Brand Exploratory II : Netnography, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research
Research Steps
Netnography
Previously, the writer had done brand exploratory phase I, namely netnography analysis. Netnography understanding social interaction in contemporary digital communications contexts. Netnography is a specific set of research practices related to data collection, analysis, research ethics, and representation, rooted in participant observation.
There are 3 analysis sources taken. First, from social media official accounts, Instagram (Brand-owned Touchpoint), because brand communication from Co.choc is indeed active on Instagram. Co.choc also keeps in touch with consumers through their Instagram so it is considered very suitable for this netnography analysis. Second, youtube (Consumer-owned Touchpoint) because many consumers also do an honest review of the Co.choc brand so they are considered very suitable for obtaining data. Then the last one from zomato (Third Party-owned Touchpoint), we can see the ratings and reviews of the brand so that it also supports this analysis. Time frame analysis from 2019 to 2020.
Much of the netnography analysis was taken from the social media Instagram Co.choc as their main brand communication. Judging from the comments of each post, consumers give a very positive response. Not a few consumers who provide satisfying reviews on products from Co.choc through comments. It can also be seen that the association for Co.choc products is also high because almost all consumers give “delicious and fresh” comments on Co.choc posts that show their beverage products. Apart from comments, the author also saw from the post tag and through the hashtag #CochocBanget, it was seen that many consumers gave honest reviews for Co. choc beverage products. They also not only do reviews but do promotions seen in their caption which recommends their followers to try beverage products from Co.choc.
Qualitative Research
After conducting research on netnography, the authors continued to conduct a qualitative analysis. This analysis aims to determine the brand association with consumers. From this analysis, the authors will also get data about consumer perceptions of the brand. Here the authors use 2 data collection techniques, namely free association (interview) and etnography by conducting a site visit.
Free association, the writer conducted interviews with 10 consumers by asking 3 questions, namely:
- What do you like most about Co.choc?
- Are you repurchasing a Co.choc product?
- In your opinion, is there anything that should be improved from the Co.choc brand? Why?
Furthermore, the authors also conducted ethnographic analysis by conducting site visits to two Co.choc outlets in Bandung, namely Riau and Antapani outlets. The purpose of the ethnography site visit is how consumers interact with the brand, how they enjoy the Co.choc brand products, and experience the brand.
Quantitative Research
For testing, as well as proving the data that has been collected from previous netnography and qualitative studies, the authors conducted a quantitative analysis, in the form of a numerical assessment and several statistical analyzes. The author of this analysis uses a questionnaire technique by conducting a survey and designing experiments. The subjects of the analysis were consumers who had bought the Co.choc brand products. The objective of this quantitative research is brand relationship with visitors and related issues that have been analyzed from netnography and qualitative research.
The survey was conducted using a google form (https://forms.gle/9udrZa6LQa6HR96a9) which consisted of 9 questions with a combination of multiple choices, checkboxes, and a Likert scale. The questionnaire was circulated for 4 days and managed to get 83 respondents. The following are questions asked in the survey that were distributed to consumers:
Findings
Netnography
From this analysis through social media, an issue was found regarding the beverage variant Co.choc. In several Co.choc posts that featured the variants of the drinks they served, there were several comments asking about what variants were and some were confused about the variants he was going to buy because there were too many. Here it can be entered at the coding stage that Co.choc still does not provide clear information on its product menu, because there are still comments asking about the variants with the color of the drinks that are posted and about the taste of each drink variant. There are quite a lot of menu variants at Co.choc so that consumers are often confused about which variant to buy. Actually Co.choc makes a brief explanation of their drink variants on the menu but in a slightly small writing so that consumers may not really think about it. Also, Co.choc does not include which variants are best sellers and recommended on the menu.
It was traced that there were many consumer comments asking whether Co.choc products were available on Gojek and Grab, this supports the take away concept promoted by Co.choc. But here an issue arises regarding the packaging from Co.choc. Co.choc must think about the safety and freshness of the product until it reaches the consumer. Moreover, Gofood and Grabfood drivers use motorbikes, so the need for safe packaging so that the product reaches consumers in good condition. It can be seen that there are several comments from consumers who complain about the packaging from Co.choc which is not safe so that the drinks spill easily.
The author also conducted a netnography analysis of the Co.choc brand on YouTube. Co.choc is a popular beverage brand that invites consumers and food bloggers to review Youtube. Of all the videos that have been watched, honest video reviews from consumers have received good responses. They feel the pleasure and delicacy of a very typical Co.choc drink. In terms of price, they also said that Co.choc made a fairly affordable price. But they also complained about the same thing regarding the Co.choc packaging issue because most of the reviewers ordered take away and Grab & Gojek. They say that the packaging is less safe so the product is less tight on the cover. In addition, consumers expect the product to arrive at them with a look that is still the same as the menu photo that looks fresh and still looks the layering of ganache and milk from Co. choc products, but maybe because of the delivery and packaging factors so that when the drinks arrive the drinks are mixed so they don’t look aesthetic to be immortalized.
