Deconstructing today’s complex e-commerce shopper

The research revealed that every online platform triggers a different shopper trip, and it identified which platforms offer the most potential for Unilever brands to appeal to new customers. A key insight was that online platforms are not all the same, and put simply, there is no one solution to online shopping for Unilever. Buyers are more mature in their habits today, and their behavior is constantly evolving. In fact, as Tamara Vieveen says: “There are many layers to e-commerce and that needs to be reflected in our strategy.”

The findings in this piece of research are used by the Unilever market research team, the category management team, marketing and account teams to understand current channel dynamics. They are important insights to be used for portfolio planning, product positioning, and ultimately, of category channel strategies. The findings are used as input for conversations with retailers and at a top-level, they have fed into strategic thinking across the market research team.

Unilever and CPS GfK have a long-standing working relationship that can be counted in decades, not years. Described as ‘two-way’, the Dutch division of the global FMCG player relies on the team at CPS GfK to alert them of new developments in the market and in consumer behavior that they should know about. At the same time, the CMI team knows they can contact CPS GfK whenever they have questions, issues, or challenges, or want to focus on a particular project.