Influence of Marketing Mix Strategies on Organizational Sales Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Rice Processing Enterprises in Mwanza City, Tanzania

Abstract

In many parts of the world, companies apply a marketing mix to improve their organizational performance in the market. Some succeed, while others barely achieve that goal. The study sought to investigate the influence of marketing mix strategies on the sales performance of small and medium-sized rice processing enterprises in Mwanza City, Tanzania. The research design used was descriptive. A sample of 116 of the 174 small and medium-sized rice processors in Mwanza City was included in the target population. The respondents were chosen through stratified random sampling. Using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0, descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyze the data gathered using a structured questionnaire. Findings established that product, pricing, promotion and place strategies exert a beneficial impact on the performance of enterprise sales. The study further found that when all marketing mix strategies are applied together as an integrated approach, it has a higher influence on sales performance than when each marketing mix strategy is applied separately. The study recommends that small and medium rice processing enterprise owners/ operators adopt the latest technology for producing quality products and use push and pull promotion strategies in line with the level of market demand. It further recommends that rice processors offer delivery and after-sales services to wholesalers and retailers to make their products available to customers and embrace integrated marketing strategies.