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Experiential Initiatives Dilemma at 4URBABY: Validation through Experimentation

CASELET, MARKETING RESEARCH
ET Cases, 5 pages
AUTHOR(S) : R. Muthukumar and Dr. Nagendra V. Chowdary

Case Preview

Experiential Initiatives Dilemma at 4URBABY: Validation through Experimentation

 

4URBABY founded in 2003, counted among one of the major kidswear retail chains in South India, with 16 stores in five South Indian cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Trivandrum and Coimbatore was established with an aim of supplying quality products to its customers at affordable price with utmost customer care. The chain’s products included pre-and post-maternity, kidswear, mother’s apparel, and toys (Exhibit I). According to Rakesh Rao (Rakesh), the Founder and CEO, 4URBABY, “We offer varieties of products to serve a new mother’s needs to get everything under one roof”. Rakesh believed that customer-centricity and customer service are the key factor in defining the growth and market standing........................

Assignment Questions

I. What do you understand by Causal Research? Are there any conditions for the causality? What are the concepts involved in Causality, in the case of 4URBABY?

II. What are extraneous variables? What according to you are 4URBABY’s extraneous variables, especially from the standpoint of envisaged Marketing Research? How do you control the extraneous variables?

III. ...............

Exhibits

Exhibit I: 4URBABY Products

Exhibit II: Financials of 4URBABY (revenues in ` lakh)

Exhibit III: 4URBABY Store Details

Teaching Note Preview

Experiential Initiatives Dilemma at 4URBABY: Validation through Experimentation

 

Synopsis

This caselet is useful to introduce the students/participants to the experimentation methods of causal research. Rakesh Rao (Rakesh), the Founder and CEO, 4URBABY, a major Kidswear retail chain, wants to validate his new experiential initiatives to be implemented at 4URBABY stores. Upon request of Rakesh, Dr.  Pranay Rao (Pranay), CEO of Marvel Research, one of the most sought after marketing research companies, wanted to conduct relevant experiment to infer the required information.

Prerequisite Conceptual Understanding

The students/participants should be encouraged to read the following as it would not only broaden the context of learning but would also provide appropriate perspectives on Marketing Research:

  • • Naresh K. Malhotra and Satyabhushan Dash, “Causal Research Design: Experimentation”, Marketing Research An Applied Orientation, 6th Edition, Pearson Education, 2010 – To understand the concept of causal research design

 

Case Positioning and Setting

This caselet can be used in:

MBA Program/MDPs/EDPs – Marketing Research Course – To introduce the participants/students to the concept of causal research design

Assignment Questions

  • I. What do you understand by causal research? Are there any conditions for the causality? What are the concepts involved in causality, in the case of 4URBABY?
  • II. What are extraneous variables? What according to you are 4URBABY’s extraneous variables, especially from the standpoint of envisaged Marketing Research? How do you control the extraneous variables?
  • III. .....................................

 

Preamble to this Caselet Analysis

This caselet was used to introduce the participants/students to the idea of experimentation methods in causal research design. These methods were  discussed and analyzed in the light of 4URBABY’s business challenge of improving customer experience by launching three new experiential initiatives – Meet the Expert, Expert Mom and Fairy Family – in its stores. Accordingly, this caselet was orchestrated in the following way [Exhibit (TN)-I]:.....................

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Abstract


This caselet can be used to introduce the students/participants to the experimentation methods of causal research. Rakesh Rao (Rakesh), Founder and CEO, 4URBABY, a major Kidswear retail chain, was contemplating to initiate three experiential and engaging initiatives - Meet the Expert, Expert Mom and Fairy Family - to improve the sales and have better customer connect to realize with the company' s objective of ₹5 crore of monthly sales by 2020. With monthly sales of `1.98 crore and with 16 stores spread across five South Indian cities, 4URBABY had been doing pretty well till August 2015. However, with intense competition from e-commerce players and the consequent reduction in physical retail footprint, Rakesh planned to introduce three new customer-focused initiatives. Before rolling out the three initiatives in all the stores, he intended to carry out a dipstick survey on the efficacy of these initiatives. As suggested by his City Heads, he enlisted the services of Marvel Research to undertake the appropriate experimentation to facilitate relevant business decision. How would Marvel Research attempt deciding on the experimentation process? What are the controllable and extraneous variables? How to validate the experimentation?



Pedagogical Objectives

  • To introduce the concept of causality and the conditions for causality
  • To discuss the concept of extraneous variables, types of extraneous variables and the methods to control them
  • To familiarize the types of experimental designs and the applicability of the same for 4URBABY’s marketing research problem

Case Positioning and Setting

This case study can be used in:

  • MBA Program/MDPs/EDPs - Marketing Research Course - To introduce the participants/students to the concept of causal research design




This Case Pack Includes:
- Abstract
- Caselet
- Teaching Note (**ONLY for Academicians)


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