Reviews and ratings are also determinants for consumers before making a purchase. There is no doubt that the Co, choc brand is also well-known in Indonesia so that it has invited several traveler sites and restaurant searches to conduct ratings & reviews on Co.choc products, one of which is zomato. So far the ratings and reviews that are displayed about Co.choc are quite good. From the ratings also Co.choc got 3.8 out of 4 which indicates that Co.choc reserved better. But here it also appears that there are some comments about the Co.choc outlet place which is a little small, this is also influenced by the take-away concept promoted by Co.choc. In addition, there are also those who comment on the size of the drink that is not big enough, but this is because Co.choc has taken action by issuing a jumbo size
Qualitative Research
In qualitative analysis, the authors conducted a free association (interview) to several consumers who had tried Co.choc products. The author asks 3 questions to about 10 respondents. The first question is “what do you like most about the Co.choc brand?”. Almost all respondents said they like Co.choc because the brand often makes promotions so they are tempted to buy. The taste of the drink from Co.choc is also delicious, it fits on the tongue because it is not too sweet. 3 of the respondents also said that the Co.choc beverage brand is quite unique because while many brands sell coffee as their main menu, Co.choc is here to sell beverage products made from premium chocolate. Respondents also said that there are quite a lot of variants from Co.choc, the brand can process chocolate into various drinks so that it produces a unique but refreshing taste.
For the second question regarding “Do you repurchase a Co.choc product?”, All respondents answered that they repurchased. The consumers of Co.choc who were interviewed felt the satisfaction of the Co.choc products. They say the delicious and premium taste of Co.choc drinks but at an affordable price is the reason they repurchase. In addition, promotion factors also influence them to repurchase. Many of the consumers say that they often order Co.choc products from the Grab and Gojek applications and from these applications there are so many promotions that make them tempted. In addition, they said that the more often they buy Co.choc products, the more they will get discount vouchers from Gojek and Grab, which makes them repurchase more frequently. This indicates that the service and promotion strategy of Co.choc are good enough to make consumers more loyal to the brand. They also provide loyalty, such as discount vouchers to consumers who often buy their products.
For the last question which is “In your opinion, what should be improved from the Co.choc brand? Why?”. Respondents said they were actually quite satisfied with this Co.choc brand. It’s just that 5 of the consumers complained about the Co.choc packaging which spills easily especially when placing orders from Grab and Gojek. They admitted that when they got to their hands the condition of the drink had a little spill in the plastic bag to wrap the drink that was taking away so that the contents of the drink were slightly reduced. This issue is also related to the results of the previous netnography analysis that there were consumers who complained about the Co.choc packaging which spills easily. One respondent also suggested that Co.choc included recommended products because sometimes they felt confused about choosing a Co.choc product variant. This problem is also found in the analysis contained in the Co.choc Instagram comment so that this is related to the issue to be raised.
The author also analyzed the ethnography method with site visits to Co.choc outlets in Riau Bandung and Antapani Bandung. When the author visited both outlets, the situation was a little less crowded, there were more Gojek and Grab drivers, so I didn’t get too many findings. Purchase more online with Gojek and Grab but there are also some consumers who buy take away. This may be due to a pandemic so that consumers reduce direct contact with outsiders and prefer to buy online with Gojek and Grab delivery order services.
Quantitative Research
After conducting a netnography analysis and qualitative analysis by conducting interviews, the next step is to conduct a quantitative analysis to test and strengthen the issues obtained from the previous analysis. At this stage the writer distributes a questionnaire which consists of several questions with survey methods and designing experiments.
Raising an issue that started with a touchpoint regarding the takeaway concept from Co.choc so that the outlet design was made minimalist. At the time of the analysis on the zomato website, there were also comments from consumers who said that the Co.choc outlet was not that extensive. Because of this, the authors wanted to test the opinions of consumers when making a Co.choc purchase which they prefer through this quantitative analysis. Here the writer makes multiple choices with three answer choices.
From the results of the questionnaire that has been filled in by 83 respondents, that 48.2% of consumers prefer to buy Co.choc with a delivery order service through the Gojek & Grab application, then 32.5% of respondents also prefer to buy take away orders. While the remaining 19.3% of respondents chose to drink on the spot. Of course, this proves that the take away concept promoted by Co.choc is appropriate because consumers prefer take away orders and delivery orders instead of drinking on the spot.
