UNDERSTAND — Market Research
Market research built on what happens in real stores
FOTS market research answers commercial questions using ground-level evidence: what stores stock and charge, what retailers say about the category, and what consumers choose and why. We design the study around the decision you need to make and report findings you can act on.
The problem we solve.
Desk research and category panels describe the past at a national level. They rarely tell a growing brand which channel to enter next, what price will move units in a specific region, or why a retailer keeps declining the range.
How market research works with FOTS.
- 01
Frame the decision
We start from the commercial question: channel choice, pricing, pack, positioning or expansion.
- 02
Choose the method
In-store fieldwork, retailer interviews, consumer research, mystery shopping or a combination.
- 03
Collect the evidence
Fieldwork run to a consistent brief across the sample, with photography where relevant.
- 04
Turn it into action
Findings, implications and a recommended next step, written for a commercial team.
What you get
- Research design against a commercial question
- In-store and shelf fieldwork
- Retailer and buyer interviews
- Consumer research and intercepts
- Competitor, pricing and promotional analysis
- Report with findings, implications and recommendations
Where we deliver it
- Independent retail
- Convenience and wholesale
- Multiple grocery
- HORECA
- Street and consumer intercepts
How we measure it.
Every campaign reports against the numbers a commercial team actually uses.
- Sample size and coverage
- Category and competitor pricing
- Distribution and availability
- Consumer preference and purchase drivers
- Retailer attitudes to the category
Proof.
Neutonic — Taking a fast-growing drinks brand into London retail.
- 3,000+
- stores visited
- 2,049
- samples delivered
- 678
- orders
- 6,114
- cases sold
What kind of research does FOTS run?
Retail and consumer fieldwork: shelf and pricing audits, retailer and buyer interviews, mystery shopping and consumer intercepts, designed around a specific commercial decision.
How is it different from a category panel?
Panels give national historic sales data. Our fieldwork gives current, local ground truth about the stores and consumers you are targeting next.
Works well with
If your objective is
Frequently asked questions.
- Can research be run before we launch in the UK?
- Yes, and it is often the cheapest stage to be wrong in. Pre-launch fieldwork tests pricing, pack and channel fit.
- Do you research competitors?
- Yes. Competitor distribution, pricing, promotion and share of shelf are standard parts of the fieldwork.
- What do we receive at the end?
- A report with the data, the photographic evidence, the implications and a clear recommendation.
Talk to us about market research.
Tell us your objective and we'll tell you what we'd do first.