WindowOn...Fragmented shopper repertoires (2014 Issue 20) by Shoppercentric

Fragmented shopper repertoires the essential guide to shopper trends from Shoppercentric

The changing face of grocery shopping A different kind of loyalty Shopper needs driving fragmented repertoires Channel definitions challenged by shopper behaviour Plus new Thought Pieces, The Gossip... and all the usual regular features and revealing interviews

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www.shoppercentric.com

ISSUE 20

JULY 2014

This edition of WindowOn is based on qualitative and quantitative research among UK shoppers: 17 depth interviews among shoppers aged 18+ 1,100 online interviews among shoppers aged 18+. Nationally representative quotas were placed on gender, age, social grade and geography.

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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

ÂŠ Shoppercentric 2014 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.

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

We work with the widest range of methodologies available: qualitative and quantitative, traditional and technological, pre-store and in-store. Whatever the brief, our ambition is always to help our clients deliver bottom line growth.

Welcome... Trends Research... If it’s not little and often, it sure is different Danielle Pinnington,

Founder & Owner, Shoppercentric

Welcome to another edition of WindowOn... There seems to be something of a debate raging in the industry at the moment over whether UK shoppers are really switching from big main grocery shops to smaller, more frequent shops. It’s a hugely important debate because the big 4 grocery retailers are turning their sights from large format one-stop-shops to smaller c-store formats. And yet Kantar Worldpanel data has found that the convenience channel has actually lost share in the past 5 years.* As is often the case big data can reveal certain truths, but there is another angle to be gained by understanding the story from the shopper perspective. And this is what we have looked to do in this latest edition of our shopper trends magazine. By talking to shoppers and understanding how they believe their habits are changing – if indeed they are – we can add to the broader understanding of the emerging opportunities for retailers and brands alike.

We look at the changing behaviour of grocery shoppers.

“ And loyalty means what?”

A proportion of loyal shoppers are actually spending more in other stores.

The drivers of change

We look at how shoppers are changing due to the amount of choice in ways to shop.

Breaking down channel walls

We explore how the needs of shoppers are more relevant than multichannel.

THOUGHT PIECE

1&2

Thought Piece One 10 Shoppers flexing their muscle Retailers are not to underestimate the savvy shopper. Thought Piece Two Getting back to basics It is not all about price- it is also about the big picture.

Regular Features... * Source: The Grocer, 24/5/2014

www.shoppercentric.com

The BIG Picture... An experts own view Shopper Talk... From the High Street... The Gossip Meet the Team

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

8 11 13 15 16 17

FEATURE

If it’s not little & often, it sure is different In recent months much has been made of the change in strategy among the big 4 grocery retailers – the so called end to the space race. Received wisdom has it that shoppers have fallen out of love with the big box, one-stop-shop and are increasingly switching to smaller, c-store formats. And yet panel data suggests the market share of the convenience sector isn’t as buoyant as we all thought. So what is actually going on? By Danielle Pinnington

The simple answer is lots of things, and it gets more complex as the story unravels. But let’s start at the most basic level: 70% of UK shoppers tell us that they have indeed changed their household shopping habits of late - either using different stores, or altering the frequency with which they go shopping. What is interesting is that the most notable change isn’t around shopping little and often, it is actually about the number of shops we are using nowadays – the size of our store repertoire:

are shopping for the household more frequently these days, 38% say they are shopping a wider variety of stores

Changing behaviour

38% 30%

l In fact nearly 1 in 10 are shopping more

20%

l On average, shoppers used over 5 retailers

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I shop more frequently than I used to

repertoires shopped at more than 7 different stores in the last month

I shop at fewer shops / websites nowadays

l Those who have recently extended their

12% I shop in a wider variety of different shops / websites nowadays

across 3 different channels in the last month to meet their household grocery shopping needs

15% I shop less frequently than I used to

frequently and using more stores.

