Research on the Optimization of Marketing Strategies in the Context of Digital Marketing

: The computer equipment company has been acting as an agent for a Fortune 500 manufacturer of intelligent connectivity devices in the provincial region for many years. In early 2020, due to the internal and external market environment, its product sales in the provincial market continued to decline significantly and its market share continued to shrink. In the face of fierce market competition, how to quickly transform marketing ideas, the use of big data and other advanced marketing methods, grasp the market demand, accurate target customers, through the expansion of sales scale and seize market share to achieve value-added revenue is a computer equipment companies to be solved the problem. Secondly, the macro environment and micro environment of computer equipment companies were analysed separately using PEST analysis and Porter's five forces model analysis in the context of the development of China's digital economy. The starting point of marketing strategy is customer demand, the landing point is customer service, and the core is to take customer demand as the starting point. This paper also further analyses the marketing environment of computer equipment companies by analysing consumer demand in terms of product diversity demand, higher cost performance demand, brand reputation credibility demand, and personalised demand for intelligent services.


1.Introduction
In the traditional marketing 3.0 era, China's mainstream domestic smart machine equipment manufacturers tend to focus on exclusive manufacturing products as the core, supported by China's demographic dividend, supported by national industrial and information technology departments and other policies, in accordance with the concept of production as the guide to marketing management, constantly focusing on commitment to improve the efficiency of product production and distribution.The ultimate goals of marketing are to manage valuable customer relationships [1].In the new era of connectivity, the rate of information interaction has increased significantly, the market, i.e. customers and potential consumers, have more diverse access to information, more diverse consumer choices and a wider range of consumer options, and companies need to carry out further market opportunity identification and finetuned management of customer relationships.In this context, distribution companies of smart connected devices must re-examine the main trends and forces affecting their marketing in the new digital, mobile and social media era, face up to the new Marketing 4.0 era, rapidly upgrade their marketing mindset, change their thinking for integrated marketing, bridge the gap between online and offline marketing, build an innovative marketing eco-chain and achieve a sustainable Integrated marketing, so as to ultimately promote the orderly development of enterprises [2].

Suggested target markets for computer equipment companies
Based on a questionnaire analysis of the structure and demand characteristics of consumers in the market, it can be concluded that from the consumer preferences, the most important application scenarios for consumers to buy smart connected device products are home, office and school, and the uses are mainly entertainment, office and study, and they are more concerned about the product's: portability, higher convergence and higher cost performance [3].Increasingly, consumers have also come to see smart connected device products as a necessity, with the main smart connected device products required being: smart computers (desktops, laptops, tablets) and smartphones.Combined with the actual products currently being sold by Computer Equipment and the current market situation in the region, in order to further consolidate Computer Equipment's dual ("online + offline") market share and strengthen the advantages of the product mix, in order to adapt to the direction of industry development for at least the next 3-5 years.Also taking in account the intergenerational situation of consumers, the target market selection for computer equipment companies is now optimised as follows: the main customer group is based on the "Generation Z" age group of 10 to 35 years old.The main customer-generated demand scenarios are: These scenarios include smart office, home (smart education, ultimate gaming, entertainment and audio-visual), and school research [4].
As competition in the domestic professional market becomes increasingly fierce and consumer needs become more diverse, a company's marketing strategy should no longer focus only on the direct functions of the product, but should constantly polish the rich product framework level, as to derive more value-added functions to better adapt to the diverse needs of consumers, in order to eventually occupy a larger share of the market.It is clear one of the most effective ways for a company to gain a competitive advantage is to extend its product offering.Computer equipment companies can also extend their products based on competitive advantages, for example, in the gaming scenario, they can launch a personal competitive workstation package that integrates smart computers, smart speakers and VR [5].

Suggested improvements to the marketing strategy
The core of a company's survival and development is to firmly adhere to the customer-centric concept, that is, the centre of the customer's business marketing activities, because the company's marketing strategy is also customer-centric to the choice of products, services and other aspects of planning.The marketing strategies of computer equipment companies in terms of products, prices, channels and promotions can be improved in the following ways, taking into account the characteristics and needs of consumers in the current market [6].

