Grossistens roll på handarbetsmarknaden : En studie om Järbo Garns kommunikation med sina kunder och återförsäljare

Sammanfattning: Järbo Garn is a wholesaler in the textile industry. The companys position on the market is under changing circumstances. Therefore Järbo Garn needs to find new ways of developing their marketing. The thesis explores ways for Järbo Garn to do this, by examining different possibilities for the company to strengthen their relationship to their customers and retailers. The thesis is based on theories from three different fields; marketing, Public Relations and organizational communication. Different models is being used to analyze the material, such as the SWOT-analysis, the model of the marketing concept and the four-step Public Relations process. The material was gathered through qualitative interviews, group surveys and web-based surveys. Those methods was based on the theories of Steinar Kvale and Jan Trost. The interviews was done with representatives from Järbo Garn and their retailers. Surveys was sent out to the companys potential customers. The result shows that Järbo Garn have a good relationship with their retailers, who in general are satisfied with Järbo Garns products and services. Though, the staff may be in need of gathering the information about the retailers needs in one place. Some recommendations are given to Järbo Garn from the retailers, where develop the website appears most frequently. The result from the interviews also shows that the company lacks extensive knowledge of their customer, since the information given is minor. Some interesting hints about the customers needs is gathered from the result of the surveys. First, we learn that the customer prefers to shop in specialized stores or online. Then, we see that the customer finds most inspiration from digital channels like forums, blogs and social media. Last, we learn that the customers value quality and that they’re not loyal to any specific brand. In the end, the discussion leads us to believe that the borders between marketing, Public Relations and organizational communication are getting more and more unclear. It finally seems like the appliance of theories from these three fields are a good way of analyzing the situation of different organizations.