How Bar le Duc discovered the cause behind the underperforming sales of their PET bottles through insights from in-store research.
Research question
Bar le Duc is a water brand known for its unique cardboard packaging. However, the brand also offers PET bottles made of 100% recycled plastic. Recently, the 1.5-litre PET bottle was introduced alongside the 1-litre variant. This introduction created more shelf space, but the sales of the PET range remained too low. At the same time, competition on the shelf was increasing and private label was also growing in the category. This is why Thari Hesselink, Senior Brand Manager of Bar le Duc, contacted us to investigate the reasons behind the underperforming rotation figures and determine potential improvements for her team. In-store research is well-suited for addressing these types of issues!
Research design
Before increasing rotation, it is crucial to identify the root cause of the problem. Answering the question, "Why aren't consumers buying my product from the shelf?" is essential. To do this, it is important to understand all the triggers and barriers that prevent consumers from purchasing the product. As part of the research, we interviewed consumers in front of the water shelf to find this out.
Over two days, a total of 123 shoppers were interviewed at Albert Heijn and Jumbo stores in the Netherlands. Researchers observed consumers in front of the shelves and only approached them when they picked something from the relevant shelf. Shoppers who did not choose anything were not interviewed. This ensured that all respondents were exclusively shoppers of water PET bottles (100% category buyers). The interviews aimed to answer key research questions such as:
- What are the main drivers and barriers for consumers to (not) buy Bar le Duc's PET bottles?
- Do Bar le Duc's PET bottles stand out on the shelf?
- How do consumers view Bar le Duc compared to the competition?
- What is the reason behind the lagging rotation figures?
- What associations do consumers have with the product?
- Why do relatively few consumers consider Bar le Duc, despite most consumers being familiar with the brand?
"I noticed you conducted your research differently than usual. That's one of the reasons I decided to engage with you."
– Thari Hesselink, Senior Brand Manager at Bar le Duc
The in-store interviews aimed to provide Bar le Duc with valuable insights so that they could enhance the performance of their PET bottles. We always provide thorough briefings to our colleagues at Bamboo Brands before interview days, which enables us to ask consumers the right in-depth questions.
In-store insights
The research project provided many valuable insights for the Bar le Duc team. Our research revealed the underlying cause of the underperforming rotation figures. With this insight, the Bar le Duc team now knows what actions to take to improve the performance of their PET bottles. The specific insights gained from our research are exclusively available to our clients.
"At first, I had doubts about whether sufficient qualitative insights would be gathered during the fieldwork, but fortunately, you were able to dispel these doubts and provide me with enough qualitative insights in the end."
– Thari Hesselink, Senior Brand Manager bij Bar le Duc
Test & Learn in our network of retailers
Do you have an innovation you would like to test or research in the supermarket? With Bamboo Brands, we help FMCG professionals gain valuable insights by testing products and assumptions in our network of 400+ supermarkets in Europe. Contact Theo Toering, founder & CEO of Bamboo Brands, via theo@bamboobrands.com
