Analysis Fundamentals for Case Competitions

Good analysis starts with first principles. If a brand has slow sales, break sales down into traffic, conversion, and basket size before jumping to solutions.

Step 1: frame the problem simply

• define the target metric
• define current baseline
• define the gap to close

Step 2: size the opportunity

• pick a unit (customers, transactions, revenue)
• estimate with clear assumptions
• sanity-check with comparable benchmarks

Step 3: segment before recommending

• who is the highest-value customer segment
• which channel has the best economics
• which geography has fastest path to adoption

Mini example

Soft drink case:

• traffic is stable
• conversion is weak in convenience channel
• basket size is flat

Your first move should likely be in-channel visibility and placement, not broad budget-heavy campaigns.

Edge upgrade

Add one slide with your top three assumptions and how each could fail. Judges reward teams that think beyond best-case scenarios.