Market Research Brief

Company Background

Green & Graze* (which can be abbreviated to GG) is positioned in the market as a brand for consumers who want delicious and satisfying plant-based (vegan) food and drinks made locally in Singapore. Green & Graze proves that vegan food is much more than just a bowl of lettuce! Their product range includes plant-based burgers, pizza, noodles, desserts, juices, smoothies, and more.

Taking advantage of the increase in plant-based eating in Singapore, Green & Graze has experienced promising growth in the last year, since it opened at the start of 2022. It so far has one restaurant, in the city, but it would like to expand when it increases customer numbers. Customers can eat at the restaurant or have food and drinks delivered at home.

Current Situation

One of the strongest trends forecast for Singapore for the 2020s is plant-based (vegan) eating becoming mainstream. This trend is driven by two factors. First, there is growing awareness of the lack of sustainability of the meat industry, which is encouraging consumers, especially Generation Z and Millennials, to shift away from traditional meat consumption. Second, there is now greater availability of plant-based foods. Brands such as Impossible Food and Beyond Meat have made names for themselves as brands that introduced non-meat proteins (e.g., burger patties) to the market. Global food and beverage manufacturers such as Kelloggs and Nestle are also now offering plant-based options.

Several top establishments in the Singapore restaurant scene now feature plant-based items and alternative meat dishes on their menus. For example, Vegan chef Damian Piedranhita says his plant based menu at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore is a hit: Our most popular dish is the Battered Banana Blossom & Chips, which is our vegan version of fish and chips So, you can eat this without worrying about the impact of the environment. When Grand Hyatt Singapore introduced the

plant based Beyond Burger in 2018, it sold 1,000 burgers on the first day.

However, the Singapore restaurant industry is notoriously competitive. Particularly in the plantbased category, many brands have capitalised on health and wellness trends. Despite these positive trends, the economic and social upheaval caused by COVID-19 continues to impact restaurants and this industry is projected to take another 12 months to fully recover. As such, restaurants are required to develop strong positioning and respond to changing consumer needs.

Against this challenging background, Green & Graze believes it is more important than ever before to understand their customers and ensure all aspects of the restaurant experience from food and beverage to ambiance and reservations appeal to the target market. They are striving to become

Trusted a pioneering and premium brand in the increasingly competitive plant-based restaurant market in Singapore.

Thus, Green & Graze would like to learn more about their customer profile and competitive situation.

Specifically, they have four research objectives:

1. To determine the factors that drive restaurant experience with Green & Graze, compared with competitor restaurants.

2. To assess tactics that can be used to increase visits to the Green & Graze restaurant.

3. To identify Green & Grazes customer segments and describe a typical customer profile.

4. To learn about customers feelings and behaviors when they visit Green & Grazes restaurant and how this compares to competitor restaurants.

Market Research Requirements

The client has requested that you perform the market research in two phases:

Phase 2: A qualitative study to explore the segments, profile, feelings and behaviours of Green & Graze customers (Research Objectives 3 and 4).

QUESTION 3

This question relates to Phase 2 (qualitative study) of the market research project and more specifically, Research Objective #3 about customer segments and typical customer profile.

Considering the clients sample requirements given in the market research brief (page 4), make a recommendation on the specific sampling method that should be used in this qualitative phase of the market research. In your answer, identify the target population, define the sampling method and outline the process of this sampling method, i.e. how it would be implemented for Green & Graze, in particular. Further, explain the recommended sampling methods advantages and disadvantages and justify why it is the most appropriate sampling method in this case.

Note: It is important that you apply relevant theory to this particular case study and the specific question i.e., do not repeat theory abstractly with no application to the case