Case Studies

Situation:

Another Broken Egg Café was uncertain of what their brand stood for, who their guest was and what elements of the dining experience were strengths or areas to fix.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with diners and conducted a study among members of Another Broken Egg’s database. The analysis focused on defining the brand’s strength, key drivers of the guest experience and differences by geography in terms of guest profile and experience.

Result:

Another Broken Egg received a deep profile of who is visiting its stores, why they are coming and what their experience is. The research helped identify specific geographies where the guest experience could be improved by focusing on improving service and wait times. Further, Another Broken Egg now has a clear understanding of what its brand identity is and which elements of that identity should be leveraged going forward. They also were able to leverage the research into communications for potential franchisees.

Situation:

Jamestown believed Ponce City Market would be an ideal site for a fourth Anthropologie location in Atlanta. (Excluding the Avalon location.) Anthropologie executives were concerned the market surrounding Ponce City Market would not align with Anthropologie’s target demographic profile or psychographic profile. They also were concerned about cannibalization with the Westside location and with Lenox Square.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage conducted a Peer Comparison Study comparing Ponce’s market to that of Abbot Kinney in LA, Bucktown in Chicago, Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Knox Henderson in Dallas, Highland Village in Houston, Columbia Heights in DC and Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall in Atlanta. The comparison was conducted on demographics, psychographics and spending ability. Results of the study demonstrated that the market surrounding Ponce City Market compared favorably to Knox Henderson, Highland Village, Lenox Square and Perimeter on all three measures. It also alleviated concerns about cannibalization.

Result:

The Jamestown leasing team used the data provided by Alexander Babbage to demonstrate the strength of Ponce City Market to Anthropologie which resulted in a positive deal.

Situation:

Ascend Federal Credit Union, the second largest credit union in Tennessee, was moving forward with its goal of becoming the state’s largest credit union and expanding their presence in the Nashville area. As part of their growth strategy, Ascend was interested in determining which areas of the Nashville market represented the best opportunities for expansion.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage built a model which was based on Ascend’s existing branch performance and the demographics of potential members living throughout the credit union’s targeted footprint for expansion. The model was used to predict branch performance scores, which were then applied to the Nashville area to identify potential areas for growth. The model was also used to analyze potential expansion sites which had previously been identified by Ascend.

Result:

Through a statistically valid approach, Alexander Babbage was able to help Ascend systematically evaluate and prioritize brand re-fits/re-builds, branch re-locations and new branch development.

Situation:

The third-largest shopping center in the U.S. – and one of the most productive – needs to maintain its competitive position.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage has served as the research team for Aventura Mall since 2006. We have studied shopper mix, tourist and trade area shoppers, and used research to drive sponsorship sales. Our research has included a focus on the luxury shopper from Latin America including conducting tri-lingual research to accommodate Spanish and Portuguese speakers.

Result:

Turnberry Associates has used Alexander Babbage across their Las Vegas residential assets as well as their diamond property – Aventura Mall.

SITUATION:

When Bloomberg wanted to know the impact of The High Line in New York on a $2B investment in new retail opening at Hudson Yards, they turned to Babbage and TruTrade for the answer.

ANALYSIS:

To understand the opportunity for Hudson Yards, we studied people we saw on The High Line using location-based data gathered from their mobile phones and our proprietary TruTrade® software.

RESULT:

Our analysis studied anonymous device records and used their home locations to develop demographic and geographic profiles of who is in close proximity to Hudson Yards and who is likely to shop or dine there.

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Situation:

The CityPlace shopping center located in West Palm Beach, Florida sought to understand the best approaches to bringing in new tenants that would appeal to their target markets as well as understand the overall attitudes and habits of CityPlace shoppers.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage developed a survey that would highlight both the opinions of CityPlace shoppers on the center as a whole and what would draw them to increase their visitation to the center. A shopper intercept study was conducted on site at CityPlace.

Result:

Alexander Babbage’s research provided CityPlace with the in-depth knowledge of their visitors’ feelings on the center and what would make them more inclined to visit CityPlace more often. This research allowed CityPlace to not only market themselves appropriately to possible visitors, but to possible tenants as well in order to maximize their appeal to the people in the Palm Beach area.

