Shopper Culture

The Checkout: Holiday Edition

This year’s Holiday Checkout issue helps brands and retailers connect with consumers at the right time, on the right channels, and with the right message. We delve into three main topics: differences between men and women, mobile behaviors among general consumers, and habits of digitally-savvy Hispanics. By examining what consumers are thinking, feeling, and doing across the customer journey during the holiday season, we reveal low-hanging fruit on ways to improve audience targeting and engagement.

This issue brings to life the differing value equations that men and women have around quality, cost savings, time savings and experience. Additionally, we explore the exponential growth of mobile phone usage—115% year-over-year—during the holiday shopping season. When seeking information on what to buy, time-crunched consumers are going to their phones and have high expectations for their experience on digital interfaces. Hispanics, specifically, are bona fide digital deal finders, especially when it comes to offers delivered via their mobile phones, email, and social media. Find out more by downloading The Checkout: Holiday Edition.

The Checkout: Private Label 2017

Wondering how shopper decide between brand name and private label? Our latest Issue of The Checkout takes a look at just that.

In fact, the study found that a key reason for shoppers’ continued shift back to name brands is trust. Nearly 50% of shoppers believe name brands are more reliable, are better quality, and offer more of a variety compared to private-label brands. And while price has always been the tie breaker, shoppers' perception of a cheaper price toward private label has dropped 8% since 2015. 

Interestingly enough, some private-label brands are mistaken for manufacturer brands, perhaps because of their organic offerings or because the names themselves have moved away from value-centric phrases. 

 To find out more about shopper behaviors when choosing between private-label and name-brand products, download the most recent issue, titled The Checkout: Private Label 2017 found here.

The BTS Retailer Race

Back-to-school is one of the most important seasons for retailers, and this year is no different. Historically, mass retailers like Walmart have captured the most shopper traffic with 64% of shoppers indicating it's their primary BTS shopping destination according to last year's back-to-school edition of The Checkout. While mass will likely maintain its position as number one channel this year, it appears that others channels are gaining traction during this season. 

For example, Amazon is reporting 35% year-over-year growth in just the first two weeks of the season. The retailer anticipates growth as high as 80% this season, a huge jump compared to last season's sales growth of 20%. Beyond online, other non-traditional channels like drug and dollar are also upping their BTS game. Walgreens introduced the Me to We program this year that allows shoppers to purchase the for-profit’s school supplies and then track the impact they are making by entering an on-pack code on a dedicated website. While Dollar General created a dedicated BTS section of their website that features deals and ideas on things including lunch boxes, fashion, and supplies.

With so many options for where to shop for BTS and so much retailer support, it can be hard for today's busy family to choose where to shop. Will shoppers stay true to mass or we will begin to see shoppers start to spread their spending across various channels? It may depend on the value the retailer brings to shoppers. Are they offering convenience like Amazon? Support like Walgreens or value like Dollar General? With so many options and the high paced lives of today's shoppers its very likely shoppers may seek out different retailers for different BTS needs.

Image Source: YouTube Walgreens video

The Checkout: Mobile Shopping Finally Meets Expectations

Since the addition of the smartphone to our daily lives, it has become inevitable that mobile shopping would one day be ingrained in society. Yet for years, our data showed that shopping via a mobile phone exhibited a slow acceptance rate, with only modest increases year over year. However, based on our recent findings, it seems that 2016 was finally the year of mobile adoption.

We found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of our respondents are now using their mobile devices to complete purchases– up from just 25% in 2012. Furthermore, while adoption is greatest with the younger generations, it is gaining momentum from ages all around, with 26% of respondents aged 65+ reporting mobile shopping use.

To find out more about mobile and e-commerce growth, download the most recent issue titled The Checkout: Digital found here.

The Shopping-List Edition of The Checkout

Shopping lists are a highly talked about topic in the retail space. Retailers and brands alike seek to have their products put on a shopper’s list. This all starts with understanding the planning and list-making process. But it should also include an understanding of how to drive impulse when you don’t actually make it onto the list. In fact, our most recent study found that, though shoppers use shopping lists to help guide their purchases, almost all shoppers still make at least one impulse-purchase decision while shopping.

