Whole Foods. In the name itself you get a sense that their goal is to focus on natural, healthy foods to nourish and sustain the body. If I could sum their advertising strategy into two words I would call it healthy convenience. Not just convenience for families and couples but also single people. It is important to get buy-in from people who will be consistent consumers. When you go on their website the subheadings at the top are all basically listing the beneficial aspects of the country that can assist those on the day to day. Things like, “pick-up and delivery options”, “weekly sales” and “lunch and dinner to go” are titles that will catch the attention of a variety of demographics of consumers. The home page has a variety of bright colored foods with their brand to give a clean, unique look. In planning a needs assessment for Whole Foods I would want to push out ads in schools and self care places to attract more people who I feel would reap the benefits of the brand; and continually shop due to wanting their lifestyle to reflect Whole Food’s mission.
The questions I would ask in the needs assessment would be centered around the demographics in the different areas where the stores are loathed. I would want to get answers on the types of food that the demographic eats and what they would want to have prepared when they come to the Whole Foods in their area. Other stores with readily prepared meals do a similar thing to cater to the preferences of food in various areas with different tastes. I would ask to see the statistics for families in the area to determine we should focus more on family meals and kits or individual meals. I would also ask for data on surrounding supermarkets to see on average how often customers come to their stores (once a week, every 3 days, etc.)
An aspect you cannot forget about when doing a needs assessment is an evaluation of the staff. I would like to know what they think can be done to improve the customer’s experience as well as their own. Then asking the customers how their experience could be improved I would compare what the employees said to their response to see not only overlap, but differences and see what assumptions can be made. This can assist in bridging the gap between any misunderstandings that may occur between the two groups. I would then do the same thing with employees and management.
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Hi Halle,
Great blog and many fail to ask the staff opinion on how to improve situations. The staff are the individuals who interface daily with the customers and their crazy requests. LOL! Taking the opportunity to bridge the gap between the store and customer needs is how to continue the growth of the Whole Food Stores. They do a lot with keeping customers returning but like you say “there is always room for improvement”.