A Quadrant Marketing-TNS national study among 1,913 shoppers was conducted in June. It spans Grocery, Mass and Drug retailers and drills down into how Canadian shoppers make purchasing decisions in three product categories (Food, Health & Beauty, and Household Products). The study challenges assumptions that Canadian shoppers behave similarly to our American counterparts. Some of the compelling findings include:

• Canadians differ greatly in the way they prepare for their shopping trips. Over one-half of Canadians say they don't make a detailed list (57%) versus three-in-four U.S. shoppers (77%). This finding reinforces the notion that Canadians and Americans follow different paths-to-purchase, and present marketers with distinctive opportunities when it comes to influencing this journey.
• The most important factor in choosing a retail location for U.S. shoppers is price (79%) whereas fewer Canadian shoppers look at price (55%) and take a more balanced perspective by also focusing some attention on aspects of the store experience such as convenience, store hours, assortment, and reward programs.
• In-store activity has a stronger impact on Canadians as 48% are influenced by in-store displays versus only 20% of U.S. shoppers.

"In the absence of specific insights about Canadians, marketers often try to leverage U.S. shopper research," says Molly Spinak, president of Quadrant Marketing. "There are vast differences between Canadian and U.S. ethnographic and retailer landscapes. What works in the U.S. doesn't necessarily work in Canada. The research shows that we Canadians need to be engaged both by brands and by channel in our own unique ways. Even within Canada, Quebec consumers shop differently than those in other provinces. Now we can give our clients fact-based insights and a competitive edge. Point-of-purchase is an important battleground for brands today, so we took on this first-of-a-kind Canadian study as a way to help our clients with spending their dollars more effectively."

Mary Georgio, the director of shopper marketing at Quadrant says, "Armed with our study's insights, we can build targeted programs for brands by channel and category. This study unlocks the keys to what motivates consumers before they get into the store and while in-store - and it's very different. We also uncovered some very significant information around the role of social media."

TNS is a global leader in shopper marketing research and in understanding the impact of social media. Kerry Gilfillan, a vice president with the company says:  "You really need to understand the entire complex of influences on the path-to-purchase, including social media.  The latter can have a tremendous impact on a brand's strategies and, like everything else in the retail space, the level of influence varies by sector and channel."

"Canadian Shoppers Exposed is only one part of our totally integrated approach to shopper marketing," continued Georgio at Quadrant. "We understand the complexity of the retailer environment, as well as our clients' unique internal dynamics. We work with our partner TNS to develop custom solutions so our clients can apply the analysis to specific programs for individual retailers."