The aim of Hellon´s partnership with the supermarket, Lidl Finland, was to improve their understanding of the Finnish customer base and their unique customer needs to inform the design of new in-store concepts that would improve customer experience, footfall, and thus increase market share.

Lidl Finland has gained more market share year-by-year and many Finnish consumers are already brand enthusiasts. While low prices are already a great pull factor for Lidl, we wanted to explore what other aspects could drive a competitive edge in the future to retain and gain more customers.

To identify the key customers to focus on - and what type of value to deliver for them – we aimed to help Lidl Finland gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the market through customer needs, behaviours, and values. In order to accomplish this, we embarked on a need-based segmentation approach in which we utilised Hellon’s AI and machine learning tool, AINO clustering and text feedback analysis tools. The approach incorporated exploratory qualitative research to scope the needs and motivations of customers, a nation-wide customer values and motivations survey, and data analytics driven by Hellon’s state-of-the-art machine learning -based algorithm.

Through the need-based segmentation process, Hellon was able to map out customer segments and personas nation-wide. As a result of the findings of the grocery shopping market, Lidl Finland was able to strategically target the high-potential and underserved segments in the Finnish market and decide where to focus their actions for creating competitive advantage.

Additionally, an objective of the project was to add value for the existing and new Lidl customers by redesigning the concept of in-store communication and enhancing the guidance layout of the store in a way that helps the customer to intuitively navigate the store better. Hellon’s use of data analytics helped create better business understanding of the current store concepts and bottlenecks in their operation. Based on the observation, field research, and discoveries in applied data analytics, Hellon created four design drivers that crystallised the objectives for new store concepts.

The results were very promising and gave evidence of viability and feasibility for future roll-out:

• The strategic focus customer segment increased their willingness to visit Lidl stores more by 25%.
• Regular, existing shoppers increased their willingness to visit Lidl stores more by 30%.
• Awareness of, and engagement with, non-food sections of the store increased.