Uber's Marketing Mix Strategy, Target Market, Competitors - An Essay.

Discuss about the Taxis and Accessible Services Division.

In 2008, Garret Camp sold StumbleUpon to eBay while hanging out with a fellow entrepreneur called Travis Kalanick. The camp was interested in solving Taxi problem in San Francisco. The original idea was to first obtain drivers, a parking spot in a garage, and a Mercedes S class. The cost would be split among the entrepreneurs alongside an iPhone application. By March 2009, the two businessmen came up with a name which was UberCab. In June 2009, Camp hired Kalanick as the Uber’s chief incubator as the former ran a full-time gig at Stumble Upon. Seven months later, Oscar Salazar, Camp and Kalanick changed the name of the company to Uber tested the prototype of the service on the streets of New York. With the help of investors, Uber raised $11in February 2011. Over the next six months, Uber spread its wings to Boston, Washington D.C, Seattle, and Chicago and later on went global. By 2016, Uber was offering its services to over 540 cities (Chokkattu, 2016).

Probably the most recognized startup companies, that demonstrated the potency of the internet and possesses a really inorganic progress is Uber. It is an app which recognized as a business that has the biggest number of automobiles yet, it never possesses a single vehicle on its own. Uber is a ride application which takes the place of people needing to leave their residences to hail a taxi. Currently, the taxi arrives to your doorstep. Uber features an amazing and low costs plan for its customers making it a popular application for the regular and even random travelers. A lot of office going masses are now frequently choosing an Uber cab rather than driving to work on their own.

Strengths

• Uber is an accepted Brand Worldwide with reputation in more than 50 nations. Uber has now overtaken Automobile titans such as General Motors. Together with growing internet penetration, Uber is anticipated to expand quickly in the forthcoming years (Hartmans & McAlone, 2016).
• Uber, as an aggregator, will not need higher fixed investment and thus it can be much easier for Uber to incorporate much more cities to their network (Alley, 2016).
• Uber has constantly prioritized client satisfaction. Uber has recognized it is serving within a completely client motivated industry where there is competition. To maintain an advantage over the opponents, it requires to offer far better client satisfaction and improved user experience.
• Uber has implemented the vibrant pricing technique that operates within the demand and supply theories of economics (SFMTA, 2016). High demand, High price. This gets to be advantageous for the business as well as the operators. In the busier hours, operators make a lot of money.
• Uber can also be seen to adjust perfectly to business situations. Due to its worldwide exposure, Uber faces numerous issues in several regions. Uber is an intelligent marketer and has adjusted well anywhere it has set up its enterprise.
• It possesses a high level associated with service, approved operators and vehicles. Uber Black customers take pleasure in extremely high levels of service.
• Possesses an unlimited number of vehicles. Typical Taxi service rules are not pertinent for Uber.
• Almost no competition. A significant rival is Lyft.
• Dual ranking system increases trust and security.

Weaknesses

• Operators are definitely the image of the organization and therefore the organization’s impression is dependent upon the conduct of operators towards the client. This can be a highly unrestrainable circumstance even though stringent rules are given to the operators.
• Uber is intensely reliant on online connectivity to increase and develop within developed nations. Therefore, it is confronting difficulties within developing as well as emerging nations where internet is poor and very slow.
• Digital Literacy within the developing countries is low and therefore technology dependent applications like Uber just serve individuals who are technologically up-to-date.
• Controversies: Uber has experienced controversies previously for the reason their drivers' behavior. This impacts the impression of the organization and trust falls within the clients’ minds.
• Uber is at a market in which the barriers to entrance are incredibly low therefore it will encounter competition in several fronts.
• The partnership involving Uber along with the drivers is ethically dubious. Therefore, expected trustworthiness between Uber and its operators is fairly low.
• Furthermore, the business and its clients do not have bonding. Motivation to stay with Uber is definitely low.
• There exist privacy issues. Uber keeps records of where clients board the taxis from. Additionally, it documents where he or she goes.

