Final Marketing Audit: Edible Arrangements Tricia Morales Colorado Christian University Final Marketing Audit: Edible Arrangements Edible Arrangements was founded by Tariq Fariq in 1999. He started off with the idea to create fresh fruit bouquets after owning a floral shop and opened his first store in New Haven, CT. In 2000, Tariq’s store was recognized and was “wowed” by the idea and was finally talked into franchising the company. By 2001, the first franchised store was opened in Massachusetts and by 2004, the first store opened in East Toronto. Edible Arrangements continued to grow, by 2006 there were 500 stores open. During this growth Edible Arrangements continue to search for ways to connect with the …show more content…
One example would be the increased interest in corporate wellness. When being able to provide fresh fruit in different sizes, it would make it easier to market and sell fruit baskets for those who are trying to stay on the wellness track. But every business also comes across threats. One big threat for any franchise would be competition which can come in all different varieties. Sometimes it could be a local mom and pop shop which normally would not considerably hurt the business unless multiple shops starting popping up. Other forms of competition would be include business selling in the same gift basket market which can include candy, nuts, cheese or even florists. To help fight off competitors, I believe you need to build rapport with the community. When you do that and provide a good product with good rates you will gain a customer for life. Now for every business to overcome their threats or take on the opportunity that arise, they must know their strengths and weaknesses with its competition. Edible Arrangements has many strengths because of the health factor, the range in pricing and the different thought out designs. However, it also has weaknesses because it only deals with fresh fruit it is harder to stay consistent with the taste of the fruit. This could depend on the time of year and location of the fruit vendor. Another weakness against competitors is that EA can only do …show more content…
Within these prices, it allows consumers to stay within a desired budget and size of an arrangement. After researching the Edible Arrangements website, I found that the pricing is the same across the board, even in different countries to stay consistent. The pricing is based off of the cost, labor and delivery. Because the company sells directly to the consumer, it uses a form of direct marketing channeling. Consumers can order or purchase the product online, over the phone or in person. E-commerce relationships have been built because the teams have raised awareness by extending same-day service and promoting on the website and via email. (2013) The Company then continues to build and maintain relations with each consumer through social media, surveys and focus