Week 4 Post A

    I chose to compare the two grocery stores, Sprouts and Cream of the Crop. I'll start with my overview of Cream of the Crop, then Sprouts, and end with the differences and my thoughts on the two.

Cream of the Crop

    After looking into their socials and website, I would say their demographic consists of people aged 30-65 leaning more on the older side, middle to slightly upper class, and a mix of young professionals, families, and older adults focused on wellness. Their psychographics are people who are eco-friendly, health-conscious, value-oriented, and focused on supporting their immediate community. 

    When first visiting Cream of the Crop's website, I could tell it was a family-owned business. The first clue wasn't actually the fact that it says it at the bottom, but rather the way the website is designed. The photo used as the banner appears to have been taken by an iPhone, and the logo used is very personalized. To me, that is a sign of a family-run website AND business. Next, I noticed the lack of prices or community activity on the page, which led me to believe they are doing this at their local farmers market. They use different colors of green throughout their website, which is a bit off-putting, as well as the logo, the order-now button, the social media icons at the bottom, and the banner at the bottom that asks the customer to follow them on Instagram. Their font choices definitely stand out to me as I notice they use Script as their logo. That's a great choice considering the script is used for being personal yet classic, but the way it's designed and carried across the rest of the website makes it difficult to read. For their banner, they use a sans serif, which is known for being modern, so I think the two at the top right next to each other clash a little bit. The paragraph right below the title appears to be in a different font, and the only time that font is used is on the title, as the rest of the website uses mostly the same font as the title. Then, at the bottom of the main page, they use all bold, which I find to be an odd choice and out of place compared to the rest of the site. 

    It's not a bad website and does well with spacing and alignment, but it definitely gives me the feeling that it's maybe a parent running the website. It's hard to get a grasp of their overall message or tone, but what I can gather is their message is to sell good, local produce and provide a warm and family-like experience.

Sprouts Farmers Market

    After doing more research into their site and socials, I would say their demographic consists of people aged 25-65, Middle to upper class income level, and a mix of young professionals including Gen Z, families, and older adults focused on wellness. Their psychographics are people who are health-conscious, eco-friendly, brand-conscious, active, and in touch with social media and current food trends. 

    When first visiting Sprout's website, I could tell it was a corporation. Not only because we all clearly know what Sprout's is, but by the layout of the first page alone. At the very top, they have deals available, which is a great way to draw shoppers in. Next, they do a phenomenal job of using the same color green, throughout the website. The font they chose for their logo is a classic and more formal font, which is great for branding, while their paragraph fonts use a mix of fun handwritten and bold sans serif font. This is a great hierarchy as it starts with traditional and authoritative, moves to a cleaner yet modern font, then when landing in the articles or community pages, they add a handwritten font giving it a youthful and human feel. 

    I also noticed they have an entire page dedicated to community and another page full of articles filled with educational insights and recipes. I'd say the overall message is to provide well-sourced food, provide knowledge on all things food, and support their local community. I believe their message is to be more than a grocery store but a thought leader who cares about health, wellness, and community. 

Comparisons and Thoughts

    In terms of their target market, I think they have a very similar audience and branding. Sprout's is like a corporate version of Cream of the Crop. When comparing the websites, I feel Sprout's is more community-focused in terms of outreach and actual community, whereas Cream's appears to be more community-focused in terms of helping local food vendors sell their produce. You can tell they both chose green for the earthy and organic feel it gives, which goes great with both the brands. The subtle difference, though, is in how it's used and the shade consistency throughout the website. 

    In conclusion, I think they both have a similar agenda, but with Sprout's being a corporation, they can have someone dedicated to running their website. I don't think Cream of the Crop does a bad job with their website; I just can tell they may not have a professional helping them out, which honestly only adds to their brand as a family-owned business. Who knows, maybe it IS intentional, and if that's the case, it's actually pretty smart. lol