About Sreerupa Sukhari:

I'm a BSc Botany honors graduate from Orissa University of Agricultural Technology and currently pursuing MBA from SIMS Pune with Marketing Major and Finance as Minor (Batch 2018-2020). I have done my early schooling from KV at multiple states of India and completed my higher education from DAV, Nimapada, Odisha. I'm the senior coordinator of SIMS Annual Research Conference and I was also an organizing member of GEPIWAT Core team 2019. I won 1st prize in national essay competition at undergrad level. I am a state level silver medalist in Kick Boxing and Taekwondo. I am NCC ‘C’ certificate holder and have represented Odisha in the event of Skeet Shooting in National competitions. I have won 1st prize in inter-school debate competition for 3 consecutive years at school-level.


About the Internship

  • Duration - 9 Weeks
  • Location - Kolkata
  • Industry - Bakery and Confectionery Industries
  • Role - Market Research Intern

How was your overall experience?

My internship ran over a span of 9 weeks in the month of April and May. The first few weeks were dedicated to learning about the functioning of bakery industries that would include factory visits, outlets visits and competitor analysis. Along with the main role of market research, we got exposure to multiple marketing related roles like marketing campaign designing, naming of products and social media engagement by customers. We were also invited to the annual event of the company. Competitive analysis, product analysis, CLTV (Customer lifetime-value) was also made for the company.

How was the selection process conducted? 

The CVs were selected by the company and a round of telephonic interview was conducted. The interview was taken by the marketing head of the company.

What was your project and how did you execute it?

My project was on the Impact of Loyalty program on repeat purchase by customers of selected stores. We conducted primary research on the regular customers of the brand in the form of questionnaire filling and extensive secondary research was done with reference to many research work already done in bakery industries and loyalty programmes. Apart from it, the change in sales was closely observed in festive seasons and the changing consumer preference was also noted. The primary data collected was digitalised and it was presented on a weekly basis to the company mentor. At the end of the tenure of internship, the consolidated data and the report was presented to the company.

How was the work culture at Switz Foods? 

The work culture of Switz Foods was quite flexible. There was a very warm welcome to the interns. All the departments of marketing were very cooperative and provided their best support and guidance when needed. There was no strict dress code as such. The timings were quite flexible and the weekend holiday was also provided.

What were the key challenges that you faced during your internship?

There was not any specific challenge thrown by the project or the company but when it is Kolkata, you have to beat the sunny summer to make your shop visits a success. While the process of questionnaire filling, there were few customers who used to refuse but it won’t affect your target much as there would be more customers who would willingly fill the questionnaire, sharing their experience with the brand.

What were the key learnings of your internship?

The process of thorough market research and the understanding of ‘what the customers expect from you’ and ‘what best can be done to meet these expectations’ on a practical front is the key-learning for me. Meeting deadlines, handling multiple tasks, coordinating with different departments smoothly with cheers to the daily routine is what internship taught me. It is just a prototype of being in Corporate.

Any memorable moments from the internship?

There were many memorable moments from the internship. The regular meetings with project mentor used to be very interesting. We used to discuss different aspects of the company, market and the task assigned. Adding to it, exploring the different locations of Kolkata while shop visits were altogether new experience. The city was very cheap and the type of role offered would give a potential chance to explore the city in the best possible aspects.

Any tips you would like to share with our juniors?

Give your best to get into it. This job role deals with pure marketing with no inclusion of the sales role in its portfolio. So, if you want to learn marketing in the practical field, it is the best opportunity for you where you can unleash your talent, justifying your potential.
For any other queries, you can reach out to Sreerupa @Linkedin