With severe competition in the snacking market today, identifying why consumers choose one snack over another has never been more critical. MarketGenics.co recently undertook a Consumer Behaviour & Product Evaluation Study for a popular brand of Banana Chips. The study combined both deep behavioural insights and an innovative Shop Simulation Module to determine what drives consumers’ selection of one pack of chips versus another, either online or in-store.
Target Market
- Cities Represented: Delhi NCR / Mumbai / Bangalore
- Target Market: Males & females aged 19–35
- Sample Make-up: Equal representation of brand consumers and brand non-consumers.
Objective
The study was conducted to relate to the overall chips and snacks industry, evaluate the effectiveness of current packaging designs, and identify any other items that could help increase the brand’s market share.
Shop Simulation: Real World Meets Research
To provide a shopper experience that closely simulates that of purchasing chips and snacks in-store, we had a physical shop set up in our research venue with products from different brands (per the client's request and references). We, then, put each participant into shopping situations similar to those in which they would normally shop and tracked their decision-making process relative to:
- What package caught their eye first?
- Which package did they grab first?
- How long did they stall and explore before making a decision?
In addition to visually monitoring the participant’s behavior during this portion of the study, our researchers also took note of statements made by the participants regarding their decision-making process, their evaluation of the merchandise on the shelf, and even their motivational reasons for choosing a specific product over another.
Online Module – Simulating Digital Purchase Behavior
In another setting, participants are shown multiple e-commerce shopping experiences. They were tracked in terms of:
- What causes a user to click through/add to cart online;
- The degree to which packaging can be seen in digital formats;
- What type of info/design causes the most digital conversion;
The Importance of Shop Simulation
Shop simulation is an excellent method for bridging the gap between what consumers intend to do and what they really do. Below we present some of our findings:
- Impact on Shelf - Does the packaging stand out?
- Decision Drivers - What captures attention: color, label, benefit claims?
- Emotional Engagement - Does it create feelings of trust or excitement?
- Brand Comparison - How does the brand compare to others on the shelf?
- Improvements Opportunities - What can be improved upon through design or messaging?
Qualitative Insights: To Get Deeper into Perceptions through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
The FGDs provided narrative insight into:
- Consumer Behavior
- Taste Preference/Flavors
- Brand Preference
- Perception of Colors, Fonts, Designs, and Shape of Packaging
- Emotions Using Cues from Package
- The level of Clarity and Uniqueness of Messaging
- Suggestions for Improvements in Design
- Intent to Purchase
The FGDs provided a great deal of qualitative insight into the "why" behind their preferences for certain designs or items and what might be improved in the area of messaging and strategic placement.
Conclusion
Through our research, we were able to provide our customer with both insightful behavioral findings and suggest pragmatic ways of enhancing their current packaging for greater effectiveness on retail shelves and fitting into their customers’ true usage patterns — all resulting in improved brand loyalty and increased sales.
If you would like to discover extensive consumer insight, we at MarketGenics.co can assist.
Let us convert insights into influence by contacting us to help you develop your next successful research plan.