Challenge: During recessionary times, with increasing gas and food costs, Stop & Shop wanted to let customers know that it supported them and wanted to help make shopping easier.

Objective: To better understand the impact of the current economy on shoppers’ household/grocery shopping behavior and ways Stop & Shop could help.

Solution: Plan-it designed an in-depth, exploratory study among specific segments, aimed at identifying key changes in the mindsets and shopping behavior of Stop & Shop shoppers due to the economy. A series of simulated shopping and probing techniques were used to get at the core of the consumer psyche.

Result: The insights proved that shoppers were, in fact, feeling the economy’s impact on their everyday lives, and were changing the ways in which they spent on groceries. Plan-it identified areas where shoppers were feeling the greatest economic strain, as well as key shifts they made in household/grocery shopping. Plan-it recommended initiatives that Stop & Shop could take to help ease the economic burdens on its customers and, in turn, build stronger relationships and greater brand loyalty.