Regarding the many variants of Co.choc, the author also made a survey about what variants consumers like to buy. Of the 83 respondents, the highest result was that 45.8% of consumers liked the signature dark chocolate variant which is the signature menu from Co.choc. The second highest variant, 39.8% of consumers, liked brown sugar boba ganache, which is one of the new variants of Co.choc, which is co-branded with the influencer awkarin.
Previously, there was an issue regarding consumers who were often confused about which variant to buy. So that in the distributed questionnaire, the author asks whether a best seller or recommended menu is needed to be included on the menu. The results said that 96.4% voted necessary if a best seller menu was included on the menu.
Not only recommended or best seller menus, the author also said that whether complete information is needed about each drink variant is included on the menu. From 83 respondents 95.2% felt that information about each variant needed to be included on the menu.
Regarding packaging, the authors show 3 examples of packaging which are deemed suitable for beverage brands and conduct a survey using designing experiments. Pictures of each packaging in the survey are only for reference packaging design. The author asks how much you like each packaging model and makes a scale from 1 to 5. The survey results showed the percentage of visitors who gave a perfect score of 5 on each packaging model as follows:
- Packaging model 1 got 10.8%
- Packaging model 2 got 15.7%
- Packaging model 3 got 50.6%
From the selection of this packing design, it can be concluded that consumers prefer the third packaging design. This can also be seen from the simple design but it is safe and does not spill easily because it is pressed tightly. But for the second design, it can also be an option because the level of safety and anti-spillage is pretty good with a sealed system. For the first design, even though it is equipped with a lid, there is still the risk of spillage.
The questionnaire also conducted a survey on special packaging for take away purchases and delivery orders. As much as 80.7% of respondents answered that there is a need for special packaging to purchase drinks by take away or delivery using Gojek & Grab.
Netnography — Quantitative — Qualitative Research Relates Each Another
Co.choc is a brand that has a good reputation in the eyes of consumers. Co.choc is always active in creating interactive content to attract consumer attention through their Instagram account. Every day they post photos of their various beverage products. The content they post also shows the delicacy and enjoyment of their product. Judging from the comments of each post, consumers give a very positive response. Not a few consumers who provide satisfying reviews on products from Co.choc through comments.
Although the reviews from Co.choc are mostly good enough, when doing a netnography analysis, the authors found several comments that also relate to the issues raised previously. In several Co.choc posts that featured the variants of the drinks they served, there were several comments asking about what variants were and some were confused about the variants consumers were going to buy because there were too many and also did not include clear information about each variant product. Not only that, there are also reviews from consumers that the Co.choc packaging is less safe and spills easily.
Furthermore, a qualitative analysis is carried out to explore perceptions and identify previous and potential data sources in determining consumer perceptions of the brands and products offered by the free association method. The result is that consumers are satisfied with the Co.choc brand and products, they even repurchase it, which indicates that consumers from Co.choc are already loyal to the brand. However, an issue similar to netnography was also found, where consumers complained about too many menu variants and related to spillage packaging. From the ethnography, the authors did not get enough findings because the outlets were rather quiet due to the pandemic. Consumers prefer to buy online with the Gojek and Grab applications.
Of course, testing related to the data that has been collected needs to be done, the author conducts quantitative analysis through a questionnaire in the form of a survey and designing experiment. From the survey results, it is true that consumers rarely drink on the spot, they buy more takeaway and delivery orders so that there is an association between consumers and the take away concept promoted by the Co.choc brand. From the survey also, of the many variants provided by Co.choc, there are two variants that are most widely chosen by consumers, namely the signature dark chocolate and brown sugar boba ganache. Regarding the recommended menu as well as complete information on each variant, the respondents agreed that this was included in the menu. Regarding the packaging issue, also from the results of a survey experiment that most consumers like safe and tightly closed packaging (press technique) so that it doesn’t spill easily. Respondents also agreed that Co.choc made special packaging for take away purchases and delivery orders.
Conclusion and Recommendation
From the analysis that has been done, it is found that consumers are quite satisfied and provide good reviews for the products of the Co.choc Brand, especially in terms of taste. It is clear that the level of consumer association with Co.choc products is quite high. However, the data also shows that apart from the quality and taste of the co.choc product, too many variants need to be a concern for brands because some consumers complain that they are confused about what variant they like. Apart from that, the packaging factor is also quite important related to many consumers who complain about the packaging that is easily spilled and unsafe, especially purchases by take away and delivery orders. The implications that can be done by brands can be such as updating the menu that is made attractive by including the best seller or recommended variants and not forgetting to include briefly but clearly the information on each drink variant. The Co.choc brand can also consider a packaging design that is quite safe and doesn’t spill easily. Co.choc can also make special packaging for take away orders and delivery using Gojek & Grab, such as using cardboard supports and paper bags so that products are safe and maintained.