Opportunities

• Clients are unhappy using the unorganized Taxi market. This provides a chance for Uber to fully make use of. This is certainly the primary reason behind UBER's success. Local cab operators are regarded as rude and don't conform.
• Growing online penetration: In India, the government is working to digitize the country. The number of smartphones tend to be growing and technology dependent programs like Uber may increase their products and services to some other cities and expand their presence within the country.
• Increasing income: Along with increasing disposable income, clients are prepared to spend more on convenience.
• Alternative transport: Uber chopper was launched in several nations and may try to find additional transport method catering for local requirements. A bus aggregator can be introduced in India.
• Poor transport by the government: In countries such as China and also India with huge populations, individuals are fed up with making use of general public transport, Uber offers a type of personal privacy and relief in which the customers get their own space.
• Logistics: Uber may introduce movers assistance where individuals may look up for movers within the nearby region through Uber. Clients are usually disappointed with conventional cab businesses due to higher rates and long holding out time.
• It may take advantage of new and large markets in nations such as India whereby the taxi industry is troublesome and costly.
• Tapping developing markets within suburban locations where taxi services are certainly unavailable.
• Uber may raise the valuation. This could attract considerably more investors. Consequently, Uber may have additional money to work with.
• Less expensive electric automobiles may be used. It is going to reduce the price and boost the operator’s profit margin.
• Special transport: Extra services such as hauling elderly patients to medical centers, transporting kids to school and also transporting domestic pets to the veterinarian could be provided.

Threats

• Unclear government regulations: The main point of difference involving cab aggregators and also government bodies concern their legal standing and if they ought to be handled as traditional taxi firms or as IT firms.
• Retention of customers as well as switching of brands: As levels of competition increase, it gets harder to retain clients and also operators of Uber. Any kind of economic benefit may swing the customers along with operators from Uber.
• Low profit margins for drivers: Uber assists the drivers to acquire a large number of daily trips but it rarely has a huge-profit margin to offer its drivers and therefore they can effortlessly be poached. This also puts off other drivers who would like to join UBER (Hall & Krueger, 2015).
• The unorganized industry of cab operators may revolt against companies like UBER that happen to be depriving them of their source of income. Such revolt will jeopardize UBER's operations (Cramer & Krueger, 2016).
• A number of new laws in nations such as Germany may suspend UBER from carrying out its activities.
• Issues with local government councils can result in penalties. It will likewise lead to a negative PR.
• Rising levels of competition will inevitably lower prices. This can dissuade drivers from becoming members of UBER in new marketplaces. This may bring about lack of clients. Uber’s profits will fall.
• Self-driving automobiles, for example Google Cars, may eradicate the requirement for Uber (Basker, Foster & Klimek, 2015).
• Over-valuation can bring about Over-investment in places that have no space for an identical venture.

Uber guarantees long lasting customer connections and roll-outs new techniques to take care of the ones that are still to be attained. Uber’s style of selection demonstrates how the business adopted ensuring numerous products for each segment. Positioning could be described by 4Ps of marketing.

• Product: transport service industry
• Price: Surge pricing; whenever more customers are available, the prices increase as compared to when customers are few; Surge pricing.
• Place: This could be comprehended through the geographic segmentation perspective. Uber has a tendency of focusing more in to the cities because of its increased population and also increased possibility of drivers and luxury transportation needs from passengers.
• Promotion: Uber advances its recognition through word-of-mouth, Hilton, Microsoft Outlook, connecting with services such as google, along with other market sectors such as eating places.

The marketing strategy implemented by Uber is the single segment. It is inclined to make sure all feasible demographics within the segment are searched into in depth and client responses and simplicity becoming their greatest concern. With all the increasing reputation, the idea of Uber continues to be replicated by diverse establishments through the globe. The most popular Uber business structure is currently known as Uberification. Lyft along with Ola are a handful of primary rivals of Uber. Ola which is Indian based, posed a threat to Uber’s share in the market however, the quality expertise that Uber offers, individuals developed comfortable spot for the company.

Weaknesses

Uber offers individuals with the choice to ride on cabs reserved using mobile phone apps or personal computer web site (Berger & Frey, 2016). Uber has turned the transport service to be much more accessible and comfy. Wi-Fi facilitated cabs as well as car-pooling take client experience to another level (Akerman, Gaarder & Mogstad, 2015). A number of the different services offered by Uber that individuals are making use of on every day basis around the world include:

• Uber-Moto: The service enables individuals to reserve bike rides and wander across the city at a very cheap price.
• Uber Go: It is probably among the most popular Uber service. You may reserve your personal car as well as move from place to place and being able to access Wi-Fi.
• Uber Pool: This is actually the car-pooling service that allows you to journey along with other travelers moving in exactly the same direction like yours (Kopp, Gerike, & Axhausen, 2015). This can be less expensive and helps to decrease the number of vehicles on the road.
• Uber X: That's where Uber win the hearts of many. You can reserve expensive vehicles using Uber X get treated to the very best of comfort as well as style.

