Bixa | Industries we serve | Grocery, Retail & eCommerce
Market Research for Grocery, Retail & eCommerce Companies
Retail and consumer brands compete in fast-moving markets where shopper behavior, pricing strategy, and product positioning directly influence sales and loyalty. Bixa helps grocery retailers, consumer packaged goods brands, and eCommerce companies understand how customers discover, evaluate, and choose products.
Through shopper research, product concept testing, pricing studies, brand perception research, and customer journey analysis, we uncover the insights companies need to design better products, optimize retail experiences, and grow revenue.
Retail and eCommerce companies partner with Bixa to answer questions like:
• How do shoppers evaluate our products compared to competing brands?
• Which product features, packaging, or attributes matter most to customers?
• How can we increase basket size or shopping frequency?
• What price points maximize demand without sacrificing margin?
• What messaging resonates with different shopper segments?
• Where do customers experience friction in the online shopping journey?
• How do shoppers behave in-store vs. online when choosing products?
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How Bixa helps grocery, retail and eCommerce companies
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Market Research
Bixa conducts retail and shopper market research to help grocery retailers, consumer brands, and eCommerce companies understand how customers discover, evaluate, and choose products. Our research helps companies identify what drives purchasing decisions, how brands are perceived in competitive retail environments, and how shopper preferences evolve over time.
Our retail market research often includes:
▪ Shopper interviews and ethnographic research to observe how customers navigate stores and evaluate products
▪ Competitive perception research to understand how shoppers compare brands, packaging, and value
▪ Shopper segmentation and persona development to identify distinct customer types and buying behaviors
▪ Brand tracking studies to measure brand awareness, brand perception, and brand momentum over time
▪ Customer surveys to quantify purchasing motivations and category trends
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Product Research & Innovation
Bixa helps retail and consumer product companies make smarter decisions about product innovation, packaging, and pricing through research that identifies which features and attributes matter most to shoppers.
Our product research often includes:
▪ Product concept testing to evaluate new retail products, packaging designs, and merchandising ideas
▪ Feature prioritization studies using MaxDiff to identify which product attributes matter most to shoppers
▪ Conjoint analysis to understand how shoppers make trade-offs between price, features, brand, and packaging
▪ Pricing research such as Van Westendorp or Gabor-Granger to identify optimal retail price points
▪ New product demand forecasting using market simulators based on conjoint results
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UX Research for Digital Experiences
Bixa conducts UX research for eCommerce platforms and digital retail experiences to understand how customers shop online and where friction occurs in the purchasing journey.
Our UX research often includes:
▪ Moderated usability testing observing how shoppers browse products and complete purchases
▪ Unmoderated usability testing capturing real shopping behavior at scale
▪ Heuristic UX reviews to identify usability issues in online retail environments
▪ Customer journey mapping to understand how shoppers move from product discovery to purchase
▪ Cart abandonment and checkout research to identify barriers to conversion
Challenges we help retail and eCommerce companies solve
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Retailers often have sales data but lack insight into why customers choose one product over another. Sales numbers show what happened—but they rarely reveal the motivations, perceptions, and decision-making processes that drive shopper behavior.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts shopper interviews, surveys, and behavioral research to uncover the emotional and practical drivers behind purchasing decisions. These insights help retailers refine product positioning, improve merchandising strategies, and better communicate value to customers.
Research approaches may include:
Shopper interviews
Customer surveys
In-store ethnographic research
eCommerce journey mapping
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Product teams often debate which features or packaging changes will influence customer demand, but internal assumptions can lead to costly mistakes in product development or retail placement.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts product research to identify which features, packaging elements, and product attributes actually influence shopper choice. These insights help companies prioritize product improvements, optimize packaging, and design offerings that align with customer preferences.
Research approaches may include:
Product concept testing
Feature prioritization studies (MaxDiff)
Packaging research
Consumer preference studies
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Pricing decisions can dramatically impact sales and profitability, yet many retail brands rely on internal assumptions or competitor benchmarks rather than customer insights.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts pricing research to understand how shoppers perceive value and what price points maximize demand. Using techniques such as conjoint analysis and price sensitivity studies, we help companies identify optimal pricing strategies for new and existing products.
Research approaches may include:
Van Westendorp pricing research
Gabor-Granger pricing studies
Conjoint analysis and market simulation
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Customers rarely make purchasing decisions in a single moment. Instead, they move through a discovery journey influenced by online search, product reviews, recommendations, packaging, and in-store merchandising.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts customer journey research to understand how shoppers move from awareness to purchase. These insights help companies optimize product discovery, improve marketing strategies, and design retail experiences that guide customers toward purchase.
