BYU Public Relations Research Group: Green Giants Melanie Jones, Katie Smith, Beki Winchel, Alisha Gallagher & Meredith Francom

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Executive Summary

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Executive Summary

! The purpose of our research is to discover the honest feelings of current members toward

The Green Polkadot Box including elements members love and areas needing improvement.

From day one, “Legendary Customer Service” as been a leading company priority with the goal

to make the organization everything the members need to the point the customer service staff

will not be needed. An organization perfect enough to outgrow their customer service staff is an

unrealistic ideological outcome, but a helpful goal to pursue. Thus far, the company has enrolled

16,003 members; some members are happy with their Green Polkadot Box experience and plan

to continue using their membership, some have only ordered once, and many have yet to place an

order. This research is aimed at understanding why the active members keep purchasing, why the

semi-actives stopped after one order and what is holding back the inactive members from placing

their first order. In order to make this company everything the members want, we need to first

know what they want. The public of interest that we focused our research on was all GPDB

Members who have only placed one order.

The questions we sought to answer through our research are as follows:

Why do you shop for natural and organic products?

What is your top priority or concern when grocery shopping?

What are your concerns about online grocery shopping?

Where do you learn most about organic products?

What types of foods meet your dietary needs?

For GPBD Members, what prevents you from ordering again or more frequently?

Which social media platform do you want to see Green Polkadot Box on?

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The research methods we used to answer the questions above included both a focus group

and an online strategic survey. The focus group allowed us to communicate directly with

members who have placed only one order, specifically interviewing them about why they placed

their first order, what they enjoyed about their experience and what it holding them back from

ordering again. The online survey was sent out to all Green Polkadot Box Members regardless of

how many orders they have made. The online survey turned up results for member demographics

and feedback on the current company experience. Through both the focus group and survey we

were able to verify which areas of the organization need some altering and which areas are

successful.

Our research results solidified most of our initial predictions. The Smith family created

this company to satisfy needs they had and have attracted likeminded members which allows

them to naturally understand the desires of their members. This being said, the loved parts of the

company and the areas needing improvement expressed by members are already areas

recognized by the GPDB. The most important discoveries from our research, results we did not

predict, involve demographic information and social media usage. The vast majority of Green

Polkadot Box members are over the age of 40 with the highest percentage of members above the

age 55. Although social media is a highly effective medium of communication for organizations

and their publics today, it is only effective among social media consuming publics. The rising

generation frequently uses social media while the older crowd, especially those over the age 55

don’t use social media often if at all. For the current membership demographics, strong efforts in

social media will not go anywhere but if GPDB wants to attract younger members a social media

campaign would be the most effective.

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Background

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Background ResearchOrganization’s History

The Green PolkaDot Box sells natural and organic, non-GMO foods at wholesale prices,

and delivers directly to each customer. They carry hundreds of brands and ship fresh produce

directly from organic farms. The Green PolkaDot Box is a membership organization intended to

grow to become the largest, most influential "buying collective" in America. As a "buying

collective," the company wants to become an influential bargaining power. This is important to

them because without the purchasing might of millions of like-minded consumers they won't be

able to influence food producers, growers or manufacturers to change how they currently

operate. The company offers a lowest price guarantee on all the items in their inventory, and free

shipping on orders over $75.

Rod Smith is the founder and CEO of the Green PolkaDot Box. He and his wife, Jean

Smith, started contemplating the idea of the company in 2007. The idea originated because Rod

didn’t like to pay retail price for groceries, especially on foods that weren’t good for his health.

Their endeavor is to deliver organic and natural foods at the lowest prices possible to as many

people as they could reach. Smith states, “The Green PolkaDot Box has become a labor of love

and family affair for us.” Each of his children, Sariah, Hunter, Dillon, Rachel and Olivia, play

key roles in the company. They emphasize their family background to show customers they are a

good family business striving to help create healthier and happier families.

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Customer Base

Their vision is to make organic foods affordable to everyone. Currently, their total

membership is at 16,003 members. They have 1,845 members who paid for their membership.

There are 870 members who have purchased a $2000 trust membership. The total number of club

memberships is 9,965 and the total number of Reward Memberships is 1,295. There are 14,146

unpaid memberships which came from giveaways which were created before the business was

officially opened. All other memberships are gifted associate and founding memberships for

owners, partners, employees, etc.

A club membership costs $50 per year. Club members receive unlimited shopping

privileges at up to 60 percent off and free access to the LEARN section of the company website.

LEARN is an online publication of current information related to dietary lifestyle preferences

that includes expert commentary, recipes, scientific discoveries and documented research. Club

members may refer others to join The Green PolkaDot Box; however, they do not receive

PolkaDot Rewards on the purchases of members they refer. A customer may register for a one-

year club membership by paying $50, and then upgrade to a rewards membership anytime by

paying a $75 upgrade charge. Once a customer upgrades to a rewards membership they will

begin to earn PolkaDot Rewards on the purchases of referred members, along with personal

purchase discounts.

The company is growing fast. August 2012, paid membership and combined sales

revenues were up 22.9 and 44 percent, respectively, over July 2012 levels. While the Green

PolkaDot Box has recently incurred problems with the lack of purchasing of their Harvest Fresh

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products, the company has made plans to increase sales in that area. Their current marketing

techniques to address this issue will be discussed later.

Green PolkaDot Box’s Goals

Currently, the Green PolkaDot Box has three main goals.

1. Be able to do away with the “organic deserts” that exist through rural and urban America

where people have no access to “clean” organic foods.

2. Make clean organic food affordable to everyone.

3. Through a grass roots approach, seeks to educate the public about the links between diet and

disease, motivating them to seek out healthier, clean, organic alternatives.

Analysis of the Company

One of the strengths of the Green PolkaDot Box is their member services. The company

evaluates and deals with member situations and requests for product returns on a case-by-case

basis. As a general policy, the company seeks to be committed to provide such a high-level of

service that member complaints are not necessary. In the case when a member is dissatisfied with

the Green PolkaDot Box for any reason, the company seeks to do everything reasonably possible

to satisfy and retain the trust of that member. The company encourages members to immediately

contact the member services department via the website to discuss any problems that may arise.

Product refunds to members are in the form of PolkaDot Reward Points for product

dissatisfaction; however, a member and/or recipient of an order must confirm that the product

received matches the product listed on the shipping invoice and is free of damage. Failure to

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notify the company of any shipping discrepancy or damage within seven calendar days of receipt

of shipment will cancel a member’s right to request a correction.

Another strength of the company is they are constantly adding new brands, and they have

plans to carry many of the items that the members suggest in the future. Their goal is to

eventually be able to accommodate all dietary lifestyle needs. They have a “Request a Product”

page that allows members to make product suggestions that will then be passed on to the

company board for review.

