The Marsh Super Study

The Marsh Super Study

Given the economic climate and recession of the late 1980's, the Marsh Super Study provided invaluable insights for sales and marketing professionals. In order to remain a competitive player in today's dynamic marketplace, one should always be a step ahead of the customer, and its competition and the only way to do this is by being emphatic with customers ever changing needs and wants. Such a study encompassed a wide variety of factors pertinent to crucial marketing decisions.

Since its inception in Muncie, Indiana in 1931, Marsh supermarkets have continued to evolve to meet the growing demands of the times. This study gave us a broad understanding of various behavior patterns of customers in a multitude of scenarios. From the first "mom and pop" kind of grocery store to today's "supercenter" format, the Marsh study provided different marketing perspectives that served the needs and wants of its various customer types. The study helped target those areas that called for improvement. Marsh Supermarkets operated six different divisions encompassing a wide range of shopping needs. Though their diversification efforts were considered risky, they were able to eliminate unprofitable stores and concentrate on those divisions that were promising. For example, Marsh's "Tote n' Save" division quickly proved unprofitable and as a result, the division was eliminated. Even though such a closure resulted in monetary losses, the benefits proved more profitable than the risk. Marsh was able to invest their valuable resources to a new prototype Ð'- the Marsh supercenter.

The supercenter was born out of customer's increasing interest towards a "one-stop" shopping experience. They were able to fine-tune this new format based on a collective assessment of their existing divisions (i.e. Village Pantry, Foxfires Restaurants, Farmer's Market). The supercenter brought together all these profitable divisions under one roof. The new format proved successful and other grocery retailers soon responded. To entice new customers and ensure repeat customers to their stores, the company was able to focus on customer service and community relations. Marsh was also able to market its products more effectively through their efficient use of space. They also relied heavily on promotions to keep customers interested.