to customers. One example of this that was mentioned earlier is
the DUX bed, as Everett Stunz is the only retailer in all of San Diego County, and one of the
few in the state of California. Everett Stunz has been in La Jolla for almost 50 years, which
gives a sense of trust and credibility to its customers, as longevity of businesses usually proves
to be an advantage. This longevity can be used to build support for the overall brand name,
expressing that Everett Stunz has been providing its customers with the best products and great
customer service for five decades.
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Another competitive advantage is that Everett Stunz provides its customers with
knowledgeable employees that can help a customer become properly informed of the
advantages of the products that are sold at the store. The group of interior designers is also
strength for the store, as it provides a personalized service for its customers.
WEAKNESSES The low reach of social media and the low level of brand awareness of Everett Stunz are
some of the greatest weaknesses that we have identified. In order to adapt to the new trends and
to reach the target market, Everett Stunz needs to alter its advertising methods to accommodate
the new digital era, which will effectively promote the brand among the target market. Everett
Stunz needs to have a strong digital presence where customers can engage in different forms of
media with their free time. Developing a strong social media and internet marketing plan would
be a great way to reach its consumers, and would be a cost-effective tool for Everett Stunz to
reinvent and reposition itself as a modern brand. We have located several Everett Stunz related
Facebook pages, and there needs to be a sense of cohesion and integration between all these
accounts in order to communicate the same message across these platforms. The low level of
brand awareness and identity would be another weakness that our marketing efforts could be
geared towards. We believe that in order to break through the clutter in the industry, there is an
absolute necessity to differentiate your company in order to establish a specific identity and
personality as a brand. This is an imperative element needed to effectively compete with
established department and retail stores. Along with the brand identity, the look and feel of the
store shows that there is not a strong sense of differentiation. Since Everett Stunz is luxury
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linen and bedding store, it needs to have a stronger sense of luxury in the display and
showrooms to communicate a specific feeling that you only feel when you walk inside an
Everett Stunz store.
Another weakness would be that Everett Stunz doesn't have a well-developed
understanding of their target market supported by research and concrete evidence. In order to
reach their market they need to properly understand potential customers, know what they like,
how they like to be treated in the store, and what incentives would potentially bring customers
to the store. The company needs to understand their different targets thoroughly and how
different methods can be used to reach them. The saturated local market sales for the DUX bed
(which is their marquee product) and the infrequent purchase patterns for their products have
become major weaknesses for their business.
OPPORTUNITIES
Even though we described above a number of weaknesses that Everett Stunz
possesses, some of those weaknesses can be converted into opportunities through proper
execution. The lack of brand awareness can allow Everett Stunz to form a strong identity and
set itself apart from all their various competitors. Since Everett Stunz does not necessarily have
a strong social media following, we can exploit this opportunity to get attention from San
Diego County social media users who are currently active online. The new location at the UTC
mall opens up new opportunities to explore in the area like new advertising opportunities, new
partnerships with stores close by, or with luxury hotels or luxury apartment complexes around
the area. Also, it opens up to the possibility to reach different customers and reinvent Everett
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Stunz in its new location, along with many more opportunities that the location change brings
to the store.
THREATS
Competition and customer perception of the store are the biggest threats we have
identified. Everett Stunz, as a retail store, is competing with direct and indirect competitors.
Their competitors are a wide range of local stores of luxury linen and bedding as well as big
brand name department stores and national bed retailers such as Macy’s, Bloomingdales,
Williams-Sonoma, Sleep Number, Sleep Train, etc., which boast greater marketing and
advertising budgets and higher awareness levels within the target segments. Everett Stunz is in
serious need of differentiation from all the other companies to provide a clear benefit for all its
customers. The perception of Everett Stunz from customers is another factor that affects the
store. People might see the store and some of products such as the DUX Bed as not as
innovative as some of the new modern mattresses that we see in the market. A perception that
they also fight with is that since they are smaller retailer, people might think that they have a
narrower variety of products. Everett Stunz needs to make it known that they carry a wide
variety of brands and products in the bed and bath categories. (Appendix 11: SWOT Analysis
Table)
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RECOMMENDATIONS
1) DISTINGUISH BRAND THROUGH UNIQUE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AND BRANDING TECHNIQUES
It goes without saying that it is imperative for Everett Stunz to be well
differentiated from their competitors. One simple yet effective way to accomplish this
differentiation is for Everett Stunz to create a unique shopping experience for their customers,
which should be made obvious to them as soon as they walk in the door. The first impression
that a customer forms upon walking through the door should be centered around unparalleled
service, friendliness, and of course, luxury. In order to establish a strong brand image and give
a distinct personality to the store, there are several changes that could be made within the store.
MISSION STATEMENT
We recommend that Everett Stunz creates a clear and concise mission statement
that matches the ideals of the store and it customers, coincides with the slogan to give a distinct
identity to the store, and portrays an image of the Everett Stunz brand. This will guide Everett
Stunz in keeping all their marketing efforts consistent across all channels of communication
that are being utilized. By recognizing three main points for differentiation, Everett Stunz has a
good starting point for fortifying their brand image in creating a mission statement, which
includes:
1) Eliminating the need for customers to make an extra trip to another store,
2) Offering exclusive, high-end beds that cannot be found at nearby stores, and
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3) Employees that can accentuate product benefits and provide great service.