My shopping habits haven’t changed

l Whilst 20% of UK shoppers say they

Retailers used in last month for Household Grocery shopping 51

39 39 34

33 28 25 23 23 19 14

13 13 13

12 12

11 11

Te sc o

su pe Sa A rma ins sd rke bu a s t / ry up Ex ’s er tr su m a M pe ark or ris rm et on ar s ke su t pe A rm ld ar i k Ic et ela nd M ar Te ks s L & co C id Sp Ex Po o- l en pr un op ce ess dla r S / nd im Me pl tr y o Fo od W Bo B& ilk ot M ins s Ba on rg s W ain ai s Sa ins A tros bu ma e ry z Te ’s L on sc oc Po o o al Lo un nlin ca d e Fa wo lb r ut r ch A mfo ld sd o e Lo r / a ds ca fis on l g hm lin re o e en ng g e Su roc r e Sa L per rs ins oca dru bu l b g a Pe ry’s ke ts on r at lin Ho e m St Sa e re ve et /f Sp rs ar a m er O rn s’ th m e ar r k Bo e M d ts Lo N ca isa Co yca l / / stc re M Nis ut or a te ris To r on d s ay Lo Co cal st O co M O ca or n d ris e o on St s op o Bu nlin dg e Lo ens nd isn

Whilst it is true that the majority of shoppers (61%) are sticking to the traditional pattern of main shops supplemented by top-ups, it seems that they are spreading their spending more thinly across a wider repertoire of stores and websites. A major watch-out for the Big 4, though possibly not the biggest of surprises, is that for 1 in 10 shoppers this repertoire did not include a standard, large format supermarket in the last month. The fragmentation of our shopping repertoires, therefore, presents a real challenge for both retailers and brands. For retailers, the apparent decline in “loyalty” as we traditionally define it must surely indicate a need to move beyond

traditional tactics in order to maintain repeat footfall, and this surely has to include a tangible move beyond price wars, which themselves are encouraging promiscuity. For brands the new world order brings about the need to look carefully at distribution strategies, channel specific inventory and NPD planning. Of course, shopper behaviours and attitudes have been in constant evolution since commerce began. However, it is clear that an accelerated change in shopper priorities has recently been brought about by a confluence of influential factors. This surely reminds us how important it is for today’s businesses to take time to listen to what today’s shoppers are really looking for.

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

FEATURE

“ And loyalty means what?” It used to be the case that a self-proclaimed Sainsbury’s shopper mainly shopped at Sainsbury’s, a self-proclaimed Asda shopper mainly shopped at Asda, and so on. By Penny Ericson

And whilst that remains to be the case for the majority of shoppers, there is a sizeable minority of shoppers who may describe themselves as a particular store shopper but are actually spending more of their household budget elsewhere.

Average number of stores used in last month 6.2%

5.8%

5.5%

5.3% 5.2%

4.9% 4.4%

l 17% of self-defined “Tesco shoppers”

spend more in other stores

I am a...

l Similarly, 14% of self-defined

“Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s shoppers” spend more elsewhere l In contrast more Asda and Co-op self-

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

Co-op shopper

Aldi shopper

Sainsbury’s shopper

Morrisons shopper

Tesco shopper

Asda shopper

Indeed, the size of store repertoires among shoppers describing themselves as a shopper of a particular store also shows how hard it is for retailers today to hold on to a significant chunk of their shoppers’ spend.

Waitrose shopper

defined loyalists are true to their word, with only 7% of them spending more elsewhere

Shoppers may well wear their usage of a particular store as a badge of honour, but retailers can’t assume that is the store they will visit most often or spend most of their household grocery budget in. This apparent erosion of loyalty is bound to have been influenced to some degree by proliferation of choice and the cherry picking approach to shopping that the recession brought. And both of these factors will be considered in more detail in our next article. What is interesting for now is the residual impact this has had on how today’s shoppers are engaging with the retailer and channel options they now have available to them. It certainly feels like their eyes have been opened, and blind loyalty is a thing of the past for many. Shoppers are quite clearly demonstrating the ability to seek out the offer that suits them and their particular shopping needs on each occasion: l 45% of shoppers recognise that different

l 34% of shoppers say they go to different

stores to get different things because no one store has the best of everything. Again, this increases to 55% of those whose repertoires have grown bigger. l And 27% say they have actively dropped

certain product types from their ‘grocery shopping’ trips, preferring to buy them elsewhere. And unsurprisingly, this proportion increases to 35% of those with extended repertoires. So, if blind loyalty is becoming a thing of the past the challenge for retailers is to re-engage with their shoppers beyond just price alone. Loyalty cannot be assumed these days, it must be earned. Unfortunately there is no fixed template to success - it is about flexible approaches to your offer to make sure the benefits are relevant to the moving target that is today’s shopper. Horses for courses, you might say!

stores have different strengths and disagree wholeheartedly that one store is very much like another. This increases to 53% of those whose repertoires have recently expanded.

