Sale the seven Cs Teaching/training aid for the (e-)retail mix

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The communications mix for the e-retailer 
All elements of the retail mix can actually form part of the communications mix. For 
example, in the case of an e-retailer, ‘
Convenience
’ can include the ease of finding 
the site, say by paid links from other sites or search engines, communicating the 
existence of the site to the potential customer. ‘
Customer value and benefit
’ can be 
reflected in the width and depth of product offered and ease of navigating around this 
large range, communicating a benefit of buying online rather than instore. ‘
Cost to 
the customer
’ can communicate price positioning in the case of a cost leadership 
strategy. Alternatively, high prices with ‘round’ figures can communicate quality and 
prestige. ‘
Computing and category management
’ can communicate added value 
from the availability of a wide range of products on short delivery times. ‘
Customer 
franchise
’ is largely a communications and branding issue. For example, improving 
the information value of an e-retailing site can improve image and branding. 
Similarly, ‘
Customer care and service
’ can communicate a positive image. Although 
many of the critical aspects of service are not visible until the order is fulfilled, a 
generous returns policy can act as a proxy in communicating an image of good 
service. Finally, ‘
Communication and customer relationships
’ describes the 
communications mix proper, which can have a huge variety of elements from 
marketing research surveys to e-mail, and from advertising to sponsorship. 

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10 
The use of the 7Cs as a framework for the communications mix is illustrated in 
Activity 3 and Mini Case 3 below: Compass 24.