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CASE STUDY

Market Research Brief

Company Background

Toast Box started operating in 2005 as a Singaporean café chain. At the time of this research project, Toast Box has numerous outlets across Singapore and is known for its traditional Nanyang coffee and toast, alongside a variety of local delicacies. Toast Box’s business spans various categories: dine-in, takeaway, and delivery services, offering a cozy and nostalgic dining experience. Toast Box aims to provide a delightful and authentic Singaporean breakfast experience. Over the years, Toast Box has grown and evolved by driving and responding to changes in the market and environment. Its current corporate strategy focuses on enhancing the customer experience, expanding its menu offerings, and incorporating digital innovations. Toast Box has become focused on enhancing its appeal across a broad demographic, particularly targeting families and working professionals.

Current Situation

Throughout its nearly two decades of operation, Toast Box has successfully built a strong brand presence in Singapore. However, to maintain and grow its market share, Toast Box must continuously adapt to the evolving preferences and expectations of its diverse customer base. Recent initiatives have included introducing modern twists to traditional dishes to appeal to a wider audience and integrating healthier options into the menu, reflecting a broad customer preference for nutrition and convenience.

In line with its strategy to enhance customer experience and broaden its appeal, Toast Box is especially focused on understanding the distinct needs associated with different family statuses. For families, there is a growing demand for meal solutions that can be easily incorporated into children’s lunch boxes, while working professionals may prioritize quick, easy-to-consume meals. Singles and younger customers often seek modern, innovative culinary experiences.

Additionally, the integration of digital technologies, such as mobile apps for ordering and loyalty programs, is seen as a crucial step in providing a seamless and engaging customer experience for all customer segments. Singapore’s vibrant food scene presents both opportunities and challenges for Toast Box. While there is a strong appreciation for traditional flavours, the competitive landscape requires Toast Box to differentiate itself by offering unique value propositions that resonate with its target demographics, particularly by focusing on family statuses to effectively segment and target its market.”

This background highlights the need for Toast Box to better understand the diverse needs and values of its customers based on their family statuses but also to explore the general tendency to explore healthier options. By establishing a sense of connection and community with its varied customer base, Toast Box is striving to enhance its global presence and appeal broadly, ensuring its offerings are attuned to the lifestyles and preferences of families with children, professional couples without children, and working singles alike.

Knowing that you are a market research consultant with a first-hand understanding of the Singaporean market, Toast Box commissions you to assist them with a current project, detailed below.

Project title: Connecting with Diverse Customers of family status groups: “To better understand the needs and values of Toast Box customers based on their family statuses in order to provide greater value for these segments and strengthen the brand’s community connection.”

Research objectives:

1. To measure Toast Box brand awareness, perceptions, and experiences among consumers with different family statuses.

2. To determine what customers value in Toast Box’s offerings, noting general trends in preferences for healthier options but also creative fusion dishes.

3. To identify Toast Box’s target market segments and describe the typical profiles of these customers.

4. To understand what a sense of community and connection with Toast Box means to customers.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Data Analysis Plan

This question relates to Phase 1 (quantitative study) of the market research project and more specifically, Research Objective #1 about brand awareness, perceptions and experiences.

a. H1: To determine whether Brand perceptions of Toast Box being progressive are significantly greater than perceptions of it being traditional.

b. H2: Perceptions of Toast Box’s customer service differs significantly between family statuses

c. H3: Likelihood to recommend Toast Box is significantly associated with the level of familiarity with Toast Box.

d. H4: Knowledge of the Toast Box brand’s products significantly predict likelihood of recommending Toast Box to others.

e. H5: Interest in finding out more about Toast Box significantly differs between customers who follow the brand on social media versus those who do not. f. H6: Perceptions of Toast Box providing value for money is significantly more positive than neutral (on a 7-point scale). g.

H7: Perceptions of the ambience, awareness of loyalty program and the overall perceptions of Toast Box for customers significantly predict how often customers visit Toast Box.

h. H8: The way customers rank factors important for the dining experiences is associated with their family status.

QUESTION 2: Experiment for Quantitative Study

This question relates to Phase 1 (quantitative study) of the market research project and more specifically Research Objective #2 about what customers value in Toast Box’s offerings, noting general trends in preferences for healthier options but also creative fusion dishes.

Toast Box is considering two potential menu innovations to improve customer satisfaction and engagement: (1) The first innovation introduces a range of healthy, low-calorie options to the menu. (2) The second innovation introduces a range of unique, fusion dishes that combine traditional Singaporean flavours with international cuisines. Due to time and budget constraints, only one menu innovation can be implemented, so the client would like to conduct an experiment to determine which one will be most effective.

You are required to:

Explain to the client the advantages and disadvantages of using a causal research design to address Research Objective #2.
Recommend and describe a specific experimental design to select the most effective menu innovation. In your answer, outline the independent, dependent, and possible extraneous variables involved as well as the recommended experimental design and setting.
Justify your recommended experimental design and setting by comparing and contrasting your recommendations to alternative experimental designs/settings.

QUESTION 3: Sampling Method for Qualitative Study

This question relates to Phase 2 (qualitative study) of the market research project and more specifically Research Objective #3 about market segments and the typical profiles of Toast Box customers.

Considering the client’s sample requirements, make a recommendation on the specific sampling method that should be used in this phase of the market research. In your answer:

Identify one of the three target populations based on the information in the brief (i.e. select one family status as the focus for your analysis)
Define the sampling method
Outline the process of this sampling method (how it would be implemented for Toast Box in particular) •
Explain the recommended sampling method’s advantages and disadvantages
Justify why it is the most appropriate sampling method in this case

QUESTION 4: Interviews vs. Focus Groups

This question relates to Phase 2 (qualitative study) of the market research project and more specifically Research Objective #4 about what a sense of community and connection with Toast Box means to customers.

The client would like to conduct either interviews or focus groups to address this objective. Which of these research methods do you recommend and why? In your answer:

 Define, compare, and contrast both interviews and focus groups to justify your recommendation.
Make a recommendation as to whether the interviews (if you recommended interviews) or focus groups (if you recommended focus groups) should take place in person or online
Explain to the client the advantages and disadvantages of your recommended setting
List and briefly explain four (4) different questions that would be relevant to include in either your interview guide (if you recommended interviews) or your discussion guide (if you recommended focus groups). Explain how these questions are specific to the Toast Box case study and why they are appropriate.

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