Further - Case Study

Using research communities to help reposition a premium rice brand

Written by Sample HubSpot User | 27 May 2021

Amira’s plans for future global expansion have increased the need to enrich customer understanding in key markets and connect with target customer groups to inspire action and future steps. Further were commissioned as partners providing full-service support:

  • To validate hypotheses in relation to shopper attitudes and behaviours
  • To engage mainstream and South Asian mums
  • To bring target segments to life to help guide future brand and marketing development

Our Solution

The project was designed in two key stages:

STAGE 1: VALIDATING UNDERSTANDING

A quant survey with a large-scale sample to determine differences in:

  1. rice brand awareness and perceptions
  2. rice consumption habits and dining occasions
  3. shopping behaviour, for example, where people prefer to shop for rice and brands/variants purchased

STAGE 2: EXPLORING FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

A longitudinal ‘deep dive’ research community to achieve more ‘holistic’
understanding of consumers through a range of assignments. Key areas
included gauging first-time Amira product experiences (through mystery
shopping exercises and product substitution), attitudes towards existing
marketing collateral (through evaluation of materials) as well as a series of
creative tasks and exercises where members shared thought-starters and
recommendations with Amira’s Global CEO Karan Chanana, to help achieve
ambitions of becoming the worlds no.1 brand of speciality rice.

The Results

Further successfully engaged target customers, helping to:

  • Qualify ‘hunches’ and challenge existing views
  • Minimise risks involved with market decision making
  • Inspire action and next steps

As a result of the research, Amira has been able to identify barriers to purchase
and justify product premiums. Further’s strategic recommendations are currently
being used to help plan future PR, marketing and event-related activity.

 From the word go, Further delivered beyond the brief acting as a virtual extension of the Amira team, helping us to achieve clearer understanding of the consumer and inform next steps for a variety of brand initiatives. Paul Maxwell, European Marketing Manager