Kudler Fine Foods needs to perform marketing research prior to developing its marketing strategy and tactics, because it operates in a niche market that is susceptible to competition, rapid changes in consumer preferences, and the threat of globalization. The company offers both a wide selection of fresh gourmet foods and a comprehensive range of gourmet cooking tools that appeal to upscale customers interested in gourmet cooking. Its niche is specializedùgourmet foods and cooking toolsùand most of its current competitors offer only foods or tools, not both. This gives KudlerÆs a satisfying competitive edgeùfor the time being. Recent surveys, however, show that competition from companies that ship gourmet foods and/or cooking tools via UPS are more convenient for some busy shoppers, marking a need for further market research to determine what portion of KudlerÆs offerings are still in demand and what portion are being overtaken by Internet and catalog-based businesses. In addition, some of KudlerÆs additional services, such as gourmet cooking classes, show lower customer interest than formerly and need to be evaluated in terms of their appeal and profitability.
Kudler not only needs to evaluate its products and services in light of marketing research, but also its strategies and tactics for marketing them. In this respect, marketing research is especially valuable, because customer demographics will help them find the appropriate approach for appealing to each customer segment. For example, an emerging trend in cheeses for customers interested in gourmet foods is artisanal cheeses, which are typically produced in small batches using traditional methods and local ingredients and priced accordingly at the high end of the scale (ôAmerican Artisanal Cheesesö). These are available online from a number of e-merchants that can likely provide slightly lower prices than KudlerÆs; although they do ch
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