Simple guide to the different types of consumer, category & shopper data that can be used to grow your brand

Whenever we start a new project one of our first questions is always 'What data do we have?'
because without real insights we are often left with opinions & assumptions which can be overly optimistic or just plain wrong.

In simple terms there are 3 types of data you can use to find insights about your consumer, category or brand:-

1. Syndicated reports (macro trends, industry & category reports etc)
2. Category data (retailer EPOS, continuous shopper panels etc)
3. Consumer research (bespoke quantitative & qualitative, social listening etc)

All of this data needs some investment, but it also needs a clear strategy to ensure you get the right insights at the right time to maximise your ROI and avoid making more expensive mistakes further down the line.

To help you get started on the first 2 data types we pulled together a simple guide about the options to be considered, which you can find below - what it is and when it can be used, as well as some examples of where to go to find out more.

And if you need any advice on what may be right for your brand, then please contact us here as we'd love to help.

PS ... and this includes if your current insight budget is zero, as there are still a number of quality options you can use to better understand your category and brand!