SITUATION:

Our client’s center – and the surrounding area – was threatened by four significant storms. The area in immediate proximity to our client’s center was impacted by major flooding and mudslides which caused road closures and power outages.

ANALYSIS:

TruTrade provided our client with their actual trade area down to the block group level – who is coming to their center, who is not coming and who is going to competitors. The data provided them and continues to provide them with insights that can be used for marketing, leasing and development.

RESULT:

Our client leveraged their TruTrade data and the regular updates on their dashboard, to inform an impromptu post-storm digital media campaign to residents of the surrounding area to announce that the center was open for business! Prior to the storms, they had used TruTrade to track the center’s penetration into specifically desirable ZIP Codes and block groups. When the storm hit, they not only knew exactly who they wanted to target – but they were also able to track their increased penetration into these areas post-campaign. The client continues to use TruTrade to strategically plan their communications program and to track their penetration on a block group and ZIP Code basis.

Situation:

Over the years with the health craze, donuts have been falling out of favor with consumers. Dunkin Donuts realized they needed to evolve and reposition their brand. Dunkin Donuts engaged Alexander Babbage to test new breakfast products they were launching. They wanted to be a breakfast destination, not just a donut location; but with Donuts in their name it was a challenge to break outside their box.

Analysis:

Product and advertising/logo testing took place in multiple markets. Alexander Babbage was able to show Dunkin Donuts which consumer the advertising resonated with, which ads supported the new focus, which sandwiches were popular and which ones the consumers did not like.

Result:

Dunkin Donuts launched their new logo, ad campaign and breakfast sandwiches with huge success. The new tagline “America Runs on Dunkin” as well as the “DD” logo de-emphasize the donuts and position the brand from a limited scope to a broader scope.

SITUATION:

Eastdil Secured was hired to sell Camp Creek Marketplace in East Point, Atlanta. The center is located in a market where the 1, 3 and 5-mile rings indicate a low income market – one that would put potential buyers off at first consideration. Against this background, the center was well tenanted and the retailers had strong sales performance – so the challenge was how to communicate this to buyers and increase the value of the center.

ANALYSIS:

TruTrade quantified that Camp Creek’s actual shopper profile tells a different story than may be expected when looking at the potential shopper in the five-mile radius around the property. By looking at actual shoppers, we were able to quantify that Camp Creek’s actual trade area draws from as far away as 20-miles and reaches a TruTrade area population of 1.6 million, not just the 130,000 within five miles.

RESULT:

TruTrade empirically validated that Camp Creek Marketplace attracts a shopper with stronger consumer characteristics than local market data would indicate – which made the center more attractive to buyers. Eastdil Secured visualized the TruTrade findings into their marketing and sales collateral, creating a strong sales story for the center which resulted in a successful sale at a higher price than expected.

Situation:

Elevation Burger, a burger restaurant focused on offering authentic and sustainably prepared food that’s better for you and the environment, needed to determine how well its brand was positioned and whether its core promise was resonating among guests.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage conducted focus groups among Elevation Burger customers and non-customers, in-store intercept interviews among diners, and a market study within Elevation Burger’s trade areas. The focus groups allowed for articulation of Elevation Burger’s brand promise, while the intercept interviews profiled the guest and measured their experience, and the market study quantified Elevation Burger’s position in its markets.

Result:

Elevation Burger has been able to prioritize on building awareness of its brand in specific markets, as well as now understanding which core brand attributes to grow. Further, it has been able to understand which guests it should focus on moving forward in order to gain the most leverage from its unique brand.

Situation:

A leading experience design agency for financial institutions saw the need for advanced analytics to identify who was visiting bank branches, who saw the digital signage, and who might be influenced by a branch when considering a change of financial institution.

Analytics:

Babbage initially used TruTrade to inform local branch investments including using the branch as digital media, along with which branches to open/close/change formats for. With the ability to study the complexity of geographics, demographics, mobile movement data, and digital personas, the agency was able to use data to expand business.

