TNS Blog

NEW TYPE OF SHOPPER RESEARCH STUDIES NON-PURCHASERS

October 12th, 2009

October 12, 2009 - by Siemon Scamell-Katz, Founder TNS Magasin
E-Mail: siemon.scamell-katz@tns-global.com

Ssk_90x90

TNS Magasin has launched a new service which promises to deliver additional sales by answering the age old question: when shoppers don't buy, why don't they? Because these non-purchasers are a huge potential source of extra business - in the store, in the aisle and at the category - understanding what goes wrong here, and putting it right, is set to deliver unprecedented rewards.

 

Magasin starts by identifying attrition amongst shoppers at every stage of the shopping process, from the whole retail outlet through individual category to SKU. For example, a shopper may enter a store but not a certain aisle or browse an aisle but not a particular category. And of course all shoppers interacting with a given category will spurn most SKUs within it.

 

Non-purchasers at every level are recorded using filming or path tracking techniques, with more detailed observation at the category level. A statistically significant number of non-purchasers are interviewed to establish perceived and actual barriers to purchase. By quantifying shopper 'drop-out' rate - and, most importantly, why this happens - TNS Magasin is able to pinpoint the areas of greatest opportunity for our clients.

 

A recent project for a brewing company has identified the additional conversion opportunities within beer and delivered strategic advice for action based on these insights. The initial research revealed how successful the beer category is at converting store traffic to purchasers; who the beer shopper is and how sub-categories perform in various locations.

 

Using these findings combined with knowledge gained from nearly two decades of studying shoppers, TNS Magasin was able to provide a raft of detailed recommendations to unlock barriers to purchase and capitalise on previously overlooked opportunities.

 

Traditional research has concentrated primarily on purchasers. By focusing on non-purchasers, we are illuminating the stages in the shopping journey at which our clients are losing customers and why. Clearly, the biggest opportunity to increase sales is with those potential purchasers who are in front of the fixture but not buying.

 

This approach provides a highly-tuned diagnostic for focusing further research attention and benchmarking change, because it brings every single area of under-performance into sharp relief. What's more this pioneering angle on shopper decision-making not only provides a huge advantage to our clients, it also delivers actionable insights pretty well immediately.

Siemon Scamell-Katz