Making sure that the company is recognized for these three things will assist Everett
Stunz in becoming a favorable brand and help them gain consideration in the minds of
consumers.
CREATE UNIQUE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
By enacting unique methods to welcome customers, Everett Stunz should be able to
encourage shoppers to spend more time in their store. Having something as simple as food and
drinks to offer customers upon entry can help customers feel more at home rather than in a
store. As the majority of visitors are women, and research shows that it is important that
women know that they are being listened to, it is important to go the extra mile in welcoming
shoppers, especially when those shoppers are looking to make an expensive purchase that can
have a positive effect on their personal well-being.
Successfully creating a unique shopping experience will help in differentiating Everett
Stunz from competition. Treating customers in a manner that they would not experience if they
were to shop in a different store, such as Macy’s, would be a positive first step in building a
lasting relationship with customers, which is an important undertaking for any company that
relies on selling high-priced items to survive.
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2) MODIFY STORE LAYOUT AND PRODUCT PRESENTATION
The idea of creating showrooms is one designed to mirror actions of some competitors.
Ikea has built a strong brand by showcasing their products in specific setups designed to mirror
how products would look in someone’s own home. Currently, the store layout in Everett Stunz
is simplistic and spread out, and while this may allow customers to roam freely, it may not
effectively make them feel like they are in their own home. Setting up separate themed rooms
and updating them seasonally will assist customers in visualizing products in a more favorable
manner while also displaying the latest products and color schemes that may be more suiting to
their moods.
A recommendation for implementing the concept of themed rooms would be to think of
various rooms in a person’s home, as well as certain cities that customers in the target market
enjoy vacationing and relaxing in. We recommend developing concepts that include themes
such as the “Urban Life room” which replicates the Downtown San Diego style apartments,
and a “SoCal Living showroom” to make customers feel as identified in how they want their La
Jolla beach house to look like. Recreating these settings in the store could compliment the
unique shopping experience we discussed earlier, potentially make them forget that they are
shopping, and instead focus on a positive experience they have had or desire to have. They
could experience and picture the products in their own homes. At the same time the showrooms
give the store a new personality and feel, making it more attractive to enter.
On the other hand, two of the main issues affecting profitability are the high costs of
inventory and the long purchase cycles for most of the products that Everett Stunz carries. The
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current layout of the store has many of the bedding materials stashed away in cubbies around
the perimeter of the store, with a select number of beds and bedding items on display. If Everett
Stunz were to continually update their items on display, it would allow for heightened levels of
exposure for bedding that may spend the majority of time on the shelf. Figure 17 and 18 are
concepts for showrooms.
FIGURE 17: SO CAL LIVING SHOWROOM
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FIGURE 18: URBAN LIFE SHOWROOM EXAMPLE
FIGURE 19: STORE LAYOUT WITH SHOWROOMS
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These items carry a higher profit margin than mattresses, which is why it is imperative
to promote them as much as possible. Constantly decorating the beds on display may prove to
be a time-consuming task, placing more beds around the store would be a simple solution to
this problem, and could be a part of developing the various themed rooms.
There are some suggestions to the layout of the store that we like to mention, in
order to improve productivity and make it more organized. Our first suggestion would be to
implement our show room ideas and place them at the front of the store to make it visible from
the outside. Also, adding a bathroom showroom at the top right of the store will be a better way
to showcase towels and bathroom products that the store carries instead of having those
products spread all over the store. Another recommendation would be to place all the beds next
to each other so the customer can easily compare brands and models in order to make a better
decision. That way the customer can have a more complete understanding of the different
features each bed has. Also, another change that we consider important is to move the register
to an island to the center of the store and call it Service Desk. One of the benefits would be that
they would have visual access to all of the store’s showrooms. In addition, customers can have
access to sales associates easier in case if any question arises.
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3) ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES
The idea here is to create relationships with established and respected individuals or
companies that will give Everett Stunz free or cheap exposure and hopefully lead to an increase
of traffic. If executed successfully, this could be a win-win situation for any entities that choose
to partake in the partnering, but it is important to ensure that any partners share a similar vision
and focus on luxury and well-being to successfully reinforce the image of the Everett Stunz
brand.
Potential partners that stand out are specialty luxury hotels in the La Jolla area, costing
over $300 per night with a limited number of guestrooms. Three hotels in La Jolla that Everett
Stunz should consider partnering with are The Lodge at Torrey Pines, Pantai Inn, and La Jolla
Shores Hotel. Similar to the notecards displayed on products around the store, Everett Stunz
could create and supply notecards for these hotels that use their products, whether they are
mattresses or linens. Patrons of these hotels fit the high-income demographic, and making them
aware of the Everett Stunz name by including the website will hopefully lead to an increase in
online sales. An example of a notecard can be seen below.
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FIGURE 20: HOTEL NOTECARD
Another way for Everett Stunz to create credibility and establish themselves in the
minds of consumers is to look for respected figures and organizations to endorse their store.
Chiropractors that understand the importance of having a quality bed can serve as spokespeople
for the brand, so encouraging purchases among respected health-figures and perhaps offering
discounts in an attempt to create word-of-mouth by trusted sources would be money well spent.
