1. Give examples of needs, wants, demands that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these three concepts.
Needs: Need is defined as a state of felt of deprivation or lacking something. According to this case study, we can say that the children needs are entertainment, fun and creativity. We know that every child want to play with something whether the child belongs to a rich or a poorer family. The second thing is we can notice that the new born babies love to play with technology means they want creativity. They want to do something that is new and unique. Build-A-Bear customers are children, who have needs of belonging (joining the Build-A-Bear "club."), affection (creating and caring for another being), and self-expression (the ability to create a product that reflects elements of the self).

Wants: Wants are basically “needs, that are fulfilled according to the costumer’s personality and culture.” In this case study, we can observe that the target customers are children and children love to play with animals. Due to the advancements in technology, the children are being something which they really want and know to be the only source of delightfulness. Hence, the company has added different assembly lines and clearly labeled work stations. Children want a place where they can get a toy of their choice where they have freedom to make a toy like bear of their own choice by choosing, stuffing, stitching, and naming the toy (bear).

Demands: Demands are “wants, backed up by buying power”. The Build-A-Bear company gives experience to their costumers of creating a stuffed animal at a very low cost as compared with others. Customers demand specific products that add up to the most valuable and satisfaction. Among the most relevant examples we can mention are both new store locations and accessories. “Mini-scooters and mascot bears at professional sport venues” are also specific ideas that were interpreted as customer`s demands by the company. Maxine Clark comes up with a creative idea of Build-A-Bear where children can experience a creation of a toy like bear. Clark emphasizes on the need of entertainment, self esteem, and belongingness and fulfills children’s wants of experience by making, customizing, and personalizing bear through many stages: choose me; stuff me; hear me; stitch me; fluff me; dress me; name me by the children. In this way, the company has brought a lot of entertainment and experience to children.

2. In detail, describe all facets of Build-A-Bear’s product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction?
The main facet of Build-A-Bear’s product is the selling of “the experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment”. This all starts as soon as they enter a store, as they are designed as a cartoon land with child friendly assembly stations that are clearly labeled, including different process for children to design their bears with, for example ‘Choose Me’; ‘Stuff Me’; Hear Me’; ‘Stitch Me’; ‘Fluff Me’; ‘Dress Me’ and ‘Name Me’. With the business allowing their customers to customize their bears from the very first stage to the very last, it allows their customers to have the most enjoyable experience they can possibly have.
Other facets that Build-A-Bear have also include the quality of the product available to their customers and the quality of their customer service. These facets can be seen as very important to the organization, as previously mentioned, because their business is orientated around creating and building their customer relationships, which they believe sells more, rather than the need to keep on selling different products. By the time the customers leave one of their stores, they have created a product that is so unique, it’s one they’ve actually created themselves from the very first stage to the last.
Build-A-Bear is a company that makes teddy bears and other stuffed animals. They have introduced a new setup in their outlets which makes the product in front of the customer according to their needs and wants. The outlets are designed as a complete fantasy world for the children comprising of clearly labeled work stations. Unstuffed animals are chosen by the customer themselves and then the whole process of making the toy is done in front of the customer in different work stations that include the stuffing, voice boxing, stitching, dressing and naming. Even birth certificate of the creation is also given to the customer for creating interest and fierce loyalty.
The most important thing that Build-A-Bear is giving them is a low cost which most of the parents can afford and in return what parents and children are getting is much more than they have paid in form of satisfaction. Now if we see that what Build-A-Bear is getting in return is a lot of good will, loyalty, happiness, profits and new innovative ideas that are being given by the customers through feedbacks.

3. Which of the five marketing management concepts best describes Build-A-Bear Workshop? Explain.
The marketing management concept the best describes Build-A-Bear is the marketing concept. Build-A-Bear made it its priority to figure out the needs and wants of its customer and did its best to satisfy them. It is a customer-centered organization and achieves this by interacting with the customers and working to build long-term relationships. They are not trying to force a product onto a service, they are providing them with the product and experience that they desire. Just as the market concept takes an outside-in perspective, Build-A-Bear also takes an outside-in perspective. They looked at the customers’ needs and took actions that were in the interest of satisfying the customers and in return makes a profit by building long-lasting relationships with customers. Simply put, Build-A-Bear Workshop is a customer-driven company.
The marketing concept, which is the “marketing management philosophy which holds that achieving organizational goals depends on determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively than competitors do”, best describes the Build-A-Bear Workshop because they are focused on the needs of their customers and by creating and building relationships with their customer base. This is evident, as Maxine Clark, Founder & CEO, says ‘our concept is based on customization and puts herself on the ‘frontline’ and asks her customers to email her with ideas and concepts that they have and believe could improve their product, while trying to answer to all the emails she receives. As Build-A-Bear focuses on the needs and wants of its target market, i.e. the children and with interaction and feedback, is able to understand those needs and wants and thus fulfill them accordingly. This is probably the biggest factor in the success of the company.

4. Discuss in detail the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers.

Build-A-Bear is likely to be successful in continuing to build customer relationships because of its great ideas for the future; one of the key factors in the success of her Build-A-Bear is its ways of getting real time feedback from its loyal customers. Maxine Clark is viewed as a strategic visionary. Soon Build-A-Bear workshops will house in-store galleries of bear-sized furniture designed by kids for kids. Clarke has used the tool of personalization and customization, knowing that it is emerging because it lets customers be creative and express themselves. This has lead to an outstanding experience for the customers and allowed Build-A-Bear to evolve very quickly. Other than this, the price factor is also a big one. Kids already love it but the advantage of standard cost is that the kid`s parents love it too. The parents find the low price to be a good bargain, as they know too that their child leaves the toy store with much more than a stuffed animal to hold in their hands, instead they have a product they themselves have created.
Build-A-Bear is not just another toy store, it is an experience and it’s this lasting memory that customers want. Build-A-Bear offers low cost products, entertainment, the ability to actively participate in creating a stuffed animal, personalization and just a lifetime experience. When compared to other manufacturers of stuffed animal the value and satisfaction is no match. In fact, customers may get the chance to customize their product or may just have to pick one from the shelf. In addition, the customer service at the build-a-bear workshop is remarkable. The employees and the founder are involved and dedicated to serving the customers. Therefore, it is believed that more customers are satisfied with and have a higher perceived value of Build-A-Bear products.