How Euroma identified the demand for smaller packaging for their Original Spices range with an in-store research.
Research question
Euroma Original Spices is a line of spice blends created from a collaboration with celebrity chef Jonnie Boer. Euroma's best spices and Jonnie Boer's expertise make the Original Spices a pure and authentic range in the category. Many consumers already knew the products, however, Euroma wondered if consumers would consider the smaller packaging. That's why Joyce Nijensteen, Brand Marketing Manager at Euroma, contacted us. She wanted to know if consumers were interested in smaller packaging. And the best place to find out is of course the shopping floor!
Research design
To test the "shelf-worthiness" of the smaller format packaging, it is important to first take a close look at the current packaging. This revolves around the question: what are all the possible barriers for consumers to buy Euroma's current Original Spices? Once these barriers are clear, it is possible to assess whether the smaller packaging (with a lower price) solves the "problem" for consumers. To find out, for this study we conducted in-store interviews with shoppers at the herbs & spices shelf in the supermarket. The interviews provide a good picture of expected purchase intent because they are conducted in a real-life context. This minimizes the influence of bias on research results that is commonly present in many other forms of (online) consumer research.
A total of 62 shoppers were interviewed in various supermarkets during this study. During the in-store interviews, consumers are observed in front of the shelf and addressed only when they grab something from the respective shelf. Consumers who do not grab anything are not interviewed. This ensures that all respondents consist of 100% category buyers. The interviews attempted to answer key research questions such as:
1. What barriers do consumers have to not buying Euroma?
2. What associations do consumers have with Euroma?
3. Is the price of the current packaging an obstacle?
4. Would consumers be more likely to buy Euroma if there was smaller packaging at a lower price?
5. What is the optimal price point to market the smaller packaging?
''It was not possible to collect all the respondents for the interviews in one day, but despite that, the deadline for the final presentation was not moved. I thought that was very neat. Also because this project had tight deadlines.''
– Joyce Nijensteen, Brand Marketing Manager at Euroma
During the interviews, the new smaller packaging was also tested against the old packaging and two competitors on the shelf. In each case, consumers had to choose between four different products, with Euroma's two options differing only in size and price. This set-up not only gives insight into which packaging consumers chose, but also at what price consumers switched to the "old" packaging or to a competitor.
In-store insights
The research provided many valuable insights for the team of Euroma. The exact insights gained from our research always belong to our clients. However, the hypothesis that consumers needed smaller packaging was confirmed thanks to our research. Euroma has therefore decided to introduce these smaller packages since week 20. This enables consumers to experiment even more with the spice blends of Euroma and Jonnie Boer!
"Some of the research findings were real eye-openers. In addition, the research findings were very clear and actionable and we were able to apply the insights right away.''
– Joyce Nijensteen, Brand Marketing Manager at Euroma
Test & Learn in our network of retailers
Do you currently have an issue 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
