Publix, King Soopers, H-E-B Top Shopper Perceptions
What factors lead shoppers to try your store? How about shop there frequently? What about recommend the location to their friends?
The Coca-Cola Co. has conducted an annual study of shoppers and shopping behavior that answers what drives customers to choose one store over another, and what grocers are performing best in each category.
The key drivers were broken down into the level of influence each has on three critical shopper behaviors: trial (one to four times per year), frequency (weekly or monthly), and advocacy (willingness to recommend).
RELATED: For complete shopper insights across retail channels, visit the interactive experience "The Coke Formula" on PathtoPurchaseIQ.
trial
The top five drivers for trial of a grocery store are: clean shopping area, store I trust, good selection, well organized and familiar layout. Clean shopping area, good selection and well organized were all unique drivers to the grocery channel.
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Grocers earning the top rankings in these categories are:
1. Publix
2. Wegmans
3. King Soopers
4. Hy-Vee
Frequency
The top five drivers for frequent shopping trips with a brand are: items I buy in easy locations, good sales, one-stop shopping, conveniently located and familiar layout. The last two drivers were unique to the grocery channel.
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Grocers earning the top rankings in these categories are:
1. (Tie) King Soopers
1. (Tie) H-E-B
3. ShopRite
4. Fry's
advocacy
The top five drivers for a willingness to recommend are: store I trust, fun place to shop, good atmosphere, helpful employees and good overall value. These drivers can account for the majority of long-term sales.
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Grocers earning the top rankings in these categories are:
1. H-E-B
2. Trader Joe's
3. Wegmans
4. Publix
When it comes to shopper advocacy, regional operators seem to do especially well due to their ability to foster trust among their shoppers.
Texas-centric H-E-B earned the highest scores for “Is a store I trust,” followed by Southeastern operator Publix (see chart at left).
Overall, six of the 10 chains with the highest trust ratings are regional, with three others — Harris Teeter, King Soopers and Fry’s — likely benefitting from parent company Kroger’s largely localized operating model. Alternate grocer Trader Joe’s was the only “national” player in the top 10.
Trader Joe's, however, took the top honor as a "fun place to shop," with Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans coming in second.
Publix topped both the "good atmosphere" and "helpful employees" rankings but failed to score in the top 10 for "good overall value," a category where H-E-B and Aldi reigned supreme.
For a comprehensive look at key drivers across other channels, see coverage from Progressive Grocer sister brands Path to Purchase IQ, Convenience Store News and Drug Store News.
For complete shopper insights across retail channels, visit the interactive experience "The Coke Formula" on PathtoPurchaseIQ.