1.

) Performance Bicycles; a mail-order company that supplies

bicycles, parts, and bicycling equipment and clothing
*COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES*
Retailers with a presence both online and on Main Street are perfectly placed to capture
these sales. This is a key part of the strategy for Performance Bicycle, a leading retailer of
cycling products with more than 100 stores across 20 states.
 Differentiation Focus Strategy
Value-added Service for Customers
For an avid cyclist, buying a new bike is much like buying a new car and most of them
wouldn’t take the plunge without going for a test drive first. Performance Bicycle aims to
turn customer interactions like these into life-long relationships. In addition to helping people
try out products, we offer value added services such as professional assembly and servicing,
as well as free cycling events that start at our stores.

 Differentiation Leadership Strategy

Combination of Physical Stores and E-commerce Sites
By bringing its e-commerce platform, Performance Bicycle has the opportunity to
integrate its systems of engagement quickly and cost effectively opening the door to end-to-end
customer journey analytics. Performance Bicycle is combining the best aspects of the in-store
and online shopping experiences to lift customer satisfaction.
Combination of physical stores and e-commerce sites could give them a valuable
advantage over online-only competitors but only if they could understand and market to
individual customer preferences. The ability to execute this multi-step journey to unlock the
value of customer data and interactions with true integration of technology. The foundation is
now set for Performance to leverage true customer engagement and execute on personalized
journeys with their customers.
Building an in-depth understanding of customer journeys means pulling together
information from our e-commerce sites, email marketing campaigns and contact center.
Performance Bicycles realized that managing these integrations separately would drive up the
operational costs. To pave the way or digital marketing without breaking the bank, they
determined that migrating e-commerce platform was the best way to go.
 Cost Leadership Strategy
It’s a method to reduce costs and produce the least expensive goods in a market or
industry in an effort to gain market share. The modern business environment is a very complex
and sophisticated one with consumers being aware of the choices available to them. One way
firms differentiate themselves is through competitive pricing. Businesses who have the least
production costs are able to offer the same level of product quality compared to their competitor
for a much lower price.
Consumers are constantly looking to increase their purchasing power and if that cannot
be achieved through an income increment, then buying more at a lower price is the next best
alternative. Businesses who seek to be cost leaders tap into this opportunity to offer the average
consumers great products at great prices.
  Cost Focus Strategy

A focused cost leadership strategy requires competing based on price to target a narrow
market. A firm that follows this strategy does not necessarily charge the lowest prices in the
industry. Instead, it charges low prices relative to other firms that compete within the target
market. Another important point is that the nature of the narrow target market varies across firms
that use a focused cost leadership strategy. In some cases, the target market is defined by
demographics.

In other cases, the target market is defined by the sales channel used to reach customers.
Performance Bicycle wanted to build up its customer base via the online channel. Mike Starkey ,
Vice President of Information Systems at Performance Bicycle, says: “We recognized that the
online channel had great potential to increase our reach far beyond our existing network of retail
stores – but to achieve that goal, we knew we had to offer more than just great products. If you
took a walk through our headquarters, the first thing that you’d notice is that all of our people are
extremely passionate about cycling – most of them even have bikes in their offices or cubicles.
We believed that our employees’ knowledge could help inspire and engage new customers, and
reinforce our reputation as the leading authority on cycling , but we are unsure of the best way to
share this knowledge.”

Performance Bicycles; a mail-order company that supplies bicycles,

parts, and bicycling equipment and clothing
*CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS*
Performance Bicycle was founded on 1982 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.
It is a leading retailer of bicycle with 1,800 employees, offering more than 10,000 products and
operates on bricks-and-mortar stores, a printed catalog business and e-commerce website.