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

FEATURE

The drivers of change If you cut through the clutter of reasons shoppers use to explain their changing shopping habits you will find that the core enabler at the heart of it all is the choice available. It has never been easier to find the right product, at the right price within easy reach. By Iona Carter

As a result shoppers are able to shop in ways that better reflect their own needs. So let’s find out a bit more about the needs that are driving the fragmentation of repertoires:

More active engagement with process

n sio

How can I make the savings work in my favour?

Pr ic e

Pa s

What do I really want that I can’t get elsewhere?

Dividing the repertoire

re su

Functional rewards

Pro x

Ple a

What can distract me from the ‘chore’ of shopping?

ity im

Emotional rewards

What choices are near me?

More passive engagement with process 6

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Passion encapsulates the desire for results when shopping, such as: l providing well for the household - 51% of

shoppers agree that they take great pride in shopping for the household l adhering to principles & beliefs such as

animal welfare, importance of provenance etc l sourcing ingredients that deliver “Some

supermarkets are chef’s supermarkets… others are not” Pleasure can also be seen in the context of a desire for results, but this time of a more personal nature: l 23% of those with bigger repertoires these

days say they find it more interesting / inspiring to shop in different places l 17% also said that they find it boring to

shop in the same stores all the time This desire for pleasure doesn’t necessarily mean swanky environments or being pampered by effusive staff. It simply means wanting to see something different every now and again, to be inspired or have boredom relieved. This can happen just as well in Aldi just as it can in Waitrose or M&S Simply Food - a change is as good as a rest, after all. The influence of price is well documented. What is interesting now is that shoppers actively seek out the latest grocery deals and make their choice of store on that basis. We came across a number of shoppers checking local area marketing leaflets and advertising, or saving up vouchers or brand-match style coupons before deciding where to shop - 29%

of our extended repertoire shoppers admitted that they switch between stores based on the vouchers they get sent. These shoppers are loyal to themselves, not to retailers, so any gains are almost bound to be short term. Finally, if we look at proximity , this encapsulates the shoppers’ desire for efficiency in their shopping lives. Life has never been busier for most people, and when 54% of UK shoppers agree that “I like to get grocery shopping over and done with so I can spend time on the important things in life”, it is clear where their priorities lie. So, some shoppers look for ways to minimise time spent shopping by shopping locally, or in smaller stores. And of course proximity can be maximised by shopping online: 62% of UK shoppers who buy groceries on line reference ‘saving’ time as a key channel choice driver; and 34% talk about being able to use their favourites list. For those who expand their repertoires for proximity driven reasons, it is all about shopping where they are rather than “going to the shops”. In this sense, convenience isn’t a channel but a mindset, which may shed light on the fact that though shopping trips are fragmenting and repertoires are expanding, it isn’t necessarily the convenience sector that is reaping all the benefits. It seems to us that the turf wars being fought amongst retailers these days focus solely on the functional shopper drivers. Perhaps it is time that retailers and brands start working together to focus more on shoppers’ emotional needs around passion and pleasure. After all, these are more likely to hold the key to unlocking the long standing shopper loyalty that is becoming more and more elusive.

The end of Big Box retail? For all the talk of fragmentation, we shouldn’t forget the many shoppers who are consolidating: 15% of shoppers are claiming that they shop less frequently than they used to. Of these, 61% think that doing fewer, bigger shops is the best way to save time, and 74% say they save time if they stick to stores they know well. Their continued presence in the marketplace may mean that the big one stop shop concept is not dead in the water after all!

