SERVICES

The client had plenty of data, but couldn’t find the story within the numbers. Specifically, they tracked sales at each concession stand but failed to look at the bigger picture of production across the entire stadium. When Pathfinder analyzed the data—aggregating the information across all concessions—we found that sausage sales dipped significantly after the sixth inning, while production continued through to the end of the game. Armed with this intelligence, the client could potentially save up to $14,000 per game in wasted product if they stopped making sausage in the seventh inning. With 81 home games, that's a potential savings of over $1.1 million.

The client wanted to understand the puzzle market better in order to increase sales. To accomplish this, Pathfinder went directly to the puzzling public, conducting focus group research supplemented by two national surveys to document behaviors, preferences, and how customers interact with the product itself. We discovered that the secret to sales was not in the puzzle, but in the packaging. Using the upturned lid to hold the pieces, customers wanted to be able to view the puzzle image on the side of the box during assembly. Because the image appeared upside down when the lid was turned over, the manufacturer simply inverted it to better accommodate their current customers—and attract new ones.

When marketing their product to help treat children with lice, the client assumed that families would be their optimum target. To be sure, Pathfinder applied data analytics to their entire U.S. footprint and noticed that one market was generating sales that were 35 times greater than the rest of the country. Further research indicated that the sales spike resulted from clinics recommending the client’s brand of treatment to their patients—not consumers finding it on their own. These insights compelled the client to shift their marketing investment toward targeting clinics, rather than customers, going forward.

Like many businesses, this client used demographic-driven insights to market their tattoo care products, specifically targeting Millennials in urban and other highly populated regions. So when they noticed significant sales volume in rural areas, they wanted to know why. Pathfinder took their research beyond the limitations of demographic data to identify other audience segments that are likely to have tattoos. What we learned from viewing additional data was that ranchers and farmers were among the highest occupational groups that had tattoos. This new insight informed a geo-targeting strategy that focused on agricultural areas to optimize the client’s marketing spend and drive sales.

Our client wanted to know which retailer’s promotion of their eye drops was achieving the best results. They also needed a strategic plan to duplicate that promotion across multiple retail partnerships to prevent any single outlet from cannibalizing their business. Pathfinder understood that the go-forward strategy wasn’t just about discounts, but also why consumers responded to one promotion over the others.

After using data analytics to determine the most successful retailer, we applied research to learn exactly what influenced their consumers’ buying decision. We discovered that the promotion—while deliberate—was perceived as a mistake due to the dramatic value to the consumer. As a result, consumers purchased greater quantities of eye drops thinking that the price would be readjusted once the “error” was detected. Our client was then able to share the specifics behind this promotional best-practice with all of their retailers, which boosted top-line sales across partnerships.