CUSTOMER – EMPLOYEE INTERACTION

According to Mark Starkey, the Vice President of Information Systems at Performance
Bicycle (AMain Sports and Hobbies), they hired people with the same passion as theirs, making
the interaction with the customers better. The customers felt more at ease with this approach,
they got to talk to the employees because they are people with the same interest as theirs while
being assisted with what they needed. “If you find yourself in the Northern California area, come
say “Hi!” The retail bike shop rents and demos all types of bikes and can share information on
local trails, group rides, or simply what’s new.  Feel free to take advantage of our local ship to
store program to buy anything we sell online and pick it up at one of our retail stores if you are in
the area!”. Performance Bicycle (AMain Sports and Hobbies) also implemented WebSphere
Portal and Web Content Manager, and ran knowledge-transfer sessions making data sharing and
managing better. Almost all their employees use the system enabling them to work more
efficiently and effectively.
EASY ACCESS AND BRAND AWARENESS
Since the people behind Performance Bicycle (AMain Sports and Hobbies) recognized
the potential of online channels or e-commerce in expanding the reach of their networks beyond
the existing ones of their retail store, they decided to open one that can meet theirs and the
customer’s expectations, may it be a live inventory, faster shipping, and an available customer
service that they can call anytime. Today, AMain Sports and Hobbies manages three cycling
webstores and one brick and mortar bike shop along with an equal number of sites and shops in
the Radio Control segment. Our cycling web sites
include AMainCycling.com, PerformanceBike.com, and Nashbar.com. Both the AMain Cycling
and AMain Hobbies retail stores are located in Chico, California along with the eCommerce
distribution center.
They established their reputation on things regarding cycling and the quality of products
and services that they offer, specially their customer service system. Even videos about
guidelines on how to maintain a bike properly, and other things like that were also posted on
their e-commerce site. They focused on the right target market and operated really well based on
that. “We have created a resource that captures the imagination of experienced cyclists, and
informs newcomers who might otherwise be put off by the wide range of products available”,
says Starkey.
PRODUCT-SERVICES VISIBILITY
Performance bicycle provided different channels for their customer to choose where or
how to find their products. They provided channels on where to view their products. A website, a
catalog and a physical store. Customer can easily view their needed parts, accessories or service
by simply browsing the net and rapidly purchase with any channels they choose, reducing the
risk of interrupting their tour.
Usually company uses a single channel, it can be through online or their physical store
but never or rarely both. If there is a physical store, the customer can drop by the area and choose
the product they needed and sometimes the product needed is not available, same applies in
online store, but it takes days to weeks before the item arrived on your address. However,
Performance bicycle channels offers convenience so customers can freely choose the channel to
find the needed product. Thus, contributing to the continuous success of the business.
FUTURE READY
In the contemporary world, technological advancement become an edge to every business
worldwide. The decision of performance bicycle in dominating the emerging online market,
made them future ready. When the pandemic occurs, several shops closed their physical store
and starts selling online and endure the loss of closing their shops. However, the performance
bicycle, having an existent online and physical store, can endure the crisis of the pandemic.
2.) The Nathalie Hotel, a downtown hotel that serves primarily
convention and business travellers.
*COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES*
The hospitality industry continues to evolve. Millennials crave adventure on their getaways,
not simply luxurious accommodations. People of all ages take better care of their physical selves
even while they travel. To gain an edge over the competition, hoteliers must create a unique
brand. They should offer in-demand perks and exercise creativity when inventing one-of-a-kind
experiences. The competitive landscape for existing hotels is more challenging than ever, with
new brands, concepts, and distribution channels opening frequently.  In this crowded
environment, smart lodging operators are finding creative ways to stand out from the
competition.

