I’ve been very pleased with the reception we received to the DRI/Thinkvine Q2 2009 Shopper Study.  We had great attendance at our webinar, as well as follow-up press.  I really enjoyed Richard Lee’s take on the study in the 7/31/09 Stamford Advocate.  Shoppers are telling us that their attitudes toward shopping have changed, and they are using coupons, sales and store brands more often.  Mr. Lee confirmed our attitudinal data with some stats from the Private Label Manufacturers Association – which shows that private label sales were up by almost 7% in the first quarter of this year.  Click here to see Lee’s article in PDF format.

You may also download a full copy of the report:

Download/Save PDF file: Grocery Shopper Insights July 09

Debra Patek from Thinkvine and I are working on the Q3 field of this study.  In this wave, we are going to expand our understand of other choices that these shoppers are making.  We are also continuing to track if these changes in shopping will be short lived, or are here for the long haul.  If this is a longer term shift in purchasing behavior, what does this mean for branded manufacturers?  What does this mean for retailers?  What determines the threshold for a branded purchase?  Based on these data, I would say the threshold is rising.  Only those brands that offer distinct and sustainable advantages or imagery will be insulated from this brand down-shifting.

Jane Mount
Executive Vice President