ANALYSIS OF SALES PROMOTION AND REFERRAL MARKETING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY THE CHRISTOPHERS FOODS AND EVENTS

Abstract

As the literature has shown that sales promotion and referral marketing are two major promoters of efficient business operations, especially for entrepreneurs which can help  customers reap the rewards of their efforts in diverse ways, this thesis analysed the sales promotion and referral marketing strategies employed by The Christophers Foods and Events, an emerging catering and events planning business in South-East Nigeria. The thesis employed the quantitative research design which is specifically a descriptive Survey to sample the respondents in south east Nigeria who are the customers of   The Christophers Foods and Events Services. With the population of the states in Nigeria’s southeast geopolitical zone being 16, 395,555, a random sample of 384 customers was surveyed. The analysis focused on the level of patronage of   The Christophers Foods and Events’ services, how sales promotion influence the customer choice of the services, whether referral marketing was also a factor in customer choice of the services and any other factors that influence the customer choice of   The Christophers Foods and Events Services. The results of this study indicate that Christophers Foods and Events enjoy strong patronage within its sphere of operations. The results from this study also provide clear evidence that Discounts appear to be the most compelling type of sales promotion for driving trial and patronage. Several results indicate referral marketing through word-of-mouth and recommendations has impacted customers' choice of The Christophers Foods and Events. Referrals and word-of-mouth have been instrumental in driving awareness, trial, and choice of The Christophers Foods and Events for a majority of its customers. In addition to sales promotions and referral marketing, the data indicates customers' choice of The Christophers Food and Events is influenced by other factors including location, pricing, food quality, customer service, ambience, reputation, and events programming. However, the findings also indicate that other factors, such as location, pricing, food quality, customer service, ambience, reputation, and events programming, also play an important role in customer choice. The study concludes that sales promotions and referral marketing are effective tools for driving trial and re-patronage in the restaurant industry. Based on these findings, the study recommends that restaurant owners and marketers should consider using a variety of marketing tactics to reach their target customers and create a positive and memorable dining experience. This includes offering attractive sales promotions, leveraging word-of-mouth referrals, and focusing on the overall quality of the restaurant's food, service, and atmosphere.