 DIFFERENTIATION

 Customer Service
“My family and I stayed here recently, we were constantly made welcome by the lovely staff
who always have a smile on their faces! They were very helpful and eager to assist us.”
“It was a very nice stay. The staff is super helpful, with 24/7 availability.”
“Great hotel great food excellent room 109 staff excellent very helpful.”
“Really nice family hotel. Quiet and very friendly staff.”
“The staffs are really friendly and kind and it is so nice to be in a family run hotel.”
These are some of the reviews of Nathalie Hotel’s customers from years and months ago.
Seeing these reviews and comments, even though these customers went there from different
times and seasons, they were all consistent with their remarks towards Nathalie Hotel’s staffs
and crews. There was no comment regarding their bad behavior, hence, making the employees
a big asset of the hotel. It is a big factor for hotels to have accommodating and welcoming
staffs since it works in the hospitality industry. Business people, if not all, are mostly stressed
and agitated because of handling too much workloads and such, as a hotel that these people
are staying at, having staffs that treat them nicely is a big factor that helps them with their
working antics and makes them consider staying more or even coming back to the hotel. As
Nathalie Hotel website says “The foundation stone of the hotels success is the attention to detail
and our love and personal care for both the hotel and its guests.”

 Provides More Spacious Accommodations

The bed takes center stage in many traditional hotel rooms. While this arrangement works for
travelers who only need a place to rest, it leaves others frustrated. People on extended business
trips want spacious work areas. Families with children appreciate room for them to play on the
floor. Parents don’t want to roll over on a Lego in the middle of the night.
You don’t need to upgrade all your guest rooms to suites. And with Nathalie Hotel, it is evident
that they were able to provide rooms with decent space to accommodate single travellers,
couples and even families, making them come back to the hotel more often. Considering that it
will accommodate business travellers, that are already stressed with their corporate jobs, a room
that is well decorated and is spacious would make them feel comfortable all throughout their
stay.
  Cater to International Travelers
Since the hotel is in a residential area and mostly travellers want a hotel that will make them feel
one of the locals, Nathalie Hotel best fits the accommodation for them. And also note that
Nathalie Hotel is located near the beach and in a walkable area with good airport proximity,
making it a hub for international travellers. Also the place where Nathalie Hotel is located has a
quiet and peaceful surrounding, a thing tourists consider for their personal agenda and
whereabouts. For cross-country business ventures, the quietness of the area makes them have
their focus on their work and will make them feel at ease in that foreign country they’re in.

 Create an Experiential Getaway

Travelers today crave adventure. They want to immerse themselves in their destination and trek
off the beaten path. Hotel owners benefit from expanding concierge services to create an
experiential getaway. Nathalie Hotel area's natural beauty can be seen at Elli Beach and Faliraki
Beach, while Water Park Faliraki and Kallithea Springs are popular area attractions. Stamatiadis
Mineralogy and Paleontology Museum and Rhodes Aquarium are also worth visiting. Tourists
and guests may try the area's water adventures with scuba diving, snorkelling and waterskiing
nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hiking/biking trails. Not because the hotel mainly
accommodate business travellers it means there can’t be n fun and excitement right? If ever these
people want to experience leisure while doing business there, they can surely try different
activities around the area.

 DIFFERENTIATION THROUGH TECHNLOGICAL INNOVATION

 Modernize: Stay ahead with high-tech solutions

Staying on top of innovative technology can make all the difference. An outdated website won’t
earn the same trust as a website with a modern look. Noting that business people are the hotel’s
most guests, these people tends to be fast-paced making them want a service that is easily
accessible to them since they’re busy most of the time.
 Allows online check-in/check-out for added convenience.
 Ditch the room key: Provide an alternative with a mobile app or RFID card that
unlocks the door based on proximity.
 Upgrade business centers to high-tech, comfortable co-working spaces that will
appeal to traveling professionals and local remote workers alike. Locals who use this
flexible space close to home may prefer the brand name while traveling, especially if
a loyalty program is available.
 Often, website visitors are looking for answers to specific questions, and  live chat is
their preferred method of customer service. Deploy hotel chat bots for instant answers
to common questions, booking assistance, local recommendations, room service
requests, and more—leaving front desk staff available to focus on the guests in front
of them.
 Customize reports and gain insight with hotel CRM software to provide personalized
service.
Establish your property as the local expert for group activities: Integrate a digital itinerary
builder on the website so guests can create a plan for where to go, what to see, and where to
eat—before they arrive. Include the list, vouchers or discounts, and additional
recommendations with their check-in materials.

