Cereal Aisle Analysis - Essay Example

? CEREAL AISLE ANALYSIS Introduction Last Saturday, I did a survey of the Corner market in the Pine Tree Village Shopping Canteen. My focus was to study the breakfast cereals, especially on Children’s cereals. These were strategically located on the middle two shelves of the cereal aisle. The height of the shelf was such that children could easily see them and stretch their hands to fetch the packets if they wanted. The tactful location of the cereals was done deliberately to attract both parents and children. The products were displayed in the aisle which made it easier for every one to observe. One could not help not noticing them. Whenever one moved along the passage, he could easily see the display and the whole idea seem to be make it so attractive that even if the item was not on the shopping list of the customers, they would definitely glance through them, Moreover, parents, with children in tow, were the targets and some of the children did drag their parents towards the displayed items. Body A number of items were on display in the canteen but since my focus was on Children’s cereal, I observed the display and the behavior very closely. There were several varieties of cereals, each one of them prominently displayed in such a way that one could not miss seeing them. My observations are compiled in short statements in this report. First of all, there were ten different brands on display, out of which I could easily recognize three. These were Kellogg’s, Malt-O- Meal, and Cheerios. Among the Kellogg’s brand, and in the Breakfast Cereal category, there were 27 varieties of Breakfast Cereals, ranging from All- Bran to Mini – Wheat. Each one of them had their name and specialty prominently displayed on its cover. They were of distinct flavor and were available in five different sizes. The packets were specially designed to attract children. The focus on packing and labeling was such that many children were fascinated with them. (Kellogs, 2011) The second observation was that of brand Malt-O – Meal .The packing of Malt-O – Meal was very attractive and the shelves were segregated in two parts, cold and hot cereals. There was another category named Natural Cereal. On closer examination I found that they do not put artificial colors and used only natural preservatives. It gave a feeling that the company cares for the health of its customers. This made the choice easier, especially for the parents (MALT-O-MEAL, 2011) The third prominent brand which I observed was Cheerios. They had varieties for kids, parents, families and adults. I found it very interesting and observed that in the aisle only products meant for kids were stored. The packets were very well designed and as the name suggests, the labeling and packing conveyed the meaning of having fun (General Mills, 2011). I also observed the behavior of shoppers very minutely and there were six distinct behaviors which are worth mentioning here. In some cases, the children saw the displayed packets and took permission of their parents to go and have a look. Once they liked it, they took it out from the respective shelf and put it up for their parents to approve their choice. This type children were very well behaved and I did not find a singly parent declining the request of their children. The second behavior was different from the first one, in the sense that the children left their parents hand and simply grabbed the brand of their liking, In this case also, the parents were in agreement with the children’s choice but before they agreed, they did have a look at the brand and its label and read the nutritional value of the contents. In the third case, some children first grabbed the brand which they liked and then asked their parents for approval. This behavior was frowned upon by the parents. In the fourth instance, the children saw the brand, liked it but their parents were simply aghast with the choice and refused to buy it for them. Later on, after a lot of persuasion they did ask the cashier to put it in their cart but the parents bargained for the price heavily. In the fifth observation, the children asked for a particular brand but the parent bought a store brand instead. The reason could be price or quality or some other offer which was there on purchase. The sixth behavior that I observed was that some children kept on insisting and crying to buy a particular brand but the parent were not convinced and they simply threatened the children and went ahead a brand of their own choice and liking. Conclusion From the observation one can simply conclude that some behavior of children were in favor of brand while some other were not in favor. The display and figures of children on the packets attracted the maximum attention and were very popular. Companies who want to advertise their products which are especially meant for children should focus on advertising and endorsing them accordingly. A picture of a child having fun eating the cereal is a big help in pushing the brand value and increasing the sale. Retailing of breakfast cereals is a serious business and requires deep study of the psychology of the children. More and more parents are now getting health conscious and pay special attention to the ingredients used in the cereal That is why Kellogg’s and Malt-O-Meal are getting more and more popular The study conducted in this survey has a limitation of having done observation only in one store. The behavior observed may not be the same in other stores. Appendix Number of brands observed: Ten Prominent brands: Three Location: Centre of the store in the middle of aisle Varieties, size and price: Several, depending on brand on display. Bibliography General Mills. (2011). cheerios. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from cheerios: http://www.cheerios.com/ Kellogg. (2011). Kelloggs. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from http://www2.kelloggs.com/ MALT-O-MEAL COMPANy. (2011). malt-o-meal. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from http://www.malt-o-meal.com/index_en.php Read More