Uber started out in United States but conquered other parts of the world (Berger & Frey, 2015). In India, Uber has changed how individuals travel to their places of work and back. It is cost-effective, comfy and more secure than any other modes of transport. Uber operates in Three Tiers within every nation, where cities are classified cities according to infrastructure, population and development (Lin, 2011). Uber extended to Paris. It’s there that an international experience was put to test which provided them with the self-assurance to develop internationally. With the global operations, Uber grew to become one of the most valuable start-up on the globe.

Individuals from all over the world wanted a change and Uber has offered that. Uber obviously utilizes Penetration pricing. It has eliminated the exploitation of travelers. Consumers now access Uber and travel peacefully. Since one vehicle can be utilized by 10-11 individuals daily, population levels decrease due to decrease in vehicles on the road (Uber, 2017). Pricing remains to perform an important role in the interest in Uber globally; the organization provides probably the most comfortable trips at the lowest price. Individuals are pretty pleased with the prices and are utilizing the choices that are available such as Uber Go, Uber pool and the Uber-Moto (Greiner, 2016).

In order to get to know the system of potential growth in the United States, more so the transport industry, it requires the utilization of Porter's five forces. It is a developing transport company that has a huge presence in NY. Within years after its inception, the company gained trust from customers which has guaranteed expansion and opportunity to offer better services (Casadesus-Masanell & Didiomov, 2015). It encounters very stiff competition from other firms such as Lyft

Uber is not protected from firms that are entering the market that could unreasonably bill a lesser rate a similar mileage. During its inception, the co-founders injected substantial amounts of investment. Uber's plan is to provide their software at no cost to ready clients (Beaudry, Doms & Lewis, 2010). The services may be changed at absolutely no charge. Since the need to balanced out cost gets to be forthcoming. This can be very since it decides the business's success within the industry.

Opportunities

Uber does not own any vehicle within its fleets. As a result, the firm’s business structure is extremely reliant on operators and associates possessing their very own cars. Uber makes use of an outsourcing method for its labour and also resources to individuals that fulfil the requisites to use their first web application. It is additionally difficult to substitute certain operators. Vehicle owners tend to be allowed the liberty to select from the company or competitors therefore can make a deal for a considerably better focus on the expenditure of the firm. Therefore, it is actually irrefutable that the vendors possess an advantage in affecting Uber’s overall performance. In comparison with various other porter’s forces, bargaining power of supplier is reasonable in Uber’s situation.

Clients do not always need Uber services regularly. In fact, only particular instances such as lateness which make the clients to request Uber services. Clients can easily choose from Lyft, Uber, or perhaps other rising organizations. The transfer charge is also reduced for clients since Uber’s free of charge application just needs client sign up. Uber’s clients are very sensitive to changes in rates granted the existence of alternatives and rivals (Casadesus-Masanell & Didiomov, 2015). Because of such elements, the buyers’ huge power may restrict the earnings for the firm, therefore strengthening it as a powerful force.

An alternative is a very common force within a competing business condition. As a result, existence of variety can be sufficient to limit the firm from increasing their prices. It is important to note that a minor raise of Uber prices may result in client adoption of its nearest competitors as well as replacements. Besides, general public methods of transportation that provide identical services at the cheapest price may jeopardize Uber's presence. A continuing risk of substitutes is now a fragile force with regards to Uber.

Lyft is a primary rival to Uber. The business possesses a virtually similar business structure as well as functions (Fedorchenko, 2017). The two firms do not just compete for a bigger market share but also for clients. A contemporary enterprise environment calls for companies to focus on a client base in a particular physical region to reduce the operations expense. This is actually the scenario regarding Lyft as well as Uber. It features an established system as well as huge capital investment (Casadesus-Masanell & Didiomov, 2015). Essentially, this is the market leader, although minor differentiation approaches restrict the firm’s possibilities. Due to the domination of Uber, competition is not a strong force.

Threats

Uber is definitely a force to reckon within the transportation industry. Nevertheless, it needs to improve on its creativity approaches so that it can benefit. Transportation business within the United States features a lot of substitutes as well as competing organizations. Lowering of operational costs is essential to refrain from increasing client charges in order to survive.

Conclusion

Uber business model has been a benchmark to many businesses. There are other organizations that are offering identical services as those of Uber. It encounters several difficulties that include legal and regulations in the United States and beyond. Regardless of the difficulties, Uber has continued to gain popularity among users. Its loyal clients assert that Uber is currently bring a transformation in the transport industry. Investors on the other are confident that Uber will cement its place in the market in future.

Uber needs to implement protocols that ensure that their drivers as well as riders are safe, independent contractors utilizing their application program adhere to the required laws. The bright future belongs to Uber only if it sorts out this existing concern in order to strengthen their clients’ trust and attain long-term achievement.

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