Retailing

Dunkin Donuts is all about making sure their consumers are happy with their products and/or getting them to buy and/or try new products. I am a regular customer at Dunkin Donuts so the employees there practically know me at a specific location. As soon as I walked in there was a big poster on the wall advertising their new product “cake bites”. The employees know my usual purchase but they always try to persuade me in purchasing something new.  8 times out of 10 it works. They make the new products sound so delicious and looking at the advertisements all around you cannot help but to purchase it to see if it is too your liking. That to me is good retailing because this employee could just give me my usual and let me be on my way. However, I am informed and kept up to date of the latest products which lead me to spread the word to my peers about it. This would, in result, make Dunkin Donuts a destination store because I plan to go there at a minimum of 2 times in a week and I am sure many others do the same. This franchise is established in a way where you just have to go in and buy something. Dunkin Donuts atmosphere is very homey in my opinion. Their layout pulls you in and not to mention the smells of coffee, fresh donuts and bagels cooking. This retail strategy is a perfect way to get consumers to buy their products. Overall visit was to go in there, get my tea, and leave. However, I left with two cake bites and a mint hot chocolate. Their product offering skills really pay off.

Consumer Decision Making

When it comes to making a decision about where consumers want to buy your coffee, tea and hot chocolate, Dunkin Donuts wants to be their first and only choice. This company pays close attention to their consumers and they come up with a menu to reflect their observations. In 1950 when Dunkin Donuts first started, they were strictly coffee and donuts. However, as time progressed, their menu has flourished due to close consumer observations. They used various external stimuli to get consumers to buy their products. When walking past a Dunkin Donuts restaurant, you cannot help but to smell the various aromas of coffee being brewed and fresh baked donuts that are ready to be served. That in result hauls in consumers to buy their products. Moreover, this company has paid attention how consumer decision making has also evolved over time. For example, due to the obesity rates increasing in America, Dunkin Donuts created a DD SMART Better-For-You Choices menu that gives consumers healthier options to choose from rather than just finding another restaurant to go to. Another example is when consumers started to drink a lot of espresso drinks in the early 2000’s. With this observation, Dunkin Donuts opened up a brand new line of espresso drinks so they could keep their consumers and possibly get more. These examples show how well Dunkin Donuts are in tuned with their consumers’ needs and/or wants. Monitoring consumer behavior is what keeps this company on the road to on going success.  

Developing a Global Vision

       On February 24, 2011 Dunkin Donuts started a partnership with Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. to open up stores in India. Jubilant FoodWorks, who holds the master franchisee rights for Domino’s Pizza in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, signed an agreement with Dunkin Donuts to develop, sub-franchise and operate an estimated 500 or more Dunkin Donuts stores throughout India. The first of those stores were to be opened early 2012. This partnership between Dunkin Donuts and Jubilant FoodWorks makes the largest international store development commitment in all of Dunkin Donuts history. The official contract signing ceremony took place at Hotel Oberoi in Delhi. Jubilant FoodWorks and Dunkin Donuts are to work together to offer customers a menu that combines Dunkin Donuts coffee, espresso based drinks, baked goods and other delicious snacks with products that are specially modified for the Indian consumers.  

Mr Hari S. Bhartia , Co-Chairman of Jubilant FoodWorks(left) Mr Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin Brands and President of Dunkin Donuts(center)  and  Mr Shyam S. Bhartia, Chairman of Jubilant FoodWorks.  

Marketing Environment

          The target market for Dunkin Donuts depends on the product. For example, their Coffee mainly targets adults from 25-45 years old while their Hot Chocolate mainly targets children and teens from 6- 17 years old. Dunkin Donuts has a variety of products that targets every age and ethnicity group. However, they have one product that targets everyone and that is their donuts. Their donuts target everyone no matter the age and/or ethnicity. Moreover, Dunkin Donuts does not have a specific target market because their locations are in every type of area and their products target everyone.  

Social Responsibility

-Dunkin Donuts social responsibility to consumers is to be recognized as a company that responsibly serves its guests, franchisees, employees, communities, business partners and the interests of the planet.

-Their responsibility to their corporation gives the brand a central frame of reference for organizational decisions, strategic goal setting and behaviors that respect all of their stakeholders. It is also a way to formalize their tradition of doing what is right for their consumers, franchisees, employees and the communities they serve. 

Strategic Plans

      Dunkin Donuts has a plan for a huge expansion in 2012. Even though it will take approximately 20 years to complete, it is said that this company wants to double its already 7,000 locations in the United States. Grant Benson who is the vice president of Franchise and marketing planer for the Dunkin Donuts brand believes the opportunity is here now for the big push of expansions. These expansions will start in the Southwest and Mideast states first. 

Mission Statement

     "Dunkin Donuts will strive to be the dominant retailer of high quality donuts, bakery products and beverages in each metropolitan market in which we choose to compete."