‘The Customer Is Always Right’ an Analysis of the Impact of Consumer Buying Decisions on Marketing in Ecco Shoes.

Abstract

This dissertation analysed the overall impact consumer buying behaviour has on marketing strategies. The analysis was focused on Ecco shoes, a global European brand with locations in Ireland and its recent changes with branding and marketing strategies. This is a qualitative study with primary data collected through 7 interviews.

The key contributor to the study is that consumers have an enormous impact to the marketing strategy of any business. This is because they have been prior research which suggest that marketing influences consumer buying behaviour. Although this is not entirely false, this paper proves that the consumers play as much as a role as the company’s marketing. Importantly, the analysis conducted established that consumers are keen to be involved in the creative progress of companies before the products are launched.

This study concluded that Ecco Shoes must always be up to date with trends and be socially responsible in order to draw a younger audience to their consumer base, as well as be more aggressive with communication to keep consumers informed of initiatives. The theoretical contribution of this study is that there is no better time to be socially responsible, hence companies and SMEs should cultivate these practices as a norm in their values. Overall, this author recommends more transparency as required by the Consumer Protection Act 2007, as the first step towards the brands success.

Finally, the paper concludes with some recommendations for future research as well as recommendation for Ecco Shoes, limitations to the paper and personal reflection