Result:

Following successful client implementations, Babbage created a private label version of TruTrade branded specifically for the agency. The design architecture of TruTrade allows for exclusive features to be quickly added, enabling the agency to be responsive to client needs. Customer Lifetime Value has increased as a result.

Situation:

FLIP Burger Boutique, under the tutelage of creative director and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef, Richard Blais, is a pioneer in the “better burger” category providing its diners a “unique culinary experience on a bun.” FLIP had two stores and needed to understand what was driving success at each location. The locations differed greatly in guest profiles and liquor purchasing contribution.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage studied sales data, surveyed the FLIP loyalty club members online and conducted guest intercept surveys. The market research identified revenue concentration by customer type and the drivers of loyalty.

Result:

The market research allowed FLIP to quantify what changes to make at each restaurant to drive sales, focus on the largest revenue clusters to increase profitability, and identify the make-up of the guest to help pinpoint areas for new locations to open. FLIP is now operating in three markets and growing nationally.

Situation:

The credit union for MacDill Air Force Base needed to expand its brand outside of the military heritage of the MacDill Air Force Base but was concerned whether a rename would impact business.

Analysis:

Through qualitative and quantitative research we were able to identify the core audience segments who were most opposed to a name change. As a result, a proactive communications program targeted those most likely to be upset. We also measured the value of the word “federal” to members and non-members.

Result:

MacDill Federal Credit Union became grow financial and subsequently grew assets by over 50%, while losing less than 0.001% of members during the name change.

Situation:

GTE Federal Credit Union was concerned that their name, logo and the words “Credit Union” were reflective of an old company, (the brand was discontinued with the acquisition of GTE by Verizon) an old image, and an old positioning.

Analysis:

Through qualitative and quantitative research we identified and quantified brand strengths and weaknesses.

Result:

GTE Federal Credit Union became GTE Financial with a modern look and feel that pays respect to the brand’s heritage while positioning the organization for the future.

SITUATION:

An 80-year-old fast food restaurant chain needed to increase sales.

ANALYSIS:

Alexander Babbage segmented their customer base and identified that 84% of their sales came from 41% of their customers and determined what was most important to this core customer. With this knowledge, Krystal re-focused product development and marketing on the core customer and increased patronage, loyalty, recency and frequency.

RESULT:

Five years of transaction declines were reversed and the brand is growing again among a core, loyal customer base.

Situation:

As an owner/operator of some of the nation’s premier shopping destinations, our client does a great job of leasing, marketing and operating their assets. To empirically demonstrate their centers are dominant in their markets, the client wanted to quantify the relative competitive strength of their properties – in terms of shopper quality, market reach and geographic penetration.

Analysis:

Using TruTrade, without installing any equipment and without in-person visits to the properties, Babbage profiled the shoppers at the client’s centers and at a select set of their competitors. Using the home locations of shoppers, Babbage quantified the demographics and behaviors of the shoppers. Babbage showed the owner/operator:  1) how large their trade area truly is, 2) how they attract a higher household income than their competitors, and 3) how their shoppers stay longer at their centers. TruTrade also allowed the owner/operator to see how these metrics change throughout the year.

Result:

Now, our client can quantify within each market – and for each center – that they have the best shoppers, some of the best dwell times and larger trade areas. This objective data has positively changed the dynamic of leasing, marketing and operations discussions.

Situation:

One of the largest operators of commercial retail space wanted to quantify why their properties were better than the competitors – in individual markets and across the country – to close deals faster.

Analytics:

Babbage initially provided TruTrade to quantify who the shopper is, where she lives, how frequently she visits, how long she shops, and compare KPI’s by center against industry benchmarks. More than a dashboard, Babbage has provided on-demand analysts to work with the data to deliver compelling leasing and business development presentations. Continually adding alternative data sets and new features has maintained TruTrade at the forefront of business development, leasing and marketing.

Result:

Understand the shopper spending along with their who, where, what, and why has enabled Babbage’s client to continue to win new deals, market center as media and curate experiences to resonate with today’s shopper.

Situation:

MasterCard Worldwide and Turnberry wanted to understand the purchasing power and habits of Latin American visitors – especially Brazilian visitors – to the Miami market.

