In Store Frozen Vegetable Case Study Final

In-store Frozen Vegetable Eye- tracking Study Report Checkers Sunninghill, South Africa

Agenda • Executive summary • Research objectives – The bird’s eye view • Methodology • Sample • Empirical findings • Conceptual insights and actionable foresights © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Objectives Primary research objectives A bird’s eye view • To gain shopper insights and understanding at how shoppers shop within the refrigerated vegetables category • Understand shopper behavior and drivers, especially the coffin freezer Secondary research objectives • Identify patterns of behavior within the category • Understand the importance of brand within the category • Understand shopper purchase decision • Ascertain level of loyalty © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Methodology •In-store interviews were conducted where respondents were approached in the store while they were making their purchases •The respondents were initially observed while the eye tracker was recording what they were looking at and asked questions regarding their observations. • These interviews build one to rapport, serves to provide greater detail and more intimate information while the respondent is still engaged in the shopping activity •Respondents were able to open up on a personal level with the moderator who aims to break down barriers and understand barriers and drivers of the category purchase © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Eye Tracking? One of the most powerful methods to find out how visual communication works is eye movement analysis. Integrated infrared EMR camera in flat screens respondent is not aware of the eye- movement registration equipment. Analysis based on the distribution and number of fixations (Fixation = 50-100 milliseconds focus on 1 point) © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Some facts about Visual Communication • 83% of all information people receive is visual • An average person sees over 3.000 messages a day • Getting the attention of the consumer gets harder and harder Attention Tracking Research © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Executive Summary •The frozen vegetables industry consists of only a few brands including the house brand with McCain being the dominant brand. Awareness of the other brands is low with some customers thinking there is no substitute for McCann. •The picture and the texture of the packaging is the purchase driver. •There seems to be a dwindle in the purchase of frozen vegetables as more consumers prefer more fresh vegetables as the concern over health rises – there seems to be greater awareness around required nutritional content on a daily basis. •Frozen vegetables do not hold the credibility of freshness and “all the goodness I need” compared to fresh vegetables but since they require much less preparation time they remain part of their grocery shopping © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Executive Summary Benefits of frozen vegetables – Why we buy them •Convenience stands as the biggest benefit for frozen vegetables •It lasts longer •Does not require pealing •Cooks quicker •Less frequent visits to the store for the busy consumer •Some respondents feel that the variety available inspires ideas for cooking – Pictures on pack play a big role in driving this inspiration •Availability of convenience steam pack •Options of the different sizes where a customer can choose between chunky vegetables or smaller ones. Brings variety to their dishes © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Executive Summary Barriers to Frequent Purchase • There is very little reference to a health benefit – credibility on health tends to be low as consumers do not believe that a frozen product can contain the necessary nutrients until consumption • Concerns over the colour of the vegetables – fresh vegetables seen to be brighter and more nutritious • Frozen vegetables have less crunch meaning less fresh – some describe them as soggy • Frozen vegetables are not seen to deliver on the taste benefit as some believe that the taste is not the same as fresh vegetables “All frozen vegetables taste like cardboard” (White female, 35 -49) © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Brands studied • McCain • HOUSEBRAND • POT O’ GOLD • Harvestime © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Eye tracking findings © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Choose a pack of frozen vegetables you would buy © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Demographics © Prompt Research Insights 2009

This heatmap shows where the participants focused most during the test sessions i.e. where people were looking. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Inverted heatmaps display the same information in the opposite way. They illustrate what people actually see and what is left out of their visual focus. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

This slide compares heatmaps for male and female participants. FEMALE MALE © Prompt Research Insights 2009

This slide compares heatmaps for older and younger people. UNDER 35 OVER 35 © Prompt Research Insights 2009

The image was divided into areas described above. The following describe the performance of those areas. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

CATCHINESS : how attractive is a area © Prompt Research Insights 2009

The blue bars in this graph show the catchiness scores of these areas. The most important question is whether catchiness scores correspond to business priorities.

