Conclusion

In conclusion we can say that the concept of Bass Pro Shops could indeed be realized to some extent on the Dutch or other European markets. Hence there are difficulties with regard to many European gun laws; the production portfolio won’t entirely be applicable. But all in all our answer to the question would be: HELL YEAH!

The absolutely stunning layout and size of the shops and incomparable range of products in an “Outdoor Disneyland” for outdoor enthusiast could be well received by potential customers all over Europe.

SWOT-Analysis

SWOT Analysis of Bass Pro Shops

• Strengths:

­ Stable sales force

Well educated sales force

­ Comprehensive product lines

­ Technical expertise with different product lines

­ Wide variety with many price points on different lines

­ Good marketing leverage with outdoors man

­ Privately owned company that has abundant financial resources

­ Well known brand name for outdoor fishing, hunting and boating supplies

­ Respected company with a strong brand name

­ Committed Employees

­ Alliances with other firms to carry their products

• Weaknesses:

­ Old fashioned management that does not follow technology

­ Inflexible store ideas that do not stay with market trends

­ No innovation in store set ups or displays

­ Deals only with large accounts and misses the more specialized producers of hunting, fishing and boating equipment for the avid outdoorsman

­ Limited in-depth product usage and experience

­ Vulnerable to technological changes

­ Rapid growth loses the strategic direction

­ Limited distribution of products

­ Higher costs than competitors

• Opportunities:

­ Rapid Market Growth in large outdoor areas

­ Rival firms are complacent and not attacking

­ Opening of foreign markets

­ Demographic shifts in who is hunting, fishing, and boating

­ New technology for the outdoors man

­ Sales decline for competitors and substitute products

• Threats:

­ Entry of foreign competitors in new markets

­ Introduction of substitute stores

­ In the decline stage of the product life cycle

­ Changes in federal policy on the environment, hunting, fishing and boating

­ Demographic shifts in the customers

­ Poor performance by all firms in sales, promotions and distributions

­ International political turmoil in new markets

Sources:

http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/bass-pro-shops-marketing-strategy-outline

The Branded Customer Experience

The Branded Customer Experience by Bass Pro Shops

In order to overcome an ever struggling battle against commoditization in many industries a certain principle was introduced; the so called “Branded Customer Experience”. Companies, by implementing this principle in their business model, go beyond just simply trying to sell a certain product, a location or a service but rather trying to distinguish themselves form other brands by selling a relationship. To go even deeper “Experiential brands”, such as Bass Pro Shops, try to:

• Connect with specific emotions, desires and lifestyle:

->Freedom, wildlife experience, being close to nature and adventure feeling

• Demonstrate passion and vast knowledge/expertise:

->Committed employees (like Janet our interview partner pointed out: “We all feel like being in a family and don’t feel exploited as employees of other companies might feel.”). There are solely well informed sales people whose hobbies often overlap with their dedicated sales department.

• Are highly interactive:

->Customers are able to test all products before they purchase them. Even guns or bows at their own indoor shooting range are available for testing.

Sources:

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=basspro&Entity=PRAsset&PublishType=Company+Overview&Title=Company+Background&XSL=CompanyBackground&Cache=False

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Pro

http://www.slideshare.net/whatidiscover/delivering-a-branded-customer-experience

http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/2005/06/investments_in_.html

History

The owner, John L. Morris, began his career in sporting goods with a fishing section in the back of a Brown Derby liquor store owned by his dad, located in Springfield on the road to Table Rock Lake and Branson, Missouri. That small fishing department sold homemade bait and worms, proving popular enough that Bass Pro Shops incorporated in 1972. These homemade baits were so popular that many people wanted the opportunity to buy these when they had returned home. Thus began the Bass Pro Shops catalog first mailed in 1974. Soon, it became the world's largest mail order sporting goods store.

Bass Pro Shops today isn’t just fishing. It is an outdoor retail leader in hunting, camping, nature gifts, outdoor cooking, and much more.

From that simple beginning, Bass Pro Shops has become one of America’s premier outdoor retailers with destination outdoor retail stores across America and Canada, erving over 75 million sportsmen a year. Each store is unique and offers a truly unforgettable shopping experience - as close to the Great Outdoors as you can get indoors!

Resources:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&appID=659
http://companies.jrank.org/pages/489/Bass-Pro-Shops-Inc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Pro_Shops

Concept

Locations
The Bass Pro Shop has vested itself in 28 different states with a total of 63 different stores. Each store is uniquely designed to pick up the local flavour of the area’s outdoor heritage. You also can find pictures of local fisherman and hunters. Each stores tells you something about the history of the location where the Bass Pro shops were vested.

