Case Study: HUUNU forecasts QSR recovery with Cipher

HUUNU Futures Forecasting The Quick Serve Restaurant Bounceback Post COVID-19

HUUNU partnered with Cipher in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how the Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) category would recover once people could safely resume dining out. Using Cipher’s HUUNU Futures prediction market research, the customer sought a data-driven way to forecast sales recovery, preferred ordering behaviors, and the safety factors most likely to influence guests and employees.

Cipher conducted a prediction market with 502 U.S. participants and delivered clear forecasts that proved largely accurate: fast food QSR sales were expected to normalize in eight months, drive-thru would lead as the preferred ordering method for breakfast and lunch, and safety-focused messaging would remain important. By Q1 2021, QSR sales had risen 29% over the prior quarter and were 1.8% above March 2019 levels, while drive-thru visits increased 26% in Q2 2020 and represented 42% of restaurant visits, validating Cipher’s findings.

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