Case Study Cranfield Superstore Part 4: Customer Profiling and Customer

Value Proposition

Maya knows that it is important to look at the Cranfield Superstore value proposition based on
the different target customer groups. Clearly identifying the unique selling points (USPs) for each
customer segment will help with the selling of her products and services. She therefore decides to
spend some time on in-depth customer research and develops a three-step process.
1. An online survey trying to understand the basic shopping habits of the Cranfield
campus population,
2. Field research by talking to people buying at the local convenience store (interviews),
3. Watching students carrying shopping bags into the student accommodations (participant
observation).
Based on her market research Maya develops three personas for her three target customer
segments. With a persona she can easily group the interests and behaviours of a target group
together and bring these findings to life. In this way, she can then think through and test her idea
based on the personas which helps to overcome any personal preferences that unconsciously might
bias her thinking.
Using this technique, she goes through her notes from the research she performed and identifies
commonalities about their family status, participants shopping habits and pain points. As a result,
Maya creates three personas which she plans to use going forward.

Customer Segment Full-time Student

Name Tina
Age 24
Family Status Single
Shopping Habits Buying every couple of days at local
convenience shop
Hobbies Listening to music
Shopping Pain • High cost of shopping
Points • Needs small food portions
• Has little time to cook as she is
studying

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 Customer Segment Staff
Name Graham
Age 42
Family Status Married, 2 kids, 1 dog
Shopping Habits Saturday morning while kids are at sport
Hobbies eSports, walking the dog, football
Shopping Pain • Getting it right for the wife (buying
Points the brands she wants him to buy)
• Doing it as quickly as possible
• Can’t do it during the week, as the
nearest shopping centre is not on his
way home

Customer Segment Executive Training Student

Name Pam
Age 56
Family Status Married, no kids at home
Shopping Habits Shopping several times a week after work
on her way home
Hobbies Playing Piano, Reading, Going out for fine
dining, weekend busy visiting her kids
and grandchildren
Shopping Pain • Does not have a food plan for the
Points week, so decides on the day what to
make for dinner
• Busy weekends do not allow her to
do big shopping trips then

Looking at the personas, Maya’s vision for the Cranfield Superstore is now clear:

“Cranfield Superstore aims to provide all our customers with an affordable

and convenient shopping experience fully integrated into their daily life.”

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Based on the vision and the identified personas Maya can develop her Customer Value Proposition.
She understands her customer profile and the different buying behaviours and pain points of her
three target groups.
She starts with the Value Proposition for her persona Tina, the full-time student.

She is thinking about the jobs Tina has to do in relation to shopping at a grocery store.

So, Maya starts with Tina’s customer jobs.

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- - - - Do weekly
shopping around a
Gain Creators: Customer Gains:
busy schedule
- Find affordable
food in small
portions
- Prepare food and
snacks for her
studying

As a next step Maya is taking Tina’s pain points into consideration.

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- - - Small budget - Do weekly
- Needs small shopping around a
portion sizes busy schedule
- Not much time for - Find affordable
shopping and food in small
cooking portions
- Prepare food and
Gain Creators: Customer Gains: snacks for her
studying

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Maya is then thinking about these jobs and pains, and what could be a pain reliever and products
and services for this customer group.

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries at - Effective layout for - Small budget - Do weekly
affordable price the store (to - Needs small shopping around a
- Package size minimise time) portion sizes busy schedule
suitable for single - Portion sizes for - Not much time for - Find affordable
singles shopping and food in small
- Low prices for cooking portions
mainstream - Prepare food and
products snacks for her
studying
Gain Creators: Customer Gains:

While looking at how to relieve the pain, she is thinking what gains a full-time student could get
from the Superstore.
She thinks about her own day and how often she is rushing around and rather buys snacks than
healthy food to safe time. So, affordable healthy fresh snacks would help her to keep a healthy diet.
Also, if ingredients for a simple meal could be sold together in the store, it would help her reducing
the shopping and cooking time.

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries at - Effective layout - Small budget - Do weekly
affordable price for the store (to - Needs small shopping around a
- Package size minimise time) portion sizes busy schedule
suitable for single - Portion sizes for - Not much time for - Find affordable
- Healthy prepared singles shopping and food in small
meal and snack - Low prices for cooking portions
offering for busy mainstream - Prepare food and
people products snacks for her
- studying

Gain Creators: Customer Gains:

- Fresh, healthy and
affordable snacks
- Meal suggestions
with grouped
ingredients in
store

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These pain relievers and gain creators can then generate the following customer gains:

