Agora, the first retail chain in Bangladesh, was introduced by Rahimafrooz in 2001. Agora provides a remarkable and valuable shopping experience to the customers. It is a special market with different speciality. Their products are sold in a reasonlable price, with no chance of bargaining of the product. People can collect their product from where it is placed, as it is a self-service Super Market. However, there will be always be assistance waiting for the customers. It attempts to maintain an image and atmosphere that is consistent with its pledge for quality and customer satisfaction. The logo "Agora"-in English- points to the importance of the image factor, which is important to their promotional strategy which shows adequate car parking space for congestion free shopping, air-conditioning and child's play area and other amenities, are provided to increase the comfort of shopping.
Among the 6 IMC tools, one of them is Advertising. Advertising is very important to promote the product being sold. This promotes the product to the targeted customers. A private advertising agency called ADCOM has been hired to design and produce ads that Agora requires which works as a centralized system, and provides a Full service. Among all the promotional programs that Agora uses, one of the most common one is print media. For which, the marketing communication specialist organization, that they use is Direct Marketing Agencies, by providing ads of their daily promotions or prices of their products on the news paper. They also use interactive agencies, by maintaining their own Facebook page.
(https://www.facebook.com/Agora.Rahimafrooz?ref=br_tf ).
Billboards are used by Agora as a selective way as it does not target the mass but mostly those living nearby.
Billboards are used by Agora as a selective way as it does not target the mass but mostly those living nearby.
Like every company Agora also wants to know the "Decision Making Process" of its targeted customers. For which the first step is Problem Recognition, which the discovered in 2011, they discovered that consumers would like to shop in a more comfortable place, thus they came up with a comforting retail store, in which customers will be satisfied with all the general products needed for daily use. Step 2 is Information Search, Agora wasnts to provide a quality shopping experiance to the customers so that the next time they shop, they will recall Agora as a good place to shop, from their past experiance (Internal Search). For external search, Agora focuses on the customers so that they can spread their Name to other customers, which will work as a word of mouth, which is a Personal Source. Their facebook page is also used as a Public source. The consumers does Functional Evaluation as they provides tangible goods. The time-lag of the customers is usually low, as the credibility of the brand, by now, is highly appreciated by the customers. For post purchase evaluation, which is step 5, Agora conducts their own primary information search by observing their frequent customers and encourages customers to fill up their questionnaries and by cinducting face-to-face interviews.
For Sales promotion they use: Behavioural Learning Therory. Agora uses Operant Conditioning by posting their offers (discounts and raffle draws) and prices on the newspaper, which are widely used. For example, The Daily Star, Prothom Alo and The Daily Jugantor.
Agora might be benefited if they approach more customers.They can promote TVCs and other interactive ads on the radio or other social medias to grab more attention.
Reference:
1. http://www.mediabangladesh.net/advertising-agencies-bangladesh/
3. https://www.facebook.com/Agora.Rahimafrooz?ref=br_tf
4. http://www.agorabd.com/