This study also looks at who is actually doing the shopping. Traditionally, shopping, especially household shopping, has been viewed as a task conducted most often by women. In today’s ever-evolving world, is this still the case? Find out the answer to this question and more by clicking here to read the newest Shopping-List Edition of The Checkout.

New Checkout Study: Back-to-School Habits and Practices

Every year, back-to-school (BTS) seems to be the same old routine but at the same time it also seems so very different. This issue of The Checkout examines the recurring themes and nuances of the BTS shopping season.

The study defines price to be the season's table stakes. Price is not only a recurring table stake for the season but it is a desire and focus that has molded many retailer and shopper behaviors. But that does not mean that all shoppers are the same nor that price is the way to win–it is just the cost of entry. 

The study also outlines the nuances of how men and women shop and the impact of kids on shopping decisions. Did you know that men are more likely to shop earlier than women for BTS? Or that younger students have a greater influence on shoppers than older students? 

Learn this and more by clicking here to download the BTS edition of The Checkout–or click here to explore past issues of The Checkout.

New Checkout Study: Channel Insights

When it comes to understanding why shoppers do things, it is often difficult to get the real truth as shoppers are known to say one thing and do another. They can't always articulate the "why" behind the behavior, especially when it comes to some of their decisions, behaviors, and habits. The retail landscape is ever evolving and, as it changes, shoppers’ habits change with it. Their shopping lists can include everything from snacks to household goods to alcohol, and they have priorities in how they like to shop, where they like to shop, and how much they are willing to spend. 

How does this behavior vary across top retail channels? How do shoppers make decisions when it comes to where they go and what they buy there? And why? This study of the Checkout set out to explore questions like these and find out some answers to better understand shopper behavior across channels.  For example, did you know that 14% of shoppers have chosen a retail channel because there was a retailer loyalty program offered? Or that 31.4% of shoppers visit the dollar channel when it's a last minute trip? 

Click here to learn more channel insights and how shoppers are shopping across different retail channels in the latest edition of The Checkout.

New Checkout Study: Private Label

Shoppers' migration to private label goods following the 2008 recession wasn't much of a surprise: they offered a cost-cutting option for commonly bought goods where there wasn't a perceived difference in quality (e.g., milk, paper products, OTC's). The prevailing wisdom was that when shoppers started spending more freely, they would switch back to name brands. Instead, retailers started expanding their private label offerings—new categories, product variety, tiered offerings—and shoppers' perception of name brand superiority declined. It now seems as though there is a new normal when it comes to CPG that involves more private label goods in the basket. In fact, 32% of shoppers say they are currently buying more private label brands than before—and only 6.5% (a new low) say they are currently buy more but plan to switch back to name brands in the future.

In this edition of The Checkout, we'll explore the realities of this new private label reality and what it means for name brands. Topics covered include: the core equities that contribute to the private label vs. name brand decision (and how they differ across consumer demographics); how perceptions of name brands have shifted; private label/name brand purchase behavior across income brackets. 

Click here to learn more about private label's new normal in the latest edition of The Checkout. 

New Checkout Study: The On-demand Shopper

Culture tends to be cyclical and reactionary, yet every once in a while, a disruption comes along that is so gigantic that it shifts society forward into an entirely new era. Less than a decade ago, we could easily trace the pathways of our shoppers; it was a very linear process. Of course, today, that’s no longer the case. The digital age has reshaped and reimagined shoppers’, and retailers’, expectations and experiences. We're now surrounded by a constellation of new devices, information, and services that are sparking different behaviors and resulting in a brand-new type of shopper, the on-demand shopper. 

In this edition of The Checkout, we'll explore the triggers brands and retailers need to implement in order to reach this new, on-demand shopper. For example, did you know that 41% of respondents now look for discounts/promotions on their mobile devices while shopping in a physical store? Or, that 28% of respondents find access to various social platforms and the ability to use "buy now" buttons as one of the most compelling reasons for shopping online?

