Shopper Digest: The Moments of Entry

In the world of FMCG, the first purchase is more than just a transaction; it’s a moment that can shape a shopper’s entire brand journey. Think about it, how often do you stick with the very first brand you tried in a category and if that initial experience was positive, how likely are you to remain loyal?

This first entry can have a profound impact on retention, as consumers who begin their journey with a brand and have a satisfying experience are more likely to continue purchasing it over time. In essence, the first purchase is a moment that lays the foundation of a potentially long-term relationship.

Our Analytics’ Consumer Journey is designed to help brands uncover the critical moments when shoppers first engage with your brand. The example later is from one of the FMCG categories within our baby panel, where we track the purchases from the baby’s first month up to 36 months of age, or over a period of 3 years. Therefore, it follows the purchases of shoppers across their purchase journey to pinpoint the moments of entry, retention and dropouts. 

The Moments of Entry: When are Shoppers Entering the Brand?  

By analysing shoppers’ entry points, we help brands to identify the optimal moments of when to target consumers in their journey. Take the infant milk category as an example; babies transition through various nutritional stages, such as Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 milk. However, do most parents enter the category at Step 1? More often than not, mothers vary in when they choose to wean off breastfeeding and begin their journey into infant milk powder, where some may start earlier at Step 1 while others, may start later at Step 3. 

As an example, if your brand was underperforming relative to the total category in attracting entrants during the earlier stage, it could highlight an urgent need to strengthen recruitment activation efforts at Stage 1. By understanding which point of the consumer journey a brand is struggling with, brands can tailor focused efforts such as improving the brand’s value proposition in the earlier stages, enhancing in-store visibility or expanding channel distribution that resonate with caregivers at the beginning of their journey.

Not All Entrants are the Same: A Look at Ethnicity Differences

Not all shoppers enter the brand journey the same way. Our solution can also reveal demographic differences where they may vary between their moments of entry. For example, Malay shoppers may be entering your brand at an earlier stage while Chinese shoppers may be entering at a later stage. 

Depending on the strategy, brands may look to target recruitment efforts for Malays at the earlier stages and Chinese shoppers at the later stages. Therefore, brands are able to adopt a targeted approach, tailoring activation efforts not only by stage but also by demographic segmentto maximize relevance and impact.
 

Recruitment of Brand Entrants is about Timing, Targeting, and Tailoring

To sustain long-term retention and brand loyalty, not limited to only baby categories - brands can benefit from a consumer journey study by:

• Identifying the moments of entrants into the brand journey
• Recognizing demographic differences in entry behaviour 

By identifying these, brands can craft precise and impactful recruitment strategies at the right moments. While this article focused on entry moments within stages across ethnicities, there is an even greater depth available. At Worldpanel, our Advanced Analytics’ Consumer Journey offers the ability to track which channels shoppers are entering through and what pack sizes they choose first when entering the brand. As shopper behaviours continue to evolve, so must our recruitment strategies. As such, understanding the "who," "when," and "how" of these entry moments is one of the key building blocks for building a stronger and long-lasting consumer relationship.