As a research consultancy specialising in the behaviour and attitudes in the food & grocery sector it is always important that we keep our research up to date when it comes to Multi-Channel Shopping. We undertake research each year into Online Food & Grocery, and the success of our recent Retailer Series has brought the subject to the fore again. So we will investigate the different channels being used by shoppers, and for what purpose (mission). Some of you may have read my blog into the Future of Retailing, in which I put forward my views on the roles of the different channels.
In this simplistic model I divided the in-store and online
worlds, this report will further granulate the channel choice to include the
role of Discounters (Hard/Soft/Frozen) and Convenience
(Forecourt/Multi/Independent) as well as Online (Standard & Non-Standard
Food Retailers). Indeed I put forward a
hypothesis about different categories fitting neatly into different channels due
to their typical purchase frequency.
| Products | Typical Frequency | Ideal Channel |
| Milk & Bread | Daily | Convenience |
| Health & Beauty | Monthly | Supermarket (or indeed High Street) |
| Biscuits & Cereals | Bi-weekly (Light) | Discounters |
| Soft Drinks & Tinned | Bi-weekly (Heavy) | Online Grocers |
| Washing Powder & Toilet Roll | Quarterly (Volume) | Online Non-Grocers (Amazon) |
Understanding this is vital to understand shoppers at a macro level, indeed the interest will be in the detail, which demographic do what and why!?
The next topic we were keen to investigate involves the fast growing channel of Discounters, but this report will concentrate on the Impact of Brand Perceptions. Should brands succumb to lure of being listed in an Aldi or Lidl, and what impact would this have on its Brand Equity? We will be investigating this issue using a number of proxy brands (if you would like to be part of this study then please let us know). I have some personal views on this impact, but as any good researcher knows, I am putting them to one side to ensure we take a fresh look at this most interesting of issues.
It has always been a question that comes up when I speak to
some retailers, and that is if shoppers know we are the cheapest for the same
products why would they shop somewhere else (location aside). So in our new report Retailer Choice – How Important
is Price we will look at this single issue in trying to understand what
drives a shopper to spend more for the same products, and what would be the
impact of shoppers being able to know who was the cheapest before they started
their shop. I have felt for a while that
shoppers would respond better to total cost comparison than individual product
offers from above the line messages.
Many shoppers are not as price aware of individual products as we may
think; we will be testing that too!
CSR – Do Shoppers Really Care? That was the next topic that we
have discussed. Whether it surrounds
health, environment or ethics, does this translate into a greater feeling of
affinity or transactional activity by shoppers.
Should Brands shout louder or indeed should they keep quiet (I do a lot
of work for charity…really good for you!).
Here we will test a number of CSR initiatives to understand the impact
on the brand to shoppers (again if you would like to get involved in this
project then please let us know).
We have a few more research topics (beyond our annual
studies), which I will talk about before the end of the year. If you feel you can contribute to any of
these studies or would like to add some questions (for your eyes only) then
please send me an email (craig.bradley@evolution-insights.com)
Craig Bradley
