Matters Graph Sector Coverage

Brand strength, customer loyalty, trend attachment, channel performance, and product mix optimization are all critical levers in evaluating assets across the consumer, retail, and leisure sectors. These industries are fast-moving and often trend-sensitive, meaning that even seemingly minor shifts in consumer behavior or channel dynamics can have a significant impact on performance. Matters Graph has developed a rigorous and repeatable approach to Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) in these sectors—one that blends deep primary research with advanced analytical techniques to separate signal from noise.

Whether the asset in question is a car wash platform, a fitness subscription business, a branded consumer product, or a specialty ingredient supplier, our approach begins with understanding the "job" the consumer is hiring the product or service to do. This behavioral framing helps us isolate the proper Drivers of Choice, repeat usage, and switching behavior. We then layer in channel health diagnostics, pricing, and cross-sell dynamics, as well as trend alignment assessments, to build a comprehensive picture of commercial viability.

Voice of Customer research is at the heart of our work. We custom-source insights from consumers, retailers, trainers, partners, and other stakeholders—often through bespoke interviews and in-house-designed electronic surveys. Our survey platform, built on Qualtrics, enables us to move quickly and flexibly. We routinely field samples of 300–500 respondents or more to ensure statistical robustness. These insights help us assess perceived efficacy, brand resonance, switching costs, and barriers to adoption.

We don't stop at qualitative insight. For data-ready Management teams and investors, Matters Graph brings advanced data science capabilities to bear. We deploy statistical modeling, including multivariate regression and machine learning techniques such as XGBoost, to test hypotheses against large operational and consumer datasets. This approach enables us to address a wide range of topics, including isolating the impact of controllable versus intrinsic variables on demand, robustly quantifying the drivers of performance and choice, and codifying best practices with high confidence. Our teams include individuals with formal training in data science from leading institutions, and we routinely apply these skills to support high-stakes decision-making.

This quantitative rigor is especially valuable in consumer sectors where trends rise and fall quickly—and where sell-side narratives often overstate alignment with current consumer preferences. Our work helps investors distinguish between superficial trend attachment and true behavioral resonance. We've applied this approach across a wide range of categories, including CPG and contract manufacturing, destination resorts, wholesale grocery distribution, and consumer tech platforms.

Ultimately, our goal is to deliver insights that are not only analytically sound but also commercially actionable. We package our findings into clear, compelling narratives that bridge from analysis to on-the-ground interventions—whether that means refining product mix, adjusting pricing strategy, optimizing channel partnerships, or rethinking brand positioning.

Recent Matters Graph Consumer, Retail, and Leisure projects include (for details on Matters Graph Diligence exercises that are covered in PitchBook, cclick on the PitchBook icons below to view deal details):