Convenience

With over 48,000 c-stores, 6% sales growth (20% higher than the UK grocery average), a resurgence of local and community retailing, the convenience sector remains buoyant and exciting.

him!'s Convenience Tracking Programme (CTP) is now in its 12th year, and almost one million convenience shoppers have been interviewed in that time.

How can CTP help you?

CTP helps suppliers to build a common language with CTP retailers through highlighting lost sales, unfulfilled intentions and performance gaps. This invaluable insight will help shape your commercial decisions and future strategies.

As part of the programme we also speak to c-store sales staff, managers & owners. Our store staff survey focuses heavily on the issues which affect sales in-store, and give clear suggestions to retailers AND suppliers to improve communication, compliance, customer service and ultimately sales.

The average tenure in the programme is seven years. Why?

CTP remains cost effective, committed to listening to shoppers at the moment-of-truth, and turning answers into actions for CTP clients to grow sales and profits.

Methodology

Each year him! speaks to over 20,000 shoppers face-to-face at the moment-of-truth at stores to gain valuable shopper insights, making the Convenience Tracking Programme (CTP) the only robust, authoritative and credible shopper study in the UK.

Most major UK retailers (or retail groups), including forecourts and supplier or service-provider partners are, or have been, part of the programme.

Focus Areas

• Shoppers of your category
• Do they drive footfall?
• Do they drive basket spend?
• Who they are (profiles)?
• What missions are they on?
• What else do they buy?
• Size of the prize tool to calculate the category tie up opportunities at each retailer and also benchmark
• Shopper importances and ratings
• Key criteria that the store must deliver against
• Intended vs. actual purchases
• Proportion of shoppers buying on impulse and reasons for impulse purchasing
• Categories shoppers failed to buy here today and causes
• Promotional purchase intentions, proportion of shoppers who noticed a promotion here today, drivers to promotional purchasing here today
• Pricing & preferred mechanic e.g. EDLP, BOGOFF, rounded price points, PMPs
• Cross purchases and merchandising
• Awareness of external and internal communication in this store today
• Seasonal events and occasions
• Food-to-go and snacking
• Healthy, local sourcing, community and ethnicity
• Brands vs. own label
• And much more…ask Katy to send you a full CTP question list

Click here for the CTP flyer giving more details and focus areas

Testimonials

‘him!s continuous input into Heinz's Grow Grocery initiative has been critical to the campaigns success. The data formed the foundations of a successful PR campaign - including this advertorial which was awarded second place in Convenience Store's AdQ advertising effectiveness study'. Heinz

“We can all get very focussed on our own business and him! has shown us that even in mature convenience stores the opportunity to find additional sales and profit is never far away. CTP 2008 highlighted that milk was important to our business and we satisfied demand BUT in 2009 retailers need to over deliver and use every resource available.” David Sands LTD

For more information on him!'s Convenience Tracking Programme please speak to Katy Moses, Business Development Manager 07912 717 567 katy.moses@him.uk.com