Sugar, flour, groats, rice… do their brands really matter? Consumer behaviour research

One of the Polish well-recognised dry goods manufacturers, despite many years of market experience, faced the need to strengthen its competitive position. The study of consumers usage and purchase behaviours conducted by CIVITTA indicated specific, precise directions to develop the market strategy and the brand image.

Does the branding of dry goods pay off?

There is a whole spectrum of engagement in marketing actions undertaken by dry goods manufacturers operating in Poland – from the least costly ones, merely limited to placing the products on the store shelf, to the highly developed strategies, based on the market analysis, comprising consistent marketing mix concept.

Here inevitably, the questions come:

• to what extent are the expenses on marketing activities justified,
• to what degree would they convey end costumers the perception of higher quality brand and distinguish it from other, in fact, the simplest, most common groceries like sugar, flour, rice or groats,
• is it worth bothering to diversify an offer with new dedicated applications (e.g., salt for preservers, sugar for baking, flour for pancakes, groat mix),
• are the consumers willing to pay a little more for such additional value?

Consumer behaviour research provides answers to the key questions about building a brand image

We looked at how consumers dealt with dry goods, what was happening in their kitchens, what drew their attention while standing in front of the store shelf.

Searching for the answers to the above questions, CIVITTA conducted a quantitative study (CAWI) on the sample of 1000 consumers and asked them about:

• perception of homogeneity/diversity of dry goods (“core of all products is just the same” vs “it pays off to buy reliable, good quality products”),
• indicators of good quality products,
• preferred distribution channels,
• key factors determining purchase decisions,
• awareness, image, and loyalty towards the brands present on the market,
• preferred media and inspirations supporting the choice of particular product types or brands.

In the next step, a quantitative analysis was enriched with in-depth, qualitative study (FGI), including projection techniques. It enabled to capture, i.e.:

• practical and emotional indicators of reliable, good quality products,
• nuisances of cooking, baking and the ways of soothing them, supporting consumers with the functionalities incorporated into packaging of dry goods,
• path of purchase and the exact moment of making a decision by a consumer while standing in front of a store shelf,
• aware and latent associations assign to the packaging of dry goods,
• price sensitivity and willingness to take advantage of sales promotion.

Specific, precise recommendations from the research study are the basis for marketing strategy

Thanks to CIVITTA's research, our client obtained the guidelines to develop the most important components of the marketing mix, including:

• attributes of products, desirable by the consumers, associated with good quality (e.g., describing their colour, consistency, degree of fragmentation, taste),
• packaging features (i.e., design, colour, symbols) distinguishing the products on the store shelf and communicating their attributes essential to the consumers,
• effective channels of promotion – including the ones conveying direct, practical suggestion of usage of specific products/brands as well as indirect ones, boosting brand awareness (e.g., product placement),
• indications regarding brand positioning, visualised on perception maps (semantic profiles) based on the scales of most important purchasing decision factors.

Understanding the market is the basis for building a marketing strategy for the brand. CIVITTA provides its clients – both new and experienced market players – with the information they need to make the right business decisions. Contact us to find out how we can support the development of your business!