Frontline Research Group – more than just research

The Frontline Research Group (FRG) has grown and matured over the years.? This year, 2022, has been a particularly important year as they have rebranded and redefined themselves.?

Previously using the tag line “Yes, we know Africa” they have changed this to “Analysis, Insights, Direction”, which is a better reflection of the services that they offer, is more client centric (which they aim to be) and shows how they use their knowledge of Africa, to the benefit of the client.?

As part of this transformation, Frontline in South Africa, is also now a Level 2 B-BBEE contributor.

Steve Johnson, Executive Director of New Business at FRG says; “We are a full service market research consultancy company and we believe that we have some of the most granular African market data available.? However, our services go well beyond the simple provision of data.? We offer a host of analytical, insightful and management services too”.

Market research services

FRG’s market research services are comprehensive and include retail audit tracking, vehicle and rep routing, channel research, sales force optimisation, distribution expansion, market sizing and structure, retail census, market landscaping, market entry, time and motion studies, execution audits and more.

Steve adds, “The Retail Census process is one of the of key research methodologies within our basket of products when wanting to really understand the market. We literally ‘walk the streets’ to obtain a count and profle of all the businesses that a customer requires in a geographically defined region.”

FMR makes use of in-house developed technology as well as leveraging off of GIS software called SpatialXL and RouteXL.? They have an exceptional knowledge on various GIS software solutions and offer training, consulting and support on the SpatialXL BI Suite.?

FRG’s Market Landscape Developer is one of their most powerful tools, and has proved very popular with their clients over the past two years, since budgets have been tight, as a result of the pandemic. It provides a host of essential information for a specific geographic area, including the size of the universe, the competitiveness of the market, market share, brand and distribution execution at point of buying, as well as looking at the effectiveness of customer service and support, across the value chain.

“Our Geomapping team has a wealth of knowledge filled to the brim with rich information that will help you make better informed business decisions,” says Steve.

Their “Captivate” tool ensures that every outlet researched has its GPS location mapped, images recorded and other data captured accurately and efficiently.

Steve says, “This data is invaluable. Our customers can increase their sales and reduce their costs. We not only find them more outlets for their products, but also improve travel efficiencies for sales reps and delivery vehicles.”

Understanding the market environment

Having gathered a massive amount of data in the retail market environment, it is then the job of FRG’s Retail Tracking Services to keep that data relevant.

Elmari Campher, Executive Director of Research says, “We measure retail data and trends over time and use that information to provide both strategic insights and tactical actions into African markets.”

FMR’s retail tracking services allow clients to track their performance in the market environment versus their competitors, measure brand and product successes and identify threats.?

“Our objective is to enable our customers to strengthen their market position,” adds Elmari

To do this Elmari and her team use Retail Audit Tracking, Bi-monthly Retail Audit, Tactical Retail Audits, Frontline Stock Generated Market Share, Execution Audits, and Satisfaction Surveys.

For more information or to obtain a quotation contact Steve Johnson, Executive Director of New Business on Tel: +27 (0) 84 2000 111 or email: [email protected]