One weakness of the company is not all of the products are certified organic. However,

for this reason the company has created labels (the small circle icons with different symbols

inside) for each product. Each attribute (whether it is organic, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, etc.) is

represented by an icon, and by placing the cursor over any of the symbols the customer can view

a description of that attribute. Through this feature the company hopes to accommodate all of

their members and their various dietary lifestyles.

Another weakness includes a blog post by angry blogger who claimed “The Green

PolkaDot Box is not truly organic. They’re an astroturfed Walmart.” It contains an entire blog

encouraging customers not to buy from the Green PolkaDot Box anymore. This is a big deal

because it is the second website to show up when searching for the Green PolkaDot Box on

Google, right after the company’s official website.

One threat the company faces is that many believe the Green PolkaDot Box is an MLM

(Multi-Level Marketing) Company because of the rewards system offered to members. However,

a few key differences do exist. Firstly, it is not a requirement that one refers others in order to

become a member of the Green PolkaDot Box. Anyone may participate in both the Shop and

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Learn sections of their site without ever referring a single person. Second, the company does not

require those members who do opt to participate in the Rewards Program to reach a certain

minimum order to receive reward points. A rewards member could continue to receive points

without ever purchasing a single product from the Green PolkaDot Box. Third, a rewards

member may only receive reward points for the individuals they have directly referred. There is

no multi-level aspect to the system.

Marketing Strategies of the Green PolkaDot Box

The Green PolkaDot Box has done little in the way of marketing. Currently, every

member receives weekly email promotions. A lot of the emails address helping to create healthy

diets for families. One email promotion asked, “How many preservatives are in your child’s

lunchbox?” Another email promotion gave a list of products the Smith Family of the Green

PolkaDot Box has in their own pantry. There are several other email promotions done by the

company. One promotion called “Crazy for Coconuts!” gave various deals on coconut products

customers could buy.

Furthermore, the company used their weekly email promotions to garner more support

for their Harvest Fresh program which is not having very much success. The company emailed

its customers explaining the situation and asking each of them to participate in a survey. The

survey obtained 900 responses from members, and almost 500 of those responders committed to

the auto ship program for Harvest Fresh products which will create more sustainability in that

section of the company.

The company has also worked with influentials to help promote the Green PolkaDot Box.

Mike Adams, also known as the Health Ranger, is a prominent member in the organic foods

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industry. He writes music, articles, blogs and gives speeches on the importance of organic food.

When the company was first starting out, Adams promoted the business to his fans.

The Green PolkaDot Box also recently held a video contest to help promote their

products and services. The company received a handful of entries and picked a winner to

spotlight on their website. This helped the company to emphasize both how family-oriented their

services are and effectively the company operates.

The Competition

Organic food is a niche market and is currently trending. As a result, words like “organic”

have become buzz words that may or may not have accurate connotations to what organic

products actually represent. While little peer-reviewed research has been done about the online

organic market, brick and mortar establishments like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have been

around for years – although they are not so prevalent in Utah.

The availability of online retailers offering organic products is growing every day. A

simple Google search will result in pages and pages of organic retailers. An article by Top Ten

Review outlined the top organic online retailers based on product selection, ease of use,

competitive pricing, payment/shipping options and customer support. The top retailer listed is

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. According to the PrivCo database, Natural Grocers was

founded in 1955 in Colorado. Their business has grown in profitability each year. Their net

income in 2011 was $4.6 million, showing their business is profitable. The company filed an IPO

in July 2012 valued at $100 million. The example of Natural Grocers illustrates the profitability

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potential of high-quality companies in the organic food market. Below is a graph which shows

how profitable Natural Grocers has become since 2006.

Other top organic online retailers included are Amazon and True Foods. While Amazon is

a household name, True Foods is less well-known. Founded in 2001, True Foods has a business

model similar to the Green PolkaDot Box. The products they offer are similar; however, they are

only available in bulk quantity, are higher priced, and there is always a charge for shipping. Their

Google page rank is a four, just like the Green PolkaDot Box, they also have a comparable

Facebook following, with almost the same number of likes. As the Green PolkaDot Box was

founded less than a year ago, some of these analytic indicators would seem to illustrate the

superiority of the Green PolkaDot Box product.

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However, out of the several online companies organic retailers researched, the Green

PolkaDot Box is the only retailer that requires a membership fee. Conversely, the Green

PolkaDot Box prices are lower than any other retailer researched, so there is a financial benefit in

the membership fee. Other business models with membership fees include warehouse giants like

Costco and Sam’s Club.

Social Media Analytics

Social media is an increasingly important tool for businesses to brand themselves and

engage their consumers and other publics. In an increasingly fast world where news is generated

and obtained 24/7, social media is making that even more common. For example, Associated

Press has a mobile app that will send electronic notifications to the user’s smartphone whenever

there is breaking news. However, this “breaking news” is already trending on Twitter, and has

been, depending on the situation, for up to an hour. Social media includes platforms to share

content (such as Google+, blogs, and Twitter), to network (such as Facebook and LinkedIn), to

publish visual content (such as Pinterest and Instagram) and to perform a variety of other

functions.

Each of these platforms involves different market segments for brands and offers

businesses unique opportunities to establish themselves as industry experts and successful

organizations as well as strengthening their brands. It is also an integral tool for reaching and

engaging consumers in ways that strengthen relationships of trust. Social media continues to

grow as new platforms such as Google+ and Pinterest expand offerings. For example, Google+

reached 25 million unique members on its social platform within a week of its public debut and

Pinterest now has more referral traffic than LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter. These users are not

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just following and engaging with brands; they are sharing their experiences (the good and the

bad) with their networks, and buying goods and services more frequently through social media

than other marketing platforms.

The trend of organic and sustainable food is evident on social media. Sentiment for the

keyword “organic” is about 28 percent, meaning that out of all the mentions within a 24-hour

period, 28 percent of those involve a mention of “organic.” Socialmention.com estimates the

mentions containing the word “organic” to have a reach of 38 percent, and the positive

sentiments are eight to one over negative sentiments. A similar search for “sustainable” mentions

on social media revealed a 25 percent sentiment, 40 percent reach and positive sentiments of 13

to 1 over negative. Food allergens, while harder to track, are also becoming increasingly more

stated through this medium. There are several blogs that provide advice and recipes for a variety

of food sensitivities, as well as Twitter chats, Facebook pages and other content. The Green

PolkaDot Box, as a newer company, is also new to social media. Their influence on the following

platforms is as seen below:

• Facebook: The Green PolkaDot Box has a Facebook page with 2,771 likes. However, of

those likes, only 51 are actively talking about it. Their engagement on the page is about

1.8 percent, but posts do elicit a number of likes and comments. For example, their most

recent post about the wedding of the national brand manager Sariah to Justin on the

accounting team received thirteen likes and three comments. Generally, Facebook posts

are every other day, but there have been some large gaps in between postings. There has

been a variety of posts created, including questions, news and pictures. Fans of the page

also have posted recommendations, items they like and other interactions. There are a

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number of organic markets on Facebook, such as Sunflower Market (with 40,920 likes)

and Whole Foods (with 1,085,186 likes.) Users can interact on a Facebook page by liking

a post, posting content of their own, providing a recommendation of the company or its

products and services, sending private messages to the company and sharing the page

with their own Facebook friends.