Chiropractors can be located by visiting “chiropractors.healthprofs.com”, and entering city
name or zip code. Everett Stunz should pursue specialists in different areas, including Dr. Bob
Johnson from Rancho Santa Fe, Erika Posenaer and The San Diego Integrative Spine Center in
Del Mar, and the People and Animal Wellness Chiropractic, Brandon Goldstein, and Raymond
Deters III, all three of whom operate in La Jolla. Also near the UTC mall is the Head Neck &
Spine Center of San Diego, a clinic that has been in La Jolla for over 30 years.
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Two additional ways that Everett Stunz could increase their presence in the community
would be for them to create a profile on Houzz and list some of their products on
Contemporary Design Group. Everett Stunz should look to promoting products and providing
knowledge with the Contemporary Design Group. Contact information for a retailer to sign up
can be found in Figure 21 Signing up to become part of the Contemporary Design Group would
assist Everett Stunz in reaching more customers, as the CDG is a trusted group of professional
designers, manufacturers, and retailers that band together to help customers achieve their
design dreams for their homes. Their website also has a blog that Everett Stunz can post
content to. Houzz is a fairly new platform that is being adopted at a very fast rate. Houzz serves
as a social networking platform for interior designers, homeowners, and other professionals
involved in remodeling or reconstructing a home. Everett Stunz can include photos of their
newly created showrooms to promote their beds and bedding for local users after creating a
“pro” account, and will immediately be able to reach millions of users.
FIGURE 21: CONTEMPORARY DESIGN GROUP CONTACT INFORMATION
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4) DEVELOP ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN THEME
To guide the marketing and advertising efforts of Everett Stunz, we decided to
create a theme for a new advertising campaign, “Beauty Starts in Bed”. As their customers are
mainly women, we assessed the values that women hold dearly and created the campaign
theme around their interests. The idea here is that sleeping well is key to living a healthy life,
and the products that Everett Stunz carries will help you sleep the best that you possibly can.
By having the finest products in your bedroom, your life will be better as a result.
FIGURE 22: BEAUTY STARTS IN BED ADVERTISEMENT EXAMPLE
The “Beauty Starts in Bed” campaign will help give an identity and personality to the
Everett Stunz brand; it will be an attention-getter designed to captivate the customers. The
campaign will be implemented across all of the platforms used. It will be constructed around
stressing the benefits that a good night sleep has on a person’s physical and mental health, as
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well as demonstrate how Everett Stunz not only has solutions to this problem, but also
dedicates their focus as a brand to helping everyone achieve better sleep.
The campaign initiative should not only be implemented in their promotional efforts but
also inside the store. The attempts to implement the campaign inside the store should be very
subtle and elegant to keep the sophistication of the brand. A suggestion would be to add small
note card on top of the beds that are on display, similar to the tactic used for the hotel
partnerships, except containing for information. The notecard should either contain health facts
or benefits of sleeping to support the campaign. When the customer goes around the store
looking at all the merchandise, they will see the facts on the merchandise and will focus on the
benefits of the products rather than the costs of purchasing them.
FIGURE 23: PRODUCT AND CAMPAIGN SUPPORT NOTECARDS
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5) DEVELOP ADVERTISING INITIATIVES
By understanding customers and their purchase patterns, we have a solid foundation by
which to build our marketing plan. To create and successfully implement this plan, we will be
explain the appropriate times to market different kinds of products, who we should be
addressing, which forms of media will best reach our target customers, and at what intervals
marketing and advertising should be done.
THEME
As women are the main drivers in the purchase decision for beds and bedding, Everett
Stunz must remember to design their advertisements to persuade women and appeal to their
innermost desires. As women report that they are “meaner and less friendly” when they do not
get a good night’s sleep, this ideal should be emphasized through marketing and advertising.
This is successfully reflected in our campaign theme of “Beauty Starts in Bed”. Next is to
determine the sales patterns for each of the main products: mattresses and bedding.
MONTHS TO ADVERTISE
From our discussion with Mr. Coller, we were able to determine the best sales for beds
were January, February, and the beginning of summer, while the worst months for bed sales
were October, November, and December (lowest). For linens, marketing and advertising should
be done as a new season approaches, considering that thread count and certain materials can
have different effects on regulating comfortable body temperatures, and thus are used during
different times of the year. In addition to the comfort factor, people often associate certain
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colors as being “spring and summer colors” and others as more appropriate in the cooler
seasons, fall and winter. While linens should be advertised throughout the year, the change of
the seasons will call for increased advertising. Promotions will be modified depending on the
time of year.
Winter + Spring: Focus on Beds; Summer + Fall: Focus on Linens
FIGURE 24: MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CONCEPT (BEDS/LINENS)
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FIGURE 25: MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CONCEPT (BEDS/LINENS)
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KEY LOCATIONS AND MEDIA FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
Seasons magazine, serving both La Jolla and Del Mar, allow Everett Stunz a great opportunity to
reach customers that fit their target demographic in a cost-effective manner. With delivery to
17,000 households and 5 editions printed throughout the year, Everett Stunz can take this
opportunity to promote different items for different times of the year.
Advertising in the Sunday edition of the North County Times would help Everett Stunz
increase coverage to those who might be out of the local search range. With La Jolla and Del Mar
already covered by the Seasons publications, The North County Times would effectively reach
beach towns including Encinitas, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, and Cardiff by the Sea.