Research approaches may include:
Customer journey mapping
Video diary studies of shopping behavior
Shopper ethnography
Behavioral research
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Even small usability issues can cause significant drops in conversion rates. Confusing navigation, unclear product information, or friction in checkout can prevent customers from completing purchases.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts eCommerce UX research and usability testing to identify where customers encounter confusion or friction when shopping online. These insights help companies streamline product pages, improve checkout flows, and increase conversion rates.
Research approaches may include:
Moderated usability testing
Unmoderated usability testing
Heuristic UX evaluations
Checkout and cart abandonment research
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Retail brands often struggle to understand how they are perceived relative to competitors and what differentiates them in crowded markets.
How Bixa helps
Bixa conducts brand perception and brand tracking research to measure awareness, brand associations, and brand momentum over time. These insights help companies refine messaging, strengthen positioning, and track how brand perception evolves as the market changes.
Research approaches may include:
Brand perception studies
Competitive positioning research
Brand tracking programs
Shopper segmentation research
Retail and eCommerce companies operate in highly competitive markets where small differences in pricing, product features, packaging, and customer experience can significantly impact revenue. Bixa helps retail teams uncover the insights they need to design better products, optimize shopping experiences, and grow market share.
Retail industries Bixa conducts research in
Bixa conducts shopper research and retail market research for grocery retailers, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, and eCommerce companies across a wide range of retail categories, including:
Grocery retailers and supermarket chains
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands
eCommerce and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands
Specialty food and beverage brands
Health, beauty, and personal care brands
Luxury and lifestyle retail brands
Sporting goods and recreational brands
Apparel and fashion retailers
Subscription and membership retail services
Consumer brands who market products in a grocery, retail or eCommerce environment
Omnichannel retail brands operating online and in-store
Case studies: Bixa’s market research work with retail & eCommerce firms
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![Davis Food Co-Op]()
Retail Customer Research to Understand Community Grocery Shoppers
Bixa conducted interviews with both co-op members and non-members living in the Davis, California area to understand how local shoppers evaluate community grocery stores. The research revealed key differences in motivations, shopping habits, and perceptions of value that helped inform membership growth and community engagement strategies.
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![GOLFZON logo]()
Brand Tracking Research for a Rapidly Expanding Golf Simulator Brand
Bixa conducts quarterly brand tracking research for GOLFZON America and its retail experience brand City Golf to measure awareness, perception, and brand momentum as the company expands in the U.S. market. The research identifies specific opportunities to strengthen brand positioning and tracks measurable improvements in key brand metrics over time.
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![Unice logo]()
eCommerce Customer Research to Support U.S. Market Expansion
Bixa conducted in-person interviews, video diary studies, and a nationwide customer survey to understand how shoppers evaluate and purchase human hair products online. The insights helped UNice refine its messaging, product positioning, and marketing strategy as the company expanded rapidly into the U.S. market.
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![Mikimoto retail store logo]()
Global UX Research to Improve the Digital Experience of a Luxury Jewelry Brand
Bixa partnered with Ogilvy to conduct white-labeled UX research for Mikimoto across the U.S. and Japan, evaluating how customers experienced the brand’s digital storytelling and eCommerce journey. The research helped inform design and localization decisions to better communicate the heritage and craftsmanship of the luxury jewelry brand to global audiences.
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![IDDBA logo]()
Nationwide Grocery Shopper Research on Retail Food Trends
Bixa partnered with IDDBA to conduct a nationwide study of grocery shoppers who regularly shop in stores with perimeter bakery, deli, and specialty cheese departments. The research combined a large-scale survey with video diary studies that captured real in-store shopping behavior, producing trend insights used across industry reports, whitepapers, and educational programming.
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![Locals Only logo]()
Customer Research to Understand the Growth of a Cult-Favorite eCommerce Brand
Bixa conducted customer research to understand what motivates shoppers to buy from Locals Only and how the brand quickly became a retail sensation on Long Island. The study revealed the emotional drivers behind customer loyalty and provided strategic recommendations on merchandise strategy, brand messaging, and how the company could expand while maintaining the identity that made the brand successful.
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![2nd Ave / Savers logos]()
In-Store Ethnographic Research to Improve Retail Shopping Experiences
Bixa conducted more than 100 in-person shop-along ethnographic interviews to observe how different types of shoppers navigated thrift store environments. The research identified distinct shopper personas, revealed how customers physically moved through store layouts, and informed strategies to streamline the shopping experience and support geo-based and community marketing initiatives designed to increase revenue.
About BixaBixa is a research partner for CPG, retail (including grocery), and eCommerce companies
Bixa helps retailers, grocery brands, and eCommerce companies uncover the insights behind shopper behavior, product discovery, and purchasing decisions. Our research programs help retail teams understand how customers evaluate products, what drives brand preference, and how pricing, packaging, and merchandising influence demand.
