Hot Take In Action
Dig into each use case for a taste of what Hot Take can do. Use the tabs below to choose between restaurant and foodservice use cases and consumer packaged goods use cases.
Restaurant and foodservice use cases
opportunity
A chain of full-service restaurants wants to understand how their customers’ dining preferences have changed since the pandemic.
approach
They send a Hot Take Trend and Sentiment study to their existing email list and use in-store QR codes to drive additional participation from non-loyalists.
insight
Results show that their customers will continue to enjoy takeout in higher-than-pre-pandemic levels.
result
Operations works with managers across stores to develop a staffing plan that accounts for continued takeout volume and implements a food locker system to streamline the process.
opportunity
A fast casual sandwich restaurant wants to gauge their customers’ interest in keto-friendly bread alternatives.
approach
The company sends a Hot Take study to their existing customers, asking them to rate their interest in various keto-friendly concepts.
insight
The data shows that customers see cheese wrappers as a desirable alternative to sliced bread or tortillas for sandwiches/wraps.
result
The R&D team begins development of a new cheese wrapper sandwich marketed at keto-curious consumers.
opportunity
A restaurant chef wants to create two new appetizers that will appeal to core customers and increase average ticket size.
approach
Using their email newsletter, the restaurant sends out a Hot Take offer to see what customers think of the ideas.
insight
Loyal guests weigh in on which appetizer ideas they would most likely order.
result
Chef adds the two favorite appetizers to the menu, confident that guests will order and enjoy them. With the study incentive coupon, customers from the study make extra trips to try the new menu items.
opportunity
A chain of fast casual restaurants wants to understand Millennial and Gen-Z attitudes toward alternative proteins.
approach
They send a trend and sentiment study to a panel of Millennial and Gen-Z Hot Takers who fit the customer profile.
insight
Segmentation of results showed that Gen-Z has more positive sentiment toward alternative proteins than Millennial consumers.
result
Marketing works with Product and R&D teams to launch the new plant-based burger with a marketing and communications plan targeting the Gen-Z customer base.
opportunity
A chain of restaurants wants to see how their new location is performing against franchise benchmarks.
approach
They put up environmental signage that links to a Hot Take study on guest experience.
insight
Results show that their speed of service is slower than expected.
result
Management trains with operators at other locations and learns a few tricks to streamline operations. Afterward, a follow-up study is used to demonstrate month-over-month improvements in quality and consistency.
opportunity
A café wants to understand how likely customers were to repurchase their new spicy chicken sandwich.
approach
They sticker each sandwich box with a $5 reward and QR code, easily capturing in-context customer feedback.
insight
Within a few weeks, study results show that most customers found the sandwich too dry.
result
The café switches bread suppliers, increases the quantity of sauce, and sees an increase in repeat sales immediately.
Consumer Packaged Goods Use Cases
opportunity
A startup wants to understand how Gen-Z’s snack preferences and occasions have changed since the pandemic.
approach
They send a Hot Take Trend and Sentiment study to a Hot Take panel of Gen-Z snackers, offering a $5 Amazon Gift Card as an incentive.
insight
Results show that the target audience is drawn to healthy, minimally-processed snacks to fuel their hobbies and athletic activities.
result
The company begins R&D on a new line of products targeting active teens.
opportunity
A dairy company wants to gauge their customers’ interest in keto-friendly cheese snacks.
approach
The company sends a Hot Take study to their existing customers, asking them to rate their interest in various cheese concepts.
insight
The data shows that customers see cheese wrappers as a desirable alternative to sliced bread or tortillas for sandwiches/wraps.
result
The Product team begins development of a new line of cheese wrappers marketed to Keto-curious consumers.
opportunity
A beverage company wants to create two new flavors that will appeal to customers and increase their presence at Whole Foods.
approach
The company does pop-ups at several Whole Foods stores in key markets along with a Hot Take offer to see what customers think of the new flavors.
insight
Existing and new customers taste the new flavors and weigh in on their preferences. Two flavors rise to the top as clear favorites.
result
The data supporting customer preference for the new flavors impresses the buyer at Whole Foods, and the company gets additional placement in key markets.
opportunity
An established CPG company wants to understand who their ideal target is for a new alternative protein product.
approach
Hot Take taps the network to rate interest in the plant-based burger.
insight
Segmentation of results shows that Millennial customers have higher desire and purchase intent toward the burger concept than Gen-X consumers.
result
Marketing stretches their budget by focusing ad spend on their current customers (Millennial parents of young children).
opportunity
A growing business wants to see how their new recipe was performing against the benchmarks set for the previous iteration.
approach
They put a QR code on packaging that links to a Hot Take study asking for sensory feedback on the new recipe.
insight
Results show that their new recipe falls below the previous iteration’s benchmark for sweetness.
result
The company identifies the change in sweetener as the culprit and reworks the new recipe to meet desired taste benchmarks.
opportunity
A snack brand wants to understand how likely customers are to repurchase their new crackers-and-dip packs.
approach
They send the new snack to a panel of their repeat customers with a QR code to take the Hot Take study, easily capturing in-context customer feedback.
insight
Within a few weeks, study results show that most customers find the ratio of crackers to dip is disproportionate.
result
The company increases the quantity of dip per pack and sees a rise in repeat sales immediately.