Various `reasons’ can produce a research result for a unit that shows `low home zipcodes’ locally - compared to the full data. As I indicated in Part 1 - some stores can have figures as low as having only 23% or so of their customer base coming from their main two home zipcodes - other stores can be as high as over 50%.  One reason for a low figure might be the stores proximity to an interstate or along a very busy business corridor. Indeed, by have REAL customer data via the MarketView - an owner can establish a particular level as a goal - focusing efforts in the market to establish a minimum home market for all units. 

In Part 2 - I showed that these different levels of `home zipcodes’ in a customer base could mean the difference of having 10,000 available customers to market to versus under 5,000 (meaning available customers in the top two zipcodes to a store - often the one the store is in and the next nearest - most primary areas for homes to the unit). Once again, with the customer data - owners can decide best how to allocate marketing funds.

So, what else can be done with MarketView Customer Base data?

How about taking the known number of customers in a given zipcode and compare that to the census figures for how many live in a zipcode - and - voila - you suddenly have the Penetration Percentage of Customers within a zipcode for a FF unit. And, real research can show differences in these top two zipcodes of units to vary from 6% to over 20%. (The final penetration figure is the number of users as opposed to customers - and yes - the MarketView gives you that by knowing the nunber of customers per order.)

Finally, knowing this real data - via the MarketView - allows for the allocation of funds to achieve an objective; be it - boosting the poorest of penetration stores or targeting the best penetrated stores.

More Restaurant Links for Today:

http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/25/kfc-double-down-chicken-sandwich-loses-the-bun/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl4|link5|http%3A%2F%2F  KFC new product an amazing sight — I can see protests by the food police on this one. Must see picture.

http://www.rimag.com/info/CA6670228.html The 400 largest restaurant chains. Lots of sales data too.

http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=15565&na=1&s=2 Popeye’s Chicken sales higher.

When you use the MarketView design - part of the findings via our customer base formula - tells the owner, literally, an estimate on `how many’ customers do I have at this unit. Then, when that is combined with the knowledge of what percentage of transactions are with customers in the top two zipcodes for a store — the operator ends up knowing the number of customers that live in a certain zipcode(s).

In the same market I spoke of yesterday - one store had over 11,000 customers who lived in the top two zipcodes to that store; whereas, other stores had less than 5,000 customers in the top two zipcodes. So, once again, in this time of limited marketing dollars - targeting the most customers is good business and smart money.

More restaurant links for you:

http://www.nrn.com/breakingNews.aspx?id=370226 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s sales slip in June, July.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ak1s1RK9PVp4 Wendy’s and Arby’s sales off too. This link also talks about how restaurant visits overall were down for the first time since 1981 (shows how my post about spring research `expecting an increase’ was dead on http://restauranttradearearesearch.com/2009/04/19/does-new-restaurant-research-point-to-real-surge-in-confidence-and-more-restaurant-spending-or-not/)

http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=15504&na=1&s=2 Taco Bell about to add breakfast.

http://www.couponcravings.com/2009/08/wednesday-free-fruittea-with-sandwich.html Arby’s `free sandwich’ with drink purchase today.

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/07/06/new-mcdonalds-to-include-recharging-stations-for-electric-cars/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloggingstocks.com%2F2009%2F07%2F06%2Fnew-mcdonalds-to-include-recharging-stations-for-electric-cars%2F Yep, McDonald’s to offer re-charging for electric cars at some new units.

Part of the data the MarketView I offer asks the customer for their zipcode - pretty basic. Yet, the outcome of the data - can paint a very revealing picture of a stores customer base. Indeed, let me paint that picture with REAL data from a MarketView project.

For example, in a recent MarketView with over 10 units - the range of customers who came from the stores main two zipcodes - varied from 23% to 58%. And, as I have mentioned many times already in this blog - stores with similar sales figures often have totally different individual marketing needs. Indeed, since the above figures are real - lets say in a fairly large market that you buy a full zipcode distribution for your Fast Food Brands restaurant coupons into the homes of your market.

Not too hard to figure out which ones will do the best - does it?

What if you decided to save some cash and only target the stores that have their data show that over 50% of the stores customer base comes from the top two zipcodes? Pretty smart - don’t you think? And, is a real targeting of your marketing dollars.

Here’s some other FF restaurant links of interest:

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/082309/bus_485065787.shtml After the boost from an Obama visit - 5 Guys hamburgers is up to 450 stores.

Church’s Chicken benefits from goodwill from $20,000 giveaway - http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=15523&prc=66&page=58 Being local, giving a sense of helping in this down economic time - important.

JPMorgan downgrades Burger King on sales - http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/08/03/ap6733181.html This is based solely on the continued unemployment seen in 2010 - which will affect all FF restaurants.