Casino to keep tabs on consumer fears

Retailers use a variety of sources to make sure that what they are selling is what their customers want the most. Long range weather forecasts, for example, can help stores decide whether to order more umbrellas or more barbecues, while customer loyalty card data enables them to assess which brands are more popular than others and target specific product promotions at specific customers.

But France's Casino has now taken this a step further, forming a partnership with market research group TNS Sofres and magazine L'Hémicycle with the aim of assessing the wider concerns of French consumers in order to better tailor its product offering.

Each month, 1,000 French citizens will be asked a variety of questions relating to everyday current affairs, with particular reference to issues about which they are concerned. The questions are not about consumers' shopping habits or purchasing decisions, but rather about wider issues such as government policy, families or the environment - factors which Casino nonetheless considers influence the way in which consumers shop.

While the 16 questions will remain the same month-on-month, respondents will also be asked a 'question of the month', which will change every four weeks. The question for April, for example, will be 'What are you interested in at the moment?' The results of each month's survey will be published in the magazine with comments from TNS Sofres analyst, Brice Teinturier.

Some questions - such as the April one - will clearly have a short-term influence on Casino's procurement demands - if it knows what consumers are currently interested in, it can make sure it is stocking products which meet these demands - but others are only likely to have an impact over the much longer term.

For example, the predominant concerns of consumers in March were unemployment, health care and pensions - issues which are likely to have little immediate impact on Casino's business (although it could be argued that high levels of unemployment tend to mean a reduction in consumer purchasing power). Other issues of lesser concern to consumers do, however, have a more immediate knock-on effect on retailing - such as concerns about food safety and quality and reducing purchasing power.

But Casino believes that understanding the fears, desires and expectations of its customers (and potential customers) will prove to be a powerful tool in the longer term, in particular with regard to the company's ability to influence the powers-that-be on matters relating to its business.

Florence Riu, spokesperson for the Casino chain, told FoodandDrinkEurope.com​ that the link with L'Hémicycle was an important part of this long-term strategy. "This magazine is read by all the leading decision-makers in France, from the worlds of both politics and business, and it is important that they are made aware of the issues of importance to French consumers."​

Riu added: "After the recent high profile advertising campaign from Leclerc stressing its support for consumer purchasing power [which Leclerc claimed had fallen, not risen, as commentators suggested] Casino feels that it is more important than ever to ensure that it is in touch with what its customers want. This should put it in a much stronger position when it comes to making its voice heard by government and industry - its arguments will be based on clear evidence."​

Casino claims to be the only chain currently assessing the state of mind of its customers in such a regular and wide-reaching fashion, and whether other retailers will follow suit depends on how useful the information garnered by the monthly surveys proves to be - and whether it truly gives Casino the edge it is looking for in influencing decision makers.