Outdoor advertising within the UTC mall is another helpful strategy for Everett Stunz to
employ. Marketing to mall shoppers is important here, as there is a considerable amount of
competition within the mall. Everett Stunz needs to set themselves apart by capturing the
attention of shoppers and appropriately directing foot traffic to their store.
Direct mail efforts should be geared towards existing customers, by sending out
promotional postcards to those already in the Everett Stunz database. Example of a postcard can
be seen below. Everett Stunz could expect to spend around $150 to print 5,000 postcards from
PSPrint.com. After bulk-rate postage expenditures, a batch of 5,000 postcards would cost around
$1,615 ($148+ $1465). As a result of the high costs of postage, we recommend that Everett Stunz
engage in postcard distribution during the slower sales months, either spring or summer.
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FIGURE 26: DIRECT MAIL POSTCARD PROMOTION
COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING
Due to the high levels of competition and the strength of players in the industry,
cooperative advertising funding would go a long way to assist Everett Stunz in building their
brand image and promoting their products. Cooperative funding would be a win-win situation
for wholesalers selling through Everett Stunz, considering the low penetration levels for the
DUX bed in the San Diego region paired with the low level of brand awareness for Everett
Stunz means that there is plenty of room to reach new customers in the county. Everett Stunz
should request funding from their mattress manufacturers Duxiana, Savvy Rest, and Sharper
Image. The additional money brought in could be used for developing new advertising material
specifically for these mattresses. Carrying products that are not widely known about can have a
negative effect on a retailer, as brand name and recognition is important for consumers that are
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looking to purchase expensive products. This will allow Everett Stunz to advertise these unique
products on a more consistent basis without having to worry about sacrificing expenditures to
promote their company alone. Funding gathered from multiple manufacturers would allow
Everett Stunz to send better targeted direct mail pieces, could be used to develop a seasonal
catalog for customers on their mailing list, and allow more opportunities to send direct mail to
neighborhoods and zip codes with similar demographics to La Jolla. Everett Stunz should target
the top 20 zip codes based on income per household. If Everett Stunz were to pursue the
catalog route, they would be looking at printing costs of around $1,100 for 5000 16-page
catalogs, through PSPrint.com, with an additional $2,500 for postage.
TABLE 3: HIGHEST INCOME ZIP CODES
Source: http://localistica.com
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6) ONLINE INITIATIVES
We recommend that Everett Stunz place a lot of emphasis on creating and maintaining a
strong presence online like social media, email, blog, etc. As previously mentioned, the
company is already present in a number of different platforms, but we believe that there is a
great opportunity for improvement within these platforms. The low cost of using social media
paired with the high amount of exposure that the store can receive can prove to be very
valuable and profitable. To develop an effective social media plan, we determined which the
most beneficial social media channels would be to reach the primary customers of Everett
Stunz. As previously discussed, wealthy, middle-aged women are the ideal customers to target
through these channels. From our findings, women are the primary information seekers of the
family, and the ultimate decision makers in which linens and beds are to be purchased.
The most beneficial social media platforms for Everett Stunz to emphasize their
marketing efforts would be Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Even though we think is
important to be present in other platforms, such as Twitter and YouTube, we consider that the
company should place more emphasis on the networks that can generate the most exposure to
their target market. For our other online platforms we suggest to pay special interest in email,
online radio, and their website, since we consider that this platforms can provide Everett Stunz
with the biggest return on investment since the cost of using this platforms is very little
compared to others.
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The Online Platforms of Everett Stunz need to provide their customers with the three
basic principles of the Internet, which are entertainment, community and information. We need
to position Everett Stunz as the leading expert in linen and bedding online.
Facebook is a great platform when used to engage with customers. It is also a great
medium to advertise and promote the company since our target market may be actively
researching and looking for information within this platform. By promoting and creating a
greater following on the page we can create a stronger image, nurture relationships with
followers, and raise awareness for Everett Stunz. Our objective would be to increase the
number of likes on the page in order to have a captive audience on the future promotional
efforts of Everett Stunz on this platform. A strong Facebook campaign would build a
community by sharing tips on how they can decorate their homes, showing the customers
interesting videos, posting useful articles, and engaging with followers by having a
conversation with them and answering their questions. We can achieve a community on
Facebook by introducing the Everett Stunz interior designers and showing some of their
previous work. This is an effective way to not only let the customers know about the interior
design service Everett Stunz offers, but also promoting the brand and differentiating from the
competition in a very subtle way. By engaging with the community online users will develop a
strong connection with Everett Stunz and it will also allow interested customers to learn about
each designer so they can decide for themselves if they wish to hire them. Later on the
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document we would provide examples of contests, campaigns and improvements that can be
implemented in order to achieve the objectives.
FACEBOOK “BEAUTIFY YOUR BEDROOM” CONTEST
In order to increase the Everett Stunz following on Facebook, we need get their
attention and gain interest to the content shared on the page. We suggest to run a Facebook
contest in order to match our campaign we decided to create the contest called “Beautify your
Bedroom”, which consists of inviting followers to enter a contest in where they are asked to
answer the question “Why do you need Everett Stunz to beautify your bedroom?” The
contestants would be asked to answer the question and provide a picture of the bedroom. The
story with the most likes would be determined the winner of free interior design consultation as
well as all the bedding.
