Category entry points. What are they and why do you need to know?

Category entry points have gained prominence in marketing research today. Advocates argue that brands need to associate themselves with these ‘category entry points’ to improve their ability to be chosen in a purchase situation and therefore to grow sales. But what exactly are category entry points and why should you consider them in your next brand surveys?

What are category entry points?

Category entry points (CEPs) are the situations, contexts, motivations or needs that lead consumers to consider and perhaps purchase products or services within a market category. They represent the ‘gateways’ to the category from the consumer’s perspective. They are those situations that make any of us ‘in-market’ and ‘active buyers’. And that is why it is so important to know which ones are really important in each case. Category entry points help brands understand when, why, and how consumers think of a category as potential buyers and allow the brand to develop the necessary actions to be remembered and chosen at those key moments.

To better understand what category entry points are, it is best to use a concrete example.

Let’s imagine that we are a car insurance company. In this case, we commit to the brand for a certain period of time and if everything goes well, we may not remember the insurance company again until it is time to renew. But it is true that some situations can precipitate a change of company or that we arrive at the renewal with the desire to change. Let’s imagine some situations that might make us consider taking out a new insurance policy or changing companies:

• We receive a renewal notice with a price increase.
• We change our car.
• We have a bad experience with a party.
• We want to include additional drivers
• We want to take out a policy for a second car.
• We believe that we can save by concentrating policies in the same insurance company.
• We are going to make more intensive use of the vehicle and we want to extend the coverages
• We want to reduce the family budget and save unnecessary costs.
• We want to have more peace of mind with a higher level of cover.
• We want to have additional cover – such as a replacement car – that our policy does not include.
• We have interacted with the company and have not been able to make the arrangements we wanted (the option is not available, or we have difficulties with the customer service department).

These are some of the possible category entry points for the motor insurance category. If brands are aware of them, they can communicate by associating themselves with these category entry points. And indeed, who has not seen ads inviting you to switch companies if they raise the price of your renewal even though you have not made any claims? Or inviting you to switch because you are not getting help with a particular problem? Many ads nowadays describe specific category entry points to associate the brand with them.

Category entry points, brand awareness and brand salience

Traditionally, the function of advertising was to create brand recall so that the brand could be remembered at the point of purchase. However, proponents of category entry points argue that brand awareness is not enough and advocate brand salience. Salience and brand recall are related concepts, but they are not the same. Brand salience goes beyond the concept of recall and refers to the ability of a brand to appear in the consumer’s mind associated with specific category entry points, i.e. it is not enough to remember a brand in the abstract, but it must be remembered by associating it with a specific purchase or usage situation. Advocates of brand salience argue that depending on the category entry point, the repertoire of brands to be considered will be different.

Let’s go back to our example of the car insurance company. If the category entry point that motivates my entry into the market is to have peace of mind by having maximum coverage, I will surely remember some companies that I think can give me that. However, if I want to take out insurance for a second car in the household with less use, it is possible that the list of brands that come to mind will be different.

Brands should therefore work to be associated with all the category entry points that are relevant to them. By associating with more category entry points and in a more intense way, the brand will have greater mental availability, an essential factor to grow sales.

How to identify your category entry points?

To discover the relevant category entry points for your brand, it is necessary to conduct research that combines qualitative and quantitative techniques. Here is a step-by-step guide to do so:

Gather information from within your own company

There may well be information already collected within your organisation that can help you identify category entry points for your category. Perhaps you have past research such as U&A surveys, consumer behaviour surveys or similar that can help you identify some of it. Another very relevant source is the analysis of your own sales data. You may be able to see buying patterns that will help you list potential category entry points.

Identify category entry points with qualitative research

Qualitative research is ideal for exploratory research projects that seek to understand customers more deeply. Identifying motivations or reasons for purchase is a perfect fit with qualitative surveys, because they will also help you identify your category entry points.

• In-depth interviews: use these to ask about situations in which different individuals consider the category (e.g., ‘When was the last time you thought about getting car insurance? What motivated you?’). Probe for emotions, needs and barriers at those times.
• Focus groups: Use focus groups to explore how people associate the category with specific moments, emotions or problems. Assess how group opinions are shaped into conclusions through interaction.
• Insight communities: ask