Free Insights Make A Difference

We often work with clients who tell us they don’t have much data. No access to market data, no shopper panel, no budget for research. But that doesn’t mean you can’t develop great Category Strategy, or make yourself invaluable to your Retailer.

There is an abundance of insight available that doesn’t rely on the use of AI or require a significant investment in data

Two of the richest sources of category insight are free to anyone: walking the store, and checking the digital shelf — retailer websites and apps. Syndicated data tells you what happened last month. Store visits tell you what’s happening now.

Some of the most productive retailer conversations start with an in-store photo, or an anecdote about what you saw shoppers doing when you were standing at the fixture.

It signals that you’ve taken the time to see the business for yourself. But it’s also the ‘added value’ insight that you can’t see from the data, and that sets you apart from other category managers. Market, Category & Shopper panel data can all tell you WHAT happened, but they can’t tell you WHY.

What store visits can tell you

Store Visits or Digital Shelf desk research can tell you which parts of the category are getting more or less space, which parts of the category are more prominent or more visible, which parts of the category have availability issues, and which parts of the category are most heavily promoted or getting secondary space. That’s all good basic understanding that can help generate insights.

A store visit often unlocks powerful causal insights that demonstrate true category leadership to your retailer

At worst it raises hypotheses worth discussing with your contact. At best it places you as their trusted advisor who connects what’s happening in-store back to performance.

The Value of Repetition

Repeat this in a different store format, and you have something to compare it to. That’s more valuable. Repeat this in a competitor store and it’s more valuable still. In a short space of time, you’ve built a growing body of experience and expertise to notice causal changes in your category.

This is where the magic happens. You start to notice the little details that never show up in Market data…

The fixture looking messy with missing shelf edge labels. Certain segments of the category repeatedly out of stock. The shopper’s indecision when selecting products. The products that get picked-up, and put back. The POS that no-ones noticing.

It’s these little details that earns you trust with the retailer, not because you can quote a share number, but because you know the WHY behind the WHAT by paying attention in-store.