But it is a shopping list category (90% of shoppers had planned to buy) and, as such, there should be high conversion to sale rates.
Some 40% of those interviewed had intended to purchase but failed to do so.
The 10% who made impulse purchases did so because they passed the category and were reminded to buy by the packs or were enticed by the special offers.
The vast majority of shoppers do not browse the category. They are experienced shoppers who know what they want to select. They want to shop quickly and require consistency in the location of the category and visibility of their brand or product so they can grab and go'.
For big brand' shoppers it is relatively easy to shop, even in stores with complex displays. However, small brands and specialist products are less easy to find. Sometimes they are not stocked or out of stock but often they are simply hidden among an extensive range of other products.
Shoppers who are in a grab and go' shopping mood will often give up looking within a very short time span. This is a major reason for postponement of purchase.
It is interesting the way some shoppers use category displays to decide whether they need to buy or not. They use the category as an aid-to-memory. The visual uniqueness of the category helps this type of shopper.
There is a minority of shoppers who do spend an extended time at the fixture, but they are not browsers. They are inexperienced and they are actively seeking information about products by reading packaging ­ 22% of shoppers read packs. Often the category does less well in converting these shoppers to a purchase.
Of course there is always a population of deal-seekers. They are catered for through price deals and some promotions.
However, by shoppers' reactions, we are not fully convinced promotions are really effective in creating trial and loyalty. It would be interesting to see evidence promotions actually develop sustainable brand growth.
Improving the performance will be difficult. This category is easy to shop and satisfaction levels are high.
Improvements could be made to the ergonomics to make shoppers feel more comfortable, especially with the high shelving. One shopper complained that the butter fell on top of her.
It is an unexciting category but Visuality does not think visual embellishment at point of purchase would necessarily encourage more sales. Shoppers know what they want before they reach the category.
Minimising postponed purchases is about ensuring the display has clarity for all shoppers, minimising out of stocks and ensuring the range and mix meets specialist as well as mainstream needs.
On the whole this is a very hard category to criticise. It is efficient and works well.



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