Partners Debut Convenience Store Consumer Panel

In the US, Management Science Associates (MSA) and Paradigm Sample have launched the Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cci Panel), which gathers consumer information from convenience store (C-store) shoppers.

Paradigm Sample specializes in hard-to-reach audiences and is experienced in online and mobile panels covering North America, Europe and Asia.

The firms' new panel uses smartphone technology to both recruit C-store shoppers as panel participants, and link them to web-enabled questionnaires for recording their purchases and insights over time.

Most C-store shoppers fall within the 18-34 age group, which has historically been unreceptive to the use of traditional diary panels to track its shopping habits.

Sima Vasa, CEO of Paradigm Sample, explains that because the smartphone reaches consumers with a technology they like, it drives higher completion rates and a very responsive panel.

The partnership combines Paradigm's market research and data collection expertise with the demand-chain shipments data MSA manages for its CPG manufacturing clients, as well as the latter's panel analytics. As a result, the partners say clients will be able to identify optimal stores for respondent targeting, and tie geographic differences in behavior and attitude to volumetric impacts.

'For 15 years, MSA's Reseller Information System, our business-performance measurement service, has supported business processes and satisfied information needs for manufacturers, distributors and retailers operating in these channels,' states Suzy Silliman, MD of MSA's Information Management Solutions Division. 'Now, the cci Panel will enhance our understanding of the C-store consumer.'

Web sites: www.msa.com and www.paradigmsample.com .