Some of our research projects (case studies)

Customer
Shopping center

The business issue
Shopping center faced to decreasing of customer traffic. Why did the problem appear? How to invent the new business approach and give the shopping center a competitive edge?

The researching solutions from Best Service
Best Service provided our customer some professional researches:
● Situational analysis of the market. This kind of research gave us a diversified view of market landscape.
● Customer survey and focus group about the attractiveness of this shopping center. Consumers preferences were identified.
● Competitor analysis. We clarified who confronts our customer on the way to business success.
● Regular traffic control for monitoring results of reforming actions implemented by this shopping center. The data was added into the dynamic report.

The main results of implementation
The new business strategy of the shopping center was based on the main results of our researches:
● The row of shops and cafes in the shopping center was changed due to customer opinion and competitors activities. Some popular brands opened their stores there. Italian and American restaurants were opened also.
● The event plan was expanded and systematized. Some events attracted 40–50% additional visitors per day into the shopping center.
● The decor was modernized. Original photozones became the points of customers' attraction.
● Dynamic reports were implemented on a regular basis. The traffic control became the effective tool of company adaptation to the market changes and customer needs.

Customer
Restaurant chain: 2 restaurants, 3 coffee houses, 5 cookery, 1 night club.

The business issue
Our customer planned to open the new restaurant. Some actual conceptions were created by the marketing department of the chain. Which one will be the most promising and profitable? Our agency forecasted perspectives of these business ideas.

The researching solutions from Best Service
● Detailed situational analysis is an important step of preparation for the opening of the new business. The methods of PEST and SWOT are also included in the situational analysis and provided deep market understanding.
● The one of the goals of this research project is finding out the niche for the new restaurant. Where is the "blue ocean" situated? Where are competitors no? The method of reaching this goal is comprehensive competitive analysis.
● Strong restaurant business depends on the good suppliers. Could the chain find reliable partners for fresh food delivery? The analysis of the neighboring markets was included in research program.
● Social and behavioral segmentation of key audience for the new restaurant.

The main results of implementation
● The customer opened the new restaurant. It was a local organic food restaurant. Positioning was based on the empty market zones understanding which was provided by our agency. There were no similar restaurants in the city.
● We identified focus segments for the new restaurant. It became the basis for building the marketing and promotional strategy by the management team of the chain.
● Researching programs were started by this chain on a regular basis. Data refreshment was appointed annually. All information has been adding into the dynamic reports.

Customers
Three real estate agencies from different Russian regions.

The business issue
There are three cases in this article. Each agency faced to specific problem:

1. The sales managers didn't have any bold arguments for convincing customers to buy the services.
2. Strong competition environment. Our customer couldn't find his own niche on the market, invented the exclusive positioning.
3. Low potential customers loyalty. The bad image of the company was the main reason for sales decreasing.

The researching solutions from Best Service

1. For the first case we used a complex approach. Our agency provided situational analysis and price monitoring on a regular basis for the customer. Data were added into the dynamic reports. Specialists could see visually how the sensitive real estate market reacted to economical and political changes. Our experts made the forecasts of real estate market development.
2. The competitors analysis was the most important part of the research project in the second case. The customer of our agency needed full understanding of the business environment around his company. Another part was a customer survey. The goal of it was demand for real estate services identifying.
3. There was no other way to resolve all difficulties of our customer except finding the eternal service problems. We used Mystery Shopper for service evaluation, created the new service standards and helped to build business processes. Research component was connected with price monitoring. Our customer would like to create a new approach to pricing. Market prices were recorded into the dynamic report.

The main results of implementation

1. The specialists of the first real estate agency elaborated new system of arguments for effective services sales. It was based on our research.
2. Adaptation and reinvention are necessary for business survival. Our second customer created new positioning on the market. The business was refocused from private flats and houses sales to commercial real estate.
3. The third customer reduced reputation risks, regulated and systemized approach to pricing.

Developing business every company tries to find out the right way of growing. Possible ways are:

• Opening new subsidiaries.
• Launching fresh startups.
• Expending customer database.