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries at - Simple layout for - Small budget - Do weekly
affordable price the store - Needs small shopping around a
- Package size - Portion sizes for portion sizes busy schedule
suitable for single singles - Not much time for - Find affordable
- Healthy prepared - Low prices for shopping and food in small
meal and snack mainstream cooking portions
offering for busy products - Prepare food and
people - snacks for her
studying
Gain Creators: Customer Gains:
- Fresh, healthy and - Reduced time in
affordable snacks store and reduced
- Meal suggestions meal/snack
with grouped preparation time
ingredients in - Healthier eating
store habits
- Simple shopping
process
- Reduced food
waste due to
smaller portions

Based on this process Maya has established not only how to relieve the customer’s pain but has also
offered the customer some gains which can be a unique value proposition to them. It also becomes
clear that by opening the Cranfield Superstore, she will not only setup a product “grocery store” but
will provide additional services around it to fulfil customer needs. This allows her to formulate her
value proposition based on the formula she learnt in class:

My <product & services> help <target customer customer> achieving <jobs to

be done> by <minimising/reducing/avoiding/...> and
<allowing/adding/increasing/...> <your Value Proposition>

My <grocery store with affordable prices and single-sized

packaging> helps <full-time students> achieving <shopping
around their busy schedule> by <offering healthy meals and
snacks> <reducing the shopping and food preparation time>
<to free up more time for studying>.

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While summarising the value proposition in this formula, Maya realises that she has forgotten the
most important part of her new offering, which she is quickly adding to the final version.

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries at - Simple layout for - Small budget - Do weekly
affordable price the store - Needs small shopping around
- Package size - Portion sizes for portion sizes a busy schedule
suitable for single singles - Not much time for - Find affordable
- Healthy prepared - Low prices for shopping and food in small
meal and snack mainstream cooking portions
offering for busy products - Prepare food and
people - Available at snacks for her
- Available within campus, available studying
walking distance by foot
from the student
Gain Creators: Customer Gains:
accommodations
- Fresh, healthy and - Reduced time in
affordable snacks store and reduced
- Meal suggestions meal/snack
with grouped preparation time
ingredients in - Healthier eating
store habits
- Simple shopping
process
- Reduced food
waste due to
smaller portions
- More time for
studying and free
time

She understands now what Professor Sergey meant by “It is an iterative process” to come to the
value proposition.

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In a similar process she is thinking about the customer value proposition for her other two
target groups. As a result, she is writing down the following:
Graham - Staff

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries - Simple layout for - Getting it right for - Do weekly
- Location close to the store his wife shopping for the
Cranfield Campus - At Cranfield - Doing it as quickly whole family
with a large car Campus with large as possible - Buying the right
park car park - Can’t do it during things while not
- Trolley with the week, as the having much time
holder for phone, nearest shopping - Fit shopping
to keep the centre is not on around family
shopping-list his way home schedule
visible

Gain Creators: Customer Gains:

- No shopping at
the weekend
needed and
therefore more
free time

Pam – Student for Executive Training

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries - At Cranfield - Does not have a - Do grocery
- Location close to campus food plan for the shopping
Cranfield Campus - Simple way to week, so decides - Decide what to
shop during the on the day what cook in the
week while being to make for dinner evenings
on campus - Busy weekends do
not allow her to
do big shopping
trips then

Gain Creators: Customer Gains:

- Meal suggestions - Easy shopping for
with grouped meals without
ingredients in prior shopping
store list/meal plan

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Maya is realising how much more difficult Graham’s value proposition is. Something is missing for his
gain creators to be really beneficial. What could help him? Actually, reducing the pain of shopping
even more for Graham would be helpful. Maya thinks a Click and Collect service would be ideal,
where he or even his wife can order online and then Graham just needs to collect the shopping on
his way home.
She revises the value proposition accordingly:

Graham - Staff

Products & Services: Pain Relievers: Customer Pains: Customer Jobs:

- Groceries - Simple layout for - Getting it right for - Do weekly
- Location close to the store his wife shopping for the
Cranfield Campus - At Cranfield - Doing it as quickly whole family
with a large car Campus with large as possible - Buying the right
park car park - Can’t do it during things while not
- Click & Collect - Trolley with the week, as the having much time
service holder for phone, nearest shopping - Fit shopping
to keep the centre is not on around family
shopping-list his way home schedule
visible

Gain Creators: Customer Gains:

- No shopping at
- Click & Collect the weekend
needed and
Service via online
therefore more
ordering
free time
- Reduced shopping
time as shop
assistant is
collecting the
items

Maya is really happy with her work. She understands that the Cranfield Superstore will provide a
general grocery service for all her target customers, but by really understanding their jobs and pains,
she is able to customise the service offering specifically for them.
But how will she make money out of it, especially considering her findings during the Porter’s
5 Forces analysis?

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