Analysis:

Alexander Babbage designed a study with shopper interviews occurring at Latin American visitors at Aventura Mall with control studies conducted among Latin American visitors at Miami International Airport and Sawgrass Mills.

Result:

When traveling internationally, “international acceptance” is the most important attribute for Brazilian MasterCard holders at Aventura, while the “available credit limit” is most important for Latin American MasterCard owners in the control group. MasterCard will see greater card usage in Miami among Brazilian tourists if these travelers are more confident that the card is universally accepted for lodging, shopping and dining in the Miami market. As a result of the study, it was recommended that MasterCard consider higher credit limits for its Latin American cardholders who travel to the Miami market.

Situation:

Moe’s Southwest Grill, a fast-casual restaurant was competing to be a competitor in a crowded space with publicly-owned competitors including Chipotle and Qdoba. Their site selection strategy was resulting in restaurant sales ranging from $275K to $3.1M with Average Unit Volume (AUV) of $1.2M but they were unable to explain why.

Analysis:

Through extensive market and statistical analysis Alexander Babbage identified the driving factors behind individual store revenue performance.

Result:

Moe’s used Alexander Babbage research to revise their site selection and growth strategy and were able to add over 300 restaurants in less than seven years – while increasing AUV. This resulted in a successful sale to Focus Brands – and now over 500 restaurants.

Situation:

Moe’s had never conducted consumer research and they selected Alexander Babbage to do so. They wanted to know who their customers were and why they came to Moe’s.

Analysis:

Through intercept surveys conducted in the stores, Alexander Babbage provided them the demographic profile of their customers segmented by their dollar-value. By comparing this information to the trade area, Moe’s was able to see which demographics were the strongest and where they had little traction.

Result:

Research helped fine-tune their marketing positioning, advertising strategy, site selections and expansion plans and grew into a long-term research relationship as the brand exploded from a single company-owned store to over 350 franchised stores prior to being sold to Focus Brands.

SITUATION:

Peterson embarked on extensive research with Alexander Babbage to help inform the critical upcoming redevelopment initiatives at RIO Washingtonian Center, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To stay competitive in the growing the market, Peterson’s leasing team needed access to accurate and robust data to ensure the leases they were securing delivered the strongest possible tenant synergy for their shoppers.

ANALYSIS:

Peterson leveraged the insights gained through TruTrade data to support their move from the property’s current state to its desired, future state. Not only has TruTrade defined the current shopper and prospective shopper, it also has defined brands with which these shoppers have strong affinities. With this information in hand, the Peterson leasing team can now focus specifically on targeting uses/brands/restaurants that will most effectively attract the most productive shoppers to the property.

RESULT:

The center had one open restaurant space and two restaurant candidates for the space. Financially, Restaurant A was willing to pay more, but its “persona” did not align with the future opportunity identified for RIO. Based on insights resulting from the research initiative, the leasing team was confidently able to make the case for Restaurant B.

SITUATION:

Our client was embarking on a significant renovation and re-leasing plan of a grand, historic property. Actionable insights were needed to make informed decisions – and to tell the strongest possible story as they re-leased the project. The client’s goal was to reimagine the space without reinventing the space.

ANALYSIS:

Through the implementation of TruTrade, our client gained empirical knowledge of the competitive landscape and the market opportunity for the project. This knowledge allowed them to quantify the future potential trade area and to craft a data-driven approach to target key retail and restaurant uses for the project. Using the insights gained from TruTrade, the Alexander Babbage team supported the client’s efforts by creating custom leasing presentations for “bell cow” retailers.

RESULT:

The compelling leasing packages backed by empirical TruTrade data, supported our client who was able to successfully lease the project which opened 100% occupied.

SITUATION:

Babbage was tasked by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) to help the industry overcome negative press about the death of retail at the hands of e-commerce.

ANALYSIS:

Babbage designed strategy and methodology to measure the lift in web traffic from opening a physical store and why it happens. Massive data analysis by retail brand covering two years of traffic data, millions of consumers online and instore sales, and thousands of store openings and closings.

RESULTS:

The resulting insights became key talking points about shopping centers for ICSC – featured in all CEO speeches and critical to media communications.