Q. The following appeared as part of a promotional campaign to sell advertising space in the Daily Gazette to grocery stores in the Marston area:
“Advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette will help you increase your sales. Consider the results of a study conducted last month. Thirty sale items from a store in downtown Marston were advertised in The Gazette for four days. Each time one or more of the 30 items was purchased, clerks asked whether the shopper had read the ad. Two-thirds of the 200 shoppers asked answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, more than half the customers who answered in the affirmative spent over $100 at the store.
Discuss how well reasoned the above argument is. You will have to consider the assumptions that underlie the writer’s thinking. Describe alternative explanations or counterexamples that might weaken his or her conclusion. You must come up with evidence that would strengthen or refute the argument or identify what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
ANSWER:
The argument states that advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette has increased the sales of grocery stores in the Marston area. The results of a study conducted last month indicate that thirty sale items from a store in downtown Marston were advertised in The Gazette for four days, each time one or more of the 30 items were purchased, clerks asked whether the shopper had read the ad. Two-thirds of the 200 shoppers asked agreed with the statement. Moreover, more than half the customers who answered had spent over hundred dollars at the store.
Firstly, I agree with this argument in general. The strategy adopted by grocery stores for selling grocery items will be greatly beneficial to the stores in the near future. More people will be aware and familiar about the ads hence the sales of the grocery items will increase significantly. The results of the study conducted prove that the ads published in the newspaper have influenced the sales of grocery items. Unsold and out-dated items can be sold out through this strategy. Furthermore, grocery stores can promote their advertisements on various sources of media such as television, radio, social networking websites and brochures. This will also raise the revenues and profits of the grocery store.
Secondly, the store could conduct sales promotional campaigns that offer free samples, price reductions and discount coupons. This would increase the profits of the grocery store immensely as well as the number of buyers will increase dramatically. Greater number of people will be interested and keen to purchasing products from the grocery store. Thus, the grocery store will have a strong position when compared to other grocery stores in the Marston area. The grocery store should listen to the views and opinions of the customers which would enable them to improve their services. In addition, they should fulfill the needs and wants of the customers in order to assure that the customers are satisfied with the brand. The grocery store should keep their customers updated about any recent additions or changes being made to the store.
In conclusion, advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette will be advantageous to the grocery stores in the Marston area as their sales will rise significantly. Other types of advertising strategies can be used such as television, radio, social networking sites and brochures causing an increase in the profits and revenues of the store. As a result, more people will be familiar and aware about the store. The grocery store should play a great emphasis on fulfilling the needs and wants of its customers this could be done by listening to their views and opinions regarding the store. By doing so, their services would improve dramatically.