Upgrade to build a rich product line
As shown in Figure 1, the product architecture of a computer equipment company can be designed with five main product lines: Gaming Smart Connected Devices, Business Smart Connected Devices, Home Smart Connected Devices, Campus Smart Connected Devices, Business Smart Connected Devices and Workstations.Each product line is set up with a main model, and the corresponding alternative and subsidiary product combinations are set up around the main model, and the scenarios and products are linked through the needs of users [7].

Fully integrated medium to long-term pricing strategy
As the level of the economy determines the level of consumer spending, the regional economy continues to grow steadily and with it the spending power of the people in the region.On the basis that the product satisfies the customer's needs, the price factor becomes the key factor in whether the consumer makes a purchase.As the final determination of prices is interrelated with the size of the company and the strategy of competitors in the industry, computer equipment companies must start from the positioning of their own marketing strategy, the development of the company's marketing and the size of the company and so on, in order to develop a more "reasonable" price, rather than just a low price or manufacturer's guide price as the only strategy to set prices.Computer equipment companies can also extend the price range of the main model of each product line up and down the price range to form a gradient, maintaining the application qualities of each main model while compensating for the lack of a price range.What is more important is that beyond product configuration, computer equipment companies need to design selling points or service differentiation for different products, product positioning and price setting.For example, smart devices that are beautifully designed, made of unique materials and ultra-slim should be priced higher, and individual high-end product lines can also be priced using "skim pricing".In addition, products with unique selling features, such as foldable shapes and ultra-high resolution screen designs, can also be sold at an increased price.Finally, due to the different after-sales services, their corresponding product prices may not be the same, such as the national mandatory after-sales repair service for intelligent computers is a one-year warranty for the whole machine and three years for the repair of major components [8].

Launching an omnichannel retail model
Computer equipment companies' comprehensive omnichannel retailing strategy allows buyers to tailor their consumer experience and consumption paths to their own preferences, and it is a necessary survival strategy for computer equipment companies in the post-epidemic era.
The sales of computer equipment companies in the regional retail market are mostly done through shops (SHOPPINGMAL located in computer cities with a cluster effect), and the company also conducts various marketing and promotional activities through the shops, such as ground promotion.However, in order to cope with unexpected situations in the post-epidemic era, such as when shops are required to be closed for long periods of time due to a sudden outbreak; In order of computer equipment companies not to be affected by the temporary business situation of their shops, they need to develop online sales channels and to open up new channels of competition.At the same time, online sales channels are also in line with the consumer mentality of the "Generation Z" group [9].
This paper argues that the role of the shop should include both a basic role and an extension role.The basic role, i.e. the traditional sales channel role, including the marketing channel role of selling smart connected device products and sales-based product displays, ground promotions, roadshows, promo, etc; On the one hand, consumers are more accustomed to what they see is what they get, even if they are more inclined to buy online, and consumers who buy smart connected devices for the first time are more willing to have physical experience in the pre-decision stage, on the other hand, the good service feeling obtained when buying smart connected devices and after the sale can better promote consumers to repurchase, while advanced marketing technology can also enable consumers to achieve a better connection.Computer equipment companies can make efforts to strengthen the promotion, such as through the production of various types of leaflets, in-store pull publicity, outdoor multiple roadshows and other offline channels to create a good sales atmosphere, increase product media efforts, improve the visibility of the shops, in order to quickly expand sales [10].
Increase online sales channels.Computer equipment companies should consider further promoting the integration of a new ecology of marketing across the board by building an eco-based traffic system when adding channels online.In addition to traditional ecommerce sales platforms, computer equipment companies should also consider developing direct-tocorporate private marketing channels backed by social platforms [11].

Develop integrated marketing
The integrated promotional mix allows for integrated marketing throughout the product lifecycle, better connecting consumers with companies and effectively empowering business development through the marketing chain ecosystem [12].
In the case of nodal promotions, for example, a computer equipment company can take an online to offline approach to attracting traffic.In addition to using traditional advertising media (interactive screens, staffed promotions, roadshows, etc.) to place promotional messages, computer equipment companies can also use direct marketing channels such as social media and other region-wide traffic channels to issue shopping vouchers, discount coupons, gift certificates, etc. to guide customers to offline experiences and lead to spending.Of course, promotional scheduling also needs to be integrated in the medium and long term to ensure continuity.
Computer equipment companies can also work on forming better linkage marketing with vertical and horizontal merchants, mainly by participating more actively in promotional activities between parties such as upstream manufacturers and their commercial customers, especially in terms of product promotions that reach the end user, allowing the marketing eco-chain to be opened up and widened.

