The presence of physical outlets can be extremely crucial for business growth. These outlets serve as direct touchpoints where customers can engage with products or services in person. They offer a tangible and personalized experience that online channels often need to improve. Physical outlets help build brand awareness, establish trust, and provide opportunities for immediate sales. Additionally, they can attract local customers who prefer offline stores. Physical outlets can significantly expand a business's reach and foster long-term success.

Look at the desired situation, our client's brand, which is diving into QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) is facing the problem; the outlet's performance still needs to be improved. Through this situation, our client seeks the best and most effective strategy to acquire more customers. To meet the need, Clove Research & Marketing Analytics do to capture brand awareness and identify the touchpoint from each segment; To understand motivation, triggers and barriers from each consumer segment; And have a marketing strategy for future development to acquire more customers.

To achieve research objectives (awareness and usage experience, brand evaluation, and marketing strategy), we did several phases of qualitative research: 

• We did Face to Face Interviews with respondents who had general criteria: male and female, 15-35 years old, SEC Upper I, Upper II, Middle I, Consuming QSR product at least once in two weeks, Aware of the product, Coverage in a specific area.
• The respondent’s recruited based on the quota required at the beginning.
• The respondents need to be made aware of the product's brand name to avoid the brand image during testing, a blinded system.
• Divided the concern by being aware not to try and lapser.
• All data is collected by aided and will be uploaded directly after the interview.

To gain and win the heart’s consumers, we should know the QSR Market Competition based on the Top 3 QSRs by identifying their menus, the name of dishes, and their locations. Taken from a previous study, we found that the average visited QSR in this region is the least compared to other regions, and our client’s brand is in third position for brand usage (by region). Besides that, we also need to know the marketing activities of our client’s brand to get the clearest brand performance after being pushed with some activities. Then, for deeper information on brand performance, we divide into four concerns: the food taste, less easy to reach, getting into “favourite and trusted QSR,” and less familiarity.

First, we divided the food taste into mental taste (aware but not try) or opinion before trying the product and physical taste (lapse) or opinion after trying the product. For the first one, we found that some respondents did not like the taste, and it made them less curious to try; The cheese also feels not good enough, so they felt they would not like the cheese taste; Then, it also affected the whole menu that they feel do not like or maybe do not want to try. On the other hand, for the physical taste, we found that the overall taste is less tasty for consumers in this region; Get confirmation from the lapser category that they also do not like the specific menu because it is not good, so the taste is not suitable for them; The complementary is also not suitable for consumers in this region. The consistent feedback has proven that consumers want to have better taste, both mentally and physically.

Second, it’s about the location. More than half of consumers also mentioned the location when they chose QSR they would visit (52%). A brand is the fourth option to choose, which means we can still influence consumers to choose our brand as long we can deliver taste, price, and location. That is why location is important. And based on research, they might want to go to our client’s brand if they can improve their product and add an outlet location.

Third, get into consumer favourite and trusted QSR! Both of aware not try and lapser category; we found a big gap between our client’s brand and competitors. The important factor for consumers is about favourite QSR brands, which have the best taste, trusted brands. In comparison, a level menu is an attribute that is not important when choosing the QSR. Then for the brand image itself, our client’s brand has to do more to achieve a favourite and trusted brand. Innovation is already improved it. The most potential would be to provide conveniences, such as a children’s playground, parking, lots of tables and chairs, and provide other payment methods and various menus to choose from, even affordable prices that are valued for money — 28% of respondents’ reason not choosing our client’s product due to expensive. 

Last is our client’s brand still less familiar than their competitors. 29% of consumers did not make our client’s brand their preference QSR. 47% of consumers know the brand from word of mouth, especially their friends. Then 33% of them get the information from advertising on television and 26% from Facebook. Interestingly, there is 26% of consumers mostly directly visit the store.

After did some research, we offer some recommendations. For short-term strategy, we recommend enhancing the product's taste. Our client can show another menu suitable to the consumer's preferences. More than that, our client also have to check the preference of their target in this specific area by doing product test. To ensure that the product meets the market target, our client should communicate more clearly by starting a campaign — put more highlight at the product.

On the other hand, for medium-term strategy, our client should make the location of their outlet easy to reach. It can start by capturing from another potential area where competitors are not there, and the surround is potential to grab. Our client also should have noticed signage or at least a banner/billboard that is unique and stands out strategically to increase the awareness of our client's brand. Moreover, our client also should do campaigns online to get more consumers by ordering their products from the application.

To sustain a business, we deliver a long-term strategy; to build the image over time! It can start with being a trusted brand with some attributes by generating the image by providing some facilities, including payment methods and communicating with the consumer about it. Provide various menus that the short-term strategy will also drive. Then maintain the great innovation already owned by our client's brand.