Seven in 10 said they planned to see a movie in the first three months of the year; almost half say they also rent from kiosks; 15 percent download movies from cable

BOULDER, Colo. and LAS VEGAS (ShoWest), March 16, 2010 —Even before the blockbuster success of Avatar, consumers were bullish on seeing movies this year, according to a consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. When asked in December 2009 if they planned on going to the movie theatre in the first three months of 2010, nearly 70 percent said yes, and one third of those said they planned on seeing three or more movies by the end of March, as noted in Graph 1.

Graph 1:  Expected excursions to the movie theatre in Q1 2010

When asked why they would go to a theatre instead of watching a movie in the comfort of their own home, one out of two pointed to the experience of viewing a movie on the big screen. One third of respondents said they did not want to wait to see the latest release, and one quarter also listed that they liked going to the theatre with friends. Another reason cited was that the theatre is a good venue for a date. The total experience – including movie, concessions and seating – rounded out the list, as seen in Graph 2.

Graph 2:  Reasons to choose a movie theatre over in-home

These results support the emphasis that studios and exhibitors alike are placing on the overall theatre experience, from focusing on comfortable seating and clean facilities to investing in the latest in digital effects and sound quality.

Kiosk movie rentals surpass other channels

But, as everyone in the industry knows, people do not just go to movie theatres to watch the latest films. They are also looking for alternative ways to watch them on their own schedules and at a lower price, driving movie consumption even higher. In this area, the biggest growth story is the explosion of kiosk movie rentals. More than four in 10 consumers reported they are using in-store or mall kiosks such as RedBox to rent the latest movie on DVD, surpassing the 36 percent that rent from physical stores, as noted in Graph 3.

Graph 3:  Alternative movie rental channels

Even more telling is that 26 percent of consumers said they will increase their use of kiosk DVD rentals, the highest percentage of any of the movie rental options. Less than half – only 12 percent – said they expect to rent more frequently from stores, while almost one in five expect to rent less frequently from stores in the future. Online rentals such as Netflix and Blockbuster Online are being used by 27 percent of the consumers surveyed, and 21 percent said they expect that to increase.

Fifteen percent of consumers said they watch movies from their cable TV subscriptions, with 18 percent saying they expect to increase that practice in the coming year.

TV and theatre previews drive movie awareness

When asked what drives them to seek out a new movie, more than 70 percent of consumers said television ads, followed by movie trailers that they see in-theatre. Recommendations from friends and written movie reviews were also cited by three in 10 consumers, as noted in Graph 4.

Graph 4:  Promotions driving movie awareness

The survey was conducted in December 2009 among the Market Force network of more than 300,000 consumers. The pool of 3,000 respondents ranged in age from 19 – 72 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with approximately half reporting incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Approximately 75 percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half had children at home.

Market Force will be hosting a suite during ShoWest (March 15 – 18, 2010 in Las Vegas) in the Planet Hollywood hotel. To learn more about Market Force and its offerings for the theatrical entertainment industry, or to meet with Market Force during ShoWest, call Jim Radcliffe at 518-755-8040, or email Jradcliff@marketforce.com.

About Market Force Information

Market Force Information, Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 120 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 300,000 field associates, to real customer surveys, to proprietary decision support tools – that provides a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identifies the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. For more information, please visit: www.marketforce.com and follow us on Twitter @MarketForce.

Market Force is providing a sneak preview of our new flagship product the Customer Intelligence Platform at the movie industry’s premier event ShoWest.

