The role of marketing in the logistics industry

Marketing is an activity that crosses all companies, in all industries, and in the business world, it can be the area that makes the difference. The role of the marketing department is to generate and implement sales strategies, achieve profitability, and also have sufficient skill to be able to satisfy customer demands or transmit these requirements to the corresponding sector.

In this article, we will focus on the role that the marketing department has in the logistics industry, we will talk about the so-called logistics marketing. What are its main features and how can you take advantage of it?

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What do we mean when we talk about logistics marketing?

The logistics industry is directly based on customer satisfaction and cost reduction. Marketing focuses its actions on selling, directs them toward customers but also generates actions so that those customers who were initially captured are satisfied with the service provided.

Logistics marketing is oriented toward customer satisfaction. It is the branch that wants to know directly the needs and requirements of customers to generate useful strategies for the company.

On the one hand, logistics is responsible for moving a certain product to a customer, and on the other, marketing is responsible for building customer loyalty based on satisfactory experiences for them.

Today, due to the evolution of technologies and the rise of distance shopping, in the logistics industry, competition is continually increasing and it is important to know the needs and requirements of customers to provide the best service and make them trust our company again. Logistics marketing is responsible for making the customer notice the added value our company's service has. Communication is a key point and knowing how to handle it, too, since, through good communication and strategies that question customers, we will be able to show true value.

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How are the areas of marketing and logistics related during the sales process?

The sales process is divided into three stages: before the sale, during, and after. In these three moments, marketing and logistics are directly related, and depending on the stage of the cycle, one will be more relevant than the other, but the important thing is that they are connected throughout the cycle.

• Before the sale: In this step, marketing and logistics must be associated to start creating efficient sales strategies. The marketing area must have information on the available products, the quantity and the way logistics work to create promotional actions based on real data. Communication and information management must be optimized so that misunderstandings are not generated and marketing does not generate erroneous strategies.
  
  
• During the sale: at this time, of course, the protagonist is the logistics itself. He must work to comply correctly with what had previously been promised in the marketing strategies. It is important that the information on stock, loading and unloading, delivery times, and other issues that make up the industry itself, are available to achieve the necessary organization that implies providing a quality logistics service.
  
  
• After the sale: in this step, the product has already been delivered, so two things can happen: that the customer is satisfied, and this indicates that all the actions that were carried out from marketing at the beginning and those of logistics during, they have been successful. Or it may happen that the customer has been dissatisfied, either with the product or the delivery and, in that case, a change or refund is requested. This may be due to the product itself or due to actions directly linked to the logistics process, so if this is the case, the processes must be adjusted so that these inconveniences do not occur again.
  
  El marketing debe seguir trabajando una vez que la venta se haya efectuado, o la entrega se haya realizado correctamente, y a partir de los datos de los clientes con los que cuenta, generar estrategias que permitan la fidelización de los mismos, para que en una próxima compra, vuelvan a elegir a la empresa. Marketing must continue working once the sale has been made, or the delivery has been made correctly, and based on the data of the customers it has, generate strategies that allow their loyalty, so that in a future purchase, choose the company again.

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As we have seen, marketing and logistics have a lot in common, they are even two lines that cross within a company and if they can be adapted to work together, they can make a difference and add value to the service provided. You need to take advantage of the benefits of uniting these two areas since the competitiveness of the market is increasing and the best way to stand out in it is by providing excellent service to customers. That customers can give real value to good service, is what will generate more loyalty possibilities.