dunnhumby Tool Adds Rapid Surveys to Purchase Data

Retail data pioneer dunnhumby has launched BAR, a market research tool allowing users to identify customer segments using purchase data, then target surveys to them by means of the firm's Shopper Thoughts research panel.

BAR (Behavioural Attitudinal Research) uses dunnhumby's massive database covering the shopping habits of millions of customers to identify groups such as those who recently bought, or stopped buying, a given product. Clients can then launch surveys through an online portal. The surveys will be targeted at the customers who voluntarily take part in dunnhumby's Shopper Thoughts research panel, and will allow the integration of attitudes with actual purchasing behavior, within as little as five days. Coca-Cola and Unilever are early adopters of the tool.

Tracey Warren, Category Manager at Unilever, says: 'Quickly gaining insight from the right group of consumers, to understand why their behaviour has changed, allows us to be more reactive to the situation. Understanding their reasons for lapsing from the brand can help us work on regaining them.' For Coca-Cola, Future Consumption Shopper Marketing Manager Kate Freeman comments: 'We do a lot of hypotheses development e.g. on why shoppers are lapsing from a brand. BAR helps us to validate these hypotheses and make faster, better informed decisions going forward.'

dunnhumby, which may or may not in the medium term remain part of supermarket giant Tesco, is online at www.dunnhumby.com .