Simulation: An Effective Marketing Tool

Simulation- the study and use of models of complex relationships- is one of the most valuable techniques in the management sciences, and has been greatly advanced in the last decade by the use of high-speed computers. Following the extensive development of simulations of military systems and the advent of high-speed computers, there has been, in recent years, a growing interest in applying simulation techniques to business problems including marketing problems. This paper presents a literature review of application of computer simulation in marketing and demonstrates the advantages of simulation as an effective marketing tool. The design of computer simulation for the industrial buying process which focuses on the buyers and their response to various marketing strategies, is described as a generalized-microanalytic-interactive-simulation. Also, the role of simulation in marketing game is discussed.