To execute “Beautify your Bedroom Contest” we suggest using a third party app to run
the contest in order to keep track of the participants in a more accurate manner. We suggest
using Wishpond which is an “All-in-one Marketing Suite for Retailers and Brands; including
over a dozen marketing apps for deploying Photo Contests, showcasing Pinterest Boards and
adding social commerce elements to ecommerce websites” (wishpond.com). Wishpond will
store the information obtained from the contest, which would be emails and names of the
contestants. In addition it will ensure that they like the Facebook page before continuing with
the contest entry. The app will also provide statistics and measures of the success of the contest.
The cost of using Wishpond is $100 per month. For that price, Wishpond claims that it will
help the page gain 100,000 legitimate followers.
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The contest will require participants to:
1. Like the Everett Stunz Facebook page
2. Fill out a form with first name, last name, email address, and a short paragraph
of why they need Everett Stunz to beautify their bedroom
3. Submit the form
4. Tag the post with a hashtag #beautystartsinbed and share it with friends.
The contest will run for a month and the winner will a free interior design consultation
as well as all the bedding materials necessary to have the perfect bed.
FACEBOOK ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
Launching an advertising campaign on Facebook would be very helpful to bring more
followers to the Everett Stunz profile. Facebook provides a great deal of advantages for small
businesses to advertise because it is economical, targeted and effective. Starting an advertising
campaign would be a great way to get likes and build exposure for the store.
Once the “Beautify My Bedroom Contest” is created it should be promoted by email
blasts, Facebook advertisements and on Everett Stunz website. The Facebook advertising
campaign should be the primary effort to promote the contest. Everett Stunz can choose who to
target and what characteristics such as age, location, and interest making the reach of the
campaign very targeted to the location of interest. The cost of running a campaign starts at
$5.00/day to $40.00/day depending on how many people you want to reach. It can be a cost-
effective and simple way to get people to enter the contest also would create awareness of
Everett Stunz. In the picture below there is an example of a Facebook advertisement designed
to attract people to enter the contest.
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FIGURE 27: EXAMPLE OF FACEBOOK ADVERTISEMENT
ADDITIONAL FACEBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
In addition, liking similar pages on Facebook, sharing their content on your
profile and having a connection with influential people of the industry through this network is
crucial. Also, it is recommended to provide followers with coupons and incentives and
influence them go to purchase products. These coupons and incentives should to be regular
(every month, every week) and a schedule should be developed to maintain consistency.
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For Instagram, we will implement two hashtag campaigns called #FactFriday and
#DesignerWednesday. They will work around the overall Everett Stunz campaign “Beauty
Starts in Bed”. The first campaign will be posted every Friday mentioning a benefit of having a
good night sleep. The sample below is an example of a potential Instagram post that mentions a
fact about sleeping well. The post should have a short portion of text that explains why sleeping
is beneficial and a relevant picture. It should also include the hashtag #FactFriday and the logo
of Everett Stunz. This is a great way to make people interested in the brand, a great way to
engage with customers and also inform them about why is important to sleep well.
FIGURE 28: INSTAGRAM HASHTAG CAMPAIGN EXAMPLE
The second campaign is called #DesignerWednesday and it will be posted every
Wednesday. The post will have a picture and name of the interior designer chosen that week. In
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addition, it should include a picture that shows some interior design work that he/she has
previously done. This is a great way to get involved with the online community and have a
connection with them. Also, it will allow for interested customers to learn about each designer
posted so they can decide for themselves, which one they would like to hire, if so they wish.
Below is an example of a post that could be followed for #DesignerWednesda
FIGURE 29: INSTAGRAM HASHTAG CAMPAIGN EXAMPLE
Pinterest is a great way to engage with customers throughout the Internet. Currently,
Everett Stunz has been doing a very good job with their Pinterest posts. There are some
improvements that can be done to involve the community even more. The first recommendation
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would be to link every picture that is posted into Pinterest to the website
www.everettstunz.com. This is an effective way to build traffic to the website as well to other
social media platforms. Another recommendation for this platform would be to include photos
of other activities into a board with live photos of that specific event. This would build a sense
of community and trust with the followers. Also, it would benefit Everett Stunz to take a
selection of the most active followers in Pinterest and follow them, being sure to repin some of
their posts. Seeing what customers like or take interest in will give you some ideas of what they
are interested in and those things should be implemented into the pinning board.
By using an email marketing strategy can help Everett Stunz gain new customers and
retain the existing ones. We will use our email marketing strategy to gain new customers and
retain our current ones through promotions and brand advertising. We will obtain email
addresses of prospective customers from the “Beautify My Bed Contest” on Facebook and the
existing mailing list. We do not recommend buying email list from vendors since bought lists
are consider spam and are not acceptable in many online platforms. We recommend you to only
send emails to those people who have provided you with their emails. We also suggest using
constant contact since it is reliable and their emails hardly go to spam.
Implementing an email marketing campaigns is very effective way to increase traffic to
the website. In addition, we can use emails as an avenue to inform our current customers about
newly added and popular products to the site and about seasonal promotions. We suggest using
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graphics in the emails to gain more attention and let the audience quickly capture the message.
