Meeting Customer Needs | Edexcel A-Level Business (9BS0)
Meeting Customer Needs
- 121 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Theme 1: marketing and people
- Paper 1 and Paper 3
Meeting customer needs opens Theme 1 and is examined on Paper 1.
It covers what a market is and how mass and niche markets differ, the research a business does to find out what customers want and what that research cannot tell it, and how a business positions itself against rivals to build a competitive advantage.
Sample questions from Meeting Customer Needs
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The market
How do strong brands enable businesses in mass markets to charge premium prices?
Show the answer
Strong brands create perceived value and customer loyalty, meaning consumers are willing to pay more for trusted, recognised products. -
The market
How does innovation make existing products obsolete?
Show the answer
Superior new products reduce demand for older alternatives, forcing competitors to innovate or exit the market. -
Market research
How can competitor reports serve as a secondary research source?
Show the answer
Competitor reports provide existing information on rivals' strategies, performance and market positions, offering insights without original data collection. -
Market research
What is geographic segmentation as a basis for dividing markets?
Show the answer
Geographic segmentation is one of the common bases for market segmentation, grouping consumers by their location. -
Market positioning
How does exclusive access to resources or technology create competitive advantage?
Show the answer
It prevents rivals from matching the firm's offering, securing a unique market position. -
Market positioning
In what way does building brand image add value?
Show the answer
A strong brand creates perceived prestige or trust, increasing what customers are willing to pay beyond production costs.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The market | Mass and niche markets, market size and market share, brands, dynamic markets and online retailing, how competition changes a market, and the difference between risk and uncertainty. | 47 |
| Market research | Product and market orientation, primary and secondary research and the methods each uses, the limits of sampling and bias, ICT as a research tool, and market segmentation. | 42 |
| Market positioning | Market mapping, competitive advantage and where it comes from, product differentiation through design, branding, packaging, quality, features and service, and adding value and the added value calculation. | 32 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Business Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,305 questions with their answers.