Nielsen Study Examines Shoppers’ Body Language

Study Identifies Four Shopper ‘Mind-Sets’ That Determine How Consumers Supermarket Shop

15 August 2007
Schaumburg, IL
         
Why do consumers buy the same brand of coffee and mayonnaise over and over again, but will often purchase different brands of cold cereal and chocolates? It’s hardly happenstance, according to a new study by The Nielsen Company. Nielsen’s study of shopper behavior shows that consumers present distinct shopping modes at the supermarket that dictate what ends up in their grocery bags.

“Shoppers don’t waste energy on everyday decisions,” said Manjima Khandelwal, senior vice president, Nielsen Customized Research. “To simplify their lives, shoppers are often in grab-and-go mode, reaching for the brands they usually buy without reading the label or checking the price. The key to reaching shoppers lies in understanding that shoppers’ habitual mode can be disrupted by external stimuli such as advertising, buzz, new offers, price and promotions. Marketers can leverage this brief window of opportunity to trigger change by understanding which hot buttons to push.”

Nielsen’s study, which reviewed consumer shopping behavior across 30 food categories, found that consumers adopt one of four different “shopping modes” as they cruise the supermarket aisles. Key characteristics of the shopping modes – auto-pilot, variety-seeking, buzz or bargain hunting are:

Auto-pilot
In auto-pilot, or grab-and-go mode, shoppers are making everyday, habitual decisions driven by brand choices and they are usually not in the market to try anything new. Items such as coffee, cereal, cheese, margarine and mayonnaise are purchased in auto-pilot mode. For example, Nielsen’s research found that shoppers were quite particular about their coffee, choosing the same caffeine fix, flavor and coffee experience.

“The implication for marketers in auto-pilot categories is that if you are a leader, avoid radical changes to your brand message or packaging,” said Deepak Varma, senior vice president, Nielsen Customized Research. “Otherwise you may risk disrupting habitual behavior driving brand choice in your favor.”

Variety-Seeking
In the variety-seeking mode, shoppers are browsing shelves actively and on the lookout for new tastes as well as interesting product innovations or products offering “surprise” in their role as household chef.

“Consumers seem to get bored with the same choices in certain categories,” said Varma. “We found shoppers on the lookout for a change of pace when shopping in the frozen food and cold cereal aisles, as well as for biscuits, salad dressings and chewing gum. In this context, customers’ decisions to purchase products were greatly influenced by informative and exciting packaging.”

Buzz
Energy and sports drinks, chocolate, ready-to-drink teas and yogurt drinks fall in the buzz-activated category. “Shoppers are most likely to be influenced by catchy advertising, new product introductions and the original packaging that leaps off the shelves and grabs interest and attention,” said Khandelwal.

Bargain-Hunting
Bargain-hunted categories are driven purely by price comparison and promotions. “Consumers in this shopping mode are on a mission and the mission is savings,” said Varma.

Canned tuna, canned tomatoes, cheese, canned fruit and pasta sauce are items most often purchased in the bargain-hunting mode.

Over-Promotion?
Nielsen’s research revealed that even though some product categories are not bargain-driven, manufacturers continually offer in-store deals and promotions, resulting in some categories to be over-promoted.

“Consumers choosing sports drinks aren’t looking for a bargain,” said Khandelwal. “In-store deals for these products go largely unnoticed. Marketers would be better off redirecting their wasted promo dollars to investing in advertising and new product introductions.”

The Nielsen Shopper Modality Study was conducted by the Nielsen Customized Research division of The Nielsen Company, and powered by integration with Nielsen retail measurement information.

Nielsen Customized Research, operating in more than 100 countries, provides clients with survey research, analytical and consulting services, including measures of consumers’ attitudes and purchasing behavior, segmentation, brand equity, pricing, packaging, advertising effectiveness, customer satisfaction & loyalty and other marketing issues.

About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit www.nielsen.com.