Introduction
Global markets are very competitive, and having an edge ahead of your competitors is the primary job of the marketing managers of various organizations. They, therefore, have to consider the consumer behavior of people and how it evolves and metamorphosis from different regions. Consumer behavior is influenced by many factors in the market as well as the environment. Among them is the impact of culture on the consumer decision making the process of an individual making a purchase. Culture is an intrinsic part of the human existence that stems from the different practices that people do. It encompasses a broad range of issues which include; religion, language, social status, gender roles, and dynamics as well as age. As an intrinsic part of the culture, they influence consumer behavior from place to place. For a marketing manager, one must consider these impacts before launching a market strategy in a particular region. For instance, the fast food companies that wish to compete and expand in the global market must consider these issues (Solomon, 2014). What people eat are a big part of who they are and the culture they come from. Therefore, one must carefully consider the cultural issues that may inform the market strategy to be used.
Market strategies
Strategies and approaches used in various market differ from manager to a manager. However, they have to consider the cultures of the place they are investing in. For the fast food industry, it's highly dependent on culture and the various norms that exist in particular locations of potential expansion. Taking the expansion example of the KFC and McDonald in China, one can easily tell the difference in their approach.
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Driven by the sheer volume of the potential market due to the huge population, China was a promising option. The country having a population of over 1 billion people is an incentive to investors. Recognizing the differences in cultural factors between the American culture of food and the Chinese culture, the organization had to develop a strategy that knew the difference. The realization came after the consideration of the distinct preferences and lifestyles. Therefore the company adopted a strategy that incorporates the local lifestyles and palates that were adherent to the local culture. By reconfiguration of their dishes to the standards and the preferences of the Chinese people, they were able to attract a huge market share in the country.
In the same market, the McDonald’s strategy was far much different from the KFC. On their consideration, they opted to employ the core values and strategies that had previously worked in the home country. They resulted to offering familiar dishes in their menu items. On their part, they used the American style and culture as their strategy, starting from the layout of the restaurants, the food, the décor as well as the atmosphere. The approach was fine tuned to give their customers a full American experience of the American culture.
Both the companies using different market strategies were able to forge their market shares and became successful in the region. The influences of both approaches were based on culture. On the one hand, the KFC used the local cultural and familiar lifestyle to market their products and blend in the culture itself. On the other hand, McDonald's used the American culture to inform its expansion strategy, not only offering the American food, but also the entire dining experience is tailored to the American style (Shen, and Xiao. 2014). The success of both strategies in the region is impressive, where they are launching new locations on an almost daily basis. Therein, three strategic market items defined the success of the two fast food companies in China. The three strategic items include the people, the product, and the location.
Expansion to India
A fast food company seeking to expand its reach to the Indian market would have to follow similar core items for the success of their strategy. Like all other places, India has a very dominant culture that influences consumer decisions, especially in the food industry. However, by employing the major aspects as mentioned in the strategies above success can be achieved.
The people
The people are the most important part to be considered when developing a market strategy, especially for the fast food companies. The people in consideration are the consumers as well as the labor force employed in the restaurants. According to the United Nations, in 2016, the population of India stood at over 1.3 billion people. The vast population represents a large consumer base for any fast food company (Khare2016) . The individuals who form this community are mainly indigenous to the country. Therefore, there is a deep culture that resides in the country, and it is a significant influence on consumer decisions. On the perspective of the restaurant organization and outlay, it's therefore important to consider the people in the country. For instance, what perspectives of the Indian food service exist among the people as well as the perceptions about some products?
The product
A company’s product is at the core of the operation of the company. Therefore, there is need to be considered how it should be presented to the people. Indian is a country with a deep culture, research has identified the preferences of local and traditional palates and foods among the people. Other studies have indicated the particular preference of the home made food. For instance, their people have developed a culture that involves having their home cooked meals delivered to them at work. With this consideration, a marketing strategy that is localized and molded to fit the cultural context would be preferred. In that way, a little effort will be wasted on the vigorous marketing of the product due to the identity of the product. For instance, a fast food restaurant that serves beef on their menu would be widely discredited by the Indian people (Prabhavathi, Kishore, and Kumar 2014) . Reason being that a cow is worshiped and revered by some of the Indian cultures and viewed as sacred.
The location
The site represents the physical restaurant and how it is presented to the consumer. Therefore, consideration falls on the restaurant outlay, theme and the entire experience in the dining space. In an area that values culture, the preference of a cultural theme that relates to the local people would be a preferred strategy in this case. The preference is informed by the cultural and familiar comfort that a dining experience should bring. With the large Indian population in the country, providing a location that represents that culture would be an incentive for more customers and more locations.
Conclusion
The success of a marketing strategy is influenced by several cultural aspects that inform the decision-making process of the consumers. A marketing strategy that is tailored to the culture of the people and the location is paramount. It provides a familiarity among the people and therefore presenting the organization with more clients to its products. As seen by the success of the KFC with a 44% market share, the culturally tailored strategy has the best chance of success even in new locations such as India.
References
Khare, A. (2016). Moderating Role of Demographics on Attitude towards Organic Food Purchase Behavior: A Study of Indian Consumers. Business Analytics and Cyber Security Management in Organizations , 279.
Prabhavathi, Y., Kishore, N. K., & Kumar, M. R. (2014).Consumer Preference and Spending Pattern in Indian Fast Food industry. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications , 4 (2).
Shen, Q., & Xiao, P. (2014). McDonald's and KFC in China: Competitors or Companions?. Marketing Science , 33 (2), 287-307.
Solomon, M. R. (2014). Consumer behavior: Buying, having and being (Vol. 10). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
