Northwood Cider is certainly what you’d consider a fledgling cidery, having only been open since 2022, but they’re savvy about gathering useful data to help them strategize.
The company just launched an online survey last week, and is primed to use the results as another tool for determining what its customers are looking for.
“We are always thinking about how to best meet the consumers’ needs, whether in the taproom or on store shelves,” said co-owner Darrin Wilson, whose company just released its first canned ciders in April. “We use them not necessarily for affirmation, but rather making sure that what we’re offering is what the consumer wants.”
Wilson said surveys are posted to Facebook groups that are relevant, such as neighborhood discussion groups or interest groups. That helps them reach more than just their fans, but their potential fans and people who simply haven’t tried their cider but could easily make a stop at their taproom or pick up the product on local retail shelves.
“We have found these to be important because we are reaching an audience that might not know about us, or does know about us and hasn’t tried our ciders,” Wilson said. “That gives us a perspective from those we still need to convert or reach.”
Gathering information and utilizing it effectively is something the company is already doing well, Wilson said.
“We regularly use data on the production, taproom, and distribution sides of the business so we’ve got processes in place to collect the data, analyze it, and disseminate it to those in the organization,” Wilson said. “We are very open minded and always willing to learn from the consumers.”
The most recent survey Northwood shared was focused on taprooms in the Greater Cincinnati region where the cidery is located.
“We wanted to know what kind of amenities and product offerings attract people to not just our taproom but all of the others in the region,” Wilson explained. “So our questions were mostly about specific aspects that go into a taproom experience.”
In addition to neighborhood groups, Northwood puts feelers out via the typical channels one might expect, but is considering additional ways to collect data.
“We’ve used our email list, social media and QR codes in the taproom,” Wilson said. “We’re also thinking about other ways we could collect survey data from where the consumers are, such as stores and festivals.”
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