Samenvatting

This export marketing plan will identify the British E-bike market for Mihatra BV, a medium sized Dutch producer of E-bikes. The objective of the plan is to find out what the best market positioning and marketing would be for Mihatra in the United Kingdom. The central research question is therefore: How can Mihatra E-bikes best be positioned and marketed in the UK market?
Mihatra is a company positioned in the middle of the E-bike market with affordable pricing and a good quality. They want to accompany this with better service then competitors, which they can achieve because they produce all E-bikes themselves. The UK offers some great opportunities for this company because of its sheer size, proximity and government promise to invest big in cycling as a mode of transportation, for which an E-bike is especially well suited due to the hilly British landscape.
The external analysis points out that the government enthusiasm comes from the belief that cycling can kill two birds with one stone. While public health is always a concern, the first solution would be to obesity and a lack of exercise, which have proven a more structural problem in the UK. Related to this health problem is the increasing pressure on the government health budget. By encouraging citizens to cycle and stay fit, the government hopes to be able to cut health costs. The second is the problem of traffic congestion, caused by the growing number of cars and continuing urbanization. Related to this problem is the environment, with cars heavily polluting inner cities.
The average British customer, however, is used to buying very low priced bicycles at the local supermarket, not considering them not a mode of transport. In sharp contrast to this is the sporty, male, cyclist that rides an expensive mountain or racing bike and spends hundreds of pounds per year on maintenance and repairs, he is a true sportsman.
Because distributors of E-bikes are numerous in the UK, the report concludes that it would benefit Mihatra to position itself as a premium E-bike producer rather than a middle-segment brand. Dutch cycles are held in high regard, and in combination with a sound marketing strategy built around the large number of bicycle events in the UK, this would offer the best prospect for Mihatra’s future sales. Their target customer should be the wealthy pensioner who rides for leisure and comfort, and is willing to spend money on maintenance and repair.