The 4Cs of Marketing: A Customer-Centric Approach

In 1990, a marketing expert named Robert F. Lauterborn proposed the 4Cs of marketing. These 4Cs of Marketing showed a fresh approach to understanding and executing effective marketing strategies

While the traditional 4Ps of marketing focus on the supply side, the 4Cs marketing model takes a customer-centric approach, highlighting the demand-side perspective. In this article, you will discover the 4Cs of Marketing

4Cs of Marketing

Following are the 4Cs of Marketing:

1. Consumer

The customer’s needs and wants will replace the product ( in the 4Ps of marketing ). The company will be able to sell products successfully that the consumer particularly wants to buy.

Hence, it becomes important to identify and understand the wants and needs of consumers. In other words, today marketing needs to be consumer-oriented instead of product oriented.

2. Cost

Price in the traditional marketing mix is to be replaced by cost. The product cost should contain not just the expenses related to production and distribution but also the purchasing cost and broader social costs.

Price represents just a fraction of the overall cost involved in fulfilling a want or need. The total cost should also include:

• The cost of time in acquiring the product ( i.e time needed for traveling for shopping and choosing of product at the store in acquiring a product )
• The cost of conscience for consuming that product ( maybe socially undesired products such as cigarettes, alcohol, etc.,) or even the cost of guilt ( for not treating loved ones or family members.)

3. Communication

Communication is set to replace promotion in the traditional marketing mix. Promotion can be manipulative because it focuses mainly on the needs and goals of the seller, rather than the customer.

The main objective of communication is to create a dialogue with potential customers based on their needs and lifestyle. Communication has a wider focus – it helps the customer as well as the seller.

Communication includes different channels such as advertising, public relations, personal selling, publicity, sales promotion, trade fairs, exhibitions, and any other means through which the organization interacts with consumers.

4. Convenience

In the traditional marketing mix place is replaced by Convenience. In today’s world, customers do not need to go to the market to buy products.

They can purchase the products from a location that is convenient for them, such as their home, workplace, or any other place of their choice.

The customers place orders online and products are delivered to them at their doorstep. Customers have the convenience of ordering the product not just from the local market but anywhere across the world, thanks to e-commerce.

This indicates that the Place is losing its importance in the present marketing scenario.

Marketers need to identify the preferred purchasing habits and channels of their target market.

So, convenience considers how easy it is to buy the product, find it, get information about it, and many other things.

these were the 4Ps of marketing. If you have any suggestions to improve this post, please share them in the comments.

FAQs