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

thebigpicture Terminal 2, Heathrow by Lisa Hutchinson

4th June 2014 saw the opening of the £2.5 billion Terminal 2. It replaces the first ever terminal at Heathrow which was opened in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth. Research from passengers and industry trends have led to the retail line up of the terminal. Of the 63 shops, John Lewis is opening its first and only airport store, showcasing some of its favourite ranges in home, fashion and gifts. It is the first terminal in the world to offer free personal shopping and also offers preflight beauty treatments. Almost sounds like a good day out at the shops rather than an airport. With Heathrow also being the only airport to have two restaurants from Michelin starred chefs I am tempted to book a flight just to go for a bite to eat and get myself a new wardrobe! www.heathrowairport.com

Main image: Terminal 2 - John Lewis © Heathrow Airports Limited Inset image: Dana Jaber - Heathrow Personal Stylist © Heathrow Airports Limited

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

THOUGHT PIECE ONE Written by Sharon Hodgson

Shoppers flexing their muscle Hardly a week goes by without us reading about a “backlash” against a particular retailer who has committed some kind of faux-pas. OK, they may vary wildly in severity: Morrison’s 175ft baguette beamed on to the Angel of the North, supermarkets selling un-labelled halal meat, Co-op’s mismanagement, Amazon’s creative accounting practices, who knows what’s next. Whilst there may be no such thing as bad press, the frequent use of “backlash” in the headlines reflects something important happening among shoppers: they have a growing awareness of their strength, and how they can flex their group muscle to make companies take notice. This is one of the facets of today’s new savvy shopper that is only just being noticed. Until now it has been tempting to think of savvy as all about price and value. But savviness is also about being thoughtful, and realising that spending power really is powerful. Take Starbucks as an example. They recently reported a drop in profits in the UK in part attributed to the consumer backlash against their tax position. In fact they are sufficiently concerned to have decided to “pay a significant amount of corporation tax” and move their European headquarters to the UK although cynics may question the true scope of the move and the tax implications. Social media is clearly a very important tool in allowing a head of shopper steam to build such that words turn to action, and a backlash develops allowing upset or concerned shoppers to hit a company where it hurts. What may start as an angry tweet by one disgruntled individual can quickly become newspaper headlines, or even a sales boycott, if handled badly. Handled well, it can show personality, contrition, humility, humour, empathy - many of the attributes marketers would love their brands to be associated with.

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The importance of understanding shoppers these days can’t be underestimated. And that understanding has to go beyond the basic of whether they like your brand or not. It has to dig deep into the trends that are affecting their behaviour and opinions, so that when you read about savvy shoppers you don’t write that off as a price-based savviness that your trade marketers need to deal with. Instead you see savviness in all its guises, and as a result you recognise how it can impact on your brand and your marketing campaigns.

An Experts Own View Name: Andrew Saunders Job Title: Category Director Brands Company: Wellness Foods

Are you seeing a change in shopping habits in your category? The recession had a major impact on consumer and shopper behaviour and the reality is we are still seeing changes flowing out from that. Consumers are generally buying less, potentially more conscious of the cost of food waste and so there is a knock on effect of trading into smaller pack sizes which has been evident this year. Promotions are also less effective than a year ago, particularly multi-buys. It’s not just enough to shout about price, the promotion must be visible and there must be a message about the brand benefit or usage occasion, either in-store or via other media. It’s an old principle but increasingly relevant. What do you think are the biggest challenges for the large supermarket format as c-stores become more prevalent? Staying profitable. The fragmentation of shopper behaviour towards discounters, more top up and convenience shopping missions and increasing internet shopping must be having a dramatic impact on large format store margins. Many of the big four reported like for like declines in the first quarter of this year, and as convenience and internet are in growth, how poorly must some of the bigger stores performed? I went into a couple of large stores last week and three things struck me. Firstly how tired the stores looked, quite frankly it wasn’t a pleasant experience and it was only 2 in the afternoon. Most large stores are 20+ years old whereas many of the convenience stores are younger and look more modern. Secondly I only went in for a top up shop of some essentials but was made to walk most of the store. These stores are often not laid out with smaller basket or top up shopper missions in mind which is where many consumers are going. The growth in older consumers will only accentuate this over time. Thirdly, there is a growing consumer trend towards community/family and these larger out of town stores don’t fulfil this, whereas my local butcher (who has never been busier) knows your name and talks to customers. It’s a very different experience.

