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Friends floating in a pool

Proof of Concept

When the COVID Pandemic resulted in global lockdowns, the number of residential pool installations skyrocketed as families were forced to stay home for lengthy periods of time. Consumers not only invested substantial amounts of money into their homes, but the increase in pools also drove increased demand for pool supplies.

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Read below to see how our deep dive into Leslie's Pool Supply allowed us to combine our proprietary in-field data collection methodologies, custom in-depth interviews with pool industry experts, and public information data collection to deliver a narrative across the entire scope of the pool industry.

The rise of Pool installations during the pandemic gave us a unique opportunity to combine multiple streams of data into a well-rounded and overarching narrative of the pool industry. Our multi-layer approach allowed us to dig into questions in the field at Leslie’s Pool Supply like: Are stock levels holding up to traffic? Is sell-through outpacing deliveries? Are traffic and conversions increasing in regions where we also see a rise in pool installation permits? Conducting monthly in-depth interviews with industry experts allowed us to discuss chlorine shortages, how shortages may impact price, and other permit topics such as supply chain issues. Combining these two data streams with pool permit data dating back to 2010 provided a clear picture of the massive growth the pool industry experienced – from customers, to builders, to suppliers.

In-Field Data Collection

Method:

  • Tracked store traffic and conversions at doors across the country 

  • Collected inventory levels in key categories like Chemicals and Equipment

  • Gathered promotional details across key categories 

​Outcome:

  • We identified regional traffic patterns that we could correlate with permit data (public information data)

  • We recorded delivery and sell-through patterns, and inventory shortages, tying to expert interviews 

  • We could determine discount rates and promotional cycles to create predictive analysis  

Interviews with Industry Experts

Method: 

  • Developed SEC complaint interview guides for experts across the industry 

  • Conducted monthly 1:1 interviews with builders, wholesalers, suppliers, and maintenance professionals and produced detailed transcripts 

​Outcome:

  • We collected timely information from current industry experts that informed in-field data and analysis 

  • Monthly calls allowed for relationship-building and provided the opportunity to dig deep into the experts' knowledge which gave the clients a leg up on understanding current industry trends and challenges 

Public Information Data 

​Method:

  • Gathered 12-years of pool installation permit data from 130+ key US markets 

  • Repeated data collection every quarter and constructed custom visualizations to track Longitudinal, QoQ, and YoY growth

​Outcome:

  • Produced thousands of data points that correlated to in-field traffic data and expert interviews  

  • Allowed for time-series analyses and provided a visual representation of where pool permits were growing, and as the impact of the pandemic started to diminish, where demand began to soften 

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