Non-food goods, especially household appliances, consumer electronics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, sport articles show a similar trend. The location of a new outlet is of paramount importance for the overall project success. Therefore for a growing retail chain assessing a site trade potential is of great importance. In a number of studies Business Analytica executed for major retail chains we were tasked with selecting the best site out of many on the basis of ease of travel by car and foot. This task is usually implemented by measuring pedestrian and automobile traffic in the area of each site. The results received for each site are compared and a qualitative survey of a neighborhood population of the area/region is carried out to identify consumer preferences with relation to client-oriented trade facilities and prospective visiting frequency.
Moreover, other typical studies Business Analytica performs for retail chains include:
- Store zoning efficiency evaluation (recommended research method: store visitors survey in relation to Shopper path and Shopper mission, as well as ease of finding the required product categories within the given store, their visibility, signposting, sufficiency of sales staff and cashiers, working hours, etc.);
- Promoters efficiency assessment (recommended research method: Mystery shopping);
- POS efficiency evaluation (recommended research method: Mystery shopping and visitor survey after they have completed their shopping or at least have completed their shopping for a given category in relation to the POS they noticed or used when making a purchase);
- Drawing typical customer profile with a set of distinctive features for a given retail chain (recommended research method: retail chain customer survey, Usage and Attitude Study with a set of segmentation questions);
- Identifying the reasons for leaving the store without making a purchase (recommended research method: retail chain customer survey in relation to the reasons why they could not select or purchase the desired item).