P-O-P Research Unveiled at Marketplace '94

The Point-Of-Purchase Advertising Institute kicked off its Marketplace '94 with the results of research conducted by the Gallup Organization that the association claims is "the most comprehensive examination of shoppers' behavior to date." The Consumer Buying Habits Study, a follow-up to a 1986 survey conducted by POPAI internally, was designed to obtain a complete understanding of both supermarket and mass merchant shoppers' buying habits.It broke new ground in that mass merchants were added to gain broader-based results. The inclusion of mass merchants represents the first time a study of this magnitude has ever been undertaken, say POPAI officials.Anheuser-Busch Inc., Coca-Cola USA, and Procter & Gamble Co. were among the corporate sponsors that paid as much as $30,000 to gain access to Gallup's efforts. They, in turn, receive full access to statistics compiled from the sampling of consumers throughout the United States and Canada. There were four supermarkets and two mass merchants chosen in each U.S. market, and three supermarkets and two drug stores per Canadian market.The research firm executed its interviews at major mass merchants Kmart, Wal-Mart, Venture and Bradlees, as well as more than 20 different supermarket chains. More than 4,200 subjects were interviewed.Gallup's data collection process started with an in-store audit to quantify point-of-sale displays and categorize them by type, location and product advertised. This preliminary audit determined that mass merchants displayed an average of 664 P-O-P items compared to 881 in supermarkets. While such a disparity might have been expected anyway, it's important to note that Gallup pollsters broadly defined P-O-P, including signage for generic fresh meat and produce in their count. It's no wonder, then, that fresh meat topped the list of P-O-P items found in supermarkets. Carbonated soft drinks and cookies ranked a relatively close second and third.Linens, auto accessories and toys were the items most likely to be sold via P-O-P at mass merchants. It further stands to reason that standard signs and shelf signs were the dominant form of point-of-sale recorded, accounting for 63 percent in supermarkets and 56 percent in mass merchants. Carbonated soft drinks led all other categories in consumer recall directly associated with P-O-P.The 60-year-old research firm also studied intended vs. actual purchases. Entry interviews revealed that 55 percent of supermarket and 23 percent of mass merchant shoppers use shopping lists. They also showed that shoppers diligently stayed within their allotted budget. The truly telling statistic was in the number of products purchased: Shoppers bought more items than planned by nearly a 2-to-1 margin."Even with a shopping list, there's an awful lot of room for decisions," said Gallup Organization vice president George De Jager. "Those decisions are being made in the store." He suggested, based on these results, that P-O-P is an extremely effective factor in consumer decision-making within the store. He cited ready-to-eat cereal as a prime prospect for P-O-P activity. Planned vs. scanned purchases of staple items such as refrigerated milk were virtually identical; but ready-to-eat cereal was actually purchased by nearly double the number of shoppers who originally planned to buy that product.Gallup's final stage of the research was an exit interview designed to elicit respondents' ability to recall point-of-sale materials. The net recall rate was 56 percent for mass merchant shoppers and 62 percent for supermarket shoppers. While De Jager submitted that the reported recall rate might be low, "People do not like to admit they're influenced by advertising. That's why we like to look at sales data as a way to determine what's going on."Findings regarding the relationship between point-of-purchase placement and product purchase have yet to be determined. Phase 2 of the research is expected early this year.

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