May 28

Written by: IRI Blog
5/28/2009 1:05 PM

We recently published three case studies highlighting the successful implementation of powerful IRI Shopper Insights capabilities for three leading U.S. CPG companies, ConAgra, Mars and Welch’s.

Each company came to IRI with a unique set of goals and challenges, yet, the three companies shared one overarching need – the ability to quickly gather data on shoppers and consumers and transfer that information into valuable insights on shopper needs, behaviors, desires and attitudes.

ConAgra
ConAgra Foods Inc. is among North America’s leading packaged food companies with popular consumer brands, such as Hunt’s, Marie Callenders, Healthy Choice and Chef Boyardee.

ConAgra product managers wanted to raise the bar on the quality of data gathered about consumers to provide retailer partners with valuable promotion and merchandising recommendations.  Additionally, ConAgra managers were eager to implement a standard process for gathering and reporting the shopper insight details.

IRI presented ConAgra with a powerful solution, IRI Shopper Insights ™, which allows ConAgra’s Category Leadership and Shopper Insights team to swiftly collect, high-quality data from a comprehensive range of data sources, conduct thorough analysis and gain new insights about shopper attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, IRI Shopper Insights provides this information in near real time.

Shopper Insights is now at the core of ConAgra’s information strategy for better understanding and anticipating shopper behavior.

Mars
Mars Snackfood U.S. owns many of America’s favorite brands, including Dove Chocolate, M&M’s, Snickers, Uncle Ben’s, as well as Pedigree and Whiskas’s dog and cat food.

Mars management realized that new technologies had the potential to help better harness transactional data down to the account and brand level, enabling senior managers to gain new and better insights into shopper needs and behaviors

Mars implemented IRI’s Shopper Insights™ Powered by IRI Liquid Data™ solution to boost the companies’ knowledge of shoppers changing attitudes and behaviors. The power of real-time data via IRI Shopper Insights has enabled Mars’ senior management to create new opportunities for its retailer partners, make better decisions, faster and uncover new market opportunities ahead of competitors.

Mars and IRI collaborated to create the customized Shopper Insights solution based on Mars’ unique needs. Over time, the solution has proven invaluable, particularly influencing the company’s partnership success with Walmart, one of its largest retail customers.

Welch’s
The well-known Welch’s brand is the leading marketer of Concord and Niagara grape-based consumer products, including grape juice, jelly and other fruit-based offerings.

Prior to working with IRI, Welch’s had already gained a strong reputation as an innovator and early adopter of new technologies to advance company growth. Welch’s management continued this tradition by implementing IRI’s Shopper Insights Advantage Powered by IRI Liquid Data to accelerate the ability to identify shoppers’ changing attitudes and behaviors, teasing out subtle trends managers could translate into new products.

Specifically, IRI’s Shopper Insights solution provides Welch’s with a critical, in-depth view of how shoppers respond to assortment, merchandising and promotional activities. Welch’s sales and marketing teams can now analyze data from different panelist and shopper groups, incorporate data from other sources quickly and assess the results in as close to real time as is possible today.

Welch’s executive teams utilize Shopper Insights to uncover new, highly-detailed information about shopper behaviors that assist them in creating closer relationships with the retailer community. For example, Welch’s was able to analyze the impact of introducing plastic squeeze bottles to a market that traditionally uses jars, revealing that the new option would bring in a whole new segment of customers, generating an incremental increase in sales.

Driving CPG Growth
Each of these examples reflects IRI’s dedication to providing CPG manufacturers and retailers the essential solutions for surviving and thriving in today’s transforming economy.

We urge you and your company and partners to challenge us to do even more. Please leave a comment, start a conversation or give us a call.

Best wishes,

Thom Blischok

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