Through shopper interviews, surveys, ethnographic research, and usability testing, Bixa helps companies design better products, improve retail experiences, and grow customer loyalty in highly competitive consumer markets.
Retail market research services for grocery, retail & eCommerce brands
Retail companies rely on customer insights to understand how shoppers discover products, evaluate brands, and decide what to buy. Bixa supports retail and consumer brands with research programs designed to improve product strategy, pricing, marketing, and the customer experience.
Our retail market research programs often include:
Shopper persona research to understand different types of customers and their purchasing motivations
Product concept testing to evaluate new products, packaging designs, and merchandising strategies
Pricing research using techniques such as Van Westendorp, Gabor-Granger, and conjoint analysis
Messaging and positioning research to identify which value propositions resonate most with shoppers
Brand perception and brand tracking research to measure awareness, perception, and brand momentum
eCommerce UX research and usability testing to improve product discovery, navigation, and checkout experiences
Shopper journey research to understand how customers move from discovery to purchase online and in-store
These research programs help retail teams make more confident decisions about product innovation, pricing, marketing strategy, and customer experience.
Frequently asked questions about retail, grocery & eCommerce market research
A retail market research company helps grocery retailers, consumer brands, and eCommerce companies understand how shoppers discover, evaluate, and choose products. Research firms like Bixa conduct studies such as shopper interviews, customer surveys, product concept testing, pricing research, and eCommerce usability testing to uncover the insights companies need to improve product strategy, marketing, and the customer experience.
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Retail companies often hire independent market research firms because internal teams can struggle to collect unbiased customer insights. External research partners bring specialized methodologies, neutral moderation in interviews, and access to broader customer recruitment sources that allow companies to hear honest feedback from real shoppers.
Working with an outside research firm also ensures that studies are designed with the statistical rigor needed to support major product, pricing, and marketing decisions.
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The most effective shopper research typically combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand how customers behave when shopping—quant tells us the “what” while qual tells us the “why” behind the numbers.
Methods may include in-store interviews, ethnographic research observing shoppers in retail environments, customer surveys, video diary studies, and usability testing of eCommerce platforms.
Market research firms are often hired by retail organizations to conduct these studies because they have the expertise and infrastructure to recruit participants, design reliable studies, and analyze shopper behavior objectively.
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Retail companies often conduct product concept testing research to evaluate new products, packaging designs, or merchandising ideas before investing in full production. In concept testing studies, shoppers evaluate potential products and provide feedback on appeal, differentiation, and likelihood to purchase.
These studies are commonly conducted by market research firms because they can recruit representative shoppers and design testing environments that avoid internal bias.
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Retail and consumer brands use pricing research to understand how shoppers perceive value and what price points maximize demand. Common pricing research techniques include Van Westendorp price sensitivity analysis, Gabor-Granger pricing studies, and conjoint analysis, which allow companies to evaluate how price interacts with product features, brand reputation, and packaging.
Because pricing decisions can significantly impact revenue, many companies rely on specialized market research firms to conduct these studies using statistically valid methodologies.
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Packaging research helps companies understand how shoppers respond to different packaging designs, formats, and messaging. Because packaging often acts as the “salesperson on the shelf,” research can reveal which designs attract attention, communicate value effectively, and influence purchase decisions in retail environments or online marketplaces.
Market research firms often conduct packaging research because they can objectively test multiple design options with real shoppers and quantify which designs perform best.
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eCommerce companies often conduct UX research and usability testing to identify friction in the online shopping experience. By observing how customers browse products, compare options, and complete purchases, companies can identify usability issues, confusing product information, or checkout barriers that may reduce conversion rates.
Independent UX research firms are frequently used for these studies because customers are more likely to share honest feedback with neutral researchers than with internal product teams.
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Shopper journey research examines how customers move from product discovery to purchase across multiple touchpoints. This may include online search, social media discovery, product reviews, in-store browsing, and eCommerce purchasing.
External market research firms often conduct shopper journey studies because they can combine multiple research methods and provide an objective view of how customers interact with brands across channels.
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Brand perception research measures how shoppers view a brand relative to competitors. These studies are typically conducted over time (typically quarterly) through brand trackers. They gather data on brand awareness, associations, perceived quality, value perception, and differentiation.
Retail companies frequently partner with market research firms to conduct brand perception research because independent researchers can gather more candid feedback from customers and provide an unbiased view of how the brand is positioned in the market—and to analyze the research and deliver “so what” recommendations in an unbiased way.
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Retail companies often work with market research firms when launching new products, exploring new markets, evaluating pricing strategies, redesigning packaging, improving eCommerce experiences, or trying to better understand customer segments.
External research partners bring the specialized tools, recruitment networks, and analytical expertise needed to generate reliable insights that internal teams can confidently use to guide major business decisions.
