American Tourister - Project

                                                            INTRODUCTION

American Tourister is a brand of luggage owned by Samsonite.

Sol Koffler founded American Luggage Works in Providence, Rhode Island, USA in either 1932   or 1933.In 1993, American Tourister was acquired by Astrum International, which also owns Samsonite.^[3] Astrum was renamed the Samsonite Corporation two years later. Their products include suitcases, backpacks and wallets.

All started in 1933, when Sol Koffler put his life savings on the line to start a luggage company in Providence, Rhode Island. His dream was to build a tough suitcase that could sell for a dollar. He succeeded, and decades of innovation followed… By 1945, air travel was taking off and lighter luggage was in high demand. So American Tourister’s Hi-Taper was designed – tapered luggage that was lighter and easier to pack. The 50’s found the company experimenting with new materials to make the world’s first molded luggage. The distinctive modern design could really take a beating. The concept has since been copied, but never equaled. As international travel soared in the 60’s, American Tourister was the first company to “flight test” their bags with flight attendants from major airlines.

It was this research and insight that brought about more innovations – like the springless, cam-action lock that wouldn’t jam. In the 80’s and 90’s, the company continued to design hardside products, while also responding to the shift in demand for softside – durable cases that could withstand even the toughest quality critic, a gorilla.

American Tourister…is a brand of Samsonite Corporations.

                                                           

                                                                        4PS

PRODUCT - American Tourister tests its products, fully loaded, in real-world conditions for durability, strength, and dependability.

1		HANDLE TEST – 3500 TIMES Tested by giving jerks to the handle for 3500 times in a loaded condition.
2		WHEEL TEST – 32 KMs Wheel is been carried for 32 km in a loaded condition to check the wear and tear for wheels.
3		THE DROP TEST – AT 0.9m, -12 DEGREE C. Dropping the bag 5 times on the ground at all corners and sides at atmospheric temperature and deep freezing temperature from 0.9m.
4		THE ZIPPER TEST – 15000 times – FORCE APPLIED TO SLIDERS & ZIPPERS Force is applied to sliders and zippers to test the strength of zippers and pullers
5		THE TUMBLE TEST – 50 REVOLUTIONS & OBSTACLES This test is been carried by tumbling the bag in a tumbler at 50 cycles in a loaded condition.
6		THE LOCK TEST – PUSH & RELEASE CYCLES We check the locks durability by operating the lock for 15000 cycles in one go continuously.

PRICE -  As per the Quality of the product it is provided at the Best and the lowest price .

            Reasonable price of the product is the main motto the Company.

1.    . After a survey between the buyer and the seller ,reflecting judgement by the economics realities of the marketplace and the relative bargaining power of the parties the prices are decided

2.    Generally it is high enough to cover the company’s cost and a reasonable margin,but not high enough for the seller

3.    Price that provides the best total value comprising of availability , delivery time, fitness for purpose , payment terms , quality , quantity , and after sale services .

PLACE –  Place plays a fundamental role in sailing the product. American Tourister has large number of costumer all over the World . They have their network widely spread.

·          Americas

·         Canada

·         USA

·         México

·         Europe & Africa

·         Österreich (Austria)

·         België | Belgique (Belgium)

·         Danmark (Denmark)

·         Deutschland (Germany)

·         España (Spain)

·         Finland

·         France

·         Hungary

·         Italia (Italy)

·         Luxembourg (Luxemburg)

·         Nederland (Netherlands)

·         Norway

·         Poland

·         Portugal

·         Schweiz | Suisse | Svizzera (Switzerland)

·         South Africa

·         Sverige (Sweden)

·         Turkey

·         United Kingdom

·         Asia & Pacific

·         Australia

·         中国 (China)

·         香港 (Hong Kong)

·         India

·         Indonesia

·         日本 (Japan)

·         한국 (Korea)

·         Malaysia

·         Russia

·         Singapore

·         臺灣 (Taiwan)

·         ประเทศไทย (Thailand)

·         Middle East

·         United Arab Emirates

PROMOTION – It plays a very important role in sailing the product .as they have customers all over the world promotion of the product is also necessary

 Promotional methods may include:

·         website

·         social media

·         blogging

·         e-newsletters

·         networking

·         brochures and flyers

·         TV, radio or print advertising

·         loyalty and reward programs

·         mail-outs and letter drops

·         sponsorship

·         PR activities such as media releases and events

SELLING STATERGY

American Tourister is a well-known brand of suitcase.

Immigrant Sol Koffler founded American Luggage Works in Providence, Rhode Island in either 1932[1] or 1933[2] with his life savings. He was determined to produce luggage priced at $1 in the midst of the Great Depression.[2] The company's breakthrough came soon after when Koffler devised a new line that was significantly better than that of the competition; he named it American Tourister.[2]

In 1970, American Tourister launched a memorable ad campaign, highlighting the durability of its product by unleashing a "gorilla" (actually a man in a costume)[3] on it. The commercial ran for fifteen years.[3] It was also shown briefly in the 1995 movie, Apollo 13.[citation needed]

In 1993, American Tourister was acquired by Astrum International, which also made Samsonite luggage.[4] Astrum was renamed the Samsonite Corporation two years later.[5]

American Tourister has now become a lower-end version of its Samsonite sister brand.




Statistics:
Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Samsonite Corp.
Incorporated: 1933 as American Luggage Works
Employees: 1,000
Sales: $140 million (1993 est.)
SICs: 3161 Luggage

                      

DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL 

Distribution Channel All over the World
Sales channel		Shares (%)
Army Canteen	30-40%
Luggage Shop	60%
Department Stores	41%
Luggage Shop	21%
E-Commerce website	16%
Variety Stores	15%
Catalogue Stores	8%
Mail Order	2%
Other	5%

MOTIVATING THE CHANNEL MEMBER

       

·         Motivating the channel members means: taking such action that foster channel member cooperation in implementing the manufacturer’s distribution objectives beyond compliance active representation of product

·         American tourister now a days view its intermediaries in the same way it views its Costumer

·         To be able to stimulate channel members to top performance,it is necessary to understand their needs and want and for this purpose it is necessary to motivate the channel members

CONCLUSION

From this study it can be concluded that the customer relationship management in American tourister is satisfactory. The company is using various CRM practices like customization of the product, maintaining interaction with the customers regularly and providing good quality product etc. Customer relationship management has a certain impact on the profitability of the company . Average sale per customer has increased 15% over the last two years. Customer response rate towards marketing activities is also improving. There are various factors affecting the customer relationship management like working environment of the company, support from top management and coordination among the departments of the company. Information technology is not used as much as it should be. The company is using traditional tools of CRM like quantitative research, personal interaction. The company should use modern tools like data mining, contact center, e-CRM and web based survey tools.