Coca-Cola study looks at what drives shopper loyalty, visits

When the other team opens up its playbook, you take a look.

Coca-Cola released insights from a comprehensive shopper study that looks at what’s driving certain shopper behaviors at its key retailers. The study even ranked which retailers are doing it best.

In actuality, it’s less a look into the other team’s playbook, so much as it is Coca-Cola sharing powerful shopper intelligence to help its retailer partners. The branded beverage leader has been conducting this study — iSHOP (Individual Shopping Habits, Occasions and Perceptions) — since 2013 and shared results from its latest findings exclusively with Store Brands’ sister publication Path to Purchase IQ. For store brands though, the insights could shine a light on where they can help a retailer improve to build a connection with its shoppers. 

The study analyzed shopper behaviors at — and perceptions of — 65 key retailers that Coca-Cola interacts with, and studied 30 different behavioral drivers at those stores, including shoppers' trust in the store and store cleanliness, among others. The study consists of more than 40,000 shopper interviews done each year since its inception. 

The study also focused on three key areas where the behavioral drivers have an impact: trial (what makes a shopper choose a retailer at least once a quarter), frequency (what makes a store become a regular destination) and advocacy (what drives a shopper to become a loyal advocate). And the study ranked retailers based on the three areas.