Below we included sample email that can be send to promote other online initiatives such as
the Facebook contest, and to send discounts and promotions in the emails.
FIGURE 30: PROMOTIONAL EMAIL EXAMPLE
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FIGURE 31 EMAIL EXAMPLE PROMOTE SOCIAL MEDIA
7) INTEGRATE SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES
When analyzing the social media profiles of Everett Stunz, the most apparent issue was
the lack of integration across the various platforms. To create a strong image for the brand, it is
essential that the marketing efforts and content of posts are consistent with one another, which
will be done if Everett Stunz ensures that their posts promote and coincide with the “Beauty
Starts in Bed” campaign.
There are currently five Facebook pages related to Everett Stunz, which interferes with
the ability for customers to quickly find the correct profile that they are looking for, as they
may wonder which profile is the official one. It also divides the followers they have gained,
since they are spread out among the different pages. The information contained within the
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Facebook page needs to have the right operating hours and location; in our research we found
inconsistencies among their profiles. The existence of multiple profiles makes matters more
difficult in maintaining and updating them, and complicates the ability to send consistent
messages to their followers. In order to avoid confusion and increase followers Everett Stunz
should only have one official Facebook page, and another for DUX beds that is heavily linked
to the Everett Stunz page in order to promote the brand more effectively.
There is the possibility to merge two Facebook pages together without any problem
only if they represent the same thing and have similar names. In our case we will merge both
“Everett Stunz” and “Everett Stunz Westfield UTC” facebook pages because they have similar
names and similar content. Also, the locations for both of the facebook pages must be the same
in order to merge them so make sure to edit that information before.
There are various simple steps that need to be followed:
1. Go to facebook.com/pages/merge
2. Select the Page you want to keep from the first dropdown menu, then select the
Page you want to merge from the second dropdown menu
3. If your Pages can be merged, click Confirm
Likes and check-ins will be combined, but posts, photos, reviews and ratings will
be deleted from the page merged. The page that is staying will remain unchanged. In
addition, the page that is merged will be removed from Facebook and it won’t be able to
be unmerged.
Another issue we found in analyzing Everett Stunz’ social media efforts is that the
messages sent to followers on different platforms are not consistent. Twitter, Facebook,
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Pinterest should be similar; they should communicate the same message, at the same time
being properly adapted to the platform. There needs to be a careful and calculated balance
between the different platforms. With the implementation of the “Beauty Starts in Bed”
campaign, we expect to eliminate this problem and send consistent and relevant messages
throughout all of the social media platforms by adapting this theme to be suitable in every
platform. An additional recommendation to establish greater consistency and better
communication with customers would be to use the online marketing specialist hired to
handle all the electronic media accounts and to successfully execute the “Beauty Starts in
Bed” campaign. One person handling all of the accounts will prove to be an advantage
for Everett Stunz, since it will give a consistent voice to the company, help them keep
Everett Stunz in touch with the customer by answering questions and interacting with
followers, and bring a personal approach to the customers who are active on the
platforms. An expert will understand the proper use of social media and utilize the most
effective ways to present information, communicate with customers, know which content
would be successful to post, and ultimately increase the exposure of the profiles. Is very
important to have a strong social media plan and online presence, since it maintains a
good image of the company. Keeping up with the current trends on the internet and
finding new ways to get followers on social media can be a difficult responsibility at
times, which is why having someone in charge of it could benefit the company greatly.
Successfully executed social media marketing techniques will ultimately benefit Everett
Stunz by utilizing a modernized approach to get the Everett Stunz name out in the open.
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8) INCREASE ONLINE ADVERTISING BUDGET BY USING GOOGLE ADWORDS
E-commerce has erupted in recent years, and spending within this industry is reaching
astronomical numbers. One of the issues Everett Stunz was having pertained to the amount of
sales generated through their website, and in order to increase this number from around the
current $75,000 annually, we need to find additional ways to generate high levels of traffic to
Everettstunz.com.
Local AdWords keyword campaigns need to be distinguished from campaigns designed
to reach customers outside the La Jolla area. For residents of Rancho Santa Fe, downtown San
Diego, Mission Valley, or Rancho Bernardo, a search for “luxury bedding” may render a
number of local companies, and who knows where Everett Stunz would show up on the search
engine results pages. Due to this fact, it is important to fully understand how search engine
optimization works, which is something that the new employee hired should be very familiar
with. Fully optimizing the website will allow customers from outside the La Jolla area, and
potentially areas outside of San Diego county, to locate Everett Stunz for their luxury bed and
bedding needs. Shipping policies may need to be reevaluated for beds if this is to be done, due
to the high costs associated with transporting them.
In addition to the new hire, additional expenses need to be incurred for appropriate
search engine marketing techniques, which is a necessary expenditure to increase reach in this
capacity. Included in the current marketing analysis were images containing current website
information in regards to bounce rate, time spent on page, and websites linking in to
Everettstunz.com. All these are aspects that need to be evaluated carefully, as well as
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conversions from social media accounts in order to generate more traffic to the website. Along
with promoting the website itself, creating a higher level of awareness for the blog and getting
Everett Stunz mentioned on other web pages will all help increase the number of visitors to the
website, and potentially result in higher sales. Displayed in the table below are the top ten
keywords based on monthly search volume that Everett Stunz should be sure to include in their
webpages in order to maximize traffic to their website by reaching as many searchers as
possible.
