Case study

Besides being one of the oldest cultivated food products with a long and diverse history, cheese is a significant share of today’s dairy industry. Europe is the biggest single market for cheese. And while most imported cheese originates from within the EU, the consumers perceive and consume the cheese differently. Hence, to succeed in different markets, it is vital to understand similarities and differences in shopper behavior.

Mystery Shopping in Pharmacies across Poland: For a multinational producer of OTC products, BIBA|CS organized with its partner company Mystery Audits in around 1.000 pharmacies across Poland.

You might have missed it like so many of these thematic days in our calendar. Last month was World Savings Day and together with our Mystery Shopper partner who gives us access to ten thousands of potential Mystery Shoppers in Poland and Russia, BIBA|CS conducted a quick and not representative study about banking and saving habits. More than 200 participants from all over Poland send us their answers within just a few hours by using our partners’ proprietary mobile app. Here is what we got out of this test.

Looking back at my career, point-of-sale materials and packaging design seem to be an ever-recurring subject. In my time in SABMiller, we have been working quite a lot on evaluating and designing POSM and packaging for optimizing shopper impact, and it became fundamental to my roles which I took over afterwards. Even at the very beginning of my career when working in the packaging development department at Stollwerck, the topic was constantly present. And later when working in HumanGraph – a boutique research agency that previously worked with SABMiller in Poland, we ran several projects about POSM, digital signage and another in-store branding for leading fast-food chains, retailers or gas stations and few about evaluating packaging design.

Customer Experience / Mystery Shopping Poland: For a research agency, BIBA|CS organized several waves of a Customer Experience project in Poland. The client – a premium car producer – had the highest expectations about the research participants as the scenarios covered Used and New Vehicles worth >60k EUR.

In-Depth-Interviews, Desk Research, market and sales team visits – Non-Alcoholic Drinks: After a successful presentation about Shopper principles at the HQ, our international customer invited BIBA|CS to train the UK team about locally relevant category trends, shopper fundamentals and consumer behaviour.

Regional Market Opportunities Russia: For an international producer of alcoholic drinks, BIBA|CS ran IDIs, Desk Research, 3rd party Analysis, and a Quantitative Consumer Research in Russia.

Following a Shopper Marketing session at the Global Marketing Conference at Royal Unibrew, the UK team asked me to support them with their Shopper Marketing activities for Supermalt in the UK. Supermalt is an alcohol-free malt drink holding a leading market position in the UK. Around 7 out of 10 malt drinks sold are Supermalt. Alcohol-free Malt Drinks are primarily consumed by the African or Caribbean minority or Latin Americans.

Market Analysis, Desk Research & Expert Interviews / City Strategy Germany and France – Premium Non-Alcoholic Drinks: BIBA|CS carried out market data analysis, conducted desk research and expert interviews to collect consumer and industry trends, as well as defining a hunting list of top bars, cafes and restaurants in preparation for a brand launch.

Desk Research, internal and external market data analysis – Drinks Portfolio: In another project for our long-term customer, BIBA|CS supported the customer developing a portfolio sell-in story for the UK market.