• Twitter: The Green PolkaDot Box is on Twitter, but hasn’t been active since July 3, 2012.

They have 497 followers, but according to StatusPeople.com, only 80 percent of those

users are active on the platform and are real accounts. In comparison, Sunflower Market

has 1,451 followers and Whole Foods has 2,975,732 followers on their main corporate

account. However, only 45 percent of Whole Food’s Twitter followers are real accounts

that are active. Both companies have several other local store Twitter accounts. The

temptation of this platform is for brands to purchase Twitter followers or increase their

following rapidly, but the Green PolkaDot Box has a more genuine engagement and

follower base when they actually use Twitter. There are several opportunities on this

platform, including participating in weekly business chats as well as chats about food,

allergies and organic products.

• YouTube: YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine, with more than 4 billion

videos being watched every month on the platform. Currently, the Green PolkaDot Box

has a YouTube account with five subscribers, and their five videos have received 5,257

total views. Recently the Green PolkaDot Box had a video contest with their members in

which they received nearly a hundred submissions. However, this content is not being

uploaded to the platform. Additional uploads can increase the company’s SEO. There are

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also a number of other individuals that have shared videos about the Green PolkaDot Box

on YouTube.

• Pinterest: The Green PolkaDot Box is not on Pinterest, but there are at least 10 individual

pins that can be found under a search for “green polkadot box.” This does not include the

number of pins that are being uploaded daily that include the Green PolkaDot Box or

individual products that the company sells. Mashable reports that food is the fourth most

popular category on the platform and products are the eighth most popular category.

Considering the fact the Green PolkaDot Box sells both types of products, the

opportunities for increased engagement and referral traffic to their site is high.

The Organic Industry

The organic industry has been a growing market in past years. As more people strive to

live healthier lifestyles, the industry becomes more popular. In a report released by Pew

Research, it found that 26 percent of Americans regularly buy organic foods. And it’s expected

to become an even larger industry. Markets suggest sensitive diet products—gluten-free,

allergen-free and intolerance-friendly—are big business today. The global market is predicted to

crest $26 billion by 2017.

Organic Research

In a report released by Stanford researchers, the study found there could be some benefits to

eating organic food. They found higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help prevent

heart disease, in organic milk and chicken. They also found organic produce contained higher

levels of phenols, which have been associated with a reduced risk of cancer. But, added the

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researchers, these differences between organic and conventional foods varied widely from study

to study, so the results must be viewed with caution.

Furthermore, the Stanford study found organic produce was much less likely to be

contaminated with pesticides than conventional produce. Some 38 percent of the conventional

foods tested in the studies contained pesticides compared with 7 percent of the organic foods.

(Organic foods can become contaminated with pesticides when the chemicals drift over on the

wind from nearby non-organic fields.) Two of the studies reviewed by the Stanford researchers

found that when children were switched to an organic diet for just five days, the amount of

pesticides in their urine dropped significantly.

However, the Stanford Research also contained findings which have showed there is no real

benefit to buying organic foods. The major findings from Stanford Research explain there are no

consistent differences in the nutrient content of organic and conventional foods. Organic foods

did contain more phosphorus, but as the study’s authors point out, that finding was “unlikely to

be clinically significant because near-total starvation is needed to produce dietary phosphorus

deficiency.” Furthermore, the organic produce had a slightly higher risk of being contaminated

with Escherichia coli (E. coli), which can cause a type of food poisoning that is sometimes life-

threatening.

Some opposed to this research and claim that health goes beyond the description given in the

study. Some argue that organic practices broaden the definition of health to something a bit more

spiritual, beyond the reach of hard science, and in so doing it becomes the strongest evidence yet

against studies like this.

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Classifying Organic Products

Furthermore, there is a debate in the food industry on how to classify organic foods. The

Green PolkaDot Box describes its products as being “clean food.” “Clean food” to the company

means certified organic foods of all varieties that are third party-verified to be free of GMOs. A

GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering

techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA

molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of

genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes.

Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms that have inserted DNA from a different

species. GMOs are the constituents of genetically modified foods. The Green PolkaDot Box

wants to protect all consumers by insuring that food production in America is designed to

exclude derivates from GMO food crops and from dairy products injected with genetically

modified growth hormones. The company also aims to exclude meat from animals fed from

GMO feed. As far as meats and fish are concerned, the company only accepts certified organic

animal proteins or 100 percent wild caught or grass fed animals.

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Primary Research:

Qualitative

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Qualitative Introduction

The survey was divided into four basic categories: general questions about organic

product consumption, overall relationship between the customer and the Green PolkaDot Box,

online and social media habits and demographics. The first eight questions apply to all who took

the survey, and questions 9 through 25 apply only to current members of the Green PolkaDot

Box.

Our survey was designed to target two basic groups: current members of the Green

PolkaDot Box and others who are not members, but regularly consume organic products. The

first group was selected through a random sampling methodology. The client sent out the survey

to all 17,000 members of the Green PolkaDot Box and we narrowed down the publics from that

point. In this public, we had three subcategories: members who had never ordered, members who

had ordered one to three times and members who ordered four times or more.

The second group was also selected through a random sampling methodology. We

identified that an important public to target are those who could potentially be customers of the

Green PolkaDot Box, or those who already consume organic products. We sent the survey to a

random sample of these individuals.

The survey was distributed to each of these groups through an email including the link to

the Qualtrics survey. The client sent the survey to each member of the Green PolkaDot Box and a

group in the class sent the survey to the other public, those who already consume organic

products. A total of 97 people who weren’t members of the Green PolkaDot Box answered the

survey. The group that has ordered from the Green PolkaDot Box one to three times number 302,

and those that have ordered four times or more number 291.

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Qualitative Background/Methods

Our original intent was to conduct a focus group for the customers who have ordered

once since signing up for the Green PolkaDot Box, but a few challenges prevented us from doing

so. We had planned to conduct a focus group the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the Tanner

Building on BYU campus. To gain focus group participants, we sent an email to Green Polka

Dot Box members who had not purchased or purchased only one time (approximately 65 people)

the email list provided to us by the client. The following is the content of the first email:

Hi there,

Do you have opinions about your experience with the Green Polka Dot Box? If so, we want to hear them!

I am part of a team at Brigham Young University that is working with the Green Polka Dot Box to help them understand you, their customer, a little better. To do this, we are offering you a $50 coupon to the Green Polka Dot Box in exchange for participating in a focus group. It will be held on Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00pm on the BYU campus. If you are interested, please take this SURVEY and we will get in touch with you. We appreciate your time, have a wonderful day!

