AboutAlex J. Caffarini Expertise I can answer questions on any of the following:
* Determining the best marketing research method for your needs;
* Conducting surveys (including questionnaire design);
* Measuring the effectiveness of marketing promotions;
* Determining market size or market share;
* Data analysis;
* Statistical modeling;
* Sales or business forecasting; and
* Market segmentation.
Experience I have 15 years of marketing research experience across several different industries, including banking, insurance, retail, and non-profit.
Organizations American Marketing Association
Education/Credentials M.B.A. in Marketing and Quantitative Methods, and B.B.A. in Economics, both from Loyola University Chicago.
I am a business professor and my students and I are doing a research project to gauge the viability of selling an Asian noodle product in the US market.
We have a few questions that I hope you might be able to answer :
1. What challenges would an Asian noodle manufacturer likely face when selling this type of product in the US market place ?
2. How can these challenges be best addressed ?
3. What entry mode would you recommend for a company seeking to sell a new food product in the US ?
Would be grateful for your insights.
Answer Mark,
I get the impression that the manufacturer of the Asian noodles is based outside the U.S., and is not a U.S. food manufacturer introducing a line of Asian noodles. In addition, your question suggests this company has not introduced its noodles into the U.S. I am going to base my answers on those two assumptions.
The key challenges of selling Asian noodles will include:
*Trade restrictions (tariffs, quotas, etc.);
*Competition from more established noodle manufacturers;
*Obtaining shelf space in retail stores;
*Determining the size of the market for Asian noodles in the U.S.;
*Creating awareness and encouraging trial of your noodles; and
*Keeping abreast of dietary trends in the U.S.
How you address these challenges depends on your marketing strategy, your target customer, and your budget. If, for instance, you were positioning your noodles as an upscale brand, you might try to introduce them in retail stores in wealthy ZIP codes (using Claritas' PRIZM, for example), or at upscale stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. If your target market is Asian immigrants and/or first-generation Asian-Americans, you might want to put your product into ethnic food stores or in supermarkets located in areas with high Asian-American populations.
Based on the information you provided about your product, the go-to-market strategy that I recommend would be:
1. Establish a joint venture or partnership with a U.S.-based distributor (this will help minimize the impact of trade restrictions);
2. Determine the markets within the U.S. that have the largest concentrations of your target customers;
3. Use surveys to determine your target customers' awareness of competition, purchase of Asian noodles, disposable income, and dietary tastes;
4. Test market your noodles in some of those markets, either in-store, and/or at fairs, festivals, etc.;
5. Convince retailers to stock your noodles (offering to buy back any unsold inventory from them will make them more willing);
6. Promote your noodles in those markets in a way that a) creates awareness (TV, advertising)and b) encourages trial (coupons, samples, in-store taste tests);
7. Encourage repeat trial with in-package or on-package coupons and recipes.
