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Bibendum PLB says data insights vital to trading with multiples

Published:  11 February, 2015

Bibendum PLB says its "bird's eye view' of the UK market marks it out as a unique player in offering consumer behaviour data to customers in this increasingly tough multiple retailer environment.

Bibendum PLB says its 'bird's eye view' of the UK market marks it out as a unique player in offering consumer behaviour data to customers in this increasingly tough multiple retailer environment.

"We have to help multiple retailers land their strategy. We're having lots of interesting conversations. It is really tough out there at the moment. You have to show your value, especially for the 'middle man'. We have to prove our value as the middle man. We need to make their job easy and provide insights," said Fiona Alder, nee Cochran, Bibendum PLB's group brand director.

"One of our USPs is our data. We got the full bird's eye view of the UK market, which nobody else has now. We spent five-years building that data capability," said Alder.

Particularly with the massive changes that the multiple retail environment is going through at the moment, not just identifying a product gap for a customer is important, but providing a product that can sell to the end-consumer is critical.

"Actually finding the right consumer segment, in the right area, at the right price point, with the right packaging is a challenge," said Alder.

Retailers, particularly grocers at the moment, are demanding more from suppliers and Alder sees it as the responsibility for the 'middle man' and her company to help provide data driven answers to the new demands of retailers.

Alder said: "We are insights partners to some of our key customers, but what retailers are demanding now is really a 'prove my customers is going to want it'- that is the question that they are now asking. Retailers are no longer saying, 'there is a gap in a range review," they are saying 'why is my consumer really going to want to drink a new Chilean Pinot?' for example. 'What is it about that product that is going to make the consumer want to drink it?'"

PLB was doing a lot of market data research in working with retailers but had not spent as much time thinking about the very end-consumer, according to Alder. She said: "PLB has a strong analytic team and now we can add that extra dimension of the end consumer, which gives it a bit more power."

The group not only has data mining capabilities but is also taking a further step and building its own consumer data panel which will include more than 1,000 consumers.

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