Exposing the moody modes of shoppers

Global - During grocery shopping, consumers experience up to four different shopping ‘modes' depending on the kind of item or category they are purchasing, according to the latest shopping modality study by Nielsen.

The four modes, comprising of auto-pilot, seeking variety, highly susceptible to ‘buzz' mode and hunt for a bargain, are aimed at assisting marketers from the FMCG sector gain leverage from their point-of-purchase marketing through packaging, pricing, promotions, and merchandizing as well as through pre-store activation such as advertising and buzz generation.

The study, which integrated retail sales data with advanced consumer insights, found that shopping dynamics varied significantly across thirty grocery categories surveyed.

"When promotional activity and product launch information was analyzed against survey results, we could tell which categories or products were being over-promoted and therefore a waste of money, and which new products successfully engaged consumers' minds - and therefore market share - across different categories," Kosta Conomos, director for retailer services, Southeast Asia, for The Nielsen Company said.

The study revealed shoppers fall into auto-pilot mode when purchasing items such as coffee, cereal, cheese, margarine and mayonnaise. Brand choice is highly habitual and shoppers are not in the market to try anything new for these products.

"The implication for marketers in auto-pilot categories is that if you are a leader then avoid radical repositioning or pack changes: you may risk disrupting habitual behavior which drives brand choice in your favor," Conomos said.

However, in buzz-activated categories such as energy and sports drinks, chocolate, ready-to-drink tea and yogurt drinks, customers are actively exploring alternatives and marketers in these categories "need to generate ‘buzz' through exciting advertising, new introductions and innovative packaging that leaps off the shelves to grab the consumers' interest and attention".

For variety-activated categories such as biscuits, chewing gum and salad dressings, consumers get bored with the same choices and so exciting and informative packaging plays a major role in purchase decision as consumers are on the lookout for interesting and new product innovations.

Bargain-hunted activated categories are driven purely by price comparison and promotions, items belonging to these categories include canned tuna, canned tomatoes, canned fruit and pasta sauce.

"It all comes down to marketers knowing what ‘mode' shoppers are in when they shop for specific products or categories. The old truth about striking while the iron is hot is directly applicable," Conomos said.