TABLE 4: TOP 10 KEYWORDS "EVERETT STUNZ"
Rank Keyword Monthly
Search
Volume
Rank Keyword Monthly
Search Volume
1 Bedding Sets 823,000 6 Designer
Bedding 9,900
2 Bedding
Collections 135,000 7 Discount
Bedding 8,100
3 Bedding Sets 90,500 7 Luxury
Comforter Sets 8,100
4 King Size Bedding 60,500 9 Cheap
Bedding Sets 6,600
5 Shabby Chic
Bedding 49,500 9 Modern
Bedding Sets 6,600
9) RECONFIGURE WEBSITE
Having an updated website and maintaining consistency with their social media efforts is
essential for any business. By integrating social media together with their website, Everett Stunz
can prove to customers that they are active and current in their business methods. Staying up-to-
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date with your website is also an important tool in attracting a greater reach, especially for a
retailer attempting to increase online sales revenue.
One simple way to integrate social media platforms into a website are to include social
media buttons on top or bottom of a web page, implementing only the platforms that are being
used by the business. Everett Stunz has this feature on the website, but there are certain ways to
improve accessibility. These buttons can be made more visible by moving them to the very top of
the website, so that they are viewed above the fold. Another recommendation is to have a new tab
open when a customer clicks on the social media buttons, rather than opening the link up in the
current tab and redirecting them outside of the Everett Stunz website. By having a new tab
opened, customers would remain on the webpage and be able to view the social media platform
that they selected at the same time instead of driving them away from the web page. Additionally,
we recommend Everett Stunz also keep their website content consistent with their marketing and
advertising efforts. By integrating promotions and messages posted on Facebook into the website
that contain information about Instagram photo contests, as well as having links to videos posted
on YouTube, their customers will be encouraged to become more active on social media
platforms. Active online and social media users will feel that Everett Stunz is up to date with every
channel of communication, and will reflect back on the company’s dedication to its customers.
Moreover, information pertaining to the store needs to be updated and current. There is
no visible information about the store address or hours of operation. This is vital information to
have posted on a webpage, as customers looking to visit the physical store may only need the
address, and presenting complete information may keep them on the page and result in them
finding a new product they want to purchase rather than leaving the website to find the address
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somewhere else. In addition, La Jolla store information and UTC mall store information should
be both included equally into the website. Having a tab at the top of the website named “Store
Locator” with all the information needed such as stores ddresses, phone numbers, hours of
operations, social media information, and a map with both locations. This will add more
engagement into the website and make it more reliable and trustworthy because customers will
be easily directed to all the basic information that is needed.
Those that find themselves located too far away to visit the actual store will need to be
interested in staying on the site to browse the online selection, which is why we recommend an
overhaul of the website. We propose that Everett Stunz spends the money to change their
overall website design to reflect the luxurious image of the brand. The use of white background
makes it looks very clean and very classy, which is a strong point. However, having a
coordinated design for the website, meaning use of the same colors, font, type size, and high
quality pictures, will make the website more visually appealing to the customer. We believe
that the website would be more effective if there were pictures of the store included on the
homepage, with more interactive features to present the products in a more lively fashion.
Customers that have seen the store and go on the webpage later should feel like they are back in
the store and customers that see the webpage first should be enticed to visit the store.
Lastly, going over the technical aspects, such as fixing broken links (like the “Care
Advice” tab) is very important for the engagement with the customer at the time of navigating
the website, and presents the company in the most professional way possible.
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FIGURE 32: NEW CONCEPT FOR WEBSITE
ACTION PLAN
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In order to effectively implement these recommendations, we will provide a timeline for
Everett Stunz to follow. This will not only guide them in making the necessary changes, but
will also provide a way to benchmark their efforts and test for success as they look to increase
sales volume and awareness for their brand.
MAY 2015
Complete move of employees, products, and materials to UTC store.
With operations already being consolidated to the UTC mall store, Everett Stunz will be
able to dedicate their time, energy, and efforts to making this particular store the best in
can possibly be. Once the move is complete, Everett Stunz can begin to focus on
developing their brand.
Adjust budget for additional expenditures
Mall Advertising approximately $1,500 to $10,000 for four week banner ad
Employee Training: Bruce Clay training course advanced training- $1,195
(http://www.bruceclay.com/seo/prices.htm)
Website changes: roughly $50 an hour for a freelance developer
http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/calculate-hourly-freelance-rates-web-design-
development-work
UT San Diego Advertising: $41,152 for 25 color ads in North County Sunday editions
Establish mission statement to guide employees and future operations.
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The first order of business after completing the move should be to create a clear and
concise mission statement that encompasses the overarching goals of Everett Stunz,
perhaps “Provide the great citizens of San Diego with the best sleep possible by offering
customers the most luxurious brands in the world while treating every customer as a
part of our Everett Stunz family”. Not only will this mission statement fortify their
brand image, but it will also is crucial for building future marketing initiatives that
communicate the objectives of Everett Stunz.
Create objectives for greeting shoppers, which include, welcoming them, getting
them to stay and browse the entire selection, and gauging interest level in
products.
