ALDI School Lunches Research

A behaviour-led back-to-school study that gave ALDI a clear view of family lunchbox needs and the distinctive spaces it could own in the market.

Method Toolbox

Desk Research, Follow-up Focus Groups, Online Ethnography, Shopalongs

Framing the Problem

Despite offering a substantial ‘Back to School’ range and lunch options, ALDI was struggling to position itself amongst competitors and better meet the needs of its shoppers.

Our Approach

We first spoke to a mix of ALDI, Lidl, Dunnes and Tesco shoppers through an online ethnographic platform, where they completed three hours of tasks over four days. This included a daily lunchbox diary, showing what they were packing for their children, and a store visit to help us understand the thinking behind their decisions. We then followed up with some of our strongest participants through focus groups, allowing us to probe further into consumer needs and behaviours during the back-to-school period.

The Breakthrough

We gave ALDI a clear map of the category and the key consumer drivers, identifying distinctive spaces the brand could credibly own in the market.