The $50 credit to the participants’ accounts was approved by the client as incentive for their

willingness to participate. The survey was a focus group qualifier and included the following

questions:

How often do you shop online? How often do you go grocery shopping? How much do you spend? Do you have food allergies? If so, what are they? How often do you purchase organic products? Would you be willing to participate in a focus group on BYU campus?

Five people responded to this survey, and we realized too late that we failed to ask for willing

participants’ contact information to send them details on the focus group. To obtain that

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information we fixed the survey by adding the question, “For those willing to participate, please

provide contact information so we can give you event details” and sent the following email:

Hi there! Do you have opinions about your customer experience with the Green Polka Dot Box? If so, we want to hear them!

I am part of a student team at Brigham Young University that is working with the Green PolkaDot Box to help them understand you, their customer, a little better. To do this, we are offering you a $50 coupon to the Green Polka Dot Box in exchange for participating in a focus group. It will be held on Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00pm on BYU campus and will take one hour. If you're interested, please take this survey (http:// www.surveymonkey.com/s/DDYMMVJ) and we will get in touch with you. Also, there were a few of you that responded to the first email expressing interest in participating, but we were unable to get your contact information. You can either take the survey again or reply to this email so we can contact you. I apologize for the confusion, and thanks again. I appreciate your time and look forward to meeting you.

From that email, we got one response that included an email address. At that point, the focus

group was one day away, so we decided to call each of the one-time order customers on our list.

The phone calls yielded slightly more successful results. We found three people that

would participate in the focus group, which was still fewer than the six required to make it

effective. But we also found four additional people that wanted to help but couldn’t make it for a

number of reasons. Thus, instead of conducting an ineffective focus group of three people, we

decided to conduct individual interviews. Though these two methods of gathering qualitative

data are very different, we found information and trends that will be helpful to our client.

We set up phone interviews with a few of the respondents, but they could not be reached

at their scheduled times. Therefore, we sent an email interview, which they responded to

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willingly. We also sent an additional email out to the remainder of the email list, stating the new

request:

Hello!

My name is Beki, and I'm from BYU's PR department. I'm looking for insights about grocery shopping, organic products, and The Green Polka Dot Box, and would still love to hear yours!

If you are willing to answer the questions below by Monday night, your Green Polka Dot Box account will be credited with $10.

There are no wrong answers--I'm just looking for you ideas and opinions.

Thank you! I appreciate your time on this, and look forward to hearing from you. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

1. What kind of products do you consume on a regular basis, and how often? 2. Why do you buy and consume organic products? 3. How often do you grocery shop, and approximately how much do you spend? 4. What made you you sign up for The Green Polkadot Box? 5. Can you share your experience(s) with The Green Polkadot Box? 6. What would make you shop more frequently at The Green Polkadot Box? 7. What kinds of organic products or brands do you prefer?

The respondents supplied insights not only into their daily eating and regular grocery

shopping habits, but also into the beliefs and motivations behind those activities. Many shared

personal stories of how consuming organic or local products benefited both their lives and the

lives of their family members. There were common themes evident, as explained below.

Thematic Analysis

Theme A: Respondents consume fresh produce daily, and look for local and/or organic produce.

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Every respondent said they consume fresh produce daily. Other key words included “non-

processed,” “raw,” “sugar-free,” “whole grains” and “homemade.” One respondent explained

that she had a green smoothie daily, which included spinach, kale, Swiss chard, stevia, lemon,

strawberries, pears and a banana. Many respondents listed their daily eating patterns, which

included high amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Three of the respondents stated that they

consume items from their own gardens, fruit trees, or animals. Two respondents used Bountiful

Baskets to get produce, and one respondent, the site manager for a Bountiful Basket location,

said she compared prices from Green Polka Dot Box’s produce and found it to be comparable

both in price and quality. The added benefit from buying from our client was that she could

choose exactly what she wanted and how much of it, whereas Bountiful Baskets chooses for the

consumer based on the suppliers and the week purchased.

Secondary Theme A: Besides produce, respondents want items that are minimally processed

and as local as possible.

Two of the respondents said if they couldn’t buy locally, they wanted to buy items

produced by the U.S.A. One respondent said, “I really don’t want anything from China. I don’t

have anything against that country, I just don’t trust their quality control.” Another respondent

said she purchased as much food (such as eggs, meat, milk, and bread) as she could from local

farmers and co-ops. One respondent said the reason she started shopping for organic foods was a

local health food store that was located on her street. Two respondents said they used Bountiful

Baskets to obtain produce, and five of the respondents mentioned traveling to a store such as

Whole Foods that was farther from their houses at least once a month in order to get the items

they wanted.

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Secondary Theme A: Respondents want food they can trust.

One respondent said, “Just because it says organic doesn’t mean it is healthy!” These

findings reinforce our background data that organic consumers are very aware of the products

they consume, including the companies they purchase from and the government regulations of

such. They seem less trusting than non-organic shoppers and want to examine labels and the

companies before purchasing.

Theme B: Respondents feel that eating organic and minimally processed foods increases their

quality of life as well as those around them.

The phrases used to describe why respondents consumed organic products included the

following:

“We do not want to consume what is sprayed on non-organic.” “I take responsibility for my own health and wellness.” “I feel like they are better for the environment.” “I want to keep my body healthy by not ingesting a lot of chemicals and preservatives.” “I feel better when I eat healthy and have more energy.” “Eating organic for me anyway, takes away some of the worry in harming myself and my family’s bodies.”

Four respondents mentioned concern over pesticides and preservatives as well as GMOs, and one

respondent said she consumes organic to support ethical farming practices.

Secondary Theme B: Some respondents must consume certain organic products to avoid

allergies.

One respondent stated that her family has allergies to dairy, wheat and soy which has

made them “look for more alternative, healthy foods.” Two respondents mentioned skin allergies

or sensitivity, which makes them look for items such as detergent and soaps that are organic.

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Secondary Theme B: Respondents feel that eating these foods is a preventative measure against

diseases and other health issues.

Two respondents said they eat organic and minimally processed food due to having

diabetes, and two respondents said they consume organic due to themselves or a family member

being diagnosed with cancer. One respondent said, “I am a firm believer that you can help

prevent disease and sickness with nutrition.” She explained that her two adopted children have

issues, including ADHD, stemming from being born addicted to various drugs such as heroin and

cocaine, and believes they are helped from consuming organic items. She also said her uncle who

was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 25 years ago often falls. However, since eating a mostly

raw and all natural diet, he has not fallen for more than six months. She closed her stories by

saying, “I believe all the preservatives and chemicals can cause long term health issues.” Two

additional respondents mentioned concern over their health from consuming processed foods.

Theme C: Respondents look to provide healthy options for themselves and their families.

One respondent said that her family eats “almost everything,” but food allergies and

diabetes has pushed them to look for organic foods. Three additional respondents mentioned

certain foods and brands that their family liked to eat, and one said that although her family

doesn’t eat as healthy as she does, she provides options that are as healthy as possible for them.