Other suggestions for improvement and safeguards
To ensure that the above marketing strategies work well, computer equipment companies can also improve on the following points: (1) Optimise the marketing workforce.At present, the average age of the main marketing team of the computer equipment company is more than 8 years, mainly after the "70" and "80", with a wealth of experience in the industry.Computer equipment companies rarely use online platforms to gain customers and other marketing methods, and do not consider combining their own company's product structure and development direction to launch corresponding promotion plans, only by participating in the nodal promotion of individual products of the agent brands in offline shops, without forming an effective promotion matrix by connecting online and offline; Failure to combine upstream marketing to complete the full chain of connectivity makes the senior marketing scenario solution coverage incomplete and the marketing cycle short.
(2) A team of marketers who are on the same page as the business, able to follow through on strategic intent and move the marketing strategy forward quickly will be of great benefit to the company's growth.Computer equipment companies should consider adding an ecommerce sales function to the sales team system as whole, setting up a dedicated person responsible for the day-to-day operation of the online business and enhancing the marketing effectiveness of the online channel team.Set up a person to regularly conduct statistical analysis of existing online sales information, form statistical reports and comparative analysis of the online and offline marketing situation, as to provide computer equipment companies with more adequate and favourable support for market research and marketing decisions.Computer equipment companies can regularly organise personnel or project teams to distribute consumer satisfaction survey forms, and to conduct statistics and analysis of the collected research data within a specified period.As consumer satisfaction surveys are relatively realistic in reflecting consumer satisfaction with the company's various marketing efforts, computer equipment companies can distribute them on an annual basis and make improvements to their marketing strategies based on consumer feedback [13].
(3) Increase after-sales maintenance services, as durable consumer goods, after-sales maintenance and supporting spare parts services are particularly important, setting up after-sales maintenance sites is an important, assurance measures to prevent the loss of customers.On the one hand, the TOP 5 shops were asked to set up additional repair point tasks to ensure that they could normally deal with simple software issues such as installing systems.On the other hand, it is necessary to have a comprehensive after-sales service station in key areas where people gather, so that after-sales maintenance problems that cannot be dealt with by the after-sales service point can be sent by post to the after-sales station with the best comprehensive distance and service to deal with, thus also avoiding the embarrassment of customers who cannot carry out after-sales maintenance due to too few repair stations.

3.Marketing Strategy Recommendations
Based on the history of the smart connectivity products industry and the business situation of computer equipment companies in the region in recent years, this paper uses the tools of marketing mix theory to analyse their marketing problems in the market in a targeted manner, and then to recommend suitable marketing strategies for them in a more practical way.
(1) The market for computer equipment companies in the region is generally developing well, but the market competition in the region is becoming more and more intense in its environment.
(2) Computer equipment companies, due to their own agency product attributes, agency authority and intermediary status decided that in the development of marketing strategies, on the one hand, they need to pay attention to the importance of upstream manufacturers and downstream terminal marketing links, on the other hand, they also need to pay attention to their own business unique regional attributes and extended demand, to do a good job of balancing the point of grasp.
(3) The "Generation Z" consumer group is the main consumer group in the smart connected device product market, ultra-slim and cost-effective smart connected device products for their important choice of products, the future people pay more and more attention to the integration of entertainment and work, the game scene and home scene consumption cannot be ignored.At the same time, all marketing strategies of computer equipment companies cannot deviate from these foundations due to consumer-focused marketing values.

4.Conclusion
This paper has helped computer equipment companies to analyse their current market environment and develop marketing strategies to meet the new market demands they are facing.At the same time, it helps computer equipment companies to switch their marketing models more quickly in the new market environment, improve their gaming position in the smart connected devices market, seize market opportunities, expand their business and thus drive their growth.It is also expected that the research in this paper will provide some degree of insight into the marketing strategy research of similar types of companies.

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.Product architecture design for a computer equipment company