Laura is a busy mother of two who shops at Lucky's Market because she feels they take as much care in their grocery selection as she does in making her weekly shopping list. She appreciates their reasonably priced organic produce and knowledgeable meat counter. Laura wants healthy yet kid-friendly options for her children. While time is limited, she remains loyal to Lucky's for their attentive staff and care for customers.
2. After speaking with a wide variety of Lucky’s customers, the store
management, cashiers, and even the barista at the nearby café, we
came up with some pretty exciting conclusions about the type of
people that choose to shop at Lucky’s Market.
We found four overarching themes: Care, convenience, comfort,
and consideration. People chose Lucky’s because of the quality of
the food, the close proximity to North Boulder neighborhoods, and the
sense of community at the store.
They even provided some suggestions to improve the shopping
experience at Lucky’s. From our themes, we were able to create three
distinct (and fictional) character profiles that best summed up the
landscape and variety of people that choose Lucky’s as their grocery
store. Each profile was developed based on the positive affirmations
(care, convenience, comfort) that customers shared with our team.
3. GEORGE, 55
Convenience Shopper
George’s Background
George is a professor of Geography at CU specializing in Hy-
drologic Sciences. He has taught for 12 years and his research
has taken him to all corners of the world. He likes to travel and
has a particular affinity for discovering food cultures outside
of the U.S. He doesn’t live by a brand-centric lifestyle but he
likes authentic retailers like Levi’s, Salomon trail shoes, and a
solid Marmot windbreaker that he has had for several years.
George is a true Colorado native and enjoys an active lifestyle
including hiking, skiing in the winter months, and cyclocross
races. He drives a Toyota highlander because it’s dependable
and fits his active lifestyle.
4. GEORGE, 55
Convenience Shopper
Typical Grocery Trip George’s Needs
George is a convenient shopper whose main motivation
to come to Lucky’s is to pick up 5-7 small grocery items 1. Accessibility- The parking lot and
on his way home as per requested by his wife. Because store flow should be efficient to minimize
George is tenured at the university, he has the financial the time George has to spend in the
ease of shopping at Whole Foods, but he prefers a gro- grocery store.
cery store that is in close proximity to his home. George
does not do the majority of the grocery shopping, but 2. Specialty Food requests- George
finds himself stopping into Lucky’s around twice a week sometimes doesn’t have the time to
to pick up a handful of items. George isn’t price con- verbally request specialty items, if there
scious but appreciates a good deal. It’s easy for George was a system online where he could
to pick up groceries for him and his wife on his way make requests, it would save him time.
home, which might include: a rotisserie chicken, local
artisanal cheese, and some rice crackers that he discov- 3. Education- Based on his active life-
ered on a recent work trip to Southeast Asia. Because style, George could use some guidance
George is usually in a rush, he knows that he can get in or suggestions for foods to fuel his athlet-
and out of Lucky’s quickly and grab the items he needs ic pursuits.
without compromising on quality. Although George is
modest in his purchases, he doesn’t mind spending more
to assure he is getting the freshest items or little-known
food brands.
5. KAREN, 28
Comfort Shopper
Karen’s Background
Karen is a true appreciator of food. Around two years ago she read
an article in the Daily Camera about a progressive food movement
in Boulder that focused on the locality and seasonal offerings of food
within a 100 mile radius of the city. It really resonated with Karen, so
she decided to challenge herself and commit to the locavore (one who
only eats foods grown within their local region) diet by eating only
sustainable, fresh foods from within and nearby the greater Boulder
community.
Karen splits her time between two jobs as a freelance interior designer
and an events photographer for the Boulder Theater. She works hard,
but takes moments to enjoy life whether it is taking an Inyegar yoga
class or indulging in a farm-to-table dining experience on Pearl Street.
6. KAREN, 28
Comfort Shopper
Typical Grocery Trip Karen’s Needs
Karen doesn’t mind taking a long time at the grocery
store; she sees it as a destination, not a pit stop in her 1. Build trust- Karen is deeply committed
fast-paced life. Karen has a Saturday morning rou- to the local-source food cause, keep her
tine of inspecting the new produce at Lucky’s, talking trust by reaffirming the source of origin
to the staff that she knows by name, and sampling the of the foods.
demos from the local business owners. Karen respects
Lucky’s commitment to locally grown foods and her 2. Fresh- How can Lucky’s assure that
grocery purchases reflect her personal commitment their produce is always fresh?
to buy local. On a given Saturday trip she will buy
most of her food for the week, the majority being fresh 3. Loyalty- Karen’s loyalty to Lucky’s is
produce which she uses to make soups from scratch, founded upon Lucky’s commitment to
salads, or meals that meet her gluten-free dietary re- organic food. Quality produce, meats
strictions. She feels as though Lucky’s is a home away and dairy is meaningful to Karen. As
from home and will stop by several times a week to long as Lucky’s maintains their food
pick up a snack or single items that she forgot to pur- quality, she will continue to be a loyal
chase on Saturday. Lucky’s consumer.
7. LAURA, 38
Care Shopper
Laura’s Background
Laura is an unapologetic planner, whether it’s helping
manage her startup online business with her husband,
raising her kids, or allocating 45 minutes of her time to
grocery shop every week. She has two kids, 9 & 12. Laura
wants her children to be healthy, but bends to their will if the
occasional Lucky Charms cereal box makes it into the cart at
the checkout lane.
Laura has a longtime allegiance to driving Subaru’s and
likes to plan monthly ski trips up to Eldora mountain with her
family. Laura is constantly on the go, but is able to budget her
time to read the news on her smartphone and keep up with
her monthly book club.
8. LAURA, 38
Care Shopper
Typical Grocery Trip Laura’s Needs
She chooses to shop at Lucky’s because she feels that
they take as much care and consideration into their 1. Attention to detail- How can Lucky’s
grocery selection as she does into making her weekly better display their produce/grocery
shopping list. She likes to go to Lucky’s because they items to be more alluring to customers?
have a reasonably-priced organic produce depart-
ment as well as a knowledgeable meat counter who 2. Kid-Friendly health foods- Are there
help find her the finest selections of meats for her fam- any offerings for kids that are organic
ily. Often times, Karen has her kids with her, so she and healthy?
likes that the friendly staff are polite to her children,
whether it’s giving them free stickers at the check-out 3. Time/Money Sensitive- How can she
or turning a blind eye to her youngest son pilfering save time and money for her family at
some sour-patch gummie bears in the bulk foods sec- an independent store?
tion. Karen will never forget her cloth shopping bags
and prefers to bag her groceries herself. She has
known on an occasion to shop at Safeway & Whole
Foods, but finds that the staff is not as knowledgeable
or appreciative of her patronage at larger stores.