HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CONSUMERS? SHOP-ALONG RESEARCH 101.
We can tell a lot about consumers by shopping with them
How well do you know your shoppers? Not shoppers you read about in a nationwide report, or a certain segment of shoppers (like women in general), but YOUR consumers that shop at the retailers where YOUR products are actually sold.
Unless you've commissioned your own research specifically with your consumers, you likely do not know them as well as you might like to think.
Our clients tell us that shop-along research with Green Purse PR is the single most valuable type of research they have invested in. Below is a brief Shop-Along 101 to bring you quickly up-to-speed on what shop-alongs are, who they are for, and what kind of value comes out of them.
Shop-Along Research 101
Who shop-alongs are for:
Retailers, brands, certification companies, promotion boards and distributors hoping to better understand and attract shoppers.
How our shop-alongs work:
Shopping alongside consumers in the retail environment (or online for your ecommerce sites) puts you right in the middle of the buying experience. This form of research is part observational and part interview. After the qualitative study has concluded, we submit a detailed report outlining key findings, feedback from participants and most importantly, practical recommendations you can use now.
Outcomes to expect from shop-alongs:
Our clients gain understanding around the behaviors and attitudes that influence shoppers’ path to purchase. This methodology helps us identify specific influencers, barriers, and opportunities during the critical purchase-decision process. The insights that follow are likely to impact marketing communications, in-store & online education, product placement, visual merchandising, packaging and how retail partners interact with your products and consumers.
Value of Shop-Along Research
We recently conducted some shop-along research for a company that makes healthy snacks whose products were about to get kicked off the shelf by the retailer as the products were not performing well. One of the insights our study found was that the brand needed to better emphasize a product attribute -- no added sugar. Shoppers were not aware of this fact, and said if they were aware, they would be likely to buy our client's brand over the competition whose products were loaded with sugar. The company was able to adapt the language on their packaging and emphasize the key message in marketing communications such as social media posts. As a result of this change, sales for the product began to improve and they were able to continue occupying the shelf with their retail partner, who now is much happier with the products' performance.
Hungry for more? Download our Guide to Shop-Along Research for a list of questions to consider in order to determine if shop-alongs with Green Purse PR are a good option for you.
You might also want to see these other blog posts on shop-along research:
Contact us by filling out this form or email us directly at lisa {at} greenpursepr {dot} com.
What's in her shopping cart?
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR