WindowOn...The new generation of older shoppers (2013 Issue 18)

INSIGHT | ANALYSIS | INFORMATION | TRENDS | REVIEWS | KNOWLEDGE | STATISTICS

The New Generation of Older Shoppers the essential guide to shopper trends from Shoppercentric

The over 60’s have the spending power.

Older Shoppers are embracing the digital age.

Quality or quantity?

What appeals to older shoppers.

Attitudes of retailers according to the 60 plus Plus new Thought Pieces, The Gossip... and all the usual regular features and revealing interviews

ISSUE eighteen

nov2013

ISSUE eighteen

nov2013

www.shoppercentric.com

ISSUE 18

|

NOVEMBER 2013

This edition of WindowOn... is based on quantitative research among adult shoppers: 951 face to face omnibus interviews – among shoppers aged 50+ 527 online interviews – among shoppers aged 50+ who have internet access 518 online interviews – among shoppers aged 18+ who have internet access Nationally representative quotas on gender, age, SEG and geography were placed on the omnibus, and 18+ online samples.

Quotas were set on geography on the 50+ online sample, but other demographics were allowed to fall out randomly.

ISSUE eighteen

nov2013

ISSUE eighteen

nov2013

PUBLISHED BY: Shoppercentric EDITOR: Lisa Hutchinson DESIGN: Mike Higgs

e: mikehiggs@mac.com

We welcome ideas for future articles and reports. Guidelines on our preferred format and style are available from Lisa Hutchinson e: Lisa.Hutchinson@shoppercentric.com

© Shoppercentric 2013 All copyright is vested in Shoppercentric unless expressly stated otherwise. No permission is granted for reproduction, use or adaptation of the material, save as to provide for under Statute, and any such use must be accompanied by the appropriate accreditation.

We are proud to lead the way in Shopper Insight in the UK. We are continually conducting our own trends research on current industry related issues and are very happy to be able to share our findings and opinions.

Welcome...

Trends Research...

Age is just a state of mind Danielle Pinnington,

Founder & Owner, Shoppercentric

Welcome to another edition of WindowOn...

Over the last few WindowOn... reports we’ve noticed an emerging trend, which began to challenge some of the norms we and our clients apply to research among shoppers. Essentially it has become clear that lumping anyone over 60 years of age into an ‘older shopper’ bucket was doing them a dis-service because a proportion of over 60’s were behaving and sounding like much younger shoppers.

The reason we felt this trend deserved to be the subject of a full report is because we are often asked to focus client research on those under 60 or even under 50.

Given the emerging trend I’ve just mentioned, and the fact that those already retired or retiring now are felt to be far better off than any past or future generations of 60+ year olds, we felt it was time to challenge this age related cut off point. After all, if older shoppers have more money and more time available, and are also just as savvy, and demanding as other shoppers, why are we as an industry routinely ignoring them, or even worse, forcing them into out-of-date stereotypes?

So, this report introduces you to today’s Older Shoppers, and I hope it encourages you to appreciate what they can bring to your store, category or brand.

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It is so easy to put people into stereotypes. We need to understand how important the older shopper is.

Older Shoppers get the surfing habit A growing group of online shoppers. The over 60’s are embracing the digital age.

Doing the right thing

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Time and money rich? Older shoppers look for quality over quantity.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I’m 64?

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Older shoppers still have differences which need to be appreciated.

THOUGHT PIECE

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Thought Piece One Making the most of in-store communication.

We look at how to effectively communicate with shoppers in store.

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Thought Piece Two 12 Don’t bite off more shopper research than you can stomach Dispelling the myth of shopper research being expensive.

Regular Features...

Shopper Talk...

The BIG Picture...

The Gossip An Experts Own View...

From the High Street...

Meet the Team

www.shoppercentric.com

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FEATURE

When it comes to shopping, age is just a state of mind It’s so easy to put people into stereotypes isn’t it? We all do it. We judge people we meet on the basis of how they look, or their accent, but most of all we judge people by their age. Teenagers are sulky, 20-something year olds are only interested in drinking and partying, and 60+ year olds are all about blue rinses for the women and driving gloves for the men.

By Claire Pearson

Well, it’s time we took a closer look at the group we still call OAPs, because they are becoming an increasingly large proportion of the population.

It is a fact that the UK population is ageing:

%

20.3

of UK population 17.6

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

17.6 percent of today’s population are 65+ By 2025, this is forecast to be 20.3 percent

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So, as an industry we need to appreciate how important this age group is, and how wrong some of the stereotypes of older shoppers are.

They aren’t all about golf or jam and Jerusalem!

Retirement Assured recently published a report which found that ‘people aged 60 and over today are fitter and healthier, explore new interests and more than a quarter are choosing to work into their later years to fulfil an ambition’ (Source: The Times: 4/10/2013). This age group now encompasses some seriously motivated people, who aren’t necessarily sitting back and relaxing. They are often at the school gates picking up their grandchildren, spending their evenings as Akela at the local cubs, or even training to be Pilates instructors.

So, for those thinking that 60+ year olds are just after twinsets and comfy slippers, it is time to realise that age really is a state of mind.

This age group now encompasses some seriously motivated people, who aren’t necessarily sitting back and relaxing.

For this age group ready meals aren’t about soft, easy to chew foods, they are about quick solutions to fit mealtimes into their busy schedules – which to our stereotype-trained ears sounds more like a 25-34 year old single, than an ‘OAP’? Nor have they lost interest in shopping: 43 percent of 70-79 year olds shop in-store at least every couple of days which is the exact same figure as 18-29 year olds; they might not use forecourts, malls or retail parks as often as younger shoppers, but they are just as likely to regularly use newsagents, supermarkets, high streets and independents.

So, a shopper is a shopper, right?

Well, not exactly. Let’s not forget that older shoppers learnt to shop in the glory days of high streets, when shopping for household goods involved visiting numerous specialist

shops, not simply stepping into Tesco or Sainsbury’s. So perhaps it’s no great surprise that they are more purposive than younger shoppers: tending to know what to buy before reaching the store, rather than using the displays for ideas; preferring to get the shopping done as efficiently as possible; and less likely to see shopping as a fun way to spend time.

So, let’s take those blinkers off and start looking at 60+ year olds as a golden opportunity of spending power, not just a group of shoppers with poor eye-sight and stiff limbs. In many categories they don’t need to be marketed to any differently from younger generations. However, they do need to feel loved, and as a growing group of cash-rich and time-rich shoppers, feeling the love could be very lucrative!

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FEATURE

Older Shoppers get the surfing habit

By Iona Carter

Today’s older shoppers may well have been brought up in the glory days of the high street, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t embracing the digital age. After all, many of them have spent their later working lives watching PCs replace typing pools, and robots replacing staff in factories: l 62% of 50+ year olds have internet

access at home l 39% of 60+ year olds own a smartphone l 21% of 70-79 year olds online own a tablet

In fact 14% of 80+ year olds who are online have tablets – which clearly challenges any notion that 80+ year olds are ‘past it’. 1 in 3 shoppers over 60 agree with the statement “I can’t imagine my life without the internet”.

In addition, over a quarter of online shoppers aged 60-69 say they will use their mobile devices more often for shopping in the future.

The issue for internet retail to consider, however, is the fact that currently older online shoppers use the internet to browse and research their purchases: l 55% of online shoppers aged 60-69 and

51% of those aged 70-79 say they use the internet at least once a week for browsing

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But only a quarter of those browsing are likely to go on to buy online: l Only 12% of 60-69 year old online

shoppers buy online at least once a week

l Compared to a peak of 38% among

40-49 year old online shoppers

Internet retailers need to resolve the reasons for reticence, such as a fundamental lack of trust in the purchase process, whether it’s a fear of credit card fraud or a lack of confidence in their ability to get through the process unscathed.

“I’d never shop online, I’d be worried about it – how to pay and the whole system”.

There are some, especially the early adopters who have often been using computers for years in their careers, for whom technology cannot develop fast enough: “I wish I was born 50 years later – there would have been much more to play with!”

But without doubt, others have been more reluctant to join the digital age, pushed into it by increasingly dispersed families, or the fear of missing out and being left behind. For these more reticent users the online experience can be fraught with feelings of trepidation and frustration. So retailers need to be aware of the range of confidence, the variation in use and acceptance of the internet amongst older shoppers. Don’t ignore the opportunity that older online shoppers represent, but equally don’t attempt to force older shoppers into behaviours they’re not comfortable with.

Nobody likes a bully.

THOUGHT PIECE ONE Written by Susie Spencer

Making the most of in-store communication We all know that shopping is changing and shoppers are becoming an increasingly savvy and in many ways a cynical bunch. We also know that whilst this is the age of the time poor shopper, they have never been more bombarded with messages to assimilate in store. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 POP display items in an average UK supermarket, and that in any given shopping trip a typical shopper will see in excess of 3000 displays.

So how do retailers and manufacturers effectively communicate with shoppers in increasingly challenging retail environments? We’ve been shopping with a lot of men and women over the years and whilst we’ve seen some fantastic in-store marketing we’ve also seen our share of disappointments. So what has all this experience taught us, what would be our top 10 golden rules of successful in store communication?

01 Be single-minded: Stay focused. We all know POS can fulfil many different roles, but that doesn’t mean it can do all these jobs at the same time. Navigational POS that also attempts to inspire or educate the shopper often fails to do anything successfully. A single piece of POS should have a single purpose.

02 Be concise: Brevity is key. Shoppers rarely have the inclination nor the time to read detailed product information, even in categories where browsing is the primary shopping mode. We are not advocates of having a hard and fast rule on the maximum number of words on any piece of POS (especially when there seems to be so much debate about what the maximum is). The more important point is to avoid trying to communicate War and Peace at the fixture.

03 Be clear: Keep it simple even when explaining technical features. In fact the more technology involved in a category, the clearer the communication needs to be. Empower the shopper to make an informed choice through communicating clear benefits rather than technical descriptions.

04 Be visual: Graphics more than words typically deliver impact and standout. Diagrams or pictures are always more powerful than text in supporting navigation or creating aspirations. So when you want to engage, evoke an emotion, or reflect a lifestyle, then pictures really are worth a thousand words.

05 Be consistent: Inconsistency causes confusion at best, and irritation at worst. Shoppers want to see the same rule sets applied within a category, and especially a brand range. It’s important to identify the rules shoppers use to decode a category and stick to them.

06 Be in the right place: When identifying the optimum location in store it is critical to bear in mind two things. Firstly what the shopper journey looks like for your category, and secondly (and perhaps more fundamentally) the location shoppers look for the category or product messages when they are on that journey. It may sound obvious but shoppers don’t generally spend time looking up to the ceiling and similarly they don’t walk around staring at their feet.

Any in store communication only works if shoppers see it.

07 Be pragmatic: Know the realities of the shop floor.

A piece of POS should never be developed in isolation from the environment in which it is going to be positioned. For example a seasonal FSDU may be highly impactful when positioned on its own, but in the context of other similar activity it store, will it simply be drowned out by the competitive noise?

08 Be realistic: We find POS execution is rarely what the manufacturer had in mind. Compliance and implementation are dependent on the store staff.

POS which is able to stand alone and still have relevance wherever it’s positioned in store has a better chance of success. Similarly displays that stand up to wear and tear and don’t require frequent re-stocking will ensure your activity is more effective regardless of the execution in store.

09 Be brave: Easier to say than to do – but knowing when not to bother can save time and budget.

10 Be a shopper: Think like a shopper, act like a shopper. Before developing any POS firstly consider the context and influences a shopper brings into store, and then what mode, mission and journey the shopper is on when they get into store. POS mechanics should not only reflect the opportunity but the shopper needs first and foremost.

We appreciate none of this is easy, especially when it comes to the reality of the shop floor. But by ensuring the shopper mindset is always at the forefront in the creative development of store communication you will give the shopper the best chance of hearing your message in an increasingly noisy environment. Good luck!

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FEATURE

Doing the right thing Life satisfaction peaks at 23 and 69 according to a study by the London School of Economics. On the basis that happiness tends to be linked to health and wealth, it’s not a huge leap to think the generation of older shoppers really DO have it all.

By Claire Pearson

Compared to previous generations, many of today’s 60+ year olds are benefitting from better pensions, rising house prices (especially those who have down-sized), better nutrition and a good health service. Many will have retired officially and be using their time for leisure pursuits or to fulfil long-held ambitions – which we know often makes them feel busier than when they were younger.

3 out of 4 older shoppers agree that they are

“ enjoying time to do what they have always wanted ” whilst 1 in 2 agree they

“ worry less about money as they have fewer responsibilities ” It’s this more relaxed attitude to time and money which makes them a lucrative market.

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So, what are they looking for when out and about shopping, and how should retailers and brands attract them? Like most shoppers, they love a good bargain: l 74% of 60-69 year olds say they “love

finding bargains for the things I want to buy” But it’s not all about cheap prices. Older shoppers take a long term view of their spending, often aiming at quality, not quantity: l 68% of 60-69 year olds agree “I buy the best

I can afford, even if it’s not the cheapest price” l Whereas only 13% of 70-79 year olds agree

“I tend to buy the cheapest so I can buy more” As a result, lowest price messaging isn’t going to appeal to the majority of older shoppers.

Value is more than low price for these shoppers, and retailers and brands need to present a value story that is relevant to them in order to meet their needs.

Shopper Talk...

Real words from the high street.

Brought to you from the keen ears of the Shoppercentric team...

When my husband comes home from work he goes straight to the pickled onions

We had a bit of fun creating a word cloud from our older shoppers ‘favourite stores’ list – which just shows how widely our older shoppers shop!

It’s a mum thing to look in jars and check for mould or crumbs Everything’s so readily available, there’s no need for planning I look at everything – carbs, fats, sat fats. Sometimes shopping takes me 3 hours!

It is also worth reflecting on the fact that they are thoughtful shoppers, who understand how their spending can make an impact. They like to support their High Street, even if there is a ‘cost’ involved: “It’s important to support the shops in town. Even though they aren’t great and I often can’t get what I really want there, it would be awful if they all closed down. It’s almost a social thing, I go most weeks and usually bump into someone I know.” During the milk crisis of 2012 older shoppers were the age group most likely to agree that they would be willing to pay a few pence more for milk in order that dairy farmers get a fair price. And they are the age group most likely to look for ethical products and to buy local produce.

So part of appealing to older shoppers is about highlighting the things they want, including quality and socially responsible practices. Doing the right thing is about showing you understand.

When you’re dieting you’re eating as much as you can… with low calories My husband eats a family sized ready meal for himself

2013 Diary DEC

Dates...

The POPAI Winter Seminar 11th December 2013

30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB Danielle will be speaking at POPAI’s quarterly seminars which provide an invaluable forum for retail marketing professionals to gain unique best practice insight into recent retailer marketing campaigns and in-store innovations. Danielle will be co-presenting a case study with Kerry Foods, demonstrating how shopper insight drove a step change in the shopper marketing of the Frozen Ready Meals aisle.

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thebigpicture Holland & Barratt Leadenhall, London

By Danielle Pinnington

Since this is an edition about challenging our stereotypes I thought it was time I revisited Holland & Barrett. The last time I visited this chain was when I was a vegetarian, graduate trainee working in Ealing. Given I’ve been eating meat for over 8 years now, we are talking a long time ago, and it certainly felt a long time when I stepped into their new store in Leadenhall.

This is a very different store from the one I remember. A dried fruit and nut pick and mix, a jelly bean wall, and lots of category signage to help highlight the different ranges. The products on shelf looked appealing, rather than just worthy, and with plenty of helpful and friendly staff, who were quick to use the digital information screen when necessary, it was hard not to buy something.

Just one improvement I’d like to see – I’d heard about Manuka Honey, but I haven’t a clue what the real benefit is. For those of us so terribly out of date, some informative messaging would be a bonus.

Now, where are those sugar-free eclairs I bought?

hollandandbarrett.com

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FEATURE

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?

As the previous articles have shown, the new generation of older shoppers are certainly challenging our stereotypical view of OAPs. In many ways they share shopping attitudes and behaviours with their much younger counterparts. But they do have differences which should be appreciated, and it seems appreciation is something they feel is lacking in the current retail environment.

By Danielle Pinnington

As the chart opposite very clearly demonstrates, our online older shoppers are feeling very much out in the cold: 1 in 2 agree that retailers don’t think their age group is important, and only 1 in 5 agree that retailers value their age group because they have more time and money. So the very reasons that should have retailers and brands hammering their doors down, seems to be ignored.

“ Sometimes I just don’t know where to go clothes shopping. I’m not ready for The Classic Collection, but I’m not going to wear leggings either.

A lot of the stuff I just think...

‘I’ve got better than that at home’.

It’s so frustrating….I want to spend my kids’ inheritance!”

We know they have a real desire to shop: 43% of 60+ year olds say they often go to the shops just to have a look around, more than any other age group over 40. But there is clearly a simmering frustration of not being persuaded to spend their money.

While it is generally accepted that as a whole, pensioners of today have more financial clout than in previous generations, it is worrying to see that they themselves give a clear impression of a group feeling out in the cold. The fact that there is such a clear divide between the youngest and oldest groups of online shoppers on the statement: “retailers value my age group because we have more time and money” should ring alarm bells among retailers.

So what’s behind this frustration? Could it be a feeling for some that the retail world is moving away from them? Perhaps the dominance of cheaper products in our supermarkets and high streets means that retailers are becoming less and less relevant to them? Or is it that retailers and brands are still marketing to the stereotypical OAP?

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It really does feel like it’s time to properly meet the new generation of Older Shoppers, and put our out of date notions of OAPs out to pasture.

Agreement with attitude statements - % Online Shoppers 50

46 37 19 18-29 AGE GROUP

22

31 27

30-39

40-49

AGE GROUP

AGE GROUP

%

52

39

Retailers don’t think my age group are important

19

19

50-59

60-69

AGE GROUP

AGE GROUP

%

19

70-79

Retailers value my age group - time + money

AGE GROUP

This has been a brief introduction to the New Generation of Older Shoppers, so there is plenty more to learn. Here are some additional thoughts to challenge the stereotypes:

10% 88% 34% 50% 53% of 80-89 year olds go to the shops on a daily basis

of online shoppers aged 70-79 visit supermarkets on a weekly basis – compared to only 79% of 18-29 year olds

of 60-69 year old and 21% of 70-79 year old online shoppers use a smartphone or tablet to browse / shop

of 60-69 year old of 70-79 year online shoppers old online use Facebook shoppers use price comparison websites

An increasing number of 60-69 year olds aren’t just providing childcare for grandchildren, but may also be caring for a parent in their 90’s – for these people ‘old’ is their parents!

The opportunity isn’t about creating age-specific products or store environments. It is about embracing a mature, thoughtful and most importantly a dynamic group of shoppers. And it is about recognising that they are not a homogenous one-dimensional group, but as varied in their attitudes and behaviours as any shoppers.

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THOUGHT PIECE TWO Written by Danielle Pinnington

Don’t bite off more shopper research than you can stomach For many client companies shopper research is still a relatively new discipline.

Yet it seems to have this terrible reputation of being expensive. And because we’re in a challenging mood in this edition of WindowOn it felt a good place to bury this myth once and for all.

Shopper research really is as expensive as you make it. We’ve run projects for £2,500 which have been just as valuable to the client as projects costing north of £100,000. The value comes from the impact that the research has. If a single shift of intercepts in-store prevents a hugely expensive shopper marketing mistake, then it has just as much value to the client as the multi-country project that helped to develop a channel strategy.

But if you are new to shopper research, how do you know how long the piece of string should be? For many in traditional consumer research or marketing roles, there is a clear rule of thumb for research around advertising testing, concept screening, or even U&As. As a new discipline, shopper research doesn’t have these easy examples to hand, and in fact shopper research has so many more variables that can bump up the costs: different channels, different accounts, different formats, different seasons… and that is just in the one country!

So, if you are wondering where to start, and how to keep your budget manageable, we would always recommend you start small. Most manufacturers can identify the account or channel that is most important to them – either because that is where most sales go, or because that is where there is greatest new opportunity. So make that your start point. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and trying to crack the shopper insight nut with a sledgehammer is going to leave you with an overwhelming number of pieces to work with. In comparison, if you pick out a key account,

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and focus on learning what you need in relation to that account first, then you have the chance to prove the value of shopper research to your internal clients, and identify the key learnings of real value to your business that you need to validate or replicate across other accounts, channels, formats or even markets.

And if you are worried that starting small means missing a vital trick, think again. By starting small you have the time and opportunity to learn as you go, which means the research opportunity really is maximized. After all, shopper research always throws up some surprises, and we have lost count of the times such surprises have taken the research in a different direction to the one planned.

Of course there will be times when seasonality or business pressures mean you need to cover a lot of ground at the same time. The trick here is to build in the thinking time that allows you to get involved in the toplines or learnings from every stage as the project progresses. By taking stock at key stages you have the chance to refine the plan as you learn, rather than listening to the debrief wishing you’d known something earlier so that you could have done something differently.

Some of our favourite moments are those times when we tell a client we don’t think they need that last phase of research, or that extra cell of respondents, or even that new project. Shopper research is about helping businesses make better decisions, it is not about filling filing cabinets with data tables.

Compiled, conjured up & cobbled together by Lisa Hutchinson

Tesco Watford team visit We thought it only right and proper to descend on the revamped Tesco Extra at Watford for a team meeting back in September. You know…the store that’s all about a ‘compelling retail destination’. And we can confirm, it certainly has the wow factor.

On entry, you can’t help be impressed by the artisan bakery, complete with chalkboards and rustic breadbaskets. The Harris and Hoole coffee shop offers the kind of range, service and atmosphere we’ve never experienced in your average supermarket café. The Homewares and Clothing areas have a department store feel and layout, making it far easier and more rewarding to browse than the average supermarket non-food. We didn’t have time to visit Giraffe or squeeze in a much-mentioned yoga class on this visit (sadly, too busy) but it all sounds impressive.

And Tesco says it’s working. We’re not surprised the store may be seeing a sales uplift: it’s hard not to get tempted when it all looks so aspirational. But our watch-out is remember that most shoppers just want to be in and out as soon as possible – if they want a day out they’ll go to Alton Towers. Some shoppers just want a bog-standard loaf of bread and a pint of milk. That’s quite an effort in this store.

Shoppercentric’s Annual Family Day at Waddesdon Manor 30 of us descended upon ‘The Long Dog’ pub in Waddesdon for Saturday lunch a few weeks ago.

The staff weren’t sure what they had let themselves in for as Team Shoppercentric were seated in a zig zag style at the back of the pub (probably to keep us away from the quiet regulars!) The food was great and once we were fed we all went in convoy up to the beautiful Waddesdon Manor. However, as we had an army of children in tow we merely walked past the original country retreat, built in the style of a Loire châteaux and made a beeline for the Woodland Playground. The dads (and children of course) had great fun careering down the death slide. With zip wires, monkey bars and birds nest swings! What else do you need? Needless to say a great day out had by all in the October sun.

The International Sportsman in our midst!

Halloween 2013 Halloween has certainly become more popular in the UK and this year many retailers have made their displays and products far more appealing. It was judged to be a huge success by Penny’s 7 year old son. He was wowed by all the creative bits and bobs on offer and could have spent hours in front of the shop displays.

Danielle’s 11 year old son, Olly, had his first taste of an international rugby tour over the half term.

His local club, Harpenden RFC took a team to the IV Gijon Cup event in Northern Spain. The team won a warm up beach tournament, and 5 of their 7 matches in the main festival – losing out to the Spanish U12 Champions. Olly scored 2 tries across the two days, and had a brilliant time with his team.

The plan is to head back again next year – and go for a clean sweep!

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An Experts Own View Name: Duncan Cawdell Job Title: Consultant Company: InDeed Strategy Into Action Poor customer service is a blight on our retail landscape. Staff at the till point who don’t want to make eye contact, or are too busy talking to a colleague to engage with the shopper. It’s unforgiveable, but too often tolerated. The reason to step into a store should be partly about the service, otherwise we will all shop online… in-store we are looking for discernible service and expert help – these enhance the experience rather than distract from it. Branded suppliers can help by focusing more on the general in-store experience, rather than just activity at shelf.

I saw a great example of brand presence in-store recently in Paris of all places.

The Biscuit category in central Paris stores is immensely confusing, poorly segmented and difficult to shop – however the relaunched LU brand packs stood out against all the clutter with strong brand presence, simply but clean packaging, and on-pack offers that were accessible and obvious. In a sea of confusion and sensible brand stood out by a long mile – it was great work.

What frustrates me most at the moment is the lack of ideas and genuine effort to create or disrupt through differentiation – by retailers as well as brand owners. I understand we are in recession but the primary focus on price can have a detrimental long-term effect on consumption habits and expectations.

The meat crises of last year can be seen as a symptom of the ‘race for the bottom’ seeking ever lower prices – at some stage cost cutting will produce a lack of quality.

The challenge has to be about all the attributes that create value, not just price.

If retailers re-looked at their value proposition beyond price they might find

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new areas to compete. Having taken visitors from overseas around stores in the UK, the consistent feedback we get is “they all look the same”!!

From a brand owners perspective it is matching the proposition to the outlet / channel, not simply launching the same products everywhere, and thinking about how to engage shopper interest and create genuinely different products and brands – these days little new comes from the ‘big’ players. If you want to win globally you have to think by channel, by outlet.

Competition is either by price or differentiation – if you don’t differentiate you simply must have chosen the former.

Tailoring your range, communication, promotions, and fixture engagement will provide your customers with tools to compete, above and beyond price.

As for the High Street, it is time to get together some great independents into co-operatives (the grocer, the baker, the butcher, the sommelier etc) and taking space together. Together they can drive traffic. With great local products they can focus on service, service, service. It requires a lot of co-operation and support from not only suppliers, but banks, local councils, and landlords. We have to think differently about taking a stake in the community, and find a competitive edge that just can’t be recreated – the owner manager with passion about people and product has to be a winning formula.

www.in-deed.com

An Independent Retailer Perspective

A View from the High Street Cook – so you don’t have to…

By Penny Ericson

Nestled on the southern side of Edinburgh, Morningside has been a destination shopping area for several years – and an up-market one at that.

On the short stroll from Waitrose to M&S Food, you pass a fascinating blend of the traditional and the ultramodern: an ironmonger here and a trendy gift shop there; a fishmonger to one side and a coffee shop to the other.

And there is Cook.

Cook of Morningside opened its doors 2 years ago and has not looked back since. The shop is a franchise – one of 60 in the UK – that was begun in Farnham, Surrey and has steadily grown over the past decade or so. The beauty is in the name, for me: because they ‘Cook’ – customers don’t have to! If I said that it is a frozen-food shop, I would not be wrong, but this is frozen food with wow. The philosophy behind Cook is to ‘make remarkable food for your freezer, prepared by hand at our Kitchen in Kent, using the same ingredients and techniques you would use at home.’ And it is remarkable food.

Walking into the kitchen at home, with the smells of a Cook dish heating in the oven, is every bit as comforting and tantalising as waiting to taste home-cooking – without the slog!

The shop itself oozes sophistication. You may be peering into a selection of chest freezers, but you are peering into wooden-clad chest freezers, swinging a linen-lined wicker basket over your arm, treading on a wooden floor.

You will be debating between the coq au vin, made by chef, Spencer Reader, and the fish pie by Alex Carwell (yes, the cooks all have their names on the dishes) when Trish, the owner, will pop over and offer you a taste of the delicious new Prawn Karahi.

This doesn’t feel like a sales pitch – it feels like a great new idea for tea this Wednesday. Even the packaging is cool. Cardboard sleeves with interesting information in a modern font. It all feels very personal, very sophisticated – and very unfrozen!

It is this style, reflecting the sophistication of the food itself, that makes frozen food into something special and that brings loyal customers back again and again to Cook. Trish liked the premises when she found them, particularly for the big window which caught the eye of passing traffic and pedestrians – all important when this was the first Scottish shop. And the proof of her success is in the pudding (Chocolate Roulade, for me please – with raspberries) because a new venture in East Lothian - a wholesale farmshop and café - has recently opened, and a brand new franchise is due to launch in Glasgow’s West End before Christmas.

Trish says that “Cook is a great place to work and a great business to own and be part of. You really do feel like part of the family and I would recommend it as an option for anyone looking for a career or business opportunity.” That sounds like job satisfaction to me, and after serving three courses of tasty and imaginative Cook food for an impromptu family gathering on Saturday, I would say that Cook offers the ultimate in food satisfaction, too.

A delicious destination. www.cookfood.net

WindowOn... Issue 18, November 2013

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meet the team...

We are a small group of highly experienced shopper research experts and aim to lead the way in shopper insight. Between us we bring years (over 150!) of industry experience, gained both client side and within leading research agencies. We focus only on shopper research and are method neutral, using a bank of tools and techniques to uncover insights that are real and lead to tangible actions.

Iona Carter

Director e: iona.carter@shoppercentric.com Iona has over twenty years of experience in shopper and retail research. She joined Shoppercentric in 2006 following several years leading shopper insight with Research International, most recently as Head of Retail and Shopper.

Sharon Hodgson

Director e: sharon.hodgson@shoppercentric.com Sharon’s career started at Ipsos where she was instrumental in establishing the agency’s first Retail division. She led the Retail & Shopper specialism there for 10 years, also heading Ipsos’s Shopper Centre of Excellence for Western Europe. She left her role as Managing Director of Retail & Shopper Research in 2009 to join Shoppercentric.

Kristen Davis

Director e: kristen.davis@shoppercentric.com Following several years as one of our Associates, Kristen joined us a permanent team member in 2010. She has significant experience in consumer trends and future thinking, including previous roles as a Trends Forecaster for Initiative Media and a Qualitative Director for Hall & Partners.

Lisa Hutchinson

Marketing & Operations e: lisa.hutchinson@shoppercentric.com Lisa has recently joined the team and brings with her 14 years’ experience in marketing and administration roles.

She is responsible for project managing WindowOn... and promoting our industry presence.

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WindowOn... Issue 18, November 2013

Penny Ericson

Director e: penny.ericson@shoppercentric.com Penny has extensive experience in brand & consumer, sports marketing /sponsorship and media research (agency & client).

Previously Head of Retail at IPSOS, she is a full member of the Market Research Society and ESOMAR.

Danielle Pinnington

Founder & Owner e: danielle.pinnington@shoppercentric.com Danielle spent her first 12 years as a researcher specialising in the world of NPD, branding and sales volume estimation. She rose to the position of Deputy MD at Research International before joining Incite Marketing Planning as a Board Director. Here her specialisim in shopper began to develop. In 2004 she took the decision to break out of the generalist agency world and set up Shoppercentric – and she hasn’t looked back since.

Susie Spencer

Director e: susie.spencer@shoppercentric.com

Prior to joining Shoppercentric, Susie was Head of Research at Marks and Spencer and has over ten years of experience in shopper insight. She also has significant experience in brand and advertising research.

Claire Pearson

Director e: claire.pearson@shoppercentric.com Claire has 10 years insight experience gained at Tesco, Cadbury and Sainsbury’s. It was during her time at Cadbury that she became a shopper insight specialist. Claire returned to retail in 2010, heading up a Sainsbury’s insight team guiding business and property strategy.

We lead the way in shopper research Shopper Insight...

We work with the widest range of methodologies available; qualitative and quantitative, traditional and technological, pre-store and in-store. It’s our experience that allows us to pick the most appropriate methodologies to answer each brief.

We work as interactively as possible with our clients, so regularly workshop our results with a wide client team to turn our insights into action streams. Whether the brief is about shopper behaviour or promotions strategies, fixture layout or range evaluations – our ambition is always to help our clients deliver bottom line growth.

Client Training...

We design tailor made, interactive training sessions to deepen understanding of shopper insight.

We use a variety of theory and practical exercises to really engage clients in how shoppers think right through the shopper journey.

We explore a full breadth of key research techniques, where and how they are best used and how to best apply real shopper insight within the business.

Trends Research...

We are proud to lead the way in Shopper Insight in the UK. We are continually conducting our own trends research on current industry related issues and are very happy to be able to share our findings and opinions at www.shoppercentric.com.

We are also invited to speak at a number of leading industry conferences each year. If you have recently seen us at an event, you can download our speaker charts from the website too.

Please visit shoppercentric.com for the full story

thelastword...

We thought we’d let our clients have the last word by telling you what they think of us...

I just wanted to say thank you again for yesterday – it was a very clear and engaging debrief and highlighted exactly what our (numerous) challenges will be with regards to the launch.

Senior Consumer Insight, Manufacturer

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I wanted to say a huge thank you for the debrief. It was a really clear deck, fantastic language and the team have given it some great feedback.

We would definitely work with you again in the future.

Marketing Insights, Manufacturer The voxpops went down a storm – they were the number one takeout at the meeting.

Category Controller, Manufacturer A brilliant piece of work, and done to tight timings – thank you.

Category Controller, Manufacturer Your proposal captured our requirements excellently and I thought really set you apart.

Category Controller, Manufacturer

PO Box 435 Harpenden Hertfordshire AL5 2WX

01582 468047 info@shoppercentric.com www.shoppercentric.com