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Black and Decker Case Study Essay

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Brittani Edwards April 6, 2011 MKG 631 Black and Decker Case Study Cause of B&D’s 9% share in the Tradesman segment; In the 1990’s Black and Decker had a great position in the market for their products to appeal to the Professional Industrial segment and the Consumer segment but when it came to the Professional Tradesmen segment they were lacking. Their 9% market share vs. Makita’s 50% market share in the tradesmen segment was incomparable. Makita clearly had a better product in the eyes of the Professional Tradesmen. In the Professional Segment most of the people who buy the products are people who need these tools to make a living such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, and general remodelers. Black and…show more content…
Tradesmen most often buy their tools from the retail distribution channel like Home Depot, or independently owned stores like ACE hardware. In this segment of the market tradesmen spend about $3000 a year on tools and about $1000 a year to replace tools. Quoted in the article “On the job, people notice what you’re working with, if I came out here with one of those B&D gray things I would be laughed at.” Just buy this statement it shows that B&D tools are looked at by tradesmen as tools for the home or tools that are used for hobbies. Even though B&D products are high quality and sold at a good price tradesmen would rather purchase tools that are looked at as professional tools like Makita. Also it has been known for B&D tools to fail on the job. Even though these were tools that were marketed to the consumer segment, it still gave B&D a bad name to tradesmen. Some of B&D’s tools were solely designed for the consumer segment for home use but how was the tradesman suppose to know exactly what tool was for which segment. To avoid this confusion B&D could possible go out to job sites and provide information about their products that are designated for the tradesmen segment so people will be more informed about their product, or go to the big retail chains and have information sessions. By doing these things it could make their product more attractive to the consumer. Makita’s Competitive Strategy Makita’s competitive
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