Have you seen anything particularly innovative in grocery supermarkets that you think shows how they are adapting to changing shopping habits? If I’m honest, no not recently and I think that’s been part of the problem for the major mults. Click and collect was the last major innovation to really address shopping habits. To be fair most of the mults are talking to us, in some of our categories, about fixture location and fixture adjacencies ie grouping related categories together based on a shared usage occasion. This would improve the shopping experience. What are the key dilemmas you believe are facing manufacturers these days? For medium and smaller manufacturers all the retailers are clamoring for new products, but simply getting listings on a supermarket shelf is unlikely to generate much trial or get much standout. Balancing where to get new products distributed and how to support them through trialing initiatives and clear communication messages is a real problem for smaller manufacturers with limited budgets. It can often be easier to justify spending money behind a product with a bit of a track record. The other major dilemma is that for grocery manufacturers there are likely to be more pressures on the consumer wallet as consumers start to spend more on eating out and also look at spending on other areas such as home improvements which may have been put off for the past few years. This could mean the current stagnation in grocery is here for some time. For smaller manufacturers with impulse products focus on convenience stores or out of home markets may be a better bet.

www.wellnessfoods.co.uk

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

FEATURE

Breaking down channel walls Several years ago we focused a whole WindowOn edition on the convenience channel, reaching the conclusion that convenience is a mindset, not a channel. Yet as an industry we continue to talk about channels, multichannel and omnichannel as if a label can give us clarity. By Claire Pearson

In looking to better understand how shopping behaviour is changing it seems to us that talk of channels is even less relevant than ever. After all, we all know that multichannel/ omnichannel was about bringing a seamless experience to shoppers. And yet we persist in creating glass siloes that mean everything to business and nothing to shoppers. Does this matter? Yes, believe us it does. When the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s first introduced small format stores, shoppers accepted a certain price differential. They were relatively accepting that whilst it might be the same badge over the door the new benefits still came at a cost to them. But times have changed, and so have shopper expectations, which means the old norms no longer fit. Shoppers don’t see why they should foot the bill for more convenient stores when

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

there are so many alternatives on their door step. In fact, given their shopping habits show they are now using such stores for much more than the ‘distress’ purchase occasions they used to service, they are no longer as happy to pay such a premium – whilst 32% do use convenience stores for emergency items, 34% use them because “they are familiar with the store so it is a quick / easy place to shop”, and 27% use them because the “smaller ranges make it easier to shop”. Price parity between formats, at a time when so much choice is available, is a step which delivers honesty and relevance to shoppers. Asda, who pride themselves in keeping things simple have already taken this step, and are in fact the retailer who seems most in tune with the need to break down channel walls. Of course, we all know that in a complex world

Shopper Talk... Real words from the high street. Brought to you from the keen ears of the Shoppercentric team...

I live with my dog and partner. My dog is nicer than my partner sometimes. Every cake is like a new baby If you listened to everything everyone said you’d never eat anything. The Ocado shopping trip is my cry for freedom really – I don’t want to spend my time going around the shops. it helps to have a way of segmenting an offer in order to target different types of shoppers. The problem is that the targeting goes only so far – focused on shoppers spending rather than their needs. At a time when the competition has never been so fierce surely a new approach is needed? An approach that delivers consistency as well as local flex – based not around format or channel, but around the needs of shoppers in that catchment area. That will require a clear vision of what the retailer stands for and their point of differentiation, and strong supplier relationships to deliver the category and shopper level understanding. The result will be stores that deliver against shopper needs every time – and over time that may also help re-create loyalty as we once knew it.

I’m seeing more things on offer that I’d usually buy in with my weekly shop, so now I’m getting more things here and crossing them off the list for my big shop. Shopper in a convenience store.

I wouldn’t step into a discounter – Tesco is as low as I go. I can’t tell the difference between that colour and that one to be honest but I know my girlfriend would, so I leave that to her.

