Retail sales professionals, bartenders, beauty consultants, mechanics, vets, travel agents…

These point-of-purchase influencers sit at the front lines of trade. They communicate directly with your consumers, and many consumers look to them for expert advice and recommendations. They can reinforce your brand’s image and – with the right messaging and training from you – direct consumers to your brand. They also seed, lead and drive trends: their share of recommendations is a leading indicator of where the market is going next.

With our point-of-purchase influencer research, we help you understand how you can leverage this influence to your advantage.

Bartenders make recommendations in 47% of customer interactions

There are roughly 803,000 bartenders in the US pulling tap handles and making cocktails for consumers. Nearly one in two bartenders are making recommendations to customers on what brand to drink, and they’re becoming more proactive in doing so.

The average bartender makes over 18,000 recommendations per year, and over half of consumers buy the brands bartenders recommend.* Consumers are more open minded than ever, and bartenders have a big opportunity to switch brand requests. That’s why you want to be sure your brand is top-of-mind not only for your consumers, but for the bartenders who serve them.

* MetrixLab Bartender Influencer MSS study 2019

91% of mechanics most frequently recommend the brand of oil they use in their own vehicle

In the US, 450 million oil changes are performed each year in roughly 33,000 service shops.* In 75% of these interactions with consumers, a technician will influence which brand of oil a consumer uses for their fill.**

There are nearly 90,000 technicians influencing which brand of oil a consumer uses for their fill in the US.**
A brand’s reputation and the Influencer’s knowledge about the brand and product are two of the most important factors in recommending an oil brand.**

Do you know if your brand is being recommended? Do you know why it’s not?

The Influencer MSS Lubricants study surveys thousands of DIY and DIFM lubricants professionals bi-annually about their opinions of passenger car, motorcycle and heavy-duty lubricants brands and about the recommendations they make to consumers. It provides the insights you need on what motivates an oil technician Influencer to recommend your brand over others and how you can leverage that into increased revenue.

*bls.gov

** MetrixLab Passenger Vehicle Oil Influencer Study, 2018

76% of consumers are looking for guidance from beauty consultants in US specialist stores

35,000 consultants in specialty retailers Sephora and Ulta interact with 140 shoppers each week in the US and recommend beauty brands.* ** These consultants reinforce brand power with focused messaging and promotions.* In fact, in 34% of their interactions, they recommend product pairing that generates additional brand sales.

With 50,000 beauty consultants across the country*, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to understand this key influencer group. Our tracker study offers standardized KPIs so you can compare performance year-on-year, and the ability to customize the survey with your own questions.

* US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016

** MetrixLab Skincare Influencer MSS study 2016

We survey point-of-purchase professionals to deliver the insights you need to drive brand penetration in your current, emerging and new markets. We help you:

1. 1. 1Measure your brand health:
      What is your share of total brand recommendations?
      How has it changed over time?
      How is your brand performing against competitors on affinity, recommendations and image?
   2. 2Build and optimize your trade marketing strategy:
      What drives professionals to recommend your brand?
      How should you position your brand to these influencers?
      Which trade activation programs have the greatest impact on them?
   3. 3Stay ahead of and act on emerging trends in your market:
      What are the latest consumer purchase behaviors and trends?
      What are point-of-purchase professionals currently recommending?
      Which brands are growing in popularity?

Our multi-sponsored influencer studies are part syndicated (80%) and part custom (20%). The syndicated approach generates huge cost savings, as different brands share the same sample of specialized professionals. It also ensures KPIs stay the same, for a clear comparison year after year. While the custom part of the research lets you customize the survey to answer your specific brand questions.

We’ve already carried out research in more than 15 categories and 30 countries, working with some of the world’s leading brands. Categories include:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Lubricants
• Health and beauty
• Pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter products
• Animal care
• Home improvement
• Consumer electronics
• Mattresses
• Tires
• Travel and leisure
• Eyewear

With more categories added every year!

We can also pair up our point-of-purchase influencer studies with our other consumer research solutions, including social insights. This combination of buyer and influencer feedback gives you a more complete overview of your market, brand perceptions, and the entire dynamics of point-of-purchase interactions.

What takeaways you can expect from the results of your study? Here are some sample results from the 2018 alcohol and spirits category influencer study.*

• A bartender influencer makes over 18,000 recommendations per year. Roughly 19% (3,000) of those are for a beer, which is down from a high of 29% in 2015
  • Over 50% of consumers buy the brand of beer a bartender recommends
• Flight sampling is moving beyond beer and wine to include spirits. 75% of bartenders are offering sample flights in some form
  • 1/3 of flights offered are spirits: Most likely vodka, tequila or rum.
• Two in three bars are serving beer cocktails, with the most popular flavor profile being sweet, followed by citrus
  • Corona, Heineken and Blue Moon are the top three brands of beer used for making beer cocktails with vodka and tequila being the two most often used spirits

* MetrixLab Bartender Influencer study 2018