Our client faced this problem. Mini hotel network decided to start expansion to the neighboring region. Was it a perspective decision or a huge mistake? Best Service helped the customer handle this situation. Marketing research gave the company a solid base for making a decision. Management team of the network came to an opinion about beginning with a new hotel format. It was a successful idea.

The main tasks for our agency
Management of this hotel company asked our experts about some key questions:
● What region should be chosen? Probably a resort place on the seaside would be a great solution? Possibly a big business city anywhere in the industrial region has great perspectives? In the beginning we also hadn't known what to answer.
● What do potential customers need? How to understand consumers' request to hotel business? What do the main matter have: services, prices, design, naming?
● What is the focus segment for new mini hotels?

Secret of success
Our agency specialists used effective researching methods: situational analysis for potential territories of business deployment (competitors overview and SWOT were included), expert interviews and online survey.
As a result we came to conclusion that the industrial and business neighboring region was more interesting and perspective than others. Competitive situation was hard. There are more than 300 propositions from different categories of hotels in the region.
But objective information convinced us and our customer that original positioning and standing out on the market would resolve complications.
Comprehensive market information, hotel business experts opinion, feedback from customers became the basis for construction Unique Sales Proposition. Previously our customer had plans to copy business model from one city to another. After researching campaign company invented a new approach. Usually mini hotels focused on the budget travelers segment. They opened their first business mini hotels.
87% of surveyed potential customers noted that comfort, cleanliness and good service are the most important for them. Hotel network focused on home services for business travelers. It became a new stage of business development.

32% of top managers don't know how many customers turned back after the first purchase. Understanding of this indicator is really important for business. It shows us the level of customer loyalty. Low loyalty could be the reason for sales falling down. Some of our customers faced this difficult business situation. Low level of customer loyalty was diagnosed after researching projects. Companies changed the strategy of promotion and customer communication. Sales were restored and even increased.

Best Service experts recommend: when the level of loyalty should be measured?
Different situations could happen with company:
● Reputation risks for business as a result of unscrupulous competition.
● Incorrect marketing strategy. Customers have a mistaken perception of the company and product.
● Low service level is the reason for negative customer relations.

What should we do? To measure NPS - Net Promotional Score! NPS is the difference between detractors and promoters of the company or brand.

The method of measuring is different types of customer survey. Ask your clients: "Can you recommend our product or services to other consumers?" And you clearly understand the level of loyalty.

Some secrets of successful NPS measuring:
● Correct organisation of survey. Delegate this function to professionals.
● Regular basis of measuring. You should control this index in dynamic.

Our customers found out the reason of sales problems and resolved all difficulties.
● Company created a new public relations strategy and provided customers by living proof of the high quality of products. NPS increased from 4 till 22 points in 6 months. Feedback from the side of our customer: "We should have started assessment of NPS earlier. Situation was changed. But efforts were too hard".
● Another customer changed the approach to customer service based on NPS index. Our agency also helped in the testing of services quality. Mystery Shopper research was provided by Best Service.

Do you have any doubts about customer loyalty? Let's check NPS together!

Imagine a fantastic picture. You are looking at the map where all competitors stores are indicated. You can see on the map where your customers live and how they could reach your shop in the most convenient way. You may evaluate how many people visit your store per day, per week or per month. It is not a fantastic situation. This is reality of the modern marketing research.

There are many reasons for the low sales in the business. Our agency can check different directions via effective methods of marketing research. Our goal is identifying exact source of the problems.

The main steps of geomarketing research:
● Deep analysis of internet geomarketing services data, including sputnic maps.
● Field research: customers face-to-face survey, audit of stores or Mistery Shopper research (depends on the researching goal), measurement of visitors traffic in the location.
● Drafting the map where the complex of information was marked.

Our agency's achievements in geomarketing researches:
● Created plan of the network deployment for the seafood shops. New locations have become highly visited and profitable.
● Corrected the map of locations for the orthopedic stores network. The owner of this network got a report after geomarketing research and removed two unprofitable stores to other places. Sales have been rapidly increased.
● Planned where the new shopping center should be built. Research was an important part of projection preparation to building process.