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

THOUGHT PIECE TWO Written by Susie Spencer

Getting back to basics You’d have to have been hiding under a very large stone to have missed the ‘price wars’. What started in the trading statements and the press is now pretty evident in-store: Tesco and Asda’s ‘£1 zones’, Morrisons ‘I’m cheaper’ campaign, the price matching coupons spewing out of the checkouts at Sainsburys and Tesco. On the face of it, it’s all good for the shopper. But it’s coinciding with lower fuel prices and signs of recovery in industry, the jobs market and consumer confidence. Shoppers have already changed their shopping habits, sometimes to the detriment of the Big 4. On what appears to be a fairly level playing-field on price, how can The Big 4 claw back shoppers? A recent day out visiting stores gave us some food for thought. For once, this wasn’t about rushing into our usual store grabbing what was on the shopping list. This was about going to a new area, and just looking. Trying to imagine what it would be like shopping in these different stores regularly. Looking at signage, watching shoppers, thinking about how the shop made us feel. How we’d describe that store if we could only use one word. Granted, this isn’t a scientific way of evaluating retailer performance, but it did bring home how inconsistent the look and feel of the stores can be. If you are only managing to take time out of the office to visit newly opened stores you may not be getting the whole picture – and if you are a manufacturer you could be getting a dangerously narrow perspective. The real picture is one of stores in need of refurbishment, patchy availability, confusing pricing and deals, POS overload and stores where actually it’s just easier/ nicer/cheaper to shop somewhere else. Stores where you feel that they just need to get back to basics: l Providing good value products, making sure they are in stock, selling them in an environment which feels ‘pleasant enough’ l Not ramming things down shoppers’ throat, letting them buy what they want to buy

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l Letting shoppers feel the prices are good, rather than shouting it at every opportunity l Letting shoppers get in and out as quickly as they want Sounds simple, but these store visits suggested this isn’t happening consistently, and yet these are the kinds of things discounters are getting right. So is the aggressive focus on price causing some of the middle tier retailers to take their eye off the ball on the basics? The huge investment in price has to come from somewhere - will store refurbishment and supply chain coffers be raided? It can’t all just be about having the lowest prices, can it? Or how would you explain the continued success of Waitrose? All this matters for three reasons:

If the Big 4 are matching each other on price, a more pleasant store environment and shopping experience becomes a differentiator.

A shopper’s perception of a supermarket as a brand is likely to be formed by their perception of the branch that they shop at. If it’s an inferior shopping experience, the brand is unlikely to retain any goodwill and loyalty beyond the pull of low prices something all the supermarkets crave.

For suppliers the opportunity is surely around helping the retailers capture an understanding of what shoppers need, and delivering categories that can support differentiation beyond price.

An Independent Retailer Perspective

A View from the High Street By Lisa Hutchinson

Situated within a beautiful selection of independent shops in the unique setting of Burwash Manor, is a gorgeous haberdashery shop, Backstitch, owned by Alice Synge. These shops are located in converted farm buildings and with tea rooms, lovely views and animals to see it makes for a perfect day out. I went to visit Alice at her new store which opened in April to find out about the challenges of adding a retail space to her already successful online offering.

So why open a shop? For Alice, making the move into bricks and mortar was an obvious and necessary natural development of the business. She had outgrown the space at home and in order to move the business forward needed to look at some kind of premises, either a lock up or retail space. ‘The rent in Cambridge city centre is so expensive and having had my name on a waiting list for Burwash Manor for a number of months when this unit came up it seemed like the perfect opportunity.’ Retail is a huge challenge though. Alice “This is a beautiful shop has learnt that you cannot there are not enough please everyone and you shops like this anymore” always have to keep your eye on what other online stores Recent Customer Comment and bigger retailers, like John Lewis are doing.

Alice started her business in 2010, going online first as there were minimal set up costs and no overheads. ‘It was a good way of testing the water, I had no clear business plan, I just enjoyed sewing and found it really difficult to find what I wanted, mainly modern fabrics. There were few haberdashery’s then as over time the old haberdashery shops had disappeared from the high street - some tried to go online but did not have the modern stock and ideas to entice customers. Five years on the market has changed dramatically and there are increasingly more online haberdasheries. It is a huge challenge now to keep pricing competitive and the product offer unique.’

