Case Study C – The Enchanted Forest SWOT Analysis
Management Team
Ross – CEO
Reubin – CFO
Susan – Marketing
Mary – Operations
History of The Enchanted Forest
Prior to founding The Enchanted Forest, Ross spent over a decade in the fine dining restaurant business.  When he became the father of twins, he had identified a potential gap that wasn’t being serviced by the major toy manufacturers and retailers of the day.  Invariably, almost all of them had a well-funded research and design department that decided what toys would sell in the market.  The manufacturing division then just churned them out in large numbers – billions and billions of uniform toys.  Ross liked to call them McToys.  

Ross realized that just like the clients who visited his fine dining restaurants, most children are unique and this translates to unique interests and demands.  There was nobody catering to families who wanted a toy to be unique and special.  Seeing an opening here, he set off on his own and launched the Enchanted Forest.   It is essentially, the fine dining of toy stores.

Ross outlined his vision for the Enchanted Forest in these words – “I basically want Enchanted Forest to be the place where children can come, design and create their own stuffed toys/dolls”.  On the basis of the initial market research carried out, he foresaw that most of the customized dolls would be duplicates of family members (e.g. size, shape, hairstyle, and even clothing).  He also anticipated that there would be very high repeat business (varying from once a week to once a month).  Market research also revealed that most of the repeat business would be in the form of modifying the already customized toy – for example, creating a new dress or hair style. 
Unique and Enchanted Experience
From the very beginning, the team was clear that the whole concept of The Enchanted Forest would be centered on both parents and children.  This is not such an easy task given that most of the customers are children who might not be able to articulate their need.  For Enchanted Forest, the customer is prince/princess; hence CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is of utmost importance.  

Every possible customer touch point, however remote, has to be managed.  The store design was critical in this aspect. The name Enchanted Forest was decided after Mary wondered, “Why don’t we design the store such that it is laid out like a magical forest?” Going with the theme, the sales representatives were to be fitted with wizard costumes. The idea was that the sales representatives would be able fulfil the wishes and dreams of the children – however hard it might seem. 
Design & Development	
The employees are skilled in understanding the requirements of the customer and translating it into designs.  They are all able to produce enchanted dolls using plastics / moulds / fabric and other raw materials.  Simple manufacturing processes are in place which allows the Wizards to produce the actual dolls in each Enchanted Forest store.

Every employee of The Enchanted Forest goes through a training program called Granting Wishes.  During this training, the Wizards learn how to use their eyes and ears to understand the family’s unique desires and how to create that very special toy.  The Wizard stays with the family through each stage of the experience, usually helping them load their valuable cargo into their transportation home.
As a result of this special experience, over 80% of clients return.  This could be for a small purchase (e.g. new clothing or longer hair) or to purchase a new enchanted doll.  It was not uncommon for a child to want a new puppy for their original enchanted dog or a ‘sister’ for an existing enchanted baby doll.   This repeat business is fundamental to the success of The Enchanted Forest.
Personalized Service
From the technology perspective, being sensitive to customer touch points means that there should be lesser dependence on Interactive Voice Response System and greater reliance on customer service representatives when any child dials the toll free number. 

Every customer is paired with a Wizard who would interact with the customer whenever he/she visits The Enchanted Forest. Having the same person cater to the needs of a particular customer gives The Enchanted Forest the chance to deeply understand the customer and build a long-lasting relationship with the customer.
Question 1: 
Identify comparators for your assigned case organization from the set of companies given below:
1.	Leading FMCG organizations
2.	Sales driven organizations 
3.	Firms working on innovative products, paying significantly above market median
4.	Supermarket chains
5.	Luxury hotel chains
6.	R&D centers of firms designing innovative end user products
7.	Aviation industry (crew catering to business class) 
8.	Major players in online retail
9.	Manufacturing division of companies making innovative and user-friendly gadgets
10.	Professional service organizations
11.	Organizations offering customized products
12.	Big retail chains
13.	Fine dining restaurant chains

Case organization: Fill




Relevant Comparators: Fill