Clarifying Questions:

1. Which grocery category? Snacks

2. Is it an online shop or mom and pop grocery? Online shop

3. How long has the brand “not been selling?” Are other brands in this category or in other categories not selling that I should be aware of? Two months, no other brands are suffering

4. How soon will it expire? In six month

5. How much stock is left? Too much.

We can interview some people who bought other brands to figure out the exact reasons, but generally my assumptions are:

1.this brand’s products are not displayed because of tech problems

2. this brand’s products are displayed in the last page of products and no one see them

3. Very bad comments have been written about it

4. It has a higher price than similar products

5. The purchase option for this brand has a bug

6. Users boycotted this brand for some reason

Solutions:

1.communicate with engineering team to solve the problem

2.communicate with engineering team to show this brand’s products in the first pages

3.read those comments carefully and remove them if they are unreal

4.negotiate with the its company to offer some discounts

5.communicate with engineering team to solve the problem

6.ask the company for advertisement and rebranding and also offer discounts

First I will ask clarifying questions to better understand the situation.

Then I will brainstorm possible reasons and suggest solutions for each reason.

Clarifying Qs

1. Which grocery category? Dairy, fruits/veggies, meat, canned goods, beverages, cereals, snacks (cookies & chips), breads, or anything I missed? Snacks

2. Which brand in that category? Oreos

3. Where is this grocery located? What country, state, city, neighborhood (urban, suburban)? Mom and pop grocery store in a suburban neighborhood

4. How long has the brand “not been selling?” Are other brands in this category or in other categories not selling that I should be aware of? Two months, no other brands are suffering

5. How soon will it expire? In a year, but it should have sold already. Packaged snacks have a lont shelf-life.

6. How much stock is left? Too much.

7. Any internal factors I should be aware of? Oreos are on a high/low/unaccessible shelf, price unusually high, other items in that category better featured or at better prices, new competitor for Oreos, new shop management? No

8. Any external factors I should be aware of? Crime in shop local, inclement weather conditions, new grocery shop opened nearby, change in consumer preferences? Yes, trend towards healthier foods

Brainstorm possible reasons and suggest solutions for each reason

Reason: Global trend towards healthier foods, people want to eat nutritious snacks and are consuming less junk food.

Solution: Follow the trend, do not fight it. Offer Oreos at a discount to get rid of them quickly before the expiration date or give them away for free.

Moving forward, work with distributers to stock more healthy snacks and less unhealthy snacks to meet consumer needs. To stay on top of trends in the future, poll consumers periodically and stay informed of current events by reading news, watching TV and observing.