Background
Matalan is a British fashion and homeware retailer based in Knowsley. Established in 1985, the retailer has approaching 250 stores in UK, and also sells via its website. As an out of town retailer, Matalan pioneered the use of a membership card.
The Challenge
Matalan approached us in 2010, and asked us to design a brand tracking study that could feed into and work alongside sales figures in the fast-paced retail environment. There was a desire to report at a segment and departmental level, whilst feeding back swiftly to keep pace with wider business reporting.
Our Approach
We set up an online, dynamic study. With a core equity section that is repeated wave on wave, followed by flexible areas for the inclusion of matters pertinent to the relevant time. Having managed and interrogated the study for well over a decade now, we regularly include tools & techniques such as implicit associations, max/diff analysis and facial coding on stimulus. We have also directly linked survey data back to sales data at an individual shopper level, giving the whole business confidence in the marketing activities, whilst also enabling course correction where required.
The Outcome
Our study has repeatedly proven the value of not just marketing activities, but a close emotional connection with the consumer. We have informed decision making across most departments within the business, and guided marketing to its most effective yet levels. Crucially, we have continually ‘reinvented’ the study to ensure maximum commercial relevance, and usefulness within the business.
