Industry overview
What is shaping meat & poultry
Meat, poultry and egg businesses are moving from wet markets to packaged and online formats, where hygiene, freshness and trust decide whether consumers switch.
- Packaged and online meat is growing
- Hygiene perceptions drive outlet choice
- Farm practices affect supply and quality
Client background
A supermarket chain, working in Spain & Italy. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A supermarket chain
- Sector
- Meat & poultry
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Offline data collection, Data analytics & dashboards, Reporting & insights
Client challenge
Customer complaints about butcher counter hygiene and staff knowledge had increased, and the chain wanted an objective view of standards across its stores before investing in training.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: auditing butcher counters across a supermarket chain.
- Produce results that can be compared across groups and locations.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 months.
Target audience
Scope: 180 stores, two audit waves.
Audiences we typically reach in meat & poultry
Meat and egg consumersRetailers and butchersOnline buyersPoultry farmersRestaurant buyers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Spain & Italy. Markets: Spain and Italy. 180 stores covered.
- Spain
- Italy
Research methodology
A structured quantitative design, so results could be compared across groups, locations and time.
- 1Brief
- 2Store audits
- 3Mystery shopping
- 4Store scorecards
- 5Insight
Trained auditors assessed counter hygiene, temperature displays, labelling and product presentation using a photo-supported checklist, while mystery shoppers asked staff for advice on cuts and cooking methods. Results were shared with store managers as scorecards. Audits were unannounced and conducted at different times of day, including busy weekend mornings.
Offline data collectionData analytics & dashboardsReporting & insights
Sampling strategy
- Respondents were selected across Spain & Italy using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
Data collection
- Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
- Auditors and mystery shoppers followed a standard checklist, recording evidence at each visit.
Data quality & validation
- Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
- Time and location checks on field interviews
- Supervisor accompaniment in the field
- Photo or document evidence for audit points
- Second-reviewer checks on scores
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Interactive dashboard for ongoing tracking
Key findings
- Hygiene standards were generally strong, but staff advice varied widely.
Separating hygiene from customer advice showed where training would make the biggest difference.
Recommendations
- The chain launched butcher training focused on product knowledge and customer advice, and later audits showed clear improvement.
- Share the findings with the teams closest to customers so they can act quickly.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- Customer satisfaction with butcher counters also improved in the chain’s customer survey.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interactive dashboard
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: why do consumers prefer one outlet?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.