Case Studies
The student council at a second college asks Meera, "Why should we recommend ReShelf to our students?" She could repeat the USP. Or she could show them what actually happened in one hostel block at the pilot campus, with numbers.
The rule
A case study proves the promise: one real customer, before and after, in numbers.
A case study is a short, true story of how a specific customer used your product and what changed. In positioning it does one job: it turns your USP from a claim into proof. A strong one follows a simple arc:
- Who: a customer the reader identifies with.
- Before: the problem, in their words and in numbers.
- Did: how they used the product, briefly.
- After: the measurable change, compared with before.
- Said: a real person's words, used with permission.
ReShelf's first case study:
Block C hostel, pilot campus, 180 first-years. Last year, first-years in Block C spent an average of ₹5,200 on books, almost all new. This year a student ambassador shared ReShelf during orientation week. 70% of the block bought at least one book on it, and average spend fell to ₹2,900: a saving of ₹2,300 per student, about 44%. "I got my maths books from a senior two floors up," said one first-year.
Choose the customer to match the audience. A second college's council wants to see students like theirs, so a hostel block of ordinary first-years beats the story of one unusually busy seller.
Case studies also teach when you read other companies' ones, with a caution: they are published because they went well. The failures are never written up, so ask what a typical result looks like, not just the best one.
The shortcut
Run every draft through who, before, did, after, said. A missing piece weakens the proof, and the most common gap is the before number. "Students saved lots" proves nothing without a starting point.
Weak draft
"Students at the pilot campus love ReShelf and save lots of money!"
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
A draft case study says, "Sellers made much more money with ReShelf." What is its biggest weakness?
Average book spend fell from ₹6,000 to ₹4,500. What was the saving per student, as a percentage?
Meera is pitching to a new college's student council. Which case study should she lead with?
Why should you read other companies' published case studies with care?
Remember
- A case study proves the promise: one real customer, before and after, in numbers.
- Check every draft for who, before, did, after, said.
- Trap: a result with no starting point, or a star customer your audience can't relate to.