Blog

Online Panel

Shopper Panel. What is it? Types of panels and advantages

5 min read

It is extremely important for any brand or company to use an active and updated shopper panel, as it will be a direct communication channel with the consumer and an exclusive and current source of information, which will bring you knowledge of trends and needs so that your business is always one step ahead of the rest of the market.

What is a Shopper Panel?

A shopper panel is a panel used for market research, where you can monitor the behavior of a representative sample of your target audience and analyze this information, transforming it into strategic actions to improve the performance and results of your brand or company. Through the shopper panel, you will collect and analyze this data, provided by consumers through surveys and questionnaires, and use it in strategies and insights, whether to increase sales, conquer new markets, launch new products, etc.

Consumer panel – Understand the new method of direct communication with your customer

Shopper Panel Sample

Some shopper panel companies have hundreds of thousands of consumers registered to answer surveys for various companies from the most varied sectors of the market. All these people form groups or samples, which represent distinct audiences in demographic, geographic characteristics, etc., and also differ in consumption habits.

When contracting an online panel software, the contractor will present their persona or target audience, and based on their characteristics, the sample that best represents their audience will be selected to answer their market studies. Each shopper panel will have particular objectives, which can be numerous. It is important to be aware of the area you want to improve in your company, to know what type of shopper panel will bring the most effective information to help you achieve your commercial objective.

Types of shopper panels / consumer panels

First, it is important to know that any commercial objective can result in a different type of shopper panel, so we will mention some of the most used types of this market study methodology. Types of online panels specifically for shoppers for you to stay on top of everything:

1. Feedback panel – This panel is formed by qualified consumers, to give opinions on products and services, marketing campaigns, commercial actions, and everything else offered to the general public. In other words, it is about knowing the consumer's opinion about something, in order to measure its success or potential.

2. General panel – The general consumer panel consists of randomly selecting consumers who have already used the product in question, without necessarily having geographical or demographic similarities among the respondents. In this case, what really matters is having a direct opinion of the product, not so much on issues such as consumption habits, for example.

3. Ambassador panel – The ambassador panel is formed by a kind of brand fan club, people loyal to a brand, product, or service, who are always updated with new releases and willing to dedicate time to contribute with their opinions for the improvement of products and services. You can also invite ambassadors from other brands to answer your surveys, this way you can learn about the characteristics that led them to be loyal to the
competitors.

4. Insights panel – The insights panel or creative panel is formed by a sample of people, qualified to identify possible flaws and create solutions for them, even before the product or service is launched to the final public. This panel is super effective prior to the launch of marketing campaigns, as well as for the launch of products and services, as it helps to avoid unnecessary spending of time and money, correcting these errors before they go to market.

5. Continuous consumer panel – Generally, it is a type of panel that, like its respondents, is continuous, meaning it remains open for an indefinite period of time, like a kind of online community. This shopper panel is ideal for monitoring changes in purchasing behavior and the characteristics that affect the public's purchasing intentions, and also for always generating information about market trends.

6. Product testing panel – It is one of the most intelligent and effective objectives of using a shopper panel, as through the testing panel you have the opportunity to correct errors in test products, before mass production and before the products are launched to the public. In this type of consumer panel, you select your audience and distribute samples of the product or service to be launched; once respondents use these products, they answer surveys providing constructive feedback about them. The product testing panel helps save a lot of money and avoids bad brand publicity, putting products with more guaranteed success on the market.

7. Ad evaluation panel – Similar to the product testing panel, the ad evaluation panel selects a sample of the audience and presents them with marketing campaigns and ads, before launching to the public, in order to evaluate the impact the action will have on the public and how much it may affect their purchase intention. Through respondent feedback, you can make the necessary adjustments and gain insights to improve campaign impact and achieve your commercial objectives.

How to use research panels for companies?

Advantages of using a shopper panel

Using consumer panels is the most effective strategy to boost results, achieve commercial objectives, and understand market trends, in addition to keeping you in touch with your audience, in order to know their desires and needs and help attract new audiences. The shopper panel can and should be used before any major investment or launch, as it will help ensure success and financial return on your project. In addition to all the advantages shown so far, an effective shopper panel will provide your business with:

  • Full and current market knowledge

  • Knowledge of public consumption habits

  • Anticipation of possible failures

  • Correction of problems without losses

  • Knowledge of market trends

  • Insights for more assertive marketing campaigns

  • Easy access to your audience

  • Direct communication with your customers

  • Acquisition of new customers

You will surely be interested in this too: Painel BR online and the advantages of direct communication with the customer

Need research with respondent samples? Count on Painel Tap.

Behind Painel Tap is a team passionate about data and insight generation, who finds in each project a challenge to seek the best and fastest solution for the most diverse types of needs and demands in online research and market investigation.