Marriage of (Petrol and) Convenience for Aus Data Firms

Research agency Convenience Measures Australia (CMA) has announced a partnership with financial transaction data firm Fonto, to produce syndicated reports and insight products tracking Australia's Petrol & Convenience store (P&C) sector.

CMA Shopper Reports promises to connect what shoppers do and why they do it, tapping CMA's specialist experience in the sector and Fonto's daily data from more than 90,000 Australians - part of its global partnership with Mastercard Open Banking and Finance. Members complete surveys about their purchases and customer experience, triggered by actual transactions.

The new suite of CMA services will provide continuous measurement, real-time of customer experience and purchase behaviour, collected from more than 30,000 survey responses across the year, and is a continuation and expansion of the company's long-running Shopper Report programs. The firms say the category is much changed in recent years due to new tobacco sales legislation, as well as altered shopper behaviour including lower loyalty in search of value.

Subscribers and users will be able to benchmark against competitors, and compare on spend, mission, purchase details and experience; reconcile what people do with what they think and feel; ask bespoke questions for rapid insights; and compare the sector with adjacent categories using Fonto's data.

CMA Director Corinne Barclay says the deal marks a new chapter for the firm, increasing its access to shoppers and the numbers from whom it gets data. She adds: 'The fact that we are now integrating actual transaction data in a continuous longitudinal program means we can quickly respond to our customers' needs and provide ongoing visibility of the shopper and what they do in our Channel and elsewhere.' Fonto Chief Executive Ben Dixon (pictured) comments: 'Given CMA's long heritage and deep experience in the category, we are delighted to be partnering with them. Our transaction data cuts through the say-do gap to give commercial teams a single, credible source for missions, drivers and purchases, so brands and retailers can see the full picture and move faster.'

The first new Shopper Reports will be available in March 2026.

The partners are online at www.cma.com.au .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.