Types of Marketing Strategies of Pasalubong Vendors in Baguio City

INTRODUCTION

Philippines can offer many magnificent and majestic tourist spots. Ifugao’s Banaue

Rice Terraces, Palawan’s Underground River, Benguet’s Kabayan Mummies,

Mountain Province’s Sagada Cave, Boracay’s White Sand Beach, Pangasinan’s

Hundred Islands, Baguio’s cold weather and many more that Philippines can offer to

the locals and foreigners. When tourists visits a place in the Philippines, Baguio City

in particular, after enjoying the city for some time, when the tourists goes back to

their places, they go to some pasalubong shops or stalls to buy some products that are

made here in the city or nearby places like strawberry jams, strawberry wines, peanut

brittle, ube jams, some soft brooms, vegetables, fruits and some carvings like the

anitos of the Cordilleran Tribe or key chains. Some buys things such as blankets and

clothes from the ukay-ukay. They buy these things as a remembrance on their

vacation or they give it as a presents to their family, friends or even their colleagues

In that case, the researchers observed that small businesses in the city is very popular.

“Small business is one marked by a limited number of employees and limited flow of

finances and materials (Sarokin,2018)”. Researchers also observed that as tourists

flock in the city, these businesses is in a place where the competition is very strong, so

these businesses are also competitive wherein they use many marketing strategies to

persuade tourists to purchase their products.In addition, the researchers also observe

that in an environment where the competition is strong, they use sales force in able for

them to attract more customers. For example, in the city’s Public Market, the

pasalubong vendors are approaching you to buy their product even if they know that

you are a local but some vendors increase the price of their products especially during

peak seasons. Marketing strategy as said by McAdam and McClleland (2002),” it

services.” So some businesses are introducing new products to better satisfy their

customers (Mutza, 2000) through innovation of their products or services or

businesses may introduce new products for them to gain more profit.

In the research of Pawan and Pawan (2013), small businesses are not using

appropriate marketing strategy in a highly competitive environment that’s why some

According to Kumar (2012), these business needs to be very careful in pricing when it

comes to a highly competitive environment. He added that the price of the business’

product is also highly competitive so that the business will not be out of the market. In

this situation, the vendor or the owner must think of a better way on how would they

sell their product in an environment where the competition is very strong.

The researchers found out that there were no studies on what are the marketing

strategies of small businesses -- especially in local-- just like the pasalubong vendors

in a specific seasons? What are their marketing strategy when the season is rainy?

What are the alternative plans for them to generate more income and to not have a

bigger loss during rainy days even in a normal days (means no festival happening in

the city)? In addition, the researchers wishes to know how the marketing strategy

(4P’s) affects the income of pasalubong vendors in Baguio City. Since the literature

reviews focuses on why the marketing strategies needs to be implemented, the

researchers wants to know the benefits of these marketing strategies to the vendors

and what are their solutions in the difficulties that they encounter in selling since

Baguio City, also known as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” is one of the

tourist destination in the Philippines because of its cold weather and tourist spots.

Tourists comes to visit and enjoy different tourist spots and some delicacies that the

city offers.
 The researchers wants to find out the types of marketing strategies of small

businesses, specifically the pasalubong business and what marketing strategy is

effective in the type of their business. The researchers wants to know how does the

vendors apply these marketing strategies using the four main component ingredients

used to derive any given strategy in marketing products or services which is the 4 P’s

which means Price, Product, Place and Promotion (Leonard, 2018) since there is a big

competition not only for the small business but also for the medium business in the

city. These small businesses does not only compete with the small businesses but also

with the medium businesses city because of the tourists and some locals from the city.

REFERENCES

Kumar, R. (2012, June). Marketing strategies of small and medium enterprise: A

sample survey. International Journal of Management Sciences, 1(2),p, 69

Leonard, K. (2018). The four Ps in marketing strategy. Retrieved on June 13, 2019.

Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-ps-marketing-strategy-

61482.html

McAdam, R. & McClleland, J. (2002). Sources of new product ideas and creativity

practices in the UK textile industry. Journal of Technovation, Vol.22, pp,

113-21.

Mutza, S. I. (2003). Modules for marketing (1st ed), n.p.:Rex Bookstore, p.60.

Pawan, K. & Pawan, K. ( 2013, September). Marketing strategies of small scale

industries:A review. International Journal on Arts, Management and

Humanities. p, 37.

Sarokin, D. (2018, May 08). Chron. Defenition of small-scale enterprise. Retrieved on

June 13, 2019. Retrieved from smallbusiness.chron.com/definition-

smallscale-enterprise-1752.html