COUNTRY BOOKSTORE

Jeffery, CEO of Country Bookstore, whose name has become a household word in Malaysia, believes that his customers come first. According to Jeffery, Customers come first. If you focus on satisfying customers and building long-term relationships with them, they will allow you to grow.

Few would deny that Country Bookstore is a master of technology and technology- based services for consumers. In its core business, book sales, Country Bookstore has taken a historically interpersonally dominated transaction and successfully transformed it to a web-based service experience in addition to maintaining a brick- and-mortar store. Since its inception in 2008, Country Bookstore has grown to the point where it offers more book titles than any other bricks-and-mortar bookstore could ever hope to stock.

Country Bookstore boosts a wide selection of books. As soon as a customer arrives, they can either use the computer terminal to locate a book or walk straight to the shelves. In addition, Country Bookstore has invested significant effort to stimulate the feel of a neighborhood bookstore, where a patron can mingle with other customers, discuss books, and get recommendations from bookstore employees. Country Bookstore allows customers to find related books on virtually any topic by simply typing key words and initiating a search of its massive database either online or via their terminals in the store in addition to the online application on the smart phones.

Customers can view book description, items frequently bought together, editorial review, product details, information regarding the authors and the list goes on and on from the employees in the store as soon as they pick a book. The next step will be adding books or other materials chosen to the shopping cart and proceeding to make payment. All materials purchased can be returned within five days if found to be unsatisfactory and a free replacement will be in order. Its one-to-one marketing system allows the company to track what individual customers buy and let them know of additional titles that might interest them. This marketing is done while the customer is shopping as well as through periodic direct e-mail that identifies books specifically related to the customers past purchase patterns and interests. As Country Bookstore stays on the forefront of technology delivered services, few doubt their long-term success.

1. Prepare a complete diagram of Service Blueprint for Country Bookstores brick-and-mortar operation. (25 marks)
2. The five forces model is used at the industry level to determine the competitive intensity and therefore the attractiveness of a market. Assess Porters Five Forces Model for Country Bookstore. (25 marks)