Another respondent said it was just her and her husband at home, and he did not eat the foods she

did; however, she still spends roughly $50 to $60 per week and shops organic for herself.

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Theme D: Although realizing organic products are more expensive, respondents seek the lowest

prices and highest rewards for shopping.

Seven of the respondents stated that they tried Green Polka Dot Box because they thought

or knew they would save money. Two respondents said the cost of the shipping was either less

than or even to the cost of fuel for them to go to an all-natural store to get their items. All eight of

the respondents had positive reviews on their experiences ordering with Green Polka Dot Box;

the words “convenient,” “easy,” “fast,” and “quick” were repeated throughout the interviews.

Although there are two themes contained here -- price and convenience -- they go hand-in-hand

as these consumers stated that they looked at the benefit of food being delivered to their door and

saving fuel costs and trips to the store.

Secondary Theme D: Respondents want increased rewards and incentives for additional

shopping.

One respondent has nine children and said she shops at Costco or Sam’s Club at least

once a week, spending between $150 and $300 each trip. Although five of the respondents said

they saved money ordering from Green Polka Dot Box, this woman said she didn’t notice a

savings. She explained that Costco has a lot of organic items in bulk, and with her large family,

that is what she needs. She also said she would shop more at Green Polka Dot Box if her

membership fee was waived. Another respondent said she would shop more if the shipping costs

were lowered. Although three of the respondents said they were impressed by the selection, two

said they wanted to see a larger selection, one wanted to have items in bulk, and several

mentioned items that Green Polka Dot Box does not currently carry, such as particular frozen

food and laundry detergent.

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Theme E: Respondents buy brands they know and trust, from local places they know and trust.

All eight respondents said they buy local and/or organic produce, and several named certain

brands they consume. The most popular brands were Amy’s, Annie’s, OSKRi, and Blue

Diamond. Other brands listed were Bob’s Red Mill, Bragg, Justin’s, Go Raw, Namaste, Country

Save, Barbara’s, Sunspire, Nature’s Path, and Envirokids. One respondent mentioned the favorite

flavors of her children’s brand and hoped Green Polka Dot Box started carrying them while

another respondent said, “We stick to what we know and like.”

Secondary Theme E: Consuming organic is a community; tips and opinions are shared with

friends and family frequently.

Three respondents said they started shopping with Green Polka Dot Box because of a

friend or family member, and several mentioned family and friends in the reason they eat organic

(for example, health issues and concerns.)

Overall Qualitative Analysis

Although our focus group fell through, we feel we were able to derive insights from our

email surveys that not only reinforced our background research, but also provided additional

insights into behavioral and motivational patterns of our client’s target publics. For example,

prior to the qualitative analysis, we assumed a motivation for consuming organic products was

food allergies; we did not take into consideration preventative measures for diseases such as

cancer and diabetes. We found our respondents spent between $150 and $1200 a month on

groceries, but only received partial information for how many people they were buying for (for

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example, the respondent with nine children spends the most.) We feel that this information has

given us a clear direction in our survey questions. We would like to ask questions about food

allergies and other health conditions, whether or not they shop in bulk, and what type of brands

and products they want to see offered that are not currently offered. We would also like to ask if

and how communicate or (would like to communicate) with the organic community composed of

their peers. We feel that this information would be valuable for not only traditional marketing

and public relations efforts, but also for social media outreach.

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Qualitative Answers From the Quantitative Survey

Q5. Themes found in “other” responses include (1) many sources, (2) Azure Standard, (3) Raw Food and (4) Vitacost.

Q6. Themes found among the “other” category include the following:

• Shipping delays and possible damage due to weather, security, handling and poor

packaging

• Not being able to see the ingredients listed on the box or handle the product in person

• Wasting packaging resources

• Prefer local to support local economy

• California products may be contaminated with radiated water

Q7. Themes found in the “other” category include reading magazines and books, and word of mouth from influentials like friends, professionals and doctors.

Q8. Common themes include Natural News, Dr. Mercola, the Healthy Home Economist, Green Smoothie Girl and Dr. Hyman.

Q11. Themes found in the “other” responses include (1) for the reward points, (2) I’m a founding member and (3) I’m invested.

Question 14 is purely qualitative and asks what would make the website easier to navigate.

Common themes among the answers include the following:

• Improve the search function

• Make it faster

Q17: Other items included in the “other” category are dairy free and soy free.

Q18: Answers included (1) value, (2) hard to find foods, (3) front-door delivery, (4) brand mission, (5) trustworthy business model and (6) the aesthetically inviting website.

Q19: Answers include (1) shipping (price, having to wait for orders and damaged orders), (2) lack of availability on East Coast and (3) the lack of selection generally and food staples specifically.

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Survey & Research Results:

Quantitative

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Survey and Research Analysis: Quantitative Research

Survey Information

We used a simple, stratified, random sample for our survey research, a popular sampling

method used when there is a known subset of a specific population and the researchers gather a

perfectly random sampling of a sufficient number of subjects from each subgroup. Our survey

qualified as stratified and random because we randomly selected participants for the survey by

identifying a specific sub-population (members of GPDB who have placed 0 to 3 orders) to take

the survey.

Sample Selection

The population sample of 308 was taken from a larger population of 963 individuals who

took the survey, and included both Green PolkaDot Box members and non GPDB members.

Because the sample size is quite large, we have a low margin of error of +/-5 with 95percent

confidence. The population of interest tested in this report includes members of GPDB who have

shopped between one and three times.

Research Questions and Recommendations

Our survey attempts to answer the following research questions:

1. What about GPDB keeps current customers from ordering more often?

2. What do current customers like about the GPDB?

3. What do current customers not like about GPDB?

4. What is the best way to reach current customers of GPDB?

5. How can we get them to shop more?

These questions are answered in the following paragraphs.

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The data collected by the survey illustrates that those who have not shopped at the GPDB

perceive it as inconvenient, unreasonably priced, unreliable, and untrustworthy with an

inadequate selection of low-quality products. However the population of interest—those who

have shopped at the GPDB between one and three times—are more aligned with those who

frequently shop at the GPDB.

The demographic data did not illustrate any connection between shopping habits and gender,

age, marital status and number of children living in the home. However the majority of

respondents to the survey were over age 55, married, females with no children living in the

home. Additionally, when asked which social media sites shoppers would like to use in

conjunction with GPDB, the answer was overwhelmingly none—when qualitative data is taken

into consideration —because this group is not interested in social media generally. When it

comes to being contacted directly, this group prefers email once a week. However, this group

also uses websites as the main source of information about organic products and shopping—

meaning they are probably doing Google searches. To that end, it may be in the interest of GPDB

to increase their SEO so they are easier to find.

The population of interest chooses to shop at the GPDB because of the price and their belief

in the mission of the GPDB. However, this group is concerned about shipping cost and freshness

of perishable items when it comes to online grocery shopping. The product selection of the

GPDB is what keeps this group from shopping more often.

Survey Questions and Statistical Breakdown

Question 1 introduces the survey.