 COST LEADERSHIP

 Make ‘value added’ meaningful

Well-implemented perks and extras are a gateway to competitive advantage, as long as they are
tailored to your audience and property. While ‘free’ can be a strong selling point, the word may
devalue the service for some audiences. Value-conscious traveling sports teams will
appreciate free breakfast, while corporate retreat executives may prefer luxury add-on excursions
or experiences, such as a brewery tour with dinner and a tasting flight. 
Value for your audience may depend on the guest receiving something extra that they would not
have gotten otherwise. But, if the incentive doesn’t align with the customer’s values, there’s a
missed opportunity for connection. Finding appropriate perks for your audience can differentiate
your property from the competition and help you attract new guests. Nathalie Hotel offers free
breakfast that surely tastes god based on the reviews, its free parking especially now that many
people have their own vehicles it is a smart strategy of the hotel to offer this free, free Wi-Fi of
course every one of us are now living modernly and are doing transactions in just one click and
offering the Wi-Fi free increases the satisfaction of the hotel’s guests because it will give them
access and efficiency while staying at the hotel.

 Streamline Direct Booking

In this age of instant connection, planners value a quick and easy booking experience. Leverage
direct booking with price incentives, upgrades, and added perks—and ensure a convenient,
simple, and mobile-friendly process. The hotel made sure that the booking option is easy to spot,
streamlined, and no more than a few steps from start to finish. 
Booking through the hotel website offers an opportunity for add-on services, too. Provide direct
booking incentives with offers for room upgrades, free food and drink, complimentary shuttle
services, vouchers, and discounts. Finally, direct booking offers the opportunity to connect with
group event planners before they set foot on the property.

 Create authentic relationships through guest feedback

It’s more expensive to attract new business than to cultivate relationships with returning groups.
Listening to guest feedback offers valuable insight into what you’re doing right—and where to
improve. Responding to all reviews (positive and negative) is essential. These reviews may also
highlight improvement opportunities. Rewarding guests creates a sense of trust, and trust leads to
repeat stays. The hotel won’t run without guests accommodating it right? Plus the fact that the
hotel is for business people, once you caught a businessperson’s satisfaction, most likely they
will stick and come back to your accommodation. A hotel can set their competitive strategies at
every aspect-technology, location, food, rooms and such, but we all know that at the end it will
all revolve to the wellness of its guests, hence, listening to their suggestions, comments, remarks,
and reviews is one of the biggest strategies they have to sustain in the long run.
 Developing a business strategy is admirable but executing the strategy is the key. A firm
can have all the strategies listed down, but it will not work if will not be implied and executed
properly, such that, consistency must also be observed by the firm to maintain its competitive
advantage amongst its competitors.

The Nathalie Hotel, a downtown hotel that serves primarily

convention and business travellers.
*CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS*
Critical success factors are the areas in which a business must excel to survive in the
marketplace. The critical success factors in the hotel industry have been changing over time,
driven by global competition and increasingly high customer expectations. Hotels are focusing
on quality management to attract new customers and earn repeat business. Despite its cutthroat
aspects, the hotel industry is filled with success stories. A small hotel may gain recognition from
a prominent travel guide and be booked for months or a large hotel could gain recognition by
partnering with a neighboring attraction. In today's Internet environment, when consumers can
be their own booking agent by evaluating reviews and prices online, the success of a hotel often
depends on how it utilizes critical success factors.

 LOCATION
The location of Nathalie Hotel in a commercial area is a great opportunity since hotel
industry has traditionally focused on location as the most important critical success factor.
Despite the changes in the industry, location is still important. A hotel located on a little-used
highway is not likely to do very well, even if it offers superior service and amenities. However,
although location remains highly important, other factors matter. Nathalie Hotel should also
utilize their advantage for being able to choose a location near a beach.

 GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Given the fact that Nathalie Hotel serves primarily business travellers, they need to be able to
compete on an international basis to be successful. Tourists deciding where to take their next
vacation can choose from destinations all over the world and can easily research the quality of
local hotels when making their selection. If a hotel tries to compete solely on price and location
while a nearby competitor also emphasizes creating a quality experience for the customer, then
visitors will go to the latter. Nathalie Hotel needs to be aware of what hotels all over the world
are doing to attract new customers and earn their loyalty.

 QUALITY MANAGEMENT
 Quality management is multifaceted and goes beyond the concept of customer service to
include additional factors such as employee satisfaction and involvement. A single random
interaction with a hotel employee can make the difference between a satisfied customer, an
impressed customer or a customer who goes online and writes a bad review about his hotel
experience. By concentrating on employee satisfaction as well as customer service, a hotel can
increase the likelihood that all its employees will provide excellent customer service as well.
Given the internet environment today, Nathalie Hotel must be more cautious in dealing with both
customer and employee since a single bad review online may rapidly spread and affect their
business roughly.

 FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility is a key factor in quality management as well as being a critical success factor for
Nathalie Hotel. Customers can have completely different expectations of a hotel, so managers
need to be given the authority to make decisions to accommodate them when possible. A
manager hampered by an inflexible set of policies may be unable to fix a customer problem and
earn that customer's loyalty and good word of mouth in the future. A manager with the authority
to make exceptions when appropriate is in a much better position to turn a situation around and
earn a good reputation for customer service and high quality.

 CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service is an integral part of the hotel experience. Clayton Barrows, author of
“Introduction to Management in the Hospitality Industry,” explains how the front-desk worker
serves as the gatekeeper of the hotel. The employee of the hotel will provide the customer’s first
and last impression. Thus, Nathalie hotel would achieve a critical success factor by ensuring the
staff is knowledgeable, courteous and capable of resolving any conflicts that arise. Providing
quality service also entails remembering the names and preferences of repeat visitors and giving
advice about attractions and surroundings.
 ADVERTISING
Successful hotels target specific consumers and will cater their prices, amenities and
advertising strategies to this group. Nathalie hotel advertise as an ideal location for business
travelers by giving corporate discounts. This type of hotel also promotes itself as a venue for
business meetings, displaying its on-site conference rooms in magazines aimed at executives.
Robert D. Reid, author of “Hospitality and Marketing Management,” advises hotels to veer away
from generic descriptions such as “luxurious rooms” and “bargain price.” Instead, Reid
recommends commenting on the specifics of the décor or customer service.
 COST CONTROL
Managing costs is a critical factor in a hotel’s success. Most hotels vary their rates
according to high and low seasons. Additionally, the establishment of a loyalty program enables
hotels to lower rates for repeat guests while charging different rates for others. One of the ways
hotels plan is through reservations programs that forecast demand beyond 90 days. Michael J.
O’Fallon, author of “Hotel Management and Operations,” explains how computer programs also
enable managers to identify the customers most willing to spend money and on which items.
From this knowledge, the manager can advertise directly to the person before arrival by offering
packages, upgrades and other incentives. Nathalie hotel’s success was also because of balancing
the cost of workers' wages, food and beverages, and electricity and maintenance with profits
deriving from booked rooms, amenities, gift shops and food and beverages.
 PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION
Nathalie Hotel thrives by offering guests a unique experience. This uniqueness may stem
from the location: A taste of Greece awaits you at the Nathalie Hotel. Traditional blue and white
island décor, blue skies, a sun drenched pool and a friendly, informal atmosphere all combine to
offer guests a wonderful stay. The foundation stone of the hotels success is the attention to detail and
our love and personal care for both the hotel and its guests. The Nathalie reaffirms that you are in the
heart of Greece and allows you to experience firsthand the uniqueness, which characterizes
Rhodes.