Catchiness Table © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value How VISIBLE is the area How FAST people see the area How LONG people look at the area How ENGAGED are people with the area © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value Blue bars on the graph show how quickly people arrived to different areas. Green visibility line displays how many participants actually saw the particular area. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value Observation length shows how many seconds users looked at each area on average. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value Average eye fixation length measures engagement with the area. Longer duration of a single fixation means more information from that area was processed by the brain. Engagement can be either positive (its interesting) or negative (its hard to understand).Either way, it measures with which areas people engage with the most © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value Key visual metrics are then combined into single value score. The picture above shows how visual value is distributed across the areas. These percentages should correspond to the business importance of the respective areas © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Table : Key visual metrics This Table shows the key visual metrics are combined into a single value score. These percentages should correspond to the business importance of the respective areas © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Visual Value Allocation of visual value across different functions of the page is displayed above. This distribution must be in line with business priorities of Your media. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Summary • The logo is the first thing people look at in the category but only so that they can see what brand it is, but do not focus too much on it • The picture of the vegetables on the pack is the most important factor that drives purchase, people fixate more on it to see what’s inside. • Checkers and pot O gold has higher visual values purely because people were struggling to see what’s in the pack. Some respondents complained Pot O Gold is too bright and hard to read while with Checkers its because one has to read to see what’s there because the picture is dull © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Further Findings Purchase mostly habitual - consumers were buying what they always purchased , looking for their brand and the vegetable type and off they go The habitual purchasers spent very little Browsing and looking at other alternatives more loyal and less price sensitive © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Behavior patterns within category • Purchase mostly habitual - consumers were buying what they always purchased, looking for their brand and the vegetable type and off they go • The habitual purchasers spent very little time browsing and looking at other alternatives – they tended to be more loyal and less price sensitive •“What else is there to buy, what other brands are there?” (Black male, 25 -35) •“This is what I go for, my mother used to use it, what can you do – you go for what you know” (White female, 25 -35) • The less habitual shopper browsed more, © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Behavior patterns within category • Pictures on packaging are used as purchase guide to identify preferred vegetables and inspire new cooking ideas •“I was looking for the sweet corn. I only buy the ones with the sweet corn and so I look at the pictures” (Black male, 25 -35) •“I like to look at the pictures to get new ideas, I have two children so I like the stir fries, they keep it interesting for them” (White female, 25 -35) • With some respondents packaging communicated freshness vs. not fresh – for example, McCain packaging communicated more freshness with its glossy shine vs. Harvest time which was seen to be worn out and tired •“You see this pack compared to this one, this one looks like it’s been around, that can’t be fresh” (Black male 25-35) • McCain is the most dominant brand with it’s users displaying strong loyalty – even with some price sensitive consumers claiming that it is the better brand •“Ideally you want McCain, the veggies are nicer, but I’ll buy it if it’s on special” (White female, 35 -39) © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Brand Importance - Summary Brand plays a significant role within this category as it communicates; Good quality product – this means that the colour of the vegetables is restored which equates to freshness Trust – consumers felt that they could trust certain brands more than others based on the quality of the product, the brand’s reputation and how long it has been around Brands that are well known, advertised more were seen to be more credible, could be easily trusted and identified with Packaging of the brand played a significant role as it communicates the level of freshness and the quality of the brand Greater affinity was displayed towards brands that had a larger variety of options and thus seen as more innovative and progressive Certain brands were seen to be better cut than others Freezing methods were seen to be different for different brands which affects the quality of the product Some brands were seen to be more expensive than others © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Role of Brand McCain •Most dominant brand within the category •Enjoys strong loyalty •Trusted due to it’s advertising •Seen to be innovative through its variety – stir- fries, chunky vs. small, assorted steam packs •Attractive packaging – more of a glossy finish which communicates freshness •Premium pricing communicates prestige •Seen to have been around for a long time – this drives credibility and trust Harvest time •Trusted brand •Loyalty is low as consumers will switch if McCain is on special •Seen to be of better quality than the other brands except McCain •Seen as affordable relative to McCain •Perceived to be rather old fashioned and outdated •Packaging a barrier as it gives a feeling of not being fresh •Lacks variety © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Role of Brand Nature’s garden •Relatively unknown •Low levels of loyalty •A substitute when primary brand is not available •Packaging seen to be attractive and communicates a sense of freshness through its glossy finish Pot O Gold •Unknown •No loyalty •Very little trust for the brand •Seen to be cheaper and hence not the best •Lacks innovation based on its packaging style, perceived to be too bright © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Role of Brand House brand •Well known and yet not very trusted •Seen to be too cheap – bought on the basis of price •Taste benefit not credible •Only considered when on special •Packaging unattractive © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Role of Brand Quality Harvest time McCain House brand Cheap Innovative Pot o Gold Nature’s garden Unknown © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Planning Level of planning involved

Planning • Where less planning was involved, consumers tended to browse through then choose what they think they’ll like based on packaging and brand • Some purchases are based on habit •“I always just buy the mixed one cos they have everything” (Black female, 25 -35) • Some consumers prepare their recipes for the week and hence plan on the type of frozen vegetables they will need for their shopping trip •“I’m making stew today so I needed the mixed vegetables to make it more appetizing” (White female, 35 -49) •“I need the cut green beans. I have to make a salad” (Black female, 25 -35) © Prompt Research Insights 2009

Conclusions & recommendations • Frozen vegetables need to communicate a stronger health benefit • This can be achieved through the communication of preserved nutrition in the frozen vegetables • Packaging needs to serve as a stronger communication tool – more appealing, inspiring and better quality. • The picture of the vegetables is ultimately the deciding factor on whether or not people will buy the product • Greater variety creates greater appeal • New and interesting combinations of vegetables create curiosity and trial • TV advertising builds credibility and trust because people buy what they know. © Prompt Research Insights 2009

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In Store Frozen Vegetable Case Study Final

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