Back in the day, there was only one relevant letter in the marketing mix: P. To be more specific, there were four Ps – price, promotion, place, and product. With the uprising of the web age, however, there is another letter we marketing professionals now need to acknowledge: C. And guess what? There are 4 of them to match the original Ps.

The Product P it is now swapped with this C – Customer’s needs and wants. Similarly, Price is now replaced with Cost, Place with Customer Convenience, and Promotion with Communications with company.

Let me explain this in a little more detail.

The Four C’s present a consumer-focused model through the help of the web. The internet enables the shift from mass marketing to niche marketing. The first C focuses on Customer’s needs. When creating your Product, focus on satisfying your targeted consumer’s wants. Cost includes not only your customer’s cost, but the cost to change to a new product and the cost for not selecting a competitor’s product or service. The internet allows consumers to buy an online product from almost anywhere in the world, making Customer Convenience an important factor. This C should take into account how easily a consumer finds the product, finds information on the product, and buys the product (among other factors).  Finally, the Communication C presents a broader focus than promotion and includes any form of communication between the organization and customer. With online reviews and the anonymity of the web, businesses and product reviews are easily shared and often heavily relied on.

By focusing on a very specific group, your business will be able to tailor a product to meet each and every need of that niche consumer. Remember, it’s all about the consumer!