Store audit is an examination of information relating to different products sold in a store and how effective advertising, sales, price, etc. This method helps to find out the hidden causes of decreasing sales. Sometimes the owners and managers are focusing on the basic strategy but aren't thinking about simple things.
Best Service could organize for your business store audit on a high professional level. Our expertise has been proved by many practical cases. Some of them describe here.

Practical audit cases
● Candy producer had found out the huge difference between profitability of the brand stores and asked us about researching support. Approximately 45% profit gap was recorded between successful and lagging candy stores. Agency checked 100 stores. There are 54% more problems identified in the lagging shops than in the effective locations. Audit became the starting point for reforming the trade network owned by candy producer.
● Audit is an effective way of competitors researching. Best Service organized it for the fast food restaurants in 23 regions. More than 200 competing cafes and bars were checked by our agency's auditors.
● The level of organization promotional events should be controlled by the owners of business. Performance of advertising actions depends on accuracy and responsibility of promoters. They should follow the instructions and execute all tasks. Are you exactly sure that they do it? We could provide you with special audit services and promptly let you know about the problems. Best Service has a wide experience of this kind of audit. Our support helped the juice producer to decrease the quantity of disturbances during the promotional campaign in the supermarkets.

The great part of business success is professional staff. Losing key specialists is the marker of serious internal problems. Have you faced the employees mass leaving? If it had happened you would ask us about support!

How could we help?
● Measure eNPS. The abbreviation means employees Net Promoters Score. It shows how many people support company, brand, product, management. Critical level has reached when eNPS felt down less than 10 points.
● Identify the reason for non effective personnel policy via confidential internal survey.

Our practical experience

• Our customer from FMCG market gives employees high salary, social stability and medical insurance. Why have the key specialist been leaving the company? Our internal research helped to reveal the true reason. There are no opportunities for career growth in the company. Ambitious experts would like to have career perspectives.
• Business reforming is usually a painful process. People are afraid of changes. Employees loyalty to management decreases. How to prevent company from panicking and worrying from the side of staff? First of all to track the situation via objective, non emotional methods. eNPS index is one of them. We supported our customer during the transition period. Distributor of international company overcame the transforming period successfully.

Investments could become a new step in the business development. Our customer – winery company – was thinking of buying a vineyard. From one side it is a good investment. Company would insure itself from problems with raw materials supplying. One more important factor is strong state support for winery companies with vineyards. On the other hand, it is a risky step. Agriculture is a hard-to-predict business. What to do? Our agency gave a piece of advice to the winery company based on detailed marketing research.

What did purchasing the raw materials basis mean for business?
● Restructuring all business processes.
● Launching new products on the market (produced from local grapes vine).
● Changing the focus customers segments.

Our agency counted risks and opportunities of buying vineyards:
● Made situational analysis of Russian vine market including SWOT for companies with raw materials basis.
● Identified target audience for new product.
● Organized experts interview about perspectives of the new payer with vineyards on the market.

Results were described in the reports. Information helped our customer to make a decision about purchasing vineyards.

We are starting another research project for this winery company. They are going to test new products in assortment, packaging and naming.

Local fast food restaurants found themselves in strong competitive troubles. Starting business owner was the main player on the regional market. First-movers have no competitors and have the chance to become market leaders. But the market is not static. Time is gone. Giants had come and the local network was losing positions step by step. How to confront McDonalds, Burger King and KFC efficiently? Our agency found out the right solution.

Our researching program for support this customer
● Market overview: total understanding of competition, prices monitoring, menu comparison, forecast of development for 5 year.
● Testing new conceptions of fast food restaurants. We organized two types of survey for clarifying customer perception of the conceptions. What kind of positioning would be demanded?
● Working out the service standards. Participating in the market competition our customer should've pulled up the service standards to the same level with international players earlier.
● Mystery Shopper for service quality control. Market leader should be the best in the service component.

What could we see now
Our customer found out the gap in the market and critically reformed positioning based on our data and analytics. Company became a network of healthy fast food. The company turned into the first-mover again. Hopefully they will use the second chance and keep leading positions.