Next order is to work on the unique way of welcoming customers into the store. In
addition one of our recommendations is to not only greet each and every customer that
walks in the store, but also ensure that they are treated with a personalized approach.
One way of accomplishing this would be to offer them a drink when they come in, a
simple drink such as lemonade or water could encourage them to stay at the store for a
longer period of time. Also, by using this approach, it would differentiate Everett Stunz
from some of their bigger competitors, chain retail stores that are not able to incorporate
this kind of initiative because of their sheer size. By implementing small changes like
this, we can expect to have a better reaction from customers towards the store in general
by associating the store with a positive experience that they may not encounter
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elsewhere. Ultimately we expect to build a relationship and encourage these customers
to come back and feel special once more.
Implement support material for products around the store.
Explain the benefits of their products and show how they assist in getting a good night’s
rest. Notecards next to products listing their country of origin, brand name, materials,
and any other information should be created and placed appropriately around the store.
Train or hire an employee to handle website changes, social media marketing
campaigns, and search engine optimization
Everett Stunz should either locate an employee from within to be their online marketing
specialist, or look to hire a new graduate with a marketing degree. The new employee
will be able to launch the new Google Adwords campaign upon his or her hiring, and
begin to integrate the “Beauty Starts in Bed” campaign and prepare for the social media
contests.
Create mall banner advertisement
JUNE 2015
After creating ways to develop the unique shopping experience, focus can shift on
remodeling the store to showcase more products.
Modify store layout
Start to work on the concepts for different showrooms.
Partnerships
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Create Houzz account, sign up for Contemporary Design Group, and start reaching out
to local chiropractors. Contact local hotels and look for opportunities to sell to them.
Begin to request cooperative advertising funding to develop a catalog and further
promote products with the “Beauty Starts in Bed” campaign
Explain to manufacturers the need for increased advertising, primarily Duxiana for the
DUX bed. Their beds can be the focus of the catalogs in exchange for 50% of the
catalog campaign cost. $1,800 should be requested for co-op.
Start to implement changes to website
Look for a freelance web developer to cleanup and give the website a fresh look. Have
the online marketing hire prepare a list of things to be done so they can guide the
developer.
JULY 2015
Address and implement any other recommendations
Begin to measure ROI for marketing efforts
Newspaper: New North County shoppers coming to the store?
Direct Mail: How many conversions for postcard promotion?
What products did they purchase with discount?
Facebook: How many people are signing up for contest?
Are followers talking about the contest?
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TABLE 5: MAY 2015- 2016 MARKETING PLAN
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REFERENCES
Blake, Meredith. "The Big Bang of Older TV Viewers." LA Times. 22 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Apr.
2015. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-aging-tv-
audience-20140223-story.html#page=1>.
"Circulation Numbers for the 25 Largest Newspapers." U-T San Diego. 1 May 2012. Web. 15
Apr. 2015. <http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/01/circulation-numbers-for-
the-25-largest-newspapers/>.
"Everett Stunz Logo." San Diego and La Jolla. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.everettstunz.com/>.
"Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms." Pew Research Centers Internet
American Life Project RSS. N.p., 09 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/demographics-of-key-social-networking-
platforms-2/>.
Duggan, Maeve, Nicole Ellison, Cliff Lampe, Amanda Lenhart, and Mary Madden. "Frequency
of Social Media Use." Pew Research Center. 9 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/frequency-of-social-media-use-2/>.
"Industry Reports." Market Research Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ibisworld.com/>.
MRI : Welcome. MRI+. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mriplus.com/>.
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"Newspaper Readership & Audience by Age and Gender." Newspaper Readership & Audience
by Age and Gender. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.naa.org/trends-and-
numbers/readership/age-and-gender.aspx>.
"San Diego Carlsbad San Marcos Ca." Highest Income Zip Codes in. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr.
2015. <http://localistica.com/usa/metro-area/41740-
san%20diego%20carlsbad%20san%20marcos%20ca/zipcodes/highest-household-
income-zipcodes/>.
SRDS/KANTAR Rep. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://next.srds.com>.
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APPENDIX
APPENDIX 1: UTC LA JOLLA MALL STORE- FRONT ENTRANCE
APPENDIX 2
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APPENDIX 3
APPENDIX 4
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APPENDIX 5
APPENDIX 6
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APPENDIX 7: EVERETT STUNZ WEBSITE
APPENDIX 8: GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS "LUXURY BEDDING"
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APPENDIX 9: YELP PAGE
APPENDIX 10: COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
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APPENDIX 11: SWOT ANALYSIS TABLE
Strengths
New location in UTC mall
Unique products with several benefits
Luxurious products
Eco-Friendly products
In-store interior designers
Credibility
Weaknesses
Poor use of social media
Low brand awareness and identity
Lack of cohesion with social media platforms
Misconception of ideal target market
Opportunities
Build brand awareness through social media platforms
New partnerships
New advertising opportunities
Reach new customers
Threats
Competition
Customer perception of brand
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APPENDIX 12: SDRS PSYCHOGRAPHICS
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APPENDIX 13: MRI+ BEDDING AND BATH GOODS- BOUGHT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
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APPENDIX 14: MRI+ BEDDING AND BATH GOODS
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APPENDIX 15: MRI+ HOUSEHOLD FURNISHING MATTRESS AMOUNT SPENT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
$700+
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