METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING MARKETING COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES FOR SERVICE ENTERPRISES: CLASSIFICATION MATRICES AND AN EXTENDED 7P COMPLEX

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theoretical and methodological substantiation and systematization of tools for developing marketing competitive strategies of service sector enterprises by constructing an integrated matrix model of strategic fit. The study proves that the modern transition of the global and national economy to a service-oriented paradigm (Service-Dominant Logic), accompanied by increasing market environment turbulence and behavioral shifts among consumers, requires a fundamental transformation of traditional approaches to ensuring competitiveness. The specific characteristics of services as economic goods – intangibility, inseparability of production and consumption, perishability, and variability of quality – are decomposed, and their direct impact on the modification of classical marketing tools is substantiated. The classification features of Michael Porter’s generic competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus) are systematized regarding the service sector. The key sources of competitive advantage formation and the risks of strategic inconsistency («stuck in the middle») are identified. A detailed component-by-component analysis of the extended service marketing mix (7P model: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical Evidence) is conducted. It is proven that the supplementary elements – People, Process, and Physical Evidence – act as critical operational mediators in shaping customer value, managing perceived service quality, and overcoming intangibility. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the development and formalization of an integrated Strategic Fit Matrix model. This model establishes a clear functional relationship between M. Porter’s generic strategies and the specific operational configuration of each element in the 7P marketing mix. The proposed framework substantiates cause-and-effect relationships between strategic positioning and marketing-operational resource allocation. Ultimately, the developed model serves as an applied diagnostic and predictive tool for conducting marketing audits, eliminating strategic dissonance, and enhancing managerial decision-making for service enterprises operating in dynamic market environments.