Case studies - 25 March 2019

New e-grocery platform – consumer study

A leading marketing agency specialising in sales support, field marketing, and sales outsourcing services commissioned PMR to gauge consumer study to a new online platform for grocery shopping.

 

Project objectives

The PMR client wanted to find out whether the platform appealed to potential users, and what changes could or should be implemented to ensure that it satisfied people’s needs and expectations when it comes to everyday grocery shopping. A consumer study was called for.

Project details

To fully meet the client’s business challenge, the PMR project team decided to employ the focus group interview technique. Participants were sought among young consumers in Krakow and Warsaw. I was people who regularly purchased different products online, used Paczkomat parcel lockers to pick up orders. They were also open to innovations. They were allocated to different focus groups. It was depending on their prior experience – or lack thereof – with buying groceries on the internet. All the groups were run by an experienced facilitator. The findings were talked through with our retail and FMCG analysts. They cover the grocery retail space on a daily basis. Thanks to the qualitative method employed, the following themes and issues could be fruitfully explored in our consumer study:

 

  • consumer habits and experiences with online shopping platforms (including e-grocery),
  • situations and reasons for using different platforms, and the pros and cons of using e-commerce,
  • attributes and features of the new e-grocery platform – an in-depth evaluation,
  • major strengths and weaknesses of the platform,
  • possible modifications that would make it more attractive,
  • price expectations for the service.
Project results

The study produced rich findings that were presented to the client in a comprehensive report. The report contained a number of recommendations and action points suggested by PMR experts. It contained also explaining the design and detailing the results.

 

The agency received a compendium of information on consumer behaviour around online shopping. The PMR report shed valuable light on people’s experiences with different e-commerce platforms.

The report showed why some consumers still prefer to shop for groceries in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores. Crucially, in-depth opinions about the new e-grocery platform and its various attributes and features were elicited, and its strong and weak points identified in the eyes of potential users.

 

Based on this, modifications and solutions were suggested to the client that might boost the platform’s appeal. Importantly, our consumer study also gauged the price expectations of potential users – both for basic and premium service – so the client’s pricing model would not be out of line with what people were willing to pay.

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Agnieszka Skonieczna

Market Analysis Director