Marketing Analysis

Market feasibility can best be determined by securing a professional market analysis that analyzes the sales potential. Defining your trade area through customer and member spotting techniques, analyzing demographic characteristics, assessing the competitive environment, and rating your preferred site against a number of standard criteria are all part of a market/site analysis. The primary outcome of this analysis is to project the sales level that you could achieve. It is important that you find a qualified analyst who not only has experience and an understanding of cooperatives.

Customer and member surveys are also valuable tools in assessing the needs, behavior, and specific demographics of your customers. While a customer survey can complement or enhance a market/site analysis, it does not replace such an analysis.

(Adapted from University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives.)