How Retail Labs can increase the success rate of innovations
We just got back from the 2016 Corporate Researchers Conference - http://www.marketingresearch.org/conference/2016-corporate-researchers-conference - presenting our case study for Retail labs (a.k.a. transactional learning)... here's our abstract:
As consumer packaged goods (CPG's) companies grow, their success often leads to unforeseen barriers that affect the development of innovation. One key barrier that occurs is when the sales force desires to maintain a stable relationship with their retailer partners; avoiding test & learn opportunities. Our Retail Lab methodology allows for that relationship to continue to stay focused, while providing unique partnerships (any channel, most any retailer) that create active learning labs to test anything: the strength of new items, extending brands into new categories, pricing changes, altered placement, communication strategies, competitive dynamics, and even entry into channels where your brand does not yet exist. Plus, this testing can be done 100% blinded so that your closest competitor can’t see the data results in IRI/Nielsen and doesn’t know you’re doing it. How is this possible? Through our unique methodology, strong retailer partnerships, and dynamic tactics that include our ownership of GS1- licensed UPC codes.
The ROI for a Retail Lab (a.k.a. transactional learning) is clear; with retail labs you can avoid the high-risk scenario of many new item launches, where high level investments are used to support new rollouts that have only been previously tested in focus groups or through online methodologies… neither of which can flush out the real-life launch challenges of A) being noticed on shelf, B) in a real testing environment, with C) active competitive dynamics. Retail Labs allow for an opportunity to 1) create a sales story measuring category effects in a test/control scenario, 2) understand incrementality and source of volume dynamics and 3) approach testing in a flexible and dynamic way – testing and learning as you go. Feel free to contact us to learn more about Retail Labs!