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Forbes Street Market 

Market Research & Data-Driven Recommendations

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Background

In 2019, Forbes Street Market launched in Pittsburgh, PA with big hopes to create an affordable grocery option for students on Pitt's campus. After an exciting grand opening, Forbes Street Market was met with lackluster sales, not close to the expected forecast.

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What did I do? - Part 1 

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I set out to research the underlying issues of why Forbes Street Market was suffering. I began by conducting exploratory research with a focus group with 11 students and a Qualtrics survey. Through the initial research, I discovered :
 

  • Students want everyday brands to low-end brands when grocery shopping. 

  • Students spend $26-50 on groceries per week 

  • Students tend to grocery shop every other week

  • Coupons and discounts would entice students to shop more

  • Students would be interested in a grocery delivery service

  • Students would not be interested in joining a loyalty program

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Find out how I used these conclusions to conduct further, detailed research and make data-based decisions below.

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Slide Deck for Part 1

What did I do? - Part 2

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After my first round of exploratory research, I created four main decision problems, eight research objectives, and 5 hypotheseses to base my second round of research around.​​ I created a second survey, receiving a total of 85 participants, and conducted statistical analyses to either confirm or reject my theories. I was able to present my findings and make data-driven recommendations to Forbes Street Market. 

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4 things I discovered through my data analysis: 
 

  1. Students find the prices at Forbes Street Market to be too high. Therefore, I recommend that Forbes Street Market lowers their overall prices. 
     

  2.  Coupons and discount promotions would be more appealing to students. Therefore I recommend that Forbes Street Market should introduce random discounted items in order to entice students to buy more and in bulk.
     

  3. Students do not like the current product selection at Forbes Street Market. Therefore I recommend that Forbes Street Market should change their product selection from high-end brands to low-end brands/everyday brands. 
     

  4.  Students would be more inclined to shop at Forbes Street Market if there was a grocery delivery service. I recommend that Forbes Street Market introduce a grocery delivery service. 

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