THE INFLUENCE OF THE MARKETING MIX ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE ENTERPRISE IN CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION

Abstract

The article is devoted to substantiation of theoretical provisions and presentation of practical recommen-dations for determining the impact of marketing and its individual elements on improving the activities of the enterprise in terms of increased competition to obtain competitive advantages in the market. The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that in today's conditions, the opportunities for marketing activities of economic entities significantly depend on their ability to qualitatively develop a marketing mix and select its individual components to ensure a rapid response to the competitive environment. Based on the generalization of scientific publications and taking into account the applied conditions of strategic approaches of enterprises on the basis of competition, it is found that it is a powerful tool for civilized markets and forces entrepreneurs to expand their production, improve product quality, reduce costs, focus on socio-economic demands of modern consumers. It’s noted that marketing mix is considered as the basis for the organization of enterprise management and informed decision-making with a focus on market demand and the state of competition. It’s proved that to ensure the holistic nature of the marketing impact on the market position the company must consider the subject of competition from the standpoint of goods (services) and from the consumer's point of view, which determines the choice of different methods of competition to attract potential customers. It’s substantiated that informed decisions about the structure and content of the marketing mix are based on a better understanding of the needs of the target consumer and the criteria by which he is guided when deciding on the choice of one of the compet-ing proposals. Among the criteria for choosing a product, customers analyze the economic and psychological parame-ters that are directly related to the development of a competitive marketing mix. The need to develop a product policy of the company with a focus on a range of goods and services offered to the target market; their quality, quantity and compliance with consumer needs; additional benefits they offer to the customer as opposed to competing products; the frequency of updating the range, packaging and product brand in general. It is proposed to take into account the levels of the "product bulb" when choosing a marketing strategy for the product to coordinate strategic decisions and tactical actions to recognize the product as a target market and ensure its competitiveness. The process of determining the price of goods as an element of marketing mix must be consistent with the strategic objectives of the enterprise, demand for its products, pricing policy of major competitors, income levels and other important environmental factors. Particular attention is paid to the type of competitive market, which determines the specifics of price behavior in it and becomes the basis for the development of marketing mix. On this basis, it is recommended to form a marketing pricing policy and use the price factor as an effective means of competition. The importance of the place as a component of the marketing mix, which provides a system of sales of goods and guarantees the availability of products for potential consumers is revealed. It is proposed to create such a type of utility for the target clientele as the convenience of the place of goods purchase, which will ensure the implementation of a marketing strategy of distribution and marketing at a higher level compared to competing firms. The expediency of pushing the company's products on the basis of informing, persuasion and influencing the purchase decision, focusing on its advantages over competing products, is proved. The marketing strategy of promotion should take into account the ratio of its important elements, namely advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and propaganda. The influence of product advertising as an important tool of communication with the target audience on the competitive position of the enterprise is considered separately. The specifics of the use of various means of sales promotion, personal sales and PR-measures are determined, taking into account the needs of consumers and the level of their commitment. The importance of ensuring the balance of all components of the marketing mix in the enterprise, which is the basis for the strong position of the enterprise and the formation of competitive advantages, which has practical value. It is offered to combine methods of price and non - price competition in marketing activity.