The New Frontiers of Shopper Insights
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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend lifestyles and behaviors in unimaginable ways. And companies are having to adapt, providing opportunities to engage shoppers unlike ever before.
Since March, the pandemic has kept countless people at home for more time than ever before, transforming what shoppers are buying, and how they’re going about it.
This dynamic, which is absolutely imperative for companies, was explored in-depth during the webinar, Shopper Insights 2021: How RB & Crayola are Shaping the Future of Research to Improve the Shopper Experience.
“Working at the speed of the customers has been more critical this year, because the customers have questions,” said Richard Stringer, VP of Customer Solutions at Crayola. “So, how do we plan for this? What happens next? Obviously, you’re going to have to look at two to three scenarios, not only at the present, but also for the next year.”
Stringer was joined by Nathan Noertker, Team Lead of Shopper Outperformance at RB Health, a leading producer of health, hygiene and home products.
RB experienced huge internal change in response to COVID-19. “The leadership engagement that we have at our organization as an insights function is at a much higher level, both with frequency and with depth, than we’ve ever had before,” said Noertker.
Teams that barely interacted are now collaborating, he added, in a company-wide effort to address the new categories of shoppers coming in.
At Crayola, Stringer said the handicraft company saw triple-digit growth the first 30 days of quarantine, where it’s remained ever since. “It was just a massive swing in how the consumer, and more importantly the shopper, behaves,” he explained.
More time at home makes for a diversification of the customer experience.
Most families who were buying Crayola’s paint, Stringer said, would paint a few times a year. But now, parents are searching for different supplies and exploring inventory.
“With the gift of time, and you’re all in the same room together, there’s more experimentation and finding projects that take a little longer, that traditionally might have been a little intimidating,” he said. “That’s changed.”
The company has responded in kind by developing its merchandising and hands-on digital content.
At RB, Noertker said his insights team partnered with the forecasting team in ways previously unseen. Traditional forecasting is being overlaid with KPIs from baskets and recent penetration, as well as qualitative data to better understand emerging paths to purchase.
“You’re still going to run your traditional forecasting like you always do, but there is an additional layer that we’re being asked to really think about,” said Noertker. “You get to be involved in more aspects of the business than any time before.”
Examples like this highlight the pivotal role insights teams are playing at companies worldwide. Undoubtedly vital in the past, insights teams are now being looked to for solutions, and shoppers are engaging in ways previously not seen.
Katie Gross, Chief Customer Officer at Suzy and host of the webinar, called it the “democratization of market research.”
But while COVID has prioritized insights, it’s equally sped up the pace of which those insights actually remain relevant. Trends continue to change at a rapid clip as lockdowns ebb and flow, and teams have to stay adept at pinpointing influencing factors.
“When you’re calling the ball, so to speak, there’s a lot more inherent pressure to be right,” said Stringer. “A lot of categories like ours that are general merchandise are trend-based, and the question is, ‘What’s the next big trend? Where is this going?’”
Answering those questions is helping merchants know what “segments and spaces” are best to lean into, he added.
But even with its breakneck pace, companies cannot pass up this moment.
“Don’t waste this opportunity to make a huge difference on the business.Your leadership teams are listening more now than they ever have before … take the time to be heard. Utilize the enhanced role within the organization that you have,” he said. “Don’t waste this opportunity because it’s not one that has come around in a really long time — and hopefully it doesn’t again anytime soon. But don’t miss this chance.”
For more information and results from the Suzy research, you can watch the entire webinar, “Shopper Insights 2021: How RB & Crayola are Shaping the Future of Research to Improve the Shopper Experience” at Suzy.com.