1.    Increasing customer power is a continuing challenge to marketers in today’s economy. In what ways have you personally experienced this shift in power; either as a customer or as a business person? Is this power shift uniform across industries and markets? How so?

Today’s economy, marketers are focusing on the customer’s need or satisfaction better than competing firms. Because as the economy is downturn, price is the main matter for individual consumers and business customers that they always compare price to other competitors. Also, the marketing strategy is good for the marketers in today’s economy such as deal on promotion, brands building, and innovate products, which those factors will lead to attract the new customers and allow firms to increase their margins.

The challenges and opportunities play a big role in marketing in Today’s economy. It is true that technology changed leads to advances in transportation, communication, computers, information technology, automobiles, and so on. 

Those factors lead the marketers reach their potential customers. However, the marketers have a few choices to shift to the customers because they have ability to compare shops and set their own price by purchasing online, and also relate with one another by accessing to information. Ferrell and Hartline (2011) said that individual consumers and business customers can compare prices and product specifications in a matter of minutes. Therefore, the marketers have to ensure that their products are good quality with a suitable price, that it is only one way they can keep their potential customers and loyalty. In addition, variety of products or services sale on internet, and also enormous amounts of information available online has changed. People can communicate by reading news and entertain themselves. It causes fundamental increased in product selection and marketers have been inroad by competitors. As it relates to the technology changed, Bergman (2009) said that consumers always go to the internet more and more to find what they are looking for.

 Yellow pages are becoming less and less important, and its advertising may be very expensive. Indeed, nowadays, social networks (Facebook, twitter, blogs, and shopping websites) are the most popular for people in today’s economy. They love to spend their times with new media (internet, mobile communication, satellite) rather than they spend on reading newspapers, magazines, and so on. 
 It means that news and traditional newspapers may be disappeared, on the other hand, online is continuing to grow. Thus technology changed has shifted customers order for confident product categories, and it is not easy for the marketers to reach their true audiences, because media audiences become pure number of media choices that we have available today. Although technology changed has made society much more develop than in the past, it has forced marketers really concern about the security and privacy both online and outline. The marketers often collect the routine information from their consumers; but consumers want to make sure that their information is safe and secret. Finally, because of economic recession, there are lots of people lose their jobs that force them to lower expense; not only unemployed, but gasoline, foods, and energy are increasing cost. Also, they have to think about the important of frugality and cut expenses on unnecessary parts of their lives. This issue also happens to the business people and companies. The costumers will find out a low price online or better service that causes companies lose a lot of margin.

 For example, I can buy a camera by online. I will find out via online and compare the price between eBay and Amazon. Which one are the lowest price and the fastest shipping? Then I will. As a result, marketers or business buyers have run to keep their creativity or innovation to customer’s need even in a down economy.

3- Think about all of the exchanges that you participate in on a weekly or monthly basis. How many of these exchanges have their basis in long-term relationships? How many are simple transaction-based exchanged? Which do you find most satisfying? Why?

There are five conditions of exchanges that have long-term relationships.

1-    Unlimited participants (at least two parties to the exchanged)

2-    Each party has something of value to offer the other party

3-    Capable of communication and delivery

4-    Free to accept or reject the exchange

5-    Desirable to exchange with the other party

To my view, there are three simple transactions-based exchanged such as        unlimited participants, be value to offer the other party, and capable of communication and delivery. These factors are easy with online transaction and not complicated. Also, it allows us to find out the best value by comparing shop products and price to others. 

The exchanged that I really satisfy is capable to communication and delivery.  According to, the technology changed, I can communicate with people easily and at anytime via telephones, computers, SMS, and so on. Moreover, I can deal out or share out all the products or services anywhere.

 For example, I can call to order chicken wings from the Omaha Steak 1 to my home from school. That’s easy to communicate just a minute. Therefore, I can find out and communicate with associates or people around the globe.