MARKETING PLAN

Marketing Plan - London Ships



Marketing Plan - London Ships

Executive Summary

London Ships is a full service Third Party Logistics (3PL) firm. It provides for its clients the know- how and ability to arrange for the movement of its goods through: ocean and air freight forwarding, customs brokerage, consolidation, warehousing, order fulfilment, information services, logistics and compliance consulting, and (Lead) 4PL and Project logistics. London ships uses its' buying power to obtain advantage with shippers and to mainstream the supply chains of its clients. Taking control of their respective supply chains allows for firms to focus on their core competencies rather than attempting navigation through the maze of logistics management. In the next year, London ships seek to enter a new target market, automotive parts. In its past, London ships has mainly focused on the furniture industry and general department store merchandise. London ships plans to optimize its future position by diversifying its revenue streams and leveraging its core competencies. Given the in-elasticity of price in the logistics industry, London ships differentiate itself through exceptional customer service. One of London ships' assets that ensure world-class service is iRadar, an in-house developed tracking program designed to give real time information on the locations its customers' products. There are several marketing priorities that are crucial to ensure a successful penetration into the market. The first priority is to build awareness of its brand within the automotive parts wholesale and retail segments. This will be accomplished through the joining of trade associations, advertising in leading industry magazines, and participation in industry tradeshow events. Secondly, continuing to provide superior service is a must in order to generate positive word of mouth buzz among players in the industry.

Situational Analysis

With over thirty year's experience, London ships offer high-level expertise in the international logistics industry. Currently, it focuses on providing logistics services in these key industries (percentage of London ships' business noted): •Furniture - 30% •General Department Store Merchandise - 30% •Hardware - 15% •Footwear - 10% •Electronics - 10% •Hosiery - 5% The current breakdown of business services London ships provides is 75% Ocean Freight Arrangement, 12% Cargo Consolidation, 8% Customs Brokerage, and 5% other logistics services. Its primary activity, the arrangement of ocean freight forwarding, involves the purchase of container space from various shipping firms based on the anticipated needs of its clients. London ships bear the risk for clients by pre-emptively purchasing space and absorbing the costs of any unused space. Due to its purchasing volume, London ships is able to receive reduced rates from the shipping agents but still London ships the prevailing market rates to its consumers. Clients are then able to avoid the additional cost and penalties associated with purchasing excess container space. Due to the recent downturn in housing market, London ships' primary source of business, the furniture industry, has declined. US consumers no longer are purchasing the volumes of furniture to decorate their new homes which has resulted in the obvious decrease in the importation of furniture and subsequent movement ...