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Question 2 asks those taking the survey members why they choose to shop natural and

organic. The majority of the member of our population—those who have shopped GPDB

between 1 and 3 times—79 percent, answered they eat organic by choice because of what they

have learned, illustrating there is statistical significance between those who have ordered from

GPDB at least once and a lifestyle that supports organic food generally.

When compared with demographic data, there is little statistical significance, however

the frequencies are enlightening. For example, when compared with gender (Question 21),

question two illustrates that the majority of organic/natural shoppers who took the survey are

female.

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In terms of age (Question 22), those who choose the organic/natural food lifestyle are

most commonly over the age of 55, married (Question 23) and have no children (Question 24)

living at home. See the charts below.

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Question 3 asks the level of importance of organic food consumption on a scale of 1-10.

With 95percent confidence we observed a statistical mean of 8.8113 for the population of

interest. When compared to the mean of GPDB members who have never ordered, 8.9573, we

observe that consuming organic food is slightly more important to those who have not ordered.

However, we observe the highest mean 9.1478, in the group that frequently orders from GPDB.

In other words, the importance of eating organic food on a scale of 1-10 is on average

8.8113. This number reflects the attitude of GPDB shoppers who have bought between one and

three times. As this number is close to 10, we can draw the conclusion that it is very important.

Question 4 allows the survey taker to rank values associated with the grocery shopping

experience in order of importance. Among the population of interest, the only statistically

significant element among the options is “price.”With 25percent of GPDB shoppers ranking

“price” as number one, 30percent ranking “price” as number two and 26percent listing “price” as

number three, it was the only option consistently highly ranked.

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Themes observed in the “other” response include food quality including non-GMO (22),

freshness (5), ingredients (17), taste (10) and non-processed (5).

Question 5 asks which website is used most frequently for online grocery shopping.

GPDB was the most frequently shopped grocery site.

Question 6 asks about concerns consumers have regarding online grocery purchasing.

The following chart illustrates the frequencies associated with the population of interest. As you

can see, the cost of shipping and concern over the freshness of food top the list of concerns.

Additionally, when comparing the population of interest with those who order more

frequently there is statistical significance with shipping cost. Those who order frequently are not

deterred by shipping cost, while those in the population of interest say shipping cost keeps them

from ordering.

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Question 7 illustrated that the most common way to learn about natural and organic products

is through websites.

Question 8 is purely qualitative and asks which blogs consumers use to get information

about organic products.

Question 9 qualifies the survey taker as a member of GPDB.

Question 10 qualified order frequency of those who belong to GPDB. This data from this

question was used as the independent variable and defined the population of interest for the

comparison of the other questions.

Question 11 asks the population the top two reasons they continue to order from GPDB.

When comparing the population of interest with those who have ordered more than four

times we see statistical significance in terms of convenience. Those who order a lot find GPDB

convenient, while those who haven’t ordered much do not find it convenient. There is also a

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statistical difference with trust in the mission of GPDB. Those who order frequently trust the

mission, while those who don’t order often do not.

When comparing those who have shopped GPDB one to three times with those who have

never ordered there is statistical significance surrounding convenience. The population of interest

says GPDB is convenient, while those who have never ordered do not. The relationship with

price is statistically significant. Those in the population of interest say the prices are a reason to

continue shopping at GPDB, while those who have never ordered disagree. The relationship with

product selection is statistically significant in that those in the population of interest find product

selection a reason to come back to GPDB, while those who have never ordered do not.

Additionally, the relationships with reliability and product quality are statistically

significant in that the population of interest finds GPDB a reliable company with a quality

product, while those who have never ordered do not. The relationship with the mission of the

GPDB is also statistically significant in that the population of interest shops at GPDB because

they believe in the company, while those who never have do not.

Question 12 attempts to determine why members of GPDB members may choose not to

order. Members of the population of interests listed product selection and other as the most

common reasons for not ordering.

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The relationship between the population of interests and those who have never ordered is

statistically significant with price. Those who have never ordered find price to be prohibitive.

When compared with the population of interest it is apparent that those who have ordered more

than four times the relationship surrounding convenience, price, product selection, reliability,

shipping concerns and prior experience were statistically and practically insignificant. However,

when comparing the two groups’ answers to “nothing prevents me from buying” the difference is

statistically significant in that those who purchased more than 4 times say there is nothing

stopping them, while the population of interest says the opposite.

The most common answers among the “other” category included the following:

• Limited product selection

• Decent prices, but not significantly different

• Waiting for Harvest Fresh

• Amazon has free shipping

• Want bulk sizes

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Question 13 asks the survey taker to rate the usability of the GPDB website. The mean of the

entire sample population was 7.61 with 95percent confidence and a standard deviation of 2.05,

meaning the website is fairly easy to navigate.

Question 14 is purely qualitative and asks what would make the website easier to navigate.

Question 15 asks which social media sites users would like to use when interacting with

GPDB. While Facebook ranks highest, it is worth noting that “none of the above” is next and the

qualitative data from the “other” category overwhelming illustrates that member of the GPDB

are not fans of social media.

Question 16 asks how often the population of interest would like to receive email from

GPDB. Of those surveyed 35percent answered “once a week,” while 27percent answered “once a

month.”

Question 17 asks survey takers to check all special dietary needs. See chart below.

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Question 18 is qualitative and asks the consumer what their most favorite aspect of

GPDB is.

Question 19 is qualitative and asks the consumer what their least favorite aspect of

GPDB is.

Question 20 is qualitative and addresses the likelihood of a GPDB shopper

recommending the service to others.

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Social Media

Analytics

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Social Media Analytics

As the world grows increasingly more aware of the organic and non-GMO products out

there, discussion on social media is rising. These conversations take place on many platforms

and come from several types of profiles, both corporate and individual accounts. Although social

media is constantly changing, it is also growing in its power and influence, and we can learn

much from studying the interactions taking place on it.

Influentials

There are several people talking about organic on social media, including influential

profiles such as Forbes, BET, National Post and Readers Digest. However, there are two types of

influentials: temporary and constant. Those previously listed are temporary. They are established

profiles that have a large following and a large reach through social media, but are not seen as

experts on organic topics. For example, BET is talking about organic because of an initiative

Snoop Dog has: by partnering with Reed’s Ginger Brew, he is bringing organic produce to

children in Jamaica. There is also currently a lot of talk about Oprah’s new line of organic food,

which should continue to boost conversations across several social media platforms. Those that

are constant influentials are profiles such as Art Markman, Ph.D., OrganicLivefood, and other

health profiles as well as individuals. While their reach might not be as broad as those temporary

influencers, they are seen as experts and often have a loyal following. For example, many

bloggers have Facebook pages, Google+ profiles and Twitter accounts. Their followers know

that the content they provide is trustworthy, and many look to them for opinions and advice. The

following tweets show this contrast:

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While Linkedin has a greater reach than Kid Kritics or Ellen Briggs, their influence is temporary

(just while sharing the job opening at GPDB.) However, Kid Kritics is an established profile

sharing information and links which are healthy for children, and those that retweet Kid Kritics

are searching for that information. The same can be said for tweets such as this:

This particular profile is an individual who is an expert in healthy living, and regularly shares

tips, discounts, and other links with her followers. It generates awareness of GPDB without

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being a paid advertisement. This kind of influence is trusted more than a sponsored tweet or post

by a company or brand.

