Space considerations.
A Marketplace section sub-headline in the 8/2/2002 Wall Street
Journal says that the "BIG IDEA BEHIND (COCA COLA'S) FRIDGE
PACK IS THAT CONSUMERS WILL DRINK MORE WHEN SOFT DRINKS ARE KEPT
COLD." . . .
The size pendulum swings again.
After years of happily upsizing their soft drinks, burgers, fries,
bagels, and coffees, consumers are being bombarded with anti-upsizing
messages and doing something about it. Many have gotten the . . .
Packaging 2002.
A 2002 Packaging Report Card from The Consumer Network finds that
packaging is perceived as getting better but still has a consumer
friendly way to go. Here are the ten most widely cited problems:
. . .
On supermarket mergers.
We continue to hear slipping service and missing brand complaints
about acquired stores, but for the first time since the raft of mergers
began, we are also hearing from shoppers who think that . . .
Short takes on comparisons.
We asked consumers to comment on some big brand competitors and got
comments that were as split as the market shares.
ON MARS VERSUS HERSHEY:
* Hershey still better.
* Hershey is loosing the . . .
Wal-Mart weaknesses.
Only 33 percent of our respondents agree that Wal-Mart has the best
prices. More than half agree that they are losing some of their charm
and that their long lines and failure to post prices are . . .
Irritations unlimited.
The fact that check out delays have caught up with out of stocks on
ad items is an expression of the dramatic importance of time to
today's shoppers.
Response to Strongly Agree . . .
What shoppers wish.
In responding to other statements about shopping, respondents
showed that they were often rushed and especially frustrated by
impediments to moving quickly. When it comes to blocking easy . . .
Doesn't deli save time?
What could be more time and work saving than supermarket delis? The
low response to the deli statement below says that supermarkets have a
long way to go to convince shoppers that they can save . . .
Shoppers blaming management.
Shoppers continue to complain about the poor attitudes and lack of
knowledge of retail employees. They also complain that there aren't
enough employees around. Now, in addition to finding fault . . .
Recognizing Wal-Mart weaknesses.
To compete in a more fractured marketplace, supermarkets might be
wise to do more innovative research that includes measuring the shopping
experience they are providing against the shopping . . .
Innovation II. A store Perception Index.
The "Do For" and "Do To" Perception Index
tables below show that stores as a whole are annoying their shoppers
even more than they are saving them money or helping them.
What Store Do Percent . . .
Innovation I. The new wave.
A recent innovation conference sponsored by Harvard Business School
headed up their list of key learnings with three points:
1) Innovation requires doing the opposite of just about . . .
What stores haven't sold.
This month we report on a survey about emotional perceptions of
shopping experiences. We called the survey: "What Stores That Sell
Food Do To and For You." Our questionnaire asked shoppers . . .
Expeditors speed sales per minute.
The sales momentum that Wal-Mart continues to gather is
attributable to many things including the Kmart downslide.
* One of the things that Wal-Mart is doing right is providing
customer service . . .
Self-checkout growing pain.
* They are a time saver, which helps on the small orders.
* The store that has the automatic checkout is much quicker, than
the stores around here that don't have them.
Comments like those add . . .
Proliferating package choices.
Packaging options are proliferating in category after category. As
manufacturers are juggling technologies and economics to make decisions
between new possibilities and traditional packaging . . .
Advertising drugs to consumers.
We've been reading all the criticism about drug advertising
and asked our consumers if they found it a good source of information.
Responses were 96% negative! Comments about new billboard and . . .
Going! going! sold!
For many of today's consumers, sitting down at the table to
eat a meal with plates and utensils sounds like a special occasion or a
special effort to spend some quality time with the family. The . . .
Brands enter bakery.
Like consumers, retailers seem to be doing more things and doing
them faster. On the brand front, some are developing stronger corporate
brands, some are bringing in national brands, and some are . . .
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