seven steps to better shopper research

7 tips for better

Shopper Research

Source: Flickr

Nobody records, in detail, what was in the store

“4% of shoppers switched brands

because they noticed a

promotional sign.”

This could leads us to conclude a

poor effectiveness of promotional

sign

But…

what if the sign was only in 10% of

the stores?

It is useless without understanding the in-store

stimulus provided to shoppers

Source: Flickr

Here are 7 useful tips

for doing shopper research

1. Get a map of the store

A simple block diagram which maps out which categories are where,

where displays, checkouts, media, elevators – well – pretty much everything

(including the washroom!) is located. This

macro map can be used to highlight the location of all of the ‘points of interest’

(the category, displays for your brand and

competitors, or competing categories.)

Source: Flickr

2. Get photos of the fixture

The photos (and modern photo-stitching software is brilliant here) show what

the shopper sees. A video can be a useful addition.

Source: Shutterstock

3. Record prices, promotions, stock levels and out of stocks

Within the category, everything which might possibly impact the shoppers’ behavior needs to be recorded. Every sign,

wobbler, sticker, price, discount, flag. Inventory levels, and in particular, out-of-stocks, are critical.

Source: Flickr

4. Go to the stores yourself

I was working on a project in Korea once, and for some

reason the signage the client was using was having no impact whatsoever. It was

only upon visiting the stores themselves that it became

clear what the problem was. The signage was simply too high and was out of the line of sight for everybody. The photos didn’t pick this up, but a quick trip to the

store certainly did.

Source: Flickr

5. A snapshot is just that

Fieldwork often runs for several days, across several stores, and things change. Images should be recorded

every day of the activity. In very fast moving categories stock levels and out of stocks should be recorded more

frequently, potentially hourly.

Source: Flickr

6. Look at the data store by store

As a quick check-step, look at the data, store by store, and check for any glaring anomalies (we once found one

store in a sample of twenty which was responsible for virtually all of brand switching – guess what?

the brand was out of stock in that store!)

7. Print it all off for the research presentation

Source: Flickr

One last tip: make sure all of this is ready and easy to access for the research presentation. Enlarge the store maps and photos and pin them to the wall if you can, so that it’s easy

for them to be referenced during the presentation.