OUR SOLUTIONS

CATEGORY VISION

Sometimes, a category needs a step change.

We have undertaken many such projects. They can be managed in different ways, but often involve the following key stages:

  • Research into existing behaviour to identify bridges and barriers to purchase
  • Ideation sessions with stakeholders to develop and prioritise new initiatives
  • An iterative process of concept evaluation and refinement
  • Store trials

Our inclusive approach, coupled with our ability to provide both creative and strategic inputs, foster innovation and lead to a shared agenda for change.

PACKAGING DESIGN AND RESEARCH

Great pack design is Visible, Recognisable and Desirable!

We have over 40 years’ experience in designing effective brand packaging that consumers desire and shoppers buy.

Over this time, we have learnt there is no substitute for a great creative idea.

But great creative ideas rarely enter the world fully formed; all diamonds must be polished.

Our understanding of the complex, often subconscious, processes driving how shoppers see and select products and brands, and access to a unique range of research methods, enable us to create pack design and brand identity that perform exceptionally, on shelf and throughout the path to purchase.

To borrow from Byron Sharp, we make brands easy to buy.

PATH TO PURCHASE

In-home, in-store and everything in between.

Mapping the Customer Journey may be the most valuable piece of research you commission as, somewhere along this path, your consumer becomes your shopper and need, awareness and intention become a hard sale.

These studies require a range of research techniques; however, they can identify multiple opportunities to connect with and influence the shopper.

Projects to understand the path to purchase vary widely, from simple studies to identify decision hierarchies to longitudinal studies designed to understand, in-depth, how brands and categories fit into shoppers’ lives.

Understanding the Customer Journey will enable you to synchronise Consumer and Trade marketing, maximising the value of scarce marketing budgets.

SHOPPER ACTIVATION

Great ideas are only great if they are seen.

Every store could sell more. Activation, whether promoting an individual brand or extending across a category, is intended to create or stimulate demand. However, if poorly designed, activation can create clutter and confusion and have the opposite effect. Poor visibility and unclear communication are amongst the biggest barriers to activating a sale.

So, start with the basics. First, always ensure shoppers can find what they came for. This relieves tension and creates the right frame of mind for further positive engagement. Then, activate the offer or promotion in a way that balances excitement with clarity. Have fun with the shopper, but make sure the reason to purchase is clear and compelling.

Lastly, think of the poor individual tasked with erecting the POS – often a disinterested teenager with little incentive to get things right.

As always, keep it simple, stupid.

RETAIL TRIALS

Multichannel approaches to store testing.

EPOS tells you what shoppers bought; our Shopper Engagement Model™ will tell you what they nearly bought, and why the sale was lost.

We’ve worked with both retailers and brands to research and refine new layouts, communication, and retail propositions. Methods often revolve around customer observation supported by intercept interviews to identify factors driving the behaviour we see. Our Shopper Engagement Model™ enables us to quantify levels of engagement with the store environment and identify the precise points where shoppers fall away from the path to purchase.

Results are codified and can be compared against a range of benchmarks including pre and post, test and control stores, or our own norms.

By identifying positive and negative behaviours, and the factors that cause them, our outputs are entirely actionable, leading to continuous store improvement.