Over the last four to five years the craft and sewing industry has become very lucrative as more people want to spend their time doing something worthwhile and creating something. It is also a hobby which suits all ages. Alice has a small workshop space offering classes for children from 7 years old to dress making classes for adults. There is clearly a demand for this as during the hour I was there, there were plenty of queries for classes: From a grandmother whose 7 year old granddaughter would love to sew bunting to a mum who booked herself on a dressmaking class. Offering classes, having a beautiful shop so customers can see the array of modern fabrics coupled with the ease of ordering/booking classes on the website seems like a formula for success!

www.backstitch.co.uk WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

Compiled, conjured up & cobbled together by Lisa Hutchinson

End of Year Lunch- The Crazy Bear, Beaconsfield As a treat we held our end of year lunch at The Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield. It is the oldest documented building in Beaconsfield, originally a fifteenth century coaching inn. Now, some would say quirky décor, 1970’s glamour, or Over the Top furniture. One reviewer said ‘think Dubai meets Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen’, which I thought was spot on! There were mixed opinions on the quality of food and service but the atmosphere and sumptuousness is not something you see every day so it was certainly worth the trip. The toilets are definitely worth a visit too!

entrance, unused barstools and forlorn plug-sockets on this visit suggests a bit of a mismatch.

Fred’s Food Construction, Tesco Osterley

If you somehow manage to miss the wall-mounted menus and “Fill up at Fred’s” signs before you even get into the store, you certainly won’t miss the diner itself, courtesy of a pink neon sign. Fred’s location right at the front of store may have relegated Harris and Hoole to a car-park kiosk and the regular Tesco café to the back of the first floor, but it’s sending a clear message to shoppers: this is the place to eat. Personalised sandwiches and salads is a fairly novel approach for a supermarket café, as are the armchairs and bar-style seating areas with multiple plug sockets for laptops. So it feels like there’s a clientele in mind: the ‘take a longer lunch break’ messaging, online ordering and the absence of anywhere to leave a shopping trolley suggests workers rather than the average shopper. All very well, but the huddle of abandoned shopping trolleys at the diner

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

And this carriers over into the menu, an intriguing mix of US versus local: Osterley Sausage Sub, Bacon Doorstop versus Salt-Beef Reuben and Hershey bars. I’m the first to admit that I stopped being an ‘average shopper’ when I became a researcher and I am a bit of ditherer when it comes to food, but I was utterly overwhelmed by the choices: pre-prepared or custom-made sandwich, what bread, what sauce, what filling, hot or cold; juice, bog standard drink or soda fountain…fortunately the staff were patient and reassuring with no sign of eye-rolling. All in all, a bit like a posh Subway, whilst I’d expected more of a diner, tex-mex feel, more than sandwiches and salads. But it was a very nice sandwich….and even better, when I’d finished, my faithful shopping trolley was patiently waiting for me right where I’d dumped it. Shoppercentric Sports report In May, Catrin swam in The National School Relay Championships in Crawley, achieving silver and bronze. The following day in Gloucester she went on to swim 2 seconds off her PB and a second inside the qualifying time in her 100m freestyle. A great achievement in the Carter house!

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.

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.

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

thelastword... We thought weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d let our clients have the last word by telling you what they think of us... I thought you did a great job, and everyone was really pleased with how the session went and the output from the qualitative research. Insights Manager, Manufacturer

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The research has gone down really well with the buyer, its made a big difference to our trade discussions. Sales & Marketing Director, Manufacturer

On behalf of the whole team a massive thank you for such a compelling presentation. It landed really well and you presented it so clearly, it was easy to get the key messages. Head of Insight, Manufacturer

Thanks for today. It was a really useful session, and provided plenty of food for thought! The team have all been very positive about the debrief. Shopper & Snacking Insights Manager, Manufacturer

Great teamwork, thank you so much, (the presentation) is looking brilliant, a really strong story is coming through. Head of Insight, Manufacturer

WindowOn... Issue 20, July 2014

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