Candy & Snack Today | February 23, 2010 When asked what influenced  decisions to buy CPG products, 39 percent of consumers said they “saw it on the shelf or display.”  Read more

Fast Casual | February 22, 2010 Starbucks coffee was the No. 1 brand tried by consumers in the coffee/tea category in January, earning twice as many mentions as No. 2 Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and No. 3 Celestial Seasonings tea. Read more

Convenience Store News | February 22, 2010 | Starbucks coffee was the No. 1 brand tried by consumers in the coffee/tea category in January, earning twice as many mentions as No. 2 Dunkin’ Donuts and No. 3 Celestial Seasonings in a consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information. Read more

Beverage Dynamics | February 16, 2010 Consumers have been impacted by the recession in meaningful ways that have reshaped how they think, and how they buy. And if their responses hold true, many of these impacts will be long lasting. But the good news is that we didn’t see a case for abject pessimism. Quite the contrary. Read more

Green Media | February 10, 2010 As the early signs of recovery started to blossom, Market Force wanted to see if we could get an early read on consumers to try to understand what’s likely in store for 2010.  Read more

When number of stores not factored in, Kroger and Walmart come out on top

LOUISVILLE, Colo. – (Feb, 09, 2010) — Wegmans and Costco were selected as the No. 1 grocery retailers in a consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information Inc., a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. Wegmans was the consumer favorite in the supermarket category, and Costco ranked highest in the mass grocer category.

This finding emerged from a survey that Market Force conducted last month among its network of 300,000 independent mystery shoppers and merchandisers – consumers across the country dubbed “The Force™.” Nearly 6,000 consumers responded to a series of questions designed to shed light on which grocers are preferred in the leading grocery categories and why.

Insights from the Market Force survey will be presented in a webinar co-hosted by the American Marketing Association today, Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 12:00 p.m. CST. To register for the webinar or request a copy afterward, visit www.marketforce.com.

Kroger and Wegmans earn customer honors

When this consumer group was asked to select their single favorite from a list of the country’s 118 top grocery supermarkets, Kroger received the highest number of votes from consumers across the country. This initially placed Kroger atop the list with 11 percent of the votes, as seen in Graph 1. Publix and Safeway followed with 8 percent and 7 percent respectively.

But not all retailers are created equal. While Kroger has almost 2,500 stores in North America, Wegmans – with just 75 stores – has less than one-thirtieth that number. Yet, Wegmans scored 3 percent of the total votes for favorite supermarket. Since consumers are likely to vote for retailers most familiar to them, Market Force drilled down into its results to determine which store chain would win out when the number of store locations was factored in. This analysis moved Wegmans to the top ranking position with a 9 percent score, followed by ShopRite with a 5 percent score, and Albertsons and Whole Foods each with 4 percent, as captured in Graph 2.

Wegmans’ top score was reinforced by the answers to follow-on questions that asked consumers about the characteristics they appreciated most about these leading supermarkets. The breakaway winner with the hearts and minds of consumers was Wegmans, as noted in Graph 3.

“From high-quality produce to courteous staff, cleanliness to inviting atmosphere, Wegmans is a standout favorite grocer with consumers,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “The fact that it can deliver all of these key performance attributes, and also rank highest on providing low prices, is an enormous accomplishment, and clearly earns the chain renowned customer loyalty.”

Costco leads mass grocers

When looking at mass grocers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target and Costco, Market Force found similar results. While Walmart garnered the highest number of total votes, with fully 42 percent of the total, its store count must also be factored in. When re-indexed based on the number of stores, Costco took the lead, as shown in Graph 4.

That lead is again substantiated based on the consumer ranking of mass grocers against the attributes they care about most. Costco scored highest on 12 of 16 attributes, and tied for first for the remaining four. This can be seen on Graph 5.

The survey was conducted in January 2010 among the Market Force network of more than 300,000 consumers. The pool of 6,000 respondents ranged in age from 19 – 72 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels. Approximately half had incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Approximately 75 percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half had children at home.

About Market Force

Market Force Information Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 120 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 300,000 field associates, to real customer surveys, to proprietary decision support tools – that provides a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identifies the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. For more information, please visit: www.marketforce.com and follow us on Twitter @MarketForce.

Grocery Headquarters | February 9, 2010 Kroger received the highest number of votes in a survey of 6000 consumers asked to pick their favorite grocery retailer. When the number of store locations was factored in, however, Wegmans took the top ranking.  Read more

Seafood Source | February 9, 2010 | Wegmans and Costco were selected as the No. 1 grocery retailers in a consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information of Louisville, Colo. Read more