Answer
Philip Kotler gives the summarized model of marketing information system as show below:
This model is applicable for any marketing information system with the inputs and output defined according to the functional area and objective of the specific organization.
The main inputs for the marketing information system of Bhatbhateni Superstore can be enlisted as:
i. Information about the market status. This can be the market research data analyzing customer needs, demands and perceptions. This can be done by conducting in-store customer surveys or doing overall market research with expert team.
ii. Information about competition and impact of competition on the market.
iii. Information about the economic status of the society and consumers. The type and quality of goods to be put on sale is directly related to the living standard and purchase power.
iv. The information about the recent development in trends and technologies. This is more useful for products and services that are constantly evolving in terms of technology and trend.
v. Information about seasonal demands for festivals, special occasions, seasons (summer, winter), major school and college academic sessions etc to promote seasonal products.
Similarly, the output of the marketing information system can be:
i. Current market status in reports.
ii. Impact of marketing and market research data on sales. This needs input from the inventory and sales system as well.
iii. Information about the competitors and their impact on the business output of the superstore.
iv. Reports about ongoing, past and planned marketing activities.
v. Reports and data about the impact of seasonal and targeted marketing on sales and turnover.
vi. Reports about customer perception and level of satisfaction with respect to the products and services from Bhatbhateni superstore.
vii. Other information for the middle and top management of the Superstore to take immediate, short and long term marketing decisions.
The input and output items mentioned above are a few major items. A lot more can be added on to the list depending upon the scenario and the specific model of the system.