Customer Mapping - B2B Market Research
SUMMARY
PMG conducted a b2b market research project which included a customer mapping exercise to provide a PET bottle manufacturer with a current and comprehensive database of potential customers to support their sales and marketing efforts. The customer mapping generated a detailed profile of most bottle filler end users in the defined market to provide insight on potential customers to assist in future customer acquisition. As a result of the project, PMG provided the company with a user friendly business tool to expand and grow beyond their current market position.
SITUATION
A leading packaging company and producer of PET bottles required in-depth market research and analysis of PET bottle users and fillers in the U.S. as part of a strategy to expand their business base beyond known strengths in the beverage and other selected food markets. PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic polymer resin), is a material widely used in carbonated beverage container production as well as a variety of packaged water products. The bottle producer also needed key qualitative information, such as unmet needs in various markets, market trends, and overall customer satisfaction levels about PET bottles to better understand and identify new selling opportunities. The company believed it would be beneficial to update the incomplete data they were currently using.
PMG SOLUTION
PMG’s market research focused on a customer mapping approach for the client based on six product segments: juices (hot fill/shelf-stable), teas, sports beverage, energy drinks, functional waters and dairy. First, PMG developed a list of all known companies operating within the defined market. Next, PMG attempted to contact each company to gather information on their capacity, production, key needs and other key buying criteria. PMG compiled all of this information into a central database that was then provided to support the client’s sales and marketing initiatives. The market research and customer mapping process generated a detailed profile of most end-users in the market as defined by the six product segments within the geographic region of interest to give the company a tool to expand their business base beyond their current areas of strength.
RESULTS
PMG’s customer research approach produced a clean, user-friendly database as shown that provided the bottle producer critical data that was used to identify targets and prioritize sales efforts. Each database record contained company contact information, the company’s website address, sources of data, as well as a table clearly identifying various product types, specific product brand names, fill information, bottle size and volume data.
The producer used this information to jump start their sales effort, giving their sales force needed direction and insight to focus their efforts where it would be most productive.
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