Path-to-Purchase Research: Shopper Journey and Retailer Insights for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin

Pain point: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin urgently needed to stop opportunity “leakage” across the shopping journey — lost prospects were slipping out of the funnel and not converting into verifiable leads.

As a consumer-packaged goods brand recovering from COVID-driven shifts in shopper behavior, they faced an unfamiliar, fragmented purchase path and needed granular, journey-driven insights to act quickly.

Identifying that leakage historically drove 30%–90% increases in revenue opportunity, the stakes were clear: without pinpointing where and why buyers dropped off, marketing, merchandising and retailer communications would continue to underperform.

The trigger: post-COVID changes in how and where buyers make decisions prompted Consumer Insights Director Kimberly Koh to commission a focused study with Gold Research to map decision points and influences — including industry tactics (included MRS) — that could be turned into measurable actions.

Core question to resolve: How can Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin identify exact touch-points where buyers abandon the journey, quantify the impact, and convert those gaps into verifiable leads?

Key differentiator: the hybrid approach combining screen‑sharing virtual in‑depth interviews with in‑aisle “shop‑along” ethnography—linking online behavior to real‑world shopping actions.

Our sequential process

1. First we conducted virtual in‑depth interviews using screen‑sharing to capture the Online Shopping Journey and decision process.
2. Then we executed detailed shop‑along interviews in the agreed channel/store to capture In‑Store Shopping Journey and aisle‑level influences.
3. Next we ran a retail ethnographic, mobile‑guided survey engaging 100 specialty food retail shoppers to collect non‑intrusive, in‑context observations.
4. Finally we fielded an online quantitative survey of 800–1,000 post‑purchase shoppers to validate and quantify insights across the full shopper journey.

Proprietary methods & technologies used

1. Online Shopping Journey, In‑Store Shopping Journey, Ethnographic Research methodologies
2. Mobile‑guided retail ethnographic survey for non‑interruptive in‑store capture
3. Large‑sample online quantitative survey for post‑purchase measurement

Reduced marketing cost inefficiencies through data-driven shopper insights

1. Enabled shopper insights savings — actionable findings to cut waste and focus spend
2. Strengthened retail partnerships via data-driven consumer insights
3. Improved category & brand marketing impact — clearer prioritization of tactics
4. Identified long-term market share opportunities

Client feedback:

"The Gold Research Team was instrumental in helping us achieve our goals for this research and was also a pleasure to work with. Their insights have armed us with knowledge that will not only inform our current strategies but also help shape future decisions, ensuring continued success and growth.” – Kimberly Koh, Consumer Insights Director, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

1. How quickly were results delivered? Within 60 days.
2. What was the ROI? ROI manifested through multi-millions in recoverable revenue leakages, reduced cost inefficiencies and stronger marketing impact.
3. Was the method scalable or replicable? Yes — the approach is designed to be scalable and replicable across brands and categories.