What is retail market research?

Retail market research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of data about retail markets, consumers, and competitors. It provides valuable insights that help businesses understand consumer behaviour, market trends, and competitive landscapes to make informed decisions and improve their performance.

What is FMCG market research?

FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) market research is a specialised form of market research that focuses on products with a rapid turnover rate, like food, beverages, toiletries, and household goods. These products are typically consumed or used up quickly, leading to frequent repurchases.

How does STRAT7 utilise data analytics and AI for retail insights?

Market and customer research can: Help businesses identify and capitalise on emerging trends in rapidly-evolving consumer preferences Provide insights into competitors’ strengths, weaknesses and strategies, so companies can differentiate themselves and gain a competitive edge Make demand forecasting more accurate, so businesses can anticipate consumer spending patterns in challenging economic conditions Inform more effective marketing strategies that resonate with increasingly-fractured audience segments

What key challenges do retail and FMCG companies face that market research can address?

Retail and FMCG companies face numerous challenges in today’s dynamic marketplace, including shifting consumer preferences, digital transformation, supply chain complexities, and sustainability demands. Market research helps address these challenges by providing insights into changing shopping behaviors, optimizing omnichannel strategies, improving inventory management, and identifying sustainable practices that resonate with consumers while maintaining profitability.

What methodologies does STRAT7 employ for retail and consumer goods market research?

Ethnographic research, cultural insights and semiotics all help us refine your messaging to resonate more effectively with your ideal customers; behavioural analysis and customer journey mapping provide insights into how to improve your operations to be more customer-centric, and unstructured data synthesis, surveys and polls and insight communities can help you better understand the impact of any changes you make.

How does STRAT7 help retailers adapt to changing consumer behaviours and preferences?

STRAT7 offers customer research solutions to understand changing consumer behaviours, such as purchasing habits, value perceptions, and sustainability concerns. We can help develop targeted marketing campaigns and optimise sales strategies based on specific customer segments and their evolving preferences, and we can provide insights for optimising offerings and developing new products that resonate with changing customer needs and tastes.

What types of retail and FMCG organisations does STRAT7 work with?

STRAT7 works with a diverse range of retail and FMCG organizations, from global supermarket chains and department stores to specialty retailers and direct-to-consumer brands. Our clients include multinational FMCG companies producing everything from household essentials to premium consumer goods, as well as emerging brands looking to scale their operations and establish market presence.

What differentiates STRAT7's approach to market insights in the retail and consumer goods sectors?

STRAT7 differentiates itself by combining traditional market research with advanced technology and innovative methodologies. We focus on providing actionable insights that drive real business impact. Our insights and strategies combine deep industry expertise with advanced data analytics and AI. This allows us to scrape and analyse vast quantities of information, to uncover hidden patterns and trends that other research firms may miss. At the same time, our experienced customer and market research teams can investigate any global market you wish, providing you a solid foundation and understanding of your prospective customer base, on an incredibly detailed and personal level.

Brand Strategy Services

Turn your brand into your most powerful commercial asset

A deep and ongoing understanding of your customers and market opportunities helps us resculpt and strengthen your brand, maximising the commercial impact.

“Working with the STRAT7 team helped challenge the way we were thinking about the female gym market. The project led to clear recommendations that resulted in us achieving our targets in the test sites. They were extremely easy to work with and as engaged and passionate about the project and outcomes as we were.”

Francine Davis | Chief Strategy Officer, PureGym

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The insights we use to inform our brand strategy services

Using a variety of methods, we can investigate in detail how your brand is perceived by your audience, and use our discoveries to devise tailored brand strategies.

Insight communities

Your brand’s power lies in the minds of your customers. Engaging with a representative cross-section of your audience gives you a direct understanding of their perspectives.

Custom surveys

Using Qual and Quant research, we can assess the impact of your messaging and branding on your market, and monitor fluctuations in opinion over time.

Audience segmentation

By dividing your audience into groups, we can help you align branding initiatives with your target demographics.

Ethnographic research

By immersing ourselves in the culture you want to resonate with, we can identify touchpoints and ensure your messaging strikes home every time.

AI-powered data synthesis

Our proprietary machine learning, NLP and generative AI capabilities make identifying trends and extracting valuable insights from unstructured data effortless.

Professional insights

We dive into detail with your movers and shakers, to ensure all changes to branding hold true to your expectations.

How STRAT7’s brand strategy services will benefit you

We position and enhance your brand to both capture attention now and maintain value over time.

Command premium prices

A powerful brand creates an aura of prestige and exclusivity, enticing customers to invest more in the experience you offer.

Attract elite talent

Being a top brand naturally draws in more valuable talent with ambitious ideas, while also reducing hiring costs and instilling greater long-term loyalty.

Cheaper customer acquisition

Brand reputation is a powerful currency, reducing uncertainty and making it more cost-effective to convert prospects into customers.

Weather challenges

In tough times, a strong brand’s true believers are more likely to stand by you, simply due to what you mean to them.

Why choose STRAT7 for your brand strategy?

Our strategic insights have helped countless brands evolve their focus and actively seize new commercial opportunities.

End-to-end strategies

At STRAT7, our marketing and growth strategies go far beyond just brand strategy. We can utilise every element of your business to strengthen your brand.

History of success

From Ikea, to the NFL and Asahi, we know what it means to support the World’s biggest brands with their most ambitious projects.

Flexible and collaborative

We don’t just provide you with a list of suggestions. Our team will work with you every step of the way to devise branding strategies that bear your unique signature.

Diverse team of experts

Our team’s diverse skill sets and capabilities make us the first choice agency for the brands you know and love, trusted to consistently produce comprehensive and actionable insights.

What our clients say about us

“I was impressed with the team’s enthusiasm, sector expertise and level of engagement with the senior leadership team. Their insight and advice have been invaluable in shaping plans and strategy around our target customer.”

Alasdair Murdoch, CEO, Burger King UK

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