Store Checks
Are you considering entering the FMCG market with a new consumer brand, or is your product already launched and available? Either way, conducting a store check will help you answer many of your questions.
Why is it important?
Well, please do take a moment to consider what a new packaging design project might look like without such an analysis. Which design direction to follow? How to position the brand? How to stand out from the competition? And which is the competition?
Without an understanding of the context within a package or a brand must communicate and engage, such a project would be performed with a virtual blindfold on!
Both, the manufacturer and the agency assigned with the packaging design project need to tap into the market and explore around to feel and see the dynamics and find a suitable place for the new brand to position, differentiate, and stand out.
In the stores your brand will start its journey, making first contact with its consumers. That is why you need to understand where your most important sales are made.
Which stores to visit?
Have you clustered the stores into types? Create a list of all store types – from wholesale or small local markets in the neighbourhood, to larger retail stores and chains.
Is your new brand going to be distributed mostly in modern or traditional trade? What is the ratio between the two channels in your target country’s market?
Sales channels vary and brand communication should be adapted accordingly.
Exploring how potential customers interact with the brand in different surroundings is vital for the packaging design.
When you are in the store…
are products displayed by product types, or blocked together as brands?
are the packs placed high, at eye level, or down the shelf? Keep in mind that the eye-level or higher positions score higher attention points.
Where should your brand be positioned, next to the market leader, or next to your direct competitors?
- How many facings are given to each brand and private label.
- Are there special offers, and if so, do they offer a monetary discount, or are they larger packs for the price of a regular-sized item?
- Are there single and multi-packs?
- How many different variations are there of one and the same product? Do you need to diversify and what are the current innovations and fads?
In conclusion, store checks are eye-opening and instrumental in defining your:
packaging design, pricing strategy, types of packaging material, the size and closure of packaging, etc.
You may also devote some time observing the shoppers in the store. It is a good idea to watch how people explore or purchase the category. Is this category mostly purchased on impulse or is it a more thought-of purchase?
Looking at the people who shop in your category also helps you redefine and confirm your target audience and their demographic profile.
There is much more to gain from conducting such an exercise than skipping it. It is worth the time and the investment.
Don’t let grass grow under your feet for such a significant task. Talk to the specialist agency Wolf Return today.