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the newt in somerset
Customer Feedback Survey
About The Client
The Newt in Somerset is a privately held luxury estate situated near Bruton, Somerset. they run a high-end hotel and spa, offering 23 rooms in the historic Hadspen house along with converted farmyard accommodations. The estate spans roughly 800-1,000 acres featuring Orchards, woodlands, farming and a cyder press. The estate has been public since 2019, although the estate itself dates back to the late 17th century.
Table of Contents
The Research Project
To better understand and engage its farm shop customer base, The Newt in Somerset partnered with Mackman Research to conduct a focused customer feedback survey. The estate, known for its luxurious hospitality and artisanal produce, sought evidence based insights to guide its North-West London delivery strategy. The research project aimed to uncover key purchase motivations, brand alignment, and customer demographics in order to attract new customers who mirror their current loyal base. The findings would support the development of a targeted campaign to reach new customers aligned with Newt’s existing demographic.
Customer Feedback Survey Results
The survey was completed over a five-week period, during which 100 customers participated via telephone interviews. This method enabled consistent targeting and provided participants with the opportunity to elaborate on their responses. A comprehensive report was produced, incorporating comparative insights across customer age groups and membership types. Key trends and priorities were highlighted to inform campaign development.
Brand Facts
- The Newt in Somerset is a luxury country estate rooted in history, with a Georgian estate, formal gardens, and farmland set across over 300 acres.
- Formerly Hadspen House, the estate has been beautifully reimagined to offer a blend of heritage, horticulture, and modern hospitality.
- The Newt features luxury accommodation, an interactive museum (The Story of Gardening), a cider press, and award-winning restaurants that celebrate seasonal, estate-grown produce.
- It is home to some of the UK’s most innovative garden designs, including the Parabola walled garden with 267 varieties of trained apple trees.
- Sustainability and biodiversity are central to The Newt’s ethos, with regenerative farming, habitat restoration, and low-impact tourism at the heart of operations.
- The estate offers immersive guest experiences such as garden tours, woodland walks, beekeeping, and traditional apple pressing.
- Beyond its physical estate, The Newt has built a loyal following through its online shop, ‘The Newt in a Box’ subscriptions, and curated seasonal events.
What The Client Says
“The Newt in Somerset worked with Mackman Research to undertake a customer survey. Dr Gemma Mackman was an excellent project lead, who provided expert guidance through the process of creating a survey, undertaking interviews and providing powerful customer insights. I would not hesitate to work with Mackman again, and indeed hope to in the future.”
Research Aims & Objectives
The overarching aim of the project was to identify customer motivations and lifestyle preferences that drive engagement with the Newts Farm Shop. The research also aimed to measure satisfaction levels, assess brand sentiment, and understand the role of membership in purchase decisions. Ultimately, the goal was to enable more effective customer acquisition through evidence-led marketing.
Research Design & Methodology
Mackman Research designed a structured questionnaire combining closed questions with open comment boxes to gather both qualitative and quantitative insights. Topics covered included product awareness, shopping habits, values alignment, and lifestyles indicators. telephone interviews were chosen to ensure high-quality data collection and to meet the target of precisely 100 response’s. this approach also allowed researchers to prompt respondents for clarification or elaboration where necessary.
Research Outcomes
The final report provided a clear profile of The Newt’s typical farm shop customer, with charts illustrating behavioural trends, key motivations, and brand affinity. Data was cross-tabulated by membership status (current, expired and non-members) to explore differences in engagement. the insights offered clear, actionable recommendations to support targeted marketing in North- West London were designed to help the Newt grow its customer base while remaining true to its brand values.
