Three markets. One category, and no shared map
A multinational pharma company was selling anti smoking, skin care and weight management products over the counter in Canada, Brazil and Mexico.
It needed those distribution landscapes mapped and evaluated, to improve its presence and its commercial performance in each one.
A distribution strategy written for one of the three would not have survived contact with the other two. There was significant variation in channel structure across the three markets, and that variation was the thing worth measuring.
Structured interviews, and then we went to the shops
Structured in depth interviews ran with manufacturers, distributors and retailers in all three markets.
Store checks then covered pharmacies, hypermarkets and e-retailers, so a channel structure described in an interview could be set against what was on the shelf.
Exit interviews were run at modern trade point of purchase, which is where a shopper can still tell you why they picked what they picked.
That combination is what separates a channel map from a channel opinion.
E-retail for impulse. Hypermarkets for the smaller pack
E-retailers were critical for impulse driven and information intensive OTC categories.
Hypermarkets were preferred for smaller multi pack formats, which makes pack architecture a channel decision as much as a packaging one.
Private label was strong in commoditised sub categories. Underneath all of it sat that significant variation in channel structure from market to market, which is why each one needed its own answer rather than a regional average.
The client used this to prioritise e-retailers for its impulse categories, and to optimise pack architecture and channel focus across all three markets.
