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What is marketing actually for, and how does it help a business succeed?

The role of marketing: the purpose of marketing, identifying and meeting customer needs, the relationship between marketing and the rest of the business, and the importance of a competitive advantage and a USP.

A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Business C510 content on the role of marketing, covering the purpose of marketing, identifying and meeting customer needs, how marketing links to the rest of the business, and competitive advantage and the USP.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.811 min answerUpdated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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Quick answer

Marketing is everything a business does to identify, attract and keep customers by meeting their needs better than rivals. Its purpose is to find out what customers want, design products that meet those wants, set the right price, promote the product so people know about it, and make it available where customers shop, all so the business can sell profitably. Marketing is not just advertising: it starts with understanding the customer and runs through the whole offer. It connects to the rest of the business, because operations must produce what marketing promises, finance must fund it, and human resources must staff it. A competitive advantage is anything that lets a business outperform its rivals, such as lower costs, better quality or a stronger brand. A unique selling point (USP) is the specific feature that makes a business or product different from and more attractive than the competition, the reason a customer chooses it. A clear USP and a real competitive advantage are what let a business win and keep customers in a crowded market.

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What this topic is asking
The purpose of marketing
Identifying and meeting customer needs
How marketing links to the rest of the business
Competitive advantage and the USP
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What this topic is asking

Eduqas C510 wants you to explain the purpose of marketing: how it identifies and meets customer needs, how it links to the rest of the business, and why a competitive advantage and a unique selling point (USP) matter. This is the introduction to the Marketing topic area, setting up market research, segmentation, the marketing mix and digital marketing.

The purpose of marketing

A common mistake is to think marketing means only advertising. In fact marketing is much wider: it starts with finding out what customers want and runs through designing the product, pricing it, promoting it and making it available. Advertising is just one part (the promotion part) of the whole.

Identifying and meeting customer needs

The core of marketing is the customer.

A business that gets this right sells more easily, because it is offering what people actually want, rather than trying to push a product nobody asked for.

How marketing links to the rest of the business

Marketing does not work alone; it depends on the whole business.

If marketing promises something the rest of the business cannot deliver (a price that loses money, a product operations cannot make), the whole thing fails. So marketing must be realistic and joined up with the other functions.

Competitive advantage and the USP

A clear USP gives customers a reason to choose one business over another. It might be the lowest price, a unique recipe, an unusual level of service, or a distinctive design. In a crowded market, a business without a USP or a competitive advantage struggles, because there is no reason for customers to pick it.

Linking a USP to extra sales

Set out the figures

A juice bar introduces a USP, locally sourced, made-to-order smoothies, and charges $4.50$ instead of the $4.00$ its rivals charge. The USP lifts its daily sales from $150$ to $200$ smoothies. Each smoothie costs $1.50$ to make.

Daily profit before the USP

\text{Contribution per smoothie} = 4.00 - 1.50 = 2.50, \quad \text{daily} = 2.50 \times 150 = 375.

Daily profit after the USP

\text{Contribution per smoothie} = 4.50 - 1.50 = 3.00, \quad \text{daily} = 3.00 \times 200 = 600.

Interpret the result

The USP does two things at once: it lets the juice bar charge $0.50$ more per smoothie and it raises the number sold from $150$ to $200$ , so daily contribution jumps from $375$ to $600$ , a $60\%$ increase. This shows why a strong USP is so valuable, it can support both a higher price and higher volumes, because customers now have a clear reason to choose this juice bar over its rivals. The numbers turn the abstract idea of a USP into its real effect on the business's takings, which is exactly what an analysis answer should bring out.

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Q1. State two things a business does as part of marketing, besides advertising. [2 marks]

Cue. Researching customer needs, designing the product, setting the price, choosing where to sell.

Q2. Explain why a unique selling point helps a business compete. [3 marks]

Cue. It gives customers a clear reason to choose this business over rivals, supporting higher sales and sometimes a higher price.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

Eduqas 20192 marksExplain the term 'unique selling point (USP)'. (Component 1)

Show worked answer →

A 2-mark AO1 question. A unique selling point (USP) is the feature of a product or business that makes it different from, and more attractive than, its competitors, the reason a customer chooses it over a rival. One mark for the idea of a distinctive feature that sets the business apart, the second for the consequence that it gives the business a reason for customers to choose it (a competitive advantage). A common error is to describe any product feature; the USP is specifically what is different or better than rivals, such as a unique recipe, the lowest price, or an unusual level of service.

Eduqas 20216 marksA new sandwich shop is opening on a street that already has three cafes. Analyse how marketing could help it compete successfully. (Component 1)

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A 6-mark Analyse needing developed chains applied to the sandwich shop. Point one (identifying and meeting customer needs): marketing starts with research into what local customers want (faster service, healthier options, lower prices, vegan choices), so the shop can design an offer that meets a need the three cafes miss, giving it a reason to be chosen. Point two (building a USP and competitive advantage): marketing helps the shop develop and communicate a unique selling point, perhaps freshly made-to-order sandwiches or the lowest prices, and promote it through signage, social media and offers, so customers know why it is different and worth trying. The chain to credit links marketing activity to attracting and keeping customers against established rivals. Markers reward developed reasoning that links marketing to identifying needs and building a competitive advantage for the new shop, not a generic list of marketing activities.

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Sources & how we know this

WJEC Eduqas GCSE Business specification (C510) — WJEC Eduqas (2017)