Lesson 1: Online Marketplace Analysis Foundations

This lesson uses BUSM099 Lecture 2: Online Marketplace Analysis and the BUSM099 Digital Marketing Weeks 1–6 Revision to establish the evidence base for digital marketing planning.

Situational analysis

Review the organisation's internal resources and processes alongside its external environment. Use SOSTAC and E-SWOT as connected planning ideas, and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in a digital context.

Micro-environment

• Customer behaviour: awareness, evaluation of alternatives, purchase, and post-purchase evaluation; the sequence may be non-linear.
• Customer journey: all steps from considering a service to becoming a user, with the goal of a memorable and satisfactory experience.
• Personas and segmentation: group customers by meaningful shared characteristics, preferences, and behaviour.
• Demand and conversion: estimate online customer value and improve movement from potential to actual customer.
• Competitors, suppliers, and channels: examine positioning, partners, distribution, and routes to market.
• Influencers and aggregators: comparison sites and other intermediaries affect visibility and choice.

Macro-environment

Use PEST/PESTLE thinking to assess political and legal, economic, social and cultural, technological, and environmental forces. Technology includes the Internet, Web, mobile apps, SMS, convergence, proximity marketing, adoption curves, and hype cycles. Economic conditions affect spending and business performance; legal rules and intellectual property constrain activity; culture affects interpretation, messaging, and service design.

Key takeaway: combine micro- and macro-environment evidence before choosing digital marketing tactics.