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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Brand Challenge
the
project
Vendor Persona
Business: Food industry
Size: Small - Medium
Location: Within the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh)
Style/Niche: Local/high-quality & handmade with a story to tell
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Where Looma Fits
The Vendor
The Retailer
Every business has a story and sometimes the story can be just as compelling, if not even more so, than the product itself. Companies that began as mom-and-pop shops, bright ideas from college students or anything in-between. The only thing more important than sales for these companies is the ability to measure those sales. They are embracers of innovation and interested in reaching out to customers in a new way.
Retailer Persona
Persona Story
Business: Premium Grocery Stores
Size: Small/Specialty - Medium
Role: Purchasing Director
Style/Niche: Carry premium and local artisan brands
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Persona Story
Key Attributes
Key Attributes
Challenges
Values
Main Target
Secondary Target
Tight Budgets
Larger Brands
Higher Prices
Finding new retailers
Consumer Awareness
Measuring sales
High Quality Product
Local brand
Relationships
Slim margins
Scant resources
Challenges
Values
Authenticity
Quality
Relationships
Denise buys products for Dean & DeLuca to use or resell. She evaluates suppliers, negotiates contracts, reviews product quality, and often supervises one other purchasing agents. Denise also works with the owners and general manager to curate and select products for the flagship NYC store for various seasonal or promotional periods, and as such, she has the ability to influence new products to test (in store) to determine long term product availability.
Transparent Pricing
Availability
Value added expertise in merchandising or promotions
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Independent thinker
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Balances multiple priorities and stakeholders
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Fiscally responsible
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Technically advanced
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On Trend (Know what’s “hot” in food)
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Offers engineered scarcity) of products
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Highest product quality
“My biggest challenge is actually balancing all of my challenges, whilst making sure that the products I select and purchase fulfill the brand promise of artisanal, hand crafted, rare foods that can only be found at Dean & DeLuca. The end goal of my job is always the same: find the next “great” product that will balance all the forces AND show that it drove and increase in D&D sales (SSS/sq foot).”
Source: Dean & DeLuca Purchasing Director
Source: Local artisan brand owners
"We make our [coffee/product] because we had a passion for it. We saw an opportunity that fit our passion and we took it. We are selective to the places that we sell to because we not only want to make sure we have the right retailers, but we want our retailers to be excited about selling it."
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Authentic product
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Independent thinker
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Cares about product and quality
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Fiscally responsible
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Dedication to the brand
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Industry Pro
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Always learning/creating
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Highest product quality
Tight budget
Proof of Product success/concept
Increasing competition & consumer perception
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