Meyers Research Center Launches Ninth Wave of Convenience Store Close-Up Study

Convenience store (Photo credit: wilhelmja)

Delving  Into the Decision-Making Process of C-Store Shoppers Nationwide  

Research to Look at C-Store’s Most Popular Categories and More, Including a Detail Look at Hispanic Shoppers  

  May 7, 2012 New York, New York – Meyers Research Center, a leader in delivering shopper insights gathered at the point-of-sale for more than three decades, has announced that it will field the Ninth Wave of its popular syndicated Convenience Store Close-Up Study this summer.

 The study will look at the shopping patterns behind a multitude of C-Store categories including Beer, Beverages, Cigarettes, Foodservice and Snacks.

 In 1997, Meyers Research Center (MRC) launched the first wave of the Convenience Store Close-Up study.  This in-store shopper insights research program utilized MRC’s Purchase Observation Study™ methodology to successfully reveal consumer shopping behavior, attitudes and decision-making patterns in C-Stores.  Subsequent waves were completed every other year since 1998.

 “As we field the ninth wave of the Convenience Store Close-Up study in 2012, we will continue to trend the results to deliver not only a snapshot of how consumers are shopping the store today, but also valuable insights into how this behavior has evolved over the years and the implications to brands and retailers alike,” said Jeff Friedlaender, President, Meyers Research Center.

“Convenience Stores are seeing increased competition from other channels like Dollar and Drug greatly changing the retail landscape” he added.

The research objective of this study is to get into the minds of Convenience Store shoppers in order to identify and quantify behavior in this class-of-trade.  The results will provide the Convenience Store industry with a framework for thinking about the positioning of this channel, including how and why consumers shop these stores and insights into how to best target the Convenience Store consumer.

 The primary objectives of this in-store program are to develop an understanding of consumer attitudes and perceptions of Convenience Stores; the underlying dynamics of category and brand purchase decisions; when, how and where specific category and brand decisions are made; planned versus impulse purchases; products considered, purchased and rejected; the influence of in-store and external factors and the category decision sequence hierarchy utilized by consumers to make their purchase decisions.

The 2012 report will also include a new section that will take an in-depth look at the Hispanic C-Store shopper.  With traffic to these stores growing progressively more diverse this close-up look at this important shopper segment will provide sponsors with valuable new insights.

 Study Methodology

MRC’s professionally trained interviewers will be positioned at the exit of high-volume Convenience Store outlets or at the gas pump and will intercept consumers immediately after their shopping trip.  A random sample of over 2,000 shoppers will be asked to participate in a survey regarding their attitudes and decision-making patterns in Convenience Stores.  Those consumers who agree to participate will be interviewed and will receive a cash incentive to thank them for their time.  The exit and gas pump interview will address timely issues of their shopping experience that are best obtained at the point-of-purchase as this methodology eliminates issues of denial and recall and allows for a “real-world” integration of store environment with consumer behavior and attitudes.

Study Sample

Interviewing will take place in multiple markets across the four broad geographical census regions in order to achieve a thorough cross-section of shoppers.  Only traditional Convenience Stores and Petroleum Retailers will be utilized for the sample.

Shoppers will be interviewed about their attitudes, perceptions and behavior in Convenience Stores.  Data will be reviewed and analyzed for each of the key category segments including Beer, Bottled Water, Candy/Gum/Mints, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Cigarettes, Cookies/Crackers, Foodservice, New Age/Iced Tea/Isotonic Beverages, Refrigerated Juices/Juice Drinks and Salty Snacks.

The sample will also include Gas Pump Interviews and Observations to understand how the gas pump influences purchasing at C-Stores overall

 

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsors can obtain a tremendous amount of information at a fraction of the cost of undertaking this study independently.  And if you act fast, you can submit a custom question that will remain proprietary to you at no extra cost.

For more information on the study, contact …

George E. Brown II  gbrown@meyersresearch.com

Lois Seidl  lseidl@meyersresearch.com

Jeff Friedlaender  jfriedlaender@meyersresearch.com

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Meyers Research Center to Field New Hispanic Shopper Close-Up Study

 Take an In-Depth Look at Behavior, Attitudes and Decision Making Patterns of Hispanic Shoppers

As MRC Continues Expansion of Syndicated Product Portfolio   

June 4th, 2012 New York, New York – Meyers Research Center (MRC), announces that it will field a syndicated research study looking at Hispanic Shoppers this year.  Results will be available in fall, 2012 and sponsors who get on board early have the opportunity to influence the research by adding a proprietary custom question at no extra cost.  

The primary focus of this program is to identify Hispanic shopping behaviors and to understand how they differ from the general market.  The study will be designed to obtain a better understanding of what factors drive store selection, store loyalty and switching for shoppers in general and across broad product category groupings.

In addition to the inaugural wave of the Hispanic Shopper Close-Up, MRC will also be fielding Wave IX of our successful Convenience Store Close-Up study in 2012.  “As we look at our portfolio of syndicated Close-Up studies we are not only capturing a snapshot of current behaviors, but also a trended and comparative analysis to gain true insights into the mind of today’s shopper,” explained Jeff Friedlaender, President of Meyers Research Center.  Syndicated studies provide a cost-effective research alternative, designed to collect large amounts of primary information on a shared cost basis. 

