A popular grocery delivery service had what seemed like a big problem. Hundreds of longtime customers were ordering less and less. Company leaders feared quality issues, or increasing competition. But it turned out to be something completely different.

After contacting former customers for closed-loss analyses, Thirdside discovered that shifting lifestyles and household demographics were to blame.

Some customers, busy shuttling older kids to sports practices and other activities, no longer had time to prepare at-home family meals. Other customers, who had signed on for the service when their children were younger, now had kids in college and were empty nesters. In both cases, they simply couldn’t use all of the food they were getting through the service.

Thanks to insights from Thirdside, the company now has a new sales target: Big households.