Table 1 Completed formative research with wholesalers, storeowners, and consumers

Jan – Mar 2012

Wholesaler

Direct Observation (n = 12)

To examine retailers’ purchasing patterns and food selections and to understand marketing factors influencing their choices at wholesale stores.

Feb – Mar 2012

Store owner

Direct Observation (n = 17)

To create store maps, highlighting how items are stocked and displayed. To observe any existing in-store promotions, including pricing or communications marketing strategies. To observe customers’ shopping patterns and purchases.

Mar 2012

Store owner

Participant Observation (n = 1)

To shadow specific retailers that also completed an interview as they shopped at the wholesaler, to examine shopping patterns and to further understand retailers’ perceptions of food choices and availability.

Mar – Apr 2012

Store owner

In-depth Interview(n = 17)

To understand stocking decisions, barriers and facilitators to stocking healthier food products, relationships with customers and suppliers (e.g., wholesalers, vendors), pricing determinants, promotional strategies, and business infrastructure (e.g., Korean American business owner networks).

Mar – Apr 2012

Consumer

In-depth Interview (n = 9)

To explore healthy food preferences and perceptions, food sources, purchasing decisions at corner stores, and motivators/facilitators to increase healthy food purchasing in corner stores.

Mar 2012, Oct 2012

Consumer

Focus Groups (n = 2, 11 and 12 consumers, respectively)

To discuss potential promoted foods, healthy food perceptions, healthy food availability, corner store shopping experiences, relevant words or phrases denoting ‘healthy’ that may appeal to the consumer, strategies to increase healthy food purchasing, and feedback on study logo design. The second focus group served to refine acceptable promoted food items (via taste testing and discussion), key messages/communications formats, and acceptable price ranges to increase healthy food purchasing in corner stores.

May 2012

Consumer

Pile sorting and ranking (n = 33)

To identify and refine foods and beverages for promotion. Staff collected proximity and ranking data on 24 potential promoted foods/beverages. Individual items were first free-sorted into groups by each consumer. Consumers were then asked to sort foods/beverages into 3 groups: very interested to eat, somewhat interested to eat, not going to eat.

Jan 2012 - Feb 2013

Wholesaler executives

Intervention planning meetings (n = 10)

To implement stocking of new promoted foods, to refine acceptable promoted food items, to develop sustainable pricing strategies based on price sensitivity to increase healthy food sales, and to develop a protocol for applying healthy food discounts to the pricing intervention groups.