ABSTRACT
The major issue in this research work is the place of marketing in the service industries. Marketing is very vital in every organization especially in the service industry. The hair saloon firms in Nigeria are expected to be marketing oriented especially in current times when competition is very intensive. This project looked to the place of marketing in the service industry, with emphasis on the authentic hair saloon firm in Enugu. The study evaluated how the firm marketed its services to its customers and of customers are satisfied with services being rendered by the firm. The study also tried to ascertain whether the staff of the firm and their customers have cordial relationship. These issues were addressed through theoretical and empirical approach with the help of the secondary and primary data collection method. In the secondary data collection methods related literature were reviewed to ascertain what various authors have to say on the topic. There primary data were collected through questionnaire administered on the customers complemented by providing view point drawn from Enugu metropolis as the case study. The population of study comprised of the staff and customers of authentic hair saloon firm. The method of sampling adopted is the simple random sampling technique. A simple size of 150 respondents was in organizing the collected data, frequency distribution and tables were used while chi – square x2 was adopted to analyze and test hypothesis. This method were able to reveal that Authentic Salon were in line with the marketing concept practice, customers complaints are given prompt attention and good quality services are rendered to them also. The firm do not have parking space for customers. It is recommended that Authentic Hair Saloon firm should continue with its good quality service and to inculcate more of the marketing concept practice. There firm should make available and enough parking space for their customers. Customers satisfaction should continue to be their watch word. The firm should continuously monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of their firm services through marketing research.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The people understanding of marketing has in most times been restricted to marketing of tangible products. Taking marketing to only applying to distributive trade and those activities that are involved in the marketing and distribution of manufactured goods. However, broader strategic and conceptual philosophy recognizes and sees marketing to also applying to services firms like hair saloon, hospitals, banking, insurance, education, legal services, entertainment, transportation etc.
Due to changes and more sophistication in the life of individuals, there has been a greater change in the demand and needs of man. The urge for acquisition of tangible products has not been dominating in the satisfaction of human wants or needs. There has a greater de3mand for services which helps to sustain the life of man, the need for legal services, need for entertainment, need for medical care, transportation service etc. This has also given rise to the establishment of many firms to take care of these needs.
Also there has been a great been for companies to introduce not just marketing functions in their activities but also there is need for a strategic marketing operations to their activities so as to be able to satisfy the needs of the consumers and that of the company profit.
For the greater satisfaction of human needs and maximum profit for service industries, there is need for these companies to understand that their survival is based o effective and efficient satisfaction of their consumers. Their needs and wants, attitudes and life style must be well understood so as to bring about a better operation in their work.
Service companies should also understand their “Services account for close to on behalf of the consumer expenditure” and that also even firms themselves spend most of their working capital on services for sustenance repair and maintenance of legal, insurance, banking, credit service etc. this therefore means that service companies would recognize the essence of marketing to be able to satisfy there services need of both firms and individuals.
There is need at this stage to explain what marketing in services industries. Marketing has been defined as meaning “The set of activities that facilitate exchange transactions involving economic goods and services”.
The services must therefore conform with their requisition. It must also be worth the value they paid for it. In the course of the transaction, the customer gets the best deal that is supposed. The opportunity of their firms to make profit will depend on the customers services and patronage the get. In as much as there is emphasis on profit for companies survival, this cannot be done outside the customer backing patronage. The essence of marketing here therefore come in marketing emphasis should therefore not be neglected. Service industries must therefore recognize the idea.
But due to the nature of services the only thing that should be understood is that although marketing is everything where the application to services industry will take a different farm only that the aim still remains the same, the customer satisfaction profit motive and proper co – ordination of the marketing related activities. Service industry is simply firms who do not engage in production, exchange or marketing of tangible items rather they engage in creating satisfaction through offer of non – tangible things.
Transference is done without necessarily involving any tangible items. What is mostly emphasized here is the satisfaction gotten in exchange of value from the customer. It might involve a direct treatment on the customer education, medical services or it might involve many product usage hair saloon, etc.
Marketing emphasis is greatly needed here to be able to satisfy the needs of the customers due to this sophistication in human life and subsequent establishment of service firm, there has also been greater increase in competition in the market place. Service firm need a proper interpretation of marketing functions in other to be able to survive in the industry.
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