Description:
This study argues that the ‘bargaining nature’ of selling in tourism markets drives the sellers to use the strategies that lead to change the traditional personal selling models in different ways. It has used the experience of women vendors who sell souvenirs and other curio products direct to the tourists in Zanzibar. Most of them are the owner managers of their own small and micro enterprises. The in-depth interview method was used to explore the strategies they use to sell their products to customers, in this tourists. Purposive sampling method were used to get respondents from the busy tourists’ areas along the beaches and hotels. The study found out that in tourism markets vendors use multiple strategies in order to increase their sales. While some of them display their items at the fixed selling points in the open spaces called ‘bandas’, some who are also known as ‘Jua kali’ vendors, chase customer by following them to the places where they do other tourists activities. Although, in general venders selling process involves inducing customers, segmenting, pricing and selling instantaneously, the study found out that women are experienced and influenced differently from men. According to their experiences they face challenges when they deal with couples. This is because they think that women have the power to influence buying and they mostly prefer to buy from men vendors. Some women encountered problems when they display their products to men with wives. So in order to cope with this situation they use strategies such as carrying the children with them during selling, seeking sympathy from the customers by using female characteristics such as names to present their items to buyers. But there are some women who are competing by using the strategy such as displaying quality products and services to customers.
Through the findings of this study it is found out that the different strategies that vendors use to cope with the competition and be able to sell their products lead to change the common personal selling models. By the styles that they use they perform all four marketing P’s as well as marketing positioning and segmentation function instantly. This can be contrary to traditional models in which personal selling is classified as one of the promotional mix elements. This study also found out that apart from the bargaining nature of tourism market, the personal selling models that vendors use are influenced by gender. This is because the tourism market is gendered and the marketing strategies are also gendered. This study, add value on the current debates by showing that individual strategies have significant contribution in shaping personal selling models.