Location and Tonality

Most of the chatter about organic is happening on the west coast, with large pockets of

influence in California, Oregon and Washington. However, there are are smaller pockets of

influence throughout the nation, with some higher concentrations in Texas and the upper east

coast. Worldwide there are a few conversations, with higher pockets of influence throughout

Europe. Since social media is so widespread, influence is not purely demographic in nature. The

spread and effect of organic articles and recipes can truly be applicable anywhere, while

particular products as found with GPDB is targeted toward national consumption.

The tonality of these conversations is, in large part, neutral. This can be attributed to the

fact that much of the conversation about organic is simply the sharing of information, such as

articles and studies about various elements of organic living. Nuvi reported that 75 percent of

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social media conversations were neutral, with 20 percent being positive and 5 percent as

negative. However, a further search into some of these negative posts found that they weren’t

inherently negative, but simply sharing something that could be construed as such. This is

impacted by the news; for example, recently the nation’s largest organic peanut butter processor,

Sunland, was shut down in its operations by the FDA. Although this has not yet impacted social

media results, news such as this along with studies shared about organic produce and non-GMO

products affect the tonality of the conversation greatly. Currently, organic is a rising positive

trend on social media. According to Forbes, Oprah's organic product line is a sound business

decision with the current health and food climate, and the effects of the line--even though it’s not

in production yet--is already hitting social media platforms. “Organic is the hottest growth

segment in the supermarket industry,” Robert Vosburgh, group editor Supermarket News, said.

“The market is still growing at around 10% a year so there’s room for new products in all

categories.”

As seen in this word cloud, particular articles being shared also affects the buzz words

associated with organic and GPDB. Many of these words are attributed to a highly shared article

about how people learned to grow their own organic food in less than eight hours. However, it is

helpful to see some commonly used terms among those talking organic on social media

platforms. Most of the contributing keywords were from articles, both from large temporary

influentials as well as smaller constant influentials, both organizations and individuals. This is

most likely due to the fact that most of the influence came from Twitter (see Platforms).

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Platforms

According to Nuvi, Twitter contains the most chatter about organic, with RSS feeds

(including blogs) having significantly less, followed by Google and YouTube. However, Nuvi

does not take into account all of the discussions happening on Facebook, through individual

profiles as well as pages such as GPDB. There are many people who are on Facebook but not on

Twitter. Although Twitter allows for a faster flow of shared information such as articles and

studies, as well as industry and topic-specific chats, Facebook is the largest social media

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platform in the world, and still used heavily by many consumers to gain opinions and advice

from friends.

YouTube has been a powerful platform for GPDB in the past, as consumers sent in their

videos explaining why they loved the service. As YouTube is the second largest search engine

and feeds directly into Google search results, this can be a very powerful thing. However, the last

video was posted two months ago, and more current (and frequent) engagement needs to occur

for this to be powerful.

RSS feeds, in the form of both individual blogs as well as content posted on various

websites, are also talking about organic. Several survey members said they read blogs to get

opinions and hear news about organic living and products. These blog posts are also shared

through Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and visual social media sites such as Pinterest.

Visual Social Media

Pinterest has more than 10 million unique users, and studies have found these users to be

purchasing items found through the site more than through LinkedIn, Twitter, StumbledUpon,

and Google+. Food is the fourth most popular category on Pinterest, and many people have

boards that are dedicated to healthy eating, organics, and similar. On these boards, there is

content from sites such as Trader Joe’s, iHerb, Vitacost, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Azure

Standard, and GPDB. In fact, a search via PinAlerts found more than 187 pins were tagged as

belonging to GPDB. Many of these pins are of the delivery box or banner, and even more contain

products found on the website. The most popular pinned product from the website is the

Superfood Oat Based Cereal, a highly ordered item. Each of these pins refer people back to

GPDB when a user clicks through to see the source of the pin. Each of GPDB competitor

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websites listed above have pins that are actively being created, with an average of one to three

pins per day. Some sites such as Trader Joe’s are extremely active, reaching more than 10 pins in

a day from its site. Although iHerb pins much of its own content, most of these pins are created

by various consumers who have Pinterest accounts. The products being pinned can also be found

on GPDB, such as the following pin:

Brands can not only leverage Pinterest through the amount of pins leading to their

company websites, but also through their own corporate Pinterest accounts. According to

Mashable, Whole Foods is one of the top 10 brands on Pinterest. With more than 14,738

followers, Whole Foods shares not only products, but articles on organic living, recipes, and

other tips through their boards. Their pins are constantly being shared, which include several pins

that lead directly back to their website for consumers to purchase.

According to CNET, there are more than 80 million users on Instagram sharing more than

4 billion photos daily, and this number is actively rising. Facebook’s acquisition of the company

in April is another strong indicator of how powerful the mobile visual media site is. Users can

share their Instagram photos on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter, making the reach of these photos

even greater.

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A search on statigr.am found that 364,179 photos carry the “organic” hashtag. There are

several other hashtags under organic, such as “organicgarden”, “organicmilk”, and

“organicveggies”; the hashtag “organicfood” is on 4,620 photos. There was also one photo

tagged “greenpolkadotbox”:

This photo contains products received through GPDB, and although it is unknown whether this

photo was shared through other social media sites, on Instagram it collected 25 likes and three

comments.

Recommendations

GPDB currently has a Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube account.

LikeAlyzer gave the GPDB Facebook page a score of 69 (out of 100) and suggested encouraging

fans to like posts, publishing more often, and asking engaging questions to make the page more

effective. Response time is crucial on social media as well, so GPDB would not only do well to

encourage fans to like and post their own content, but also to respond in kind to those posts.

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Until this month, the GPDB Twitter account had not been used since July. In order to gain a

larger following and establish itself as an industry expert in organic, GPDB should tweet more

often and work on engaging with followers. Commenting on tweets--even if they aren’t about

products--can be beneficial in building a relationship of trust. Adding additional videos on

YouTube will be helpful in several ways: first, it gives additional content to boost the brand.

Secondly, it can be cross-posted to sites such as Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter; and thirdly,

anything done within Google’s suite, including YouTube and Google+, will improve that brand’s

ranking on Google searches.

