CONTEXT REIGNS SUPREME
When Touchstone Partners was set up in 2002 the role of shopper insight was still in its infancy, emerging from the discipline of...
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Touchstone Blog. We will be posting from time to time about a variety of topics so stay tuned!
Touchstone
- Dec 15, 2022
- 4 min
Food banks and how data analytics is optimising the food supply chain, locally and internationally
Against the cost-of-living crisis, rising energy and food costs, demand for emergency food at UK food banks is forecast to substantially...
Touchstone
- Nov 25, 2022
- 5 min
Out of Sight, Out of Mind?
Be it Covid, climate or cost of living, the world is in crisis. The UK Government Autumn statement last week forecast a third of the...
Touchstone
- Oct 18, 2022
- 5 min
The Shopper You Need to Know Better
The London Marathon is always inspiring. Sitting on a comfortable sofa watching people from all walks of life tackling the 26.2 miles...
Touchstone
- Oct 12, 2022
- 4 min
Can we break 4000 year-old shopping habits?
They say old habits die hard but to break ones that have been knocking around for 4000 years sounds just that little bit harder. Imagine...
Touchstone
- Aug 11, 2022
- 3 min
Fakeaways: a fad or here to stay?
Fakeaways, the art of recreating your favourite restaurant or takeaway dishes in the comfort of your own home, have soared in popularity...
Touchstone
- Jul 29, 2022
- 3 min
Anxious younger shoppers too overwhelmed to fight climate change?
We haven’t heard that much from Greta in a while. No doubt she’s taking a well-earned break from the media eye. Judging by our recent...
Ian Hext
- May 7, 2021
- 3 min
Sorting the Almond from the Oat - a personal reflection
The rise of plant based dairy alternatives in the last few years has been phenomenal and from my point of view truly surprising. Having...
Ian Hext
- Apr 28, 2021
- 3 min
Product Claims - What really motivates the consumer?
There is an increasing complexity about the claims that companies wish to make about their products. To understand which are most...
Ian Hext
- Apr 12, 2021
- 3 min
Quick and Cheap Concept Testing? - Don't fall into the trap.
Successful New Product Development is key for all business, now more so than ever, with increasingly competitive marketplaces, highly...
Marie Screene
- Mar 31, 2021
- 2 min
"You are not as interesting as you think"
I read a thought-provoking article recently, an edited version of Campaign's interview: with Byron Sharp, that reflected on his point of...
Jamie Rayner
- Mar 17, 2020
- 3 min
Novel Becoming Normal – And why we think prudence will prevail over panic
Since Shoppercentric was founded in 2004...
Danielle Pinnington
- Nov 28, 2019
- 2 min
Sustainability - What next?
As we’ve said at various points in our previous blogs, consumers/shoppers need help to turn their desire to be environmentally friendly...
Touchstone
- Nov 21, 2019
- 3 min
An expert view on sustainability
We asked sustainability consultant Sophie Mather to give us an industry perspective...
Sarah Banks
- Nov 13, 2019
- 3 min
Connecting Emotionally with Shoppers through Packaging
Packaging is in the spotlight like never before – mostly for the wrong reasons...
Jamie Rayner
- Oct 31, 2019
- 2 min
Is anyone on the right track?
Understandably there is a lot of pressure on food producers, brand manufacturers and retailers to ‘up’ their sustainability credentials...
Touchstone
- Oct 24, 2019
- 3 min
One Shopper Against Plastic
We spoke to one passionate shopper about her intrepid journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Julie - single mum of two hungry...
Sarah Banks
- Oct 17, 2019
- 3 min
Sustainability takes effort
We may well feel that sorting our waste into the separate recycling bins or perusing the wonky veg is a job well done...
Danielle Pinnington
- Oct 10, 2019
- 2 min
Being 'Green' - We're all at it
It seems that being ‘green’ has become the norm, with 80% of UK shoppers describing themselves as being ‘environmentally friendly’...
Kristen Davis
- Oct 3, 2019
- 2 min
Grandmother knows how to suck eggs
Earlier this year, those of you with school aged children may well have received a letter or email from your children’s school...
Rob Bates
- Jun 13, 2019
- 3 min
Optimising the sports viewer's experience
It’s often claimed that big data analytics is for the benefit of the customer as much as the provider but cynics almost equally counter...
Danielle Pinnington
- May 23, 2019
- 3 min
Big Data – just a part of the story you need
Big data, fast data, however you want to talk about it, is in rapid growth. To give you some perspective: Over the last two years alone...
Sarah Banks
- May 9, 2019
- 4 min
Are Norms still Normal?
Debating the usefulness of norms and benchmarks is one of those not-so-rare pleasures any Insight or research specialist...
Kristen Davis
- May 2, 2019
- 3 min
Life in the palm of our hands
No, midwifery isn’t our latest venture here at Touchstone, but we do enjoy getting to grips with life in general...
Tim Baker
- Apr 25, 2019
- 3 min
The insignificance of significance testing.
I mentally gave thanks to Jack Miles for raising this prickly issue...
Jon Darby
- Mar 22, 2019
- 3 min
"Send three and fourpence. We're going to a dance."
Over the weekend I came across an amusing video doing the rounds that got me thinking about the challenges we face...
Tim Baker
- Mar 7, 2019
- 3 min
It’s all from the heart.
I was doing a bit of industrial navel gazing the other day. No, not risking a herniated disc by trying to peer into my own belly button...
Tim Baker
- Aug 31, 2018
- 2 min
Rational buyers don't exist
So you think you’re making an independent, rational buying decision? Think again.
Contrary to what economists tell us, we rarely...
Rob Bates
- Aug 8, 2018
- 2 min
The Tech Giants Interpretation of "Private"
With the introduction of new GDPR laws and the recent scandals surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica...
Rob Bates
- Jul 27, 2018
- 1 min
The perfect festival: does seeing what you want get you what you want?
Attending a music festival is a right of passage for many young people in the UK today. The hedonistic combination of music, friends...
Jon Darby
- Jul 16, 2018
- 1 min
When 'unsubscribe' doesn't work
GDPR – and the run up to its implementation – has been all over the news this year...
Rob Bates
- Jul 6, 2018
- 1 min
Research helps lift England's penalty jinx
If you haven’t heard, you’re probably the last person in the world who hasn’t, but England won a penalty shootout...
Tim Baker
- Jun 30, 2018
- 1 min
Data Quality - It's a War Out There!
How do we judge quality when it comes to online research data and the insight generated from it? Depending...
Jon Darby
- Jun 25, 2018
- 1 min
"Who is Gregory and Gregory?"
It’s all about the brand and your target audience. When Greggs...
Touchstone
- Jun 15, 2018
- 1 min
Welcome Everyone!
Hi everyone, welcome to the new and improved Touchstone Blog!
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