Merchant and Retailer Market Research

After decades of remaining relatively unchanged, the traditional trade counter environment is under unprecedented pressure. Merchants are having to adapt due to the growth of digital channels, the seemingly unstoppable rise of new formats such as Screwfix and Toolstation, and the blurring line between the trade and retail customer.

We've worked with a number of 'bricks and mortar' merchants to better understand these trends - including large national research studies for Plumbase and Selco.

Whether you are an independent or national merchant brand, building or plumbing & heating focused, now is the time to get in touch. We can help you measure how your trade or retail audience is changing, evaluate your marketing, counter or product offer or independently gauge supplier or staff perceptions of your business.

What is the profile of your typical customer? Can they divided into value segments? How do you target your marketing spend?

How is the tradesperson role evolving? What products do they purchase and from where? What brands are top of the pile?

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Our merchant and retailer research experience

We've worked with brands and suppliers in the merchant market for many years and struggle to believe there are others with more rounded merchant experience. We have measured brand awareness, undertaken mystery shopping and asked installers what they think of showrooms and display areas.

On behalf of supplier brands we have explored key customer relationships and loyalty schemes. This includes in-depth interviews with kitchen showroom staff for Franke and merchant branch managers on behalf of Polypipe.

As well as the traditional ' bricks and mortar' merchants, we have also worked with merchants who have experimented with new propositions in the trade market. See our piece here about work undertaken recently for Travis Perkins where we evaluated their drive-thru BUILT concept .

To help us meet the challenges of working in this sector, we have developed some bespoke research methodologies . This includes our ethnographic 'On the Tools' approach where we observe how tradespeople interact with merchants and make their purchasing decisions.

Our market research techniques include:

Online surveys and consultations
Telephone interviewing
Face to face for more detailed stakeholder interviews
Focus groups - face to face and online or virtual
Self completion methods, including SMS, POS, self-serve terminals
Ethnographic in-depth research
Mystery shopping

Snapshots of our recent merchant and retailer research

1. Customer segmentation in the trade environment

Using a statistical segmentation to profile and value your trade customers

A detailed Customer Segmentation is a great way to profile your customer base and condense everything you know about their loyalty, preference, purchasing etc. We then create 'Pen Portraits' for the merchant so that staff can easily visualise the key customer types that visit branches or transact online.

In a recent case, we went a step further and merged transactional data (monthly account billing) to provide a full picture of how engaged and valuable each segment is to the company. This is now being used to create bespoke marketing and media plans to betetr target the most valuable trade segments.

We recommend that in a fast-moving category such as merchanting that this sort of strategic exercise is refreshed every 2-3 years.

2. Deep dive into showroom and counter marketing collateral

A review of printed marketing materials targeted at the trade

We planned and executed a qualitative study with both tradespeople and retail consumers into the use of printed brochures used to promote product to our client's target audience.

We looked into how the material worked in the marketplace, either as inspiration or as a technical reference point. This allowed us to match how brochure design and other POS material directly influence how tradespeople and retail consumers make thier decisions.

This research allowed the business to make some key decisions about the strategic direction of their assets going forward and some distinct tactical decisions about the execution of these key pieces of literature.

Free research reports in the merchant and retailer sector

Front page - Consumer Confidence Report.

The home improvement sector has known for some time that homeowner confidence to purchase products more typically associated with the professional tradesperson has been on the rise. A new data tool from Eureka! now helps shed new light on what we have suspected for some time.

Download the FREE report here!

Smart Technology - Eureka Moments - V2.j

Eureka! Research has conducted an exclusive survey with nearly 1,000 UK homeowners to better understand consumer sentiment to smart tech and where they would turn for advice about installation.

Download our FREE report here

Online boiler purchasing - Eureka Moment

Purchasing and installing a new boiler is a large and significant expense for households.

The growth of new online purchasing platforms, such as BOXT, represent a significant disrupter to the traditional route to market, allowing consumers to select, order and arrange installation themselves.

Read our exclusive FREE report

What do our merchant and retailer clients say about us?

Plumbase

"Eureka! helped us create a unique customer trade segmentation which we are embedding into the heart of Plumbase; the results are already being used by senior stakeholders at the very top of the business. The results have also allowed us to share key insights with our suppliers, maintaining our position as sector knowledge holders and industry partners. Eureka! demonstrated to me that they are experts in our field and Dave and Rich are a pleasure to work with. They have years of research and insight experience in our sector, why would you use anyone else?”