Along with improving the profiles of the platforms GPDB is already on, we strongly

recommend creating a corporate Pinterest account, and considering expanding to Instagram and

Google+ in the future. Creating a Pinterest account would not only build awareness and

strengthen the brand, but the website is rich with images of products and sales, along with

campaigns such as the recent GPDB Facebook pumpkin recipe contest. Additionally, campaigns

and news can be shared across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest both individually and

collectively, although we do not recommend cross-posting everything. Each platform contains a

different audience, and the consumers reached on Pinterest will be looking for something

different than those on Twitter. There are also a variety of services available to help maintain a

consistent presence on these social media sites, such as tweet, post, and pin schedulers. We

recommend a strategic weekly approach to social media: deciding what will be posted on the

individual sites throughout the week and scheduling those times in, along with additional check-

in times to purely engage with people on each platform. The more that GPDB engages with its

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current consumers, prospective customers, surrounding influentials, and even competitors, the

more it will establish itself as a trusted industry expert.

Finally, the more involved GPDB becomes on social media, the easier it will be to

connect with influentials such as organic food and healthy living bloggers and circulate the buzz.

For example, if a blogger does a post about a special or product on the website, GPDB should be

thanking them and reposting the link to the blog post on its social media sites. This will not only

be seen as proper etiquette, but will also enforce brand recognition. Finally, in improving

existing while adding additional social media platforms, GPDB will also improve their SEO, as

many use sites like Twitter and YouTube for searches. Google page rankings will also increase

and ultimately, GPDB should see increased traffic to the website.

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Strategic Recommendations

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Strengths

Organic consumption is a rising trend as more people are becoming aware of the health

effects from eating processed and GMO foods. These consumers also have strong values that

reinforce brand loyalty, and the members of GPDB believe in the mission of this online grocer.

The company’s family brand also breeds trust and loyalty among its members. In fact, the

majority of the members of GPBD who do not shop on the site regularly have opinions aligned

with those who do shop frequently. GPDB also offers prices that are lower than its competitors,

including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Weaknesses

GPDB is lacking in produce as well as refrigerated and frozen products such as meat.

This lack of fresh produce is common with online companies, resulting in fewer organically

minded shoppers buying food online. In addition, many consumers want the opportunity to

purchase bulk quantities of product, which is not currently available. As an online company,

GPDB should be targeting audiences that are online. However, the majority of active GPBD

members are over the age of 55—an audience that is not generally known for its computer

literacy. As a result, this public tends to find information about organic food choices through

traditional media and website searches. The GPBD website has weak search engine optimization,

and it is difficult to find using a Google search. Although GPDB has a Facebook page, Twitter

account, and YouTube account, its social media presence is also lacking. Because of this weak

brand perception both on and offline, GPDB is perceived by some publics as inconvenient,

expensive, and unreliable.

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Opportunities

The trend of organic is growing, with average growth of about 10 percent yearly. Main

shoppers at GPDB choose to shop because they believe in the mission of the company, which is

an attractive quality for potential consumers. Finding a way to get these members to interact with

potential members could also have definite benefits to GPDB. Organic living is a not just a

lifestyle choice, but a community, both on and offline. This opens up a plethora of opportunities

for GPDB to establish itself as an expert in the organic market and engage directly with current

and potential consumers. As GPDB is currently working on expanding their product selection to

include more produce as well as refrigerated and frozen items, this offers additional

opportunities.

Threats

Competitors such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have large followings of loyal

customers, and other sites such as Amazon, iHerb.com and VitaCost also sell organic products.

Due to their size, Amazon can offer low prices in addition to little to no shipping cost, something

GPDB cannot currently do for orders under $75. Many of these competitors also offer reward

systems, such as discounted rates for increased quantities. Many organically minded shoppers

find mail-order shopping to be counterintuitive to their way of life—it causes packaging waste

through shipping, energy inefficiency through transportation and removes the benefits of eating

local. Finally, those interested in the organic-food lifestyle are part of a community of which

GPDB is not currently an active part. Unless they can increase their influence and recognition in

the community, this will become a greater threat as other competitors fill the space.

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Situation Analysis

The Green PolkaDot Box is an online organic grocery distributor based in Utah. They

cater to organic consumers who live in the United States. They currently have just over 16,000

customers, the majority of whom have free memberships. Of the current members,

approximately 1,500 order on a regular basis. Currently, they are trying to cater stay-at-home

moms in their 30s. However, most GPDB shoppers are women, over the age of 55 without

children at home. As a result, most of their current shoppers are not interested in social media.

This limits GPDB’s ability to grow via social media. Additionally, as an online organic grocer,

GPDB is at a disadvantage because they are not local and as result is not part of the local organic

community.

Core Problem Statement

If The Green PolkaDot Box fails to increase their active customer base and develop their

brand recognition, both on- and offline, they will miss opportunities for increased revenue and

expansion.

Strategies & Tactics

Current Public – Women 55 and older

Traditional Media – West Coast magazines, Dr.’s Office pamphlets, improve SEO for

Google searches, combine with local events (farmer’s markets, sponsor cancer walk,

women’s expo like Winder Farms)

Stay-at-home Moms

See Social Media recommendations

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

The most important result we found in this research study is that Green Polkadot Box has

an incredible potential for growth in the organic community, but with a public that they haven’t

intentionally focused on. The company has two major publics, one which can only be reached

through traditional media and another that is primarily targeted through social media. Using

organic food and products is a lifestyle for some and a hot trend for others, but for both crowds

GPDB needs to get more involved in the movement.

With a great idea and sturdy business plan, GPDB has a fair amount of faithful members

who are excited to see the company expand. There are many unreached people who would love

to get involved in an organization like the GPDB but don’t know it exists. Through our research

we gathered information to find out what members love about GPDB and what they would like

to change about GPDB. This information has helped us solidify the publics that GPDB wants and

how to reach more people in those ideal publics.

The majority of current GPDB members are over the age of 55. Originally when GPDB

presented this case to us they said their target market was young families, specifically stay at

home mothers with young kids. Both the younger and the older crowd enjoy organic foods and

the convenience of at-home delivery but the older crowd is more willing to deal with shipping

costs and delivery delays. The younger public, even down to single college students are a great

market but haven’t been reached through their main channel of communication: social media.

The traditional media that best reaches the over 50 age group includes books, newspaper

articles, magazine articles, television advertisements and brochures. GPDB placement in all of

these mediums would greatly benefit the increasing of the current membership majority

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population. The location of these placements is also a factor. Other than inside a gym, the place

everyone hears the most about healthy living is in a doctor’s office. Health magazines, brochures

or flyers in a doctor’s office would be perfect because a patient who just heard about how they

need to improve their eating habits will immediately see a GPDB brochure and be interested in

participating.

Social media can be daunting because there is a variety of different outlets and

influentials to monitor. A successful social media campaign has a much larger reach than any

traditional media outlet, so it is vital to join the cyber conversations. Studies have been released

that the number one user of Facebook and Pinterest are young stay at home mothers. If this is the

public GPDB wants to target then social media, especially Facebook and Pinterest, are areas they

need to dive into.

Due to the nature of our research the results where limited. The limitations include

specifically a lack of desire to participate in the study and geographical restraints excluding focus

group participants from outside of Utah County.

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