Traditionally, market research companies have been able to help brands understand what their shoppers are thinking, while field data provides a snapshot of what’s happening in-store. FieldIQ brings this together. By connecting shopper behaviour, outlet reality, and sales movement into one commercial view, Field IQ delivers agile market intelligence that helps brands make faster, smarter decisions across both formal and informal trade.
A division of Provantage’s FieldForce, Field IQ does this with an eye to laying a foundation that makes it possible to take targeted action that delivers real results. “FieldForce has proved remarkably adept at connecting people and creating an end-to-end field sales service,” notes Carmen Brown, general manager of FieldForce. She adds that FieldForce made it possible for clients to meet specific objectives and targets by creating bespoke sales and merchandising structures. “Now, we’re building on this with an offering that provides a comprehensive view of the landscape, empowering clients with a 360-degree view of consumers that connects shoppers, outlets and sales.”
More than this, once FieldIQ has identified any potential obstacles to purchasing decisions, GoFix, which is part of the end-end-end Field Force solution, is able to identify and make the physical changes required to remove those barriers.
“This one-stop offering is what really sets our services apart,” says Brown. “We don’t just identify the problem, provide the insight and the solutions. We physically go back into the outlet and fix the problem through detailed execution. ”
Three pillars, one single view
Brown says that FieldIQ embraces a multi-dimensional approach, all feeding into a single goal: helping clients make smarter, faster decisions.
As part of this, the division harnesses a variety of channels – including intercept surveys, ethnographic surveys and market diagnostics, as part of comprehensive consumer and trader research.
These findings are then augmented by a thorough analysis of the market landscape, further enhanced by a route-to-market strategy, audience segmentation, and performance tracking.
Here’s what this might look like: Imagine you are a Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) within a 24hour convenience store. You can’t understand why the petrol station just a few roads down is always busier than your own; after all, there is very little difference between your offerings. The FieldIQ team is able to analyse both properties and identify what makes one more attractive to customers than the other.
Brown drills down to give an even more nuanced example: “Perhaps you’re wondering why no one is purchasing crisps at your convenience store. We’ll be able identify any obstacles that may be creating resistance or friction for customers and suggest solutions. It may be as simple as moving the crisps to a more visible position within the store or changing the brands available.”
Or consider a different setting: the team would be able to let a restaurant know if beer sales were suffering because, for instance, fridges were set at the wrong temperature.
FieldIQ is also able to leverage eRoute2Market sales intelligence across a variety of channels, including convenience, wholesale and out-of-home. “This gives our clients an accurate understanding of WHO is delivering WHAT to each store. This has an impact on route to market compliance, rebates & talks to food safety & security” – at the most granular level,” says Carmel Peinke, CEO of eRoute2Market.
The division gathers additional insights through field research; notably, rapid intercepts, trader engagements, targeted questionnaires and video. “Here, our accent is very much on agility,” Brown says. “We understand rapid pace of change, and that information must position our clients to evolve as required.”
Finally, FieldIQ makes all of the assimilated information actionable, developing a customised framework that shows clients where, when and how they need to respond. “The idea is to address the challenges that exist because of our long-held view of shopper behaviour, outlet reality and sales movement as three distinct silos. By creating a bridge between what’s happening inside shoppers’ minds, and how this shapes their behaviour on the shop floor, we’re able to forge a single, holistic view. And that translates to more effective interventions,” Brown comments.
More knowledge, more empowerment
Brown acknowledges that many marketers may feel that the information they already have, provided by research agencies or syndicated data, is sufficient. Her answer? “Alone, those insights are unquestionably useful. But imagine how much more empowered you are if you are able to glean insider knowledge about what’s driving a consumer’s decisions right at the point of purchase and combine that with factors related to a specific store, such as availability and pricing.” The result, she continues, is a picture informed by intelligence at a granular level, which can minutely inform decisions around the next steps needed to drive volumes.
Brown points out that the magnitude of FieldIQ’s network is yet another differentiator: it is able to tap into insights gathered from over 70,000, more than 1,000 distributors and 500,000 data points. “If we’re talking numbers, it boils down to this: FieldIQ typically conducts more than 530 intercepts per study and over 90 outlet audits per region over the course of five to 10 working days – all to come up with just one commercial verdict,” Brown states.
Without action, impact is nothing
It’s not just about the quantity – or quality – of data that’s made available to clients, Brown continues. “Unless you have a plan of action, none of that means anything. FieldIQ is all about creating impact that can be measured – and in today’s challenging environment, that’s a significant competitive edge.”