Click here to learn more about this new shopper in the latest edition of The Checkout. 

New Checkout Study: The Evolution of Shopping

The Checkout started in 2009 not only to understand shopping behaviors of the moment, but with the specific intention of tracking these behaviors over time. This issue is an extensive first look at current vs. historic data from 2009 until today.

The Five-Year Shopper Evolution Checkout study investigates shopping trends over the past five years regarding some broad behaviors and attitudes in the arenas of store choice, private label vs. name brand, and savings methods.

One interesting finding was the influence of social pressure. In fact, shoppers today feel more social pressure than they did five years ago.

Want to find out more about how shopping behavior has evolved? Click here to download the Five-Year Shopper Evolution Checkout.

Everyone's Giving Into The Shopping Spirit

According to the latest Checkout study on holiday shoppers, 41% of shoppers have already completed most of their holiday shopping. Between the Thanksgiving sales, Black Friday, the weekend and Cyber Monday, shoppers are making a dent in their shopping lists.

Shoppers are being lured by classic sales and fun experiences like Old Navy's overnight millionaire promotion, which awarded one lucky Black Friday Shopper $1million. But some brands are having more fun than others during this crazy shopping period.

Cards Against Humanity's Black Friday sale raked in over $70,000 by selling nothing. While Madewell's "your boss is shopping today too" Cyber Monday Sale is offering sale prices to those that SHOPATWORK (their promo code).

It would seem that shopping is alive and well despite the issues surrounding Black Friday. This year's Holiday Checkout digs into the Black Friday back and forth both shoppers and retailers are encountering as well as who is doing most of the shopping during Thanksgiving weekend. 

Click here to download the Holiday Issue of The Checkout.

Photo Source: Madewell Email

New Holiday Study Examines Nuances of Typical Holiday Shoppers

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, even though it's only mid November. But that has not stopped retailers or shoppers in the past. In fact, according to the new holiday issue of The Checkout, 41% of shoppers report doing most of their shopping in the month of November.

It seems that most shoppers have a prime time when they do most of their holiday shopping. This year's Holiday Checkout digs into three types of holiday shoppers to understand who's shopping when and how spending, retailer selection and motivations change over the holiday shopping season.

Do you think you know who the Early Bird shoppers are? The ones that get most all shopping done before Thanksgiving? Click here to download this year's issue of The Holiday Checkout to find out as well as learn about the stat of Black Friday shopping and mobile's influence on holiday shopper today.

BTS Shopping Lists, How Effective Are They?

It's back to school time and that means shopping lists were in full effect the past few weeks to ensure you got all the necessary supplies. These lists are essential when it comes to planning and organizing for back to school shopping. According to the latest CheckOut issue focused on back to school, 62% of shoppers start planning their shopping at least a month in advance.

But how effective is it when you go in store? Sure, you have a list of what you need but do these lists help you navigate the store? Find your supplies within the section? The stresses of navigation and selection are real when it comes to back to school shopping. In fact, The CheckOut also reported that the top priority for 47% of shoppers is to spend the least amount of time shopping for back to school. Is there an opportunity for back to school shopping lists to be more helpful IN the store too? Can back to school learn from other list based shopping events?

The Checkout: Back-to-School Edition

The Checkout: Back-to-School Edition explores the latest trends when it comes to how shoppers approach the back-to-school shopping occasion. This issue reports on who will shop, in which retail channels they will shop, and the tools they will use to find information on what to buy.

We found that mobile is making headway as a resource for back-to-school shoppers while traditional printed coupons and circulars have declined compared to recent years. The findings indicate

The Checkout: Beauty Edition

The Checkout: Beauty Edition explores the latest trends when it comes to how shoppers approach the beauty aisle. This issue reports on where and why shoppers choose to shop the category, what triggers the decision to make a beauty purchase or to try something new, as well as how Hispanic shoppers engage with the category. In addition, this year’s survey explores male beauty shopping habits.