The important relationship between marketing and the supply chain is a powerful force that drives businesses greatly toward success. As marketing efforts aim to create demand and establish their brand values and loyalty, the supply chain works actively to ensure that it is smooth and efficient when moving the goods or services from production to consumption. By having this amazing opportunity for an internship, I have been able to relate what I have been learning in classes to my real-world job. So, in this article, I will dive into how marketing strategies can significantly influence the supply chain and how I have been able to experience it firsthand during my internship.
Demand Forecasting and Inventory Management
Marketing initiatives play a huge role in shaping the consumer demand for products and services. By doing market research, using customer insights, and analyzing data, marketers can effectively forecast demand patterns. I have been able to help my mentors by working on research to see what our customers are like and what they are looking for. I can also see if the campaigns we put out were effective or not. When we have accurate demand forecasts it helps us to prevent stockouts, reduce extra amounts of inventory, and enhance the overall supply chain efficiency. Collaboration between marketing and the supply chain smoothes the way for sharing data and insights, leading to much better inventory management practices that meet the consumers’ demands while working to minimize the costs.
Distribution and Channel Management
Marketing decisions regarding the distribution channels have an extreme impact on the supply chain. Through market research and analysis, the marketers at my internship identify the most effective channels for reaching out to the target consumers. The choice between direct sales, e-commerce platforms, wholesalers, or retailers significantly influences the design of the distribution network, transportation logistics, and inventory management. While working at my internship, I have been able to create social media posts, then get to see the kind of traffic they receive. I am then able to see if there are other things, I can change to create heavier traffic. One way I would do that could be by using different keywords or hashtags. I have been able to see what platforms bring in customers and what we can do to have greater success. Coordination between the marketing and the supply chain has led us to be able to optimize customer satisfaction through on-time delivery of our services.
Customer Relationship Management
Marketing strategies play such an important role in building and supporting our customer relationships. By creating personalized experiences and maintaining consistent communication, marketers are then able to establish brand loyalty and trust. At my internship, we show our support, by reaching out to make sure that we are our customers’ heroes. There is constant communication and I have been able to help give that to our customers. We do continuous research on customer preferences, purchasing patterns, and expectations are shared with the supply chain to customize the order processes. This approach ensures that the supply chain aligns with marketing strategies, resulting in a seamless customer experience from initial marketing interaction to the delivery of our services.
The influence of marketing on the supply chain is undeniable. While I have been working at my internship thus far, I have been able to understand how companies’ marketing works hand in hand with the supply chain. It has been incredible to see what kind of work our marketing team does to succeed. I have so far been able to relate my experiences with what I have been learning in my supply chain management and marketing classes. I am only two weeks into my summer experience, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of it has in store for me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | ISABELLA SOSBEY
Isabella is a third-year student at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Her area of study is Supply Chain Management with a minor in Marketing.