Cabot Creamery

Business Challenge

In their effort to become a greener company, Cabot set out to develop sustainable packaging options for its flagship 8-ounce cheese bars. As part of their exploration of alternative packaging, Cabot wanted to understand how their approach aligned with consumers’ aspirational values and practical needs. As this was a new initiative that would impact customer experience for a core product, they needed to understand consumer attitudes and experiences more deeply than they could with a typical survey.
 
The company already had a robust community of over 5,000 Cabot cheese lovers—a highly engaged audience excited to share their feedback. The market research team wanted to balance the voice of these loyal customers with people who aren’t as familiar with the Cabot brand, across multiple demographics and regions of the United States.

Solution

Cabot conducted evaluative qualitative research through live video discussions with consumers. This methodology allowed Cabot to test how consumers felt about the feel and usability of the packaging, see how they handled it, and ask open-ended questions.

Prior to joining a video focus group to share their feedback, research participants received samples of Cabot cheese in sustainable packaging so they could experience it first-hand (and enjoy some free cheese). Coordination for this study was critical, as it was important for consumers to receive the samples prior to the video discussions and be prepared for the discussion format.

Recruiting a diverse, pre-screened audience

Alida’s managed services team helped Cabot achieve a balance of brand loyalists and those new to the brand. Cabot’s existing insight community was already deeply profiled, making it easy to segment members suitable for the focus groups. Those community members received a brief, low-effort screening survey, which yielded a high response rate.

Coordinating online and offline efforts

The Alida team streamlined the coordination of scheduling participants and setting up the focus groups, saving Cabot market research team considerable time and taking stress off their shoulders. After the live sessions, Alida also coordinated the fulfillment of additional incentives as thank-you gifts for research participants.

“Great support from Alida let us focus on the people instead of the data, and that gets you the most community feedback you could ever ask for,” shared Allison Couto of Cabot’s market research team.

Moderating group discussions

Allison moderated the focus groups, while Alida was there to support her behind the scenes. Allison’s colleague acted as a silent moderator, managing the questions that participants submitted through the Alida platform. Other Cabot team members were able to observe in the background, acting as a back-up resource and sending Allison a note if she encountered a question she couldn’t answer.

“You can get data from a survey, but seeing is believing. The video discussions helped us understand the “why” and the effects on the consumer,” Allison shared. “With video, you can ask immediate questions and get feedback that you wouldn’t get otherwise.”

Following up with participants

After the Cabot team reviewed the findings, they also used the Alida platform for follow-up surveys to the people who had joined the video discussions. “It’s really helpful to have an easy way to follow up when you realize that you should have asked something else to fully understand what that means for Cabot, and to give us actionable next steps,” said Allison.

Results

Based on the findings, Cabot’s development team made an informed decision about sustainable packaging. They felt confident that their packing changes aligned with consumers’ desire for sustainability and practical functionality.

Cabot’s sustainability project is having a positive impact on the environment. Later this year, Cabot plans to transition to 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging, which will result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel requirements by up to 25%, alongside significant water savings during manufacturing.