Question

We all know that we need to target our audience. Discuss with everyone how Panera Bread targets people.

Answer 1

Summary

Panera Bread is capitalizing on its fast casual restaurant approach, a growing trend among restaurant chains.

Its food is highly regarded as transparent and fresh: more than 90% of its menu is free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives.

Expanding e-commerce is driving sales and maximizing customer satisfaction.

Q2 of 2016 saw an increase in sales by 2.3% compared to Q2 of 2015.

Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) runs retail bakery cafes, has over 47,200 employees, and is competing with bigger chains for similar customers. With $2.68 billion in revenue generated in fiscal year 2015 and its positioning in major cities, it is starting to compete with Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) for similar business: a casual place to lounge, eat, and use WiFi.

Fast Casual Restaurant Trends

With consumers increasingly choosing places that offer the opportunity to mingle, relax, and eat, the fact that Panera Bread is branding its stores this way is reason why its restaurant has been able to enjoy steady growth in terms of sales.

With stores that look like living rooms and WiFi at the tips of people's fingers, it's easy to understand why consumers choose to spend at Panera Bread and fast casual restaurants alike as opposed to traditional fast food. This is highlighted by stores like Chipotle (NYSE: CMG), Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) and Starbucks. Starbucks is perhaps Panera Bread's biggest competitor, especially in the morning breakfast scene, but the reasons why Panera Bread will see growth is highlighted below.

"Clean Food"

One of Panera Bread's main marketing points is its "clean food", which seeks to express its overwhelming use of natural, simple, and unprocessed ingredients. Though Starbucks is seen as just a "coffeehouse", it has been playing catch up, and in one case, made a move to remove artificial coloring shortly after Panera Bread's announcement that its pumpkin spice latte will be free of additives.

Panera Bread uses every single market opportunity wisely and cleverly to target each and every possible customer and retain the market.