PROBLEM

For 50+ years, Seward Co-op—a community grocery store—has played a vital role in its neighborhood. With new leadership came new goals: Recenter, simplify, connect, and grow through brand repositioning. But first, they needed to understand how their audiences felt about their brand. They needed deep research that went beyond purchase statistics.

SOLUTION

With the help of the Seward staff and other partners, we created and executed a robust data-gathering plan: 1) conduct in-person interviews with non-shoppers in the neighborhood, 2) survey shoppers and co-op members on site, 3) survey and interview co-op staff and leadership, 4) interview community partners, 5) conduct observational on-site research, and 6) execute a social media campaign to collect neighborhood data through online surveys. Within three months, we completed the research, reviewed and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, created and presented a comprehensive research report with key findings and takeaways, and recommended multiple action items for realigning the co-op’s brand with its goals.

RESULTS

• Hundreds of data points on the co-op’s diverse audiences
• Dozens of invaluable insights and ideas for moving the brand forward
• A clear picture of the perceptions and drivers of customer clusters
• Significant insights into the motivations of non-shoppers
• Meaningful information about internal culture and brand