Target Group
When you walk into the store you can see immediately who the target group is, the outdoor people and adventurers. The whole stores is equipped for this target group. You can find everything about fishing, hunting and camping, but also material for active outdoor activities for examples quads and boats.

Formula
The Formula of ‘Bass Pro Shops’ is being more than just a store. They want to create a environment that regards part as museum, art gallery, part education, conservation and entertainment center. When you walk into this stores you see different landscapes and you experience the feeling of the outdoor life. To create this feeling they use decoration like waterfalls, stuffed animals and different kinds of flora. Bass Pro Shops wants to inspire people to love, enjoy and conserve the great outdoors.



Bronnen:
http://vocuspr.vocus.com/vocuspr30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=basspro&Entity=PRAsset&PublishType=FAQ&Title=FAQ&XSL=FAQ&Cache=
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12a3e954ef81177c&mt=application/vnd.ms-powerpoint&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3D5df55a25dc%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12a3e954ef81177c%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQXvhJLTHyPTKxbOgQ_OOICc32BuQ&pli=1

Marketing mix

Place
As we said before there are 63 different stores all over Canada and America and each store is uniquely designed to fit in the local area. When you look at the locations you can see that there are more stores in the east than in the rest of America because of the popularity of outdoor activities here. There are only 2 stores in Canada, but they are building the third one in Montreal at the moment.
When you look international there are no other countries who has a Bass Pro shop. When you look at the European market there are a lot potential customers, especially in countries like Swiss and Austria, also in parts of Scandinavia because of the popularity of hunting there.

Price
When you look at the prices of the products they sell in the Bass Pro shop, you can say that they have normal prices. The products they sell have average prices. You can compare the prices of Bass Pro Shops with the prices of Rei Outdoor for example and then you will see that they are alike, they also match prices with different stores. Off course hunting and climbing products are expensive but you can choose from different price categories.

Product
Bass Pro Shops especially sells hunting, fishing and camping products. They carries a number of housebrands, like Bob Timberlake, Redhead, Johnny Morris Reels and White River. The Bass Pro Shops are not only about shopping goods but they also organise different events, like: Kids camp, astronomy club, fish feeding and hunter classes. When you want to spend your spare time outside you can stay in one of the hotels that are properties of Bass Pro Shops. The products they are selling are high quality and from popular brands, this is important because the target groups expect high quality material. If you look at the numbers of customers you can conclude that they do not have to change anything about the product.

Promotion
Bass Pro Shops promote their stores in several ways. They have for example discount coupons on websites and in magazines and you can get free catalogues. They also organise events for adults and children. This is another way to promote the Bass Pro Shops. Bass Pro Shops has also tv-commercials for special occasions to get more customers. Lastly they newsletters all over America, you can also get one in your mailbox.


Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Pro_Shops
http://www.rei.com
http://www.basspro.com
http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/coupons/bass_pro_shops_coupons.htm
https://basspro.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/basspro.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=29&p_created=1100616396&p_sid=Tlaz8pak&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0xMzksMTM5JnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

Introduction

Dear visitor,

We appreciate reading this blog which is made by four students of NHTV University of Applied Sciences, who are mainly from different fields of study.

Eline Spek: student second year leisure management.
Floor Bruschinski: first year student leisure management.
Juul Kessels: first year student FBTR.
Gregor Settelmeier: second year student international logistics and transport management.

Our assignment for these 3 weeks is to choose a company and finding out what the “Branded Customer Experience” is in the concept of the company and how they maintain quality. Furthermore, we have to find out if that concept will work in Europe.

We chose the company "Bass Pro Shops" which is one of the major retailer chains specialised in selling outdoor equipment, with regard to hunting, fishing and camping. The company has established it´s shops in the U.S. and Canada. Our emphasis is on analysing their marketing concept, with regard to location, formula and target group, and if their particular concept would also be successfully applicable in the Dutch or European market.


Plan of approach

1. Internet research
• Company (History, Layout of the stores, etc.)
• Market strategy
• Concept (locations, target group and the formula)
• Marketing Mix (4 P’s)
• Research on existing competitors on the Dutch/European market
• SWOT-Analysis (if time is still available)

2. Interview
• Compilation of a questionnaire
• Targeted at: Customers, management and employees

3. Sorting out possibilities of implementing the concept in the Dutch/European market


Cheers

Eline Spek
Floor Bruschinski
Juul Kessels
Gregor Settelmeier