marketing plan

Columbia is becoming a very health oriented city along with much of the country. America's poor health habits are being reported more and more and a “gym culture” has emerged and can even be seen in the recreation center on campus. Studies show 54% of Missouri residents participate in outdoor recreation and 82% of Columbia households use the trail system. By offering the RecDeck as an alternative to traditional boring exercise, we give health conscious individuals the option to be outside and enjoying what Columbia has to offer at an affordable price. Columbia has lots of local parks, trails, and ponds that would be great locations for students, out of towners, and locals that want to try something new. By renting bikes and kayaks it allows people without the equipment the same opportunity to experience these areas.

As stated before, many of our customers will be health conscious individuals who either don’t have bike equipment or don’t have the means to get it to the area they wish to ride. We will target health conscious people aged 18-45. Couples can enjoy a low priced outdoor activity, while college students without space for a bike can participate in local riding events or charities. By having child friendly bikes with training wheels, we can also target families, babysitters, and daycares over the summer months when children may otherwise stay indoors. Our service will target those that want to exercise in new places or people that just don’t want to deal with the hassle and maintenance of owning and transporting the equipment.

The Company:

Currently the RecDeck is in the startup phase. With some market research we can conclude there would be some amount of demand for our service. Over 90,000 people attend Park & Rec events in Columbia every year. By gaining just a fraction of these people, our business can be successful and profitable. With a business loan the RecDeck will be able to start negotiation with suppliers and prepare for the upcoming summer seasons when business will be at its peak.

Our business idea is simple, use a box truck to take our fleet of bikes and kayaks to different spots around Columbia where locals and tourists can easily and affordably rent them free of maintenance and without the hassle of transporting it. This creates value for our customers, they don’t need to worry about hooking up a bike rack or borrowing a bike if they don’t own one. By changing locations every week we allow all Columbian’s experience all the different parks with ease. Some college students didn’t have the space to bring their bikes from out of state and not too many people own their own kayaks. The RecDeck offers these people a chance to do something they otherwise would not have been able to do.