Define your company’s target market
business
Description
1. Define your company’s target market. Analyze the types of consumers who will be drinking your beverage in demographic terms (i.e., age, education level, income, gender, ethnic group, etc.). Support your analysis with actual data on the size of the demographic groups in your local community (nearby zip codes). Outline the demographic information for your company specified on the worksheet in the course text (p. 107 | Demographic Description).
Click here for help accessing a specific page number in your eBook. Hints: At American FactFinder (http://census.gov), you will find demographic information on potential consumers in your area. If you are selling through other businesses (such as grocery stores), indicate the number of those businesses in your local area. You will find information about such businesses in your local area at County Business Patterns (http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/). Check Chapter 2 ofSuccessful Business Plan for more research sources. 2. Assess your company’s market competition. Use the factors listed in the course text graphic (p. 123 | Assess the Competition) to assess your company’s market competition. Defend your strategy to successfully compete against market leaders in your segment. Hints: For example, in the soft drink market, it is intimidating to try to compete against Coke and Pepsi. Newcomers in mature markets typically must pursue niche markets or even create new market categories, as Red Bull did with energy drinks. Defend your plan to differentiate yourself from the competition using the information detailed on the worksheet in the text (p. 131 | Market Share Distribution). Hints: Every business faces competition and the non-alcoholic beverage market is an especially crowded market.