Based on the success of our recent syndicated study on Membership Warehouse Clubs, MRC will utilize a hybrid methodology to collect the data for the Hispanic Shopper Close-Up.  This will include an in-depth online survey in conjunction with qualitative shopper ethnographies.  The final sample will include more than 3,000 individual respondents with readable base sizes for acculturated, bi-cultural and unacculturated Hispanic shoppers as well as general market respondents.

 “Over the past few years, our clients have shown an increased interest in understanding the Hispanic shopper in order to leverage this group’s explosive growth and purchasing power,” Friedlaender says.  This syndicated study will provide the framework for retail and brand marketers to target the Hispanic shopper since the “one size fits all” mentality doesn’t work so well anymore.

The Hispanic Shopper Close-Up will cover the following broad topic areas … 

• What formats and chains are Hispanics shopping for various categories
• What is the profile of the Hispanic shopper by store format
• What factors are driving store selection
• What are the underlying dynamics of the store visit by channel:
  • What preparations are made prior to the visit
  • What are destination categories?  Which categories are impulse buys?
  • What are the key in-store influencers
  • Categories purchased/shopped
  • Total amount spent
  • What are the differences by Hispanic acculturation level
  • How do Hispanics differ from General Market shoppers on these measures

To receive more information or to discuss sponsorship options contact:

George Brown II  GBrown@meyersresearch.com

 Frances Glick  FGlick@meyersresearch.com

Jeff Friedlaender  JFriedlaender@meyersresearch.com          

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Dollar Store Shopper Wave V Close-Up Study……Syndicated Research Highlights

Image via Wikipedia

The Dollar Store channel continues to grow and evolve.  Even in a down economy, the larger Dollar Store chains continue to grow revenue, post profits and open new stores expanding their customer base.  Many Dollar Store chains have modified their product selection to include more national brands (and for the larger chains, their own store brands) and a larger variety of food and beverage products.  The larger chains are also now taking advantage of e-commerce capabilities on their websites to grow sales.

The combination of an expansion of products offered, more convenient locations, a manageable size and low prices, have positioned Dollar Stores as a threat to other types of retailers (e.g., c-stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs) to obtain greater share of the consumer’s dollar.  The challenge for manufacturers of consumer goods is how to best position themselves to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Background

This summary of study highlights represents Wave V of the Dollar Store Shopper Close-Up Study.  This bi-annual in-store shopper insights research program identifies consumer shopping behavior, attitudes and decision-making patterns in Dollar Stores.

The learning from this research program can serve as a powerful tool for helping manufacturers develop and/or improve strategies for doing business within the environment of this dynamic, growing channel. 

This research was conducted via in-store intercept interviews with adult consumers as they were exiting the Dollar Store, immediately after they finished paying for their purchases.  The interview included:

• A general section covering shopper background information, attitudinal measures, general shopping trip characteristics and items purchased during that store visit (market basket).
• A section covering in-depth information about the decision-making process for specific items purchased.

Interviewing locations included a panel of chain and independent dollar store outlets representing the four geographic regions.

The general report focuses on popular product categories in Dollar Stores: CSDs, other ready to drink beverages, snack food, candy/gum/mints, beauty care, health and personal care, household cleaners/chemicals and household paper & plastic products.  Where relevant, findings are also analyzed by:

• Store Type: Extreme Value (multiple price points) vs. Single Price ($1 or 99 cents),
• Shopper Profile (Household Income, Age of Shopper) and
• Dollar Store Shopping Frequency (Heavy, Moderate, Light).

Who is the Dollar Store Shopper?

The Dollar Store customer base is changing:

• Shoppers are skewing older,
• Household income has increased,
• Female shoppers are becoming more dominant,
• Ethnic diversity has decreased. 

How have their shopping habits changed?

Many shoppers have increased their visits to Dollar Stores over the past year.  Concurrently, they have decreased visits to other channels (e.g., c-stores, drug stores and warehouse clubs).

What categories are most likely to be purchased in Dollar Stores?

Product categories most likely to be purchased in Dollar Stores include: household cleaning products/chemicals, greeting cards, gift wrap and bags, household paper and plastic products, snack food and candy, gum and mints.  Reported purchasing has increased for these (and many other) categories.

What are the key factors in the decision to visit a Dollar Store?

Good value for the money is the most prominent factor when choosing a Dollar Store.  Other key factors include:  convenient location, clean/well maintained, good quality products, good customer service and always has products wanted in stock.

The importance of value has increased while many other considerations have become less important.

When is the decision made to buy a type/brand of product?

For many key dollar store categories, the decision to buy is made prior to coming to the store.  However, food categories tend to have higher levels of impulse buying versus others.

Brand planning is high for household cleaning products, CSDs and personal/healthcare items.  In-store brand decision making is more salient for food, paper & plastic and beauty products.

Other key areas addressed in the General Report of Findings include:

• What type of shopper visits Dollar Stores most frequently?
• What effect has the poor economy had on shopping in Dollar Stores and what does it suggest for the future?
• Why do shoppers choose Dollar Stores over other trade channels?
• What is in the Dollar Store market basket?  What is the total amount spent?  How have these indicators changed over the past two years?
• What is the purchase decision hierarchy that shoppers use to make their product choices?
• What is the primary reason for purchase?
• What is the impact of in-store and out-of-store purchase influencers?

For more information about this study or to purchase a general comprehensive report, contact:

George E. Brown II  gbrown@meyersresearch.com 

Jeff Friedlaender  jfriedlaender@meyersresearch.com

Frances Glick   fglick@meyersresearch.com 

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