The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior - Library Edition by David S. Duncan

Author:David S. Duncan [Duncan, David S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781549138164
Amazon: 1549138162
Published: 2021-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

15

THE REAL COMPETITION

The next phase of their investigation was the most logistically complex, as Alex and Jordan planned to visit the wide range of Tazza competitors identified in the interviews. The list was formed by reviewing what customers had shared about other solutions they hired to get specific jobs done, and then adding any companies Tazza was explicitly targeting with its growth strategy. They settled on four types of competitors: food chains, shared workspaces, bars, and the eight-hundred-pound gorilla of the coffee industry, Stella’s.

“This will be a long day,” Alex observed. “We’ll have to be very focused since we only have until tomorrow to investigate competitors. And we need to leave time to develop our conclusions for the executive team. The good news is we’ll follow exactly the same method we’ve been using: talk to customers in these places and use the job spec questions as our guide. We’re looking for all the same information—circumstances, jobs, what they hire today, help wanted signs, and so on. It’s just a different set of customers. What’s first up on our list?”

Jordan consulted her planner. “We said we’d start with a healthy fast-food competitor chain—the one I suggested is called Santé. They have restaurants in all our neighborhoods, often on the same block as us. Sometimes even two or three locations within a few blocks. Very generic, but it’s been growing like crazy. Getting even a little share of their business would be tremendous.”

“Possibly,” replied Alex. “It depends on at what cost.”

“How so?”

“You might gain share, but it could dilute the appeal to your best, most loyal customers. Not always, but just a risk to consider. Plus, you might have to work very hard to get it. But this is exactly the type of thing we’ll explore today.”

As they entered the first restaurant, Jordan tapped Alex on the shoulder and whispered dramatically, “The game is afoot.”

Alex gave her a good-natured eye roll.

“Sorry couldn’t resist… I’ve been saving that and waiting for the right opportunity to say it all morning.”

Santé was part of the emerging fast-casual dining trend, distinguishing itself from traditional fast-food chains by featuring healthier food options prepared from fresh ingredients each day. The menu was largely stable, with meals, snacks, and drinks for any time of day stocked in self-serve displays near quick-moving payment lines. Its modern decor included a mix of burgundy colors, leather benches, and wooden tables, giving it a vaguely Parisian feel and an air of sophistication that belied its international chain identity.

“These things are everywhere now,” observed Jordan. “And they do a great business—just look at the lines upfront, and how fast they are moving. Rob saw this as an opportunity—it’s the motivation behind his menu expansion initiative—get more of these on-the-go eaters.”

They grabbed snacks from the kiosk, paid, filled cups from a self-serve coffee station, and sat at one of the few small tables arrayed against the walls. It was immediately clear the place wasn’t designed for people to linger or have extended conversations. The tables were just too small and there were too few of them on the limited floor space.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.