In-store research can be a useful tool to understand customer behavior, the effectiveness of in-store displays, impact of shelf placements, and efficiency of the store layout.
In some instances, a mock store or shelf layout can be created in a controlled research environment. If you don’t have the space or ability to set up a mock store within a research facility, in-store research may be an option. After all, what better way to understand a consumer's thought process or behaviors than in-store?
But, no matter how perfect your research design may be, it is useless if you’re unable to recruit study participants.
The good news is, Drive Research is experienced in recruiting participants for in-store qualitative research studies. That’s why when one client reached out to Drive Research to assist with a last-minute recruit, we knew we could help.
Continue reading this case study to learn more about a recent recruit for in-store qualitative research.
Step #1: Obtaining Store Permission
There may be multiple layers of permission needed to conduct in-store research, and it’s best to complete this step as early as possible.
Typically, this centers around ensuring the customer experience while the research is being conducted. Stores do not want shoppers to feel uncomfortable or invaded by any research practices that are happening. This is one of the key reasons there can be layers of permission to get through.
Additionally, some stores may prefer for in-store research to take place at one store over another for a variety of reasons, and geography can be a major factor with study feasibility.
However, because our client was trying to manage recruitment in-house, this step was completed before Drive Research was involved in the study.
Step #2: Define Qualification Criteria and Recruitment Questionnaires
Once again, these steps were completed before Drive Research was brought in.
After signoff, our client shared the final screening questionnaire.
The screener questionnaire was created to vet participants on the following qualification criteria:
- Ages 24 to 70 years old
- Primary or holds most of the decisions when it comes to grocery shopping
- Shops for groceries in-store
- Purchases "healthier" frozen single-serve meals (i.e., Atkins, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice)
- Recruit a mix of:
- Males and females
- Age: 60% to be between 45 to 70 years old
- Households with and without children
- Ethnicities
- 75% Healthy Choice users and 25% Competitive Frozen Better For You Single Serve Meal users
Step #3: Programming and Launch
Once the screener was shared, it was programmed and tested within our online survey platform.
As our next step, we launched an email campaign to our in-house panel. We also included a targeted social media ad campaign to ensure we met the tight timeline.
The panel email campaign and social media ads included the following targeting:
- Age
- Radius within a 15-mile radius of the in-store research location
Step #4: Re-Screening/Scheduling Phone Calls
After achieving an initial pool of pre-qualified, our team hand-picks qualified participants to move on to the next step of a re-screening/scheduling phone call.
These calls are placed strategically in an effort to meet all desired quota mixes, and our recruitment team uses these calls to ensure participants not only meet all qualification criteria, but are also a good fit for research.
During these calls, our team utilizes a call script to guarantee uniformity and make sure no one slips through the cracks.
Below is a snippet of the call script used for this study:
Hello! My name is [insert name] calling on behalf of Drive Research for [insert name]. You recently completed an online survey and expressed interest in participating in a research project for a $100 gift card.
I just have to ask a few additional questions to confirm your qualification before we get you registered.
1. When shopping for groceries for your household, would you say… Select one.
- You do all or most of the grocery shopping
- You share the grocery shopping about equally with someone else
- Someone else in your household does most or all of the grocery shopping
2. Which of the following products have you purchased and consumed at least once in the past 3 months? Select all that apply.
- Frozen single-serve Meals
- Packaged Meats
- Dairy Products such as Milk, Cheese, Sour Cream
- Condiments, such as Salsa, Ketchup, Mustard or Mayonnaise
- Deli Meats
- None of the above
3. In which of the following store(s) do you usually buy Frozen Single Serve Meals? Select all that apply.
- Market 32
- Price Chopper
- Price Rite
- Target
- TOPS
- Trader Joe’s
- Walmart
- Whole Foods
- None of the above [Thank and end]
4. Which Frozen Single Serve Meals have you purchased in the past 3 months? Select all that apply.
- Amy's
- Atkins
- Banquet
- Healthy Choice
- Lean Cuisine
- Life Cuisine
- Marie Callender’s
- Real Good Foods
- None of the Above
5. Now for something a little different! Thinking about different occasions, why would you choose a frozen single-serve option for your meal? Why would you choose something else? Enter response.
Step #5: Confirmations and Reminders
Once a participant is fully vetted and scheduled for the research, our confirmation and reminder process begins.
This process includes a confirmation email with a required yes response, an accepted calendar invite, a reminder phone call the day before, and a reminder text the day of all through a single point of contact.
Participants can drop out of a study by becoming unresponsive at any point in our multi-step confirmation process, or by letting their Drive Research contact know they are no longer interested through call, text, or email.
Outcome
A total of 33 participants were recruited for the in-store interviews. Interviews took place at a supermarket in Syracuse, New York, and lasted approximately 25 minutes.
Participants were provided with a $100 gift card following the interview as a thank-you for their time and feedback.
Below is the timeline of the study:
- June 19: Signoff of the SOW, internal setup began
- June 20: Initial invoice sent and paid, programming and launch
- June 21: Re-screening/scheduling phone calls completed, with 33 participants recruited
- June 24: Reminders begin
- June 25: Start of in-store research
- June 27: In-store research completed
Despite the very tight timeline, a total of 31 interviews were completed (a 93% show rate).
Here is what our happy client had to say: “Fantastic news - you guys are miracle workers for making that happen so quickly!”
Conducting In-Store Research? Drive Research can help.
In-store research can be tricky…but not with the right team on your side. At Drive Research, we’ll work with you to ensure your specific project goals are met. From recruitment to your final report, we’ll keep you updated throughout the entire process.
To learn more about our market research services, get in touch with us today!
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Ashley Reynolds
With nearly 10 years of experience in market research, Ashley has worked on countless quantitative and qualitative research studies. As a Fieldwork Manager at Drive Research, she’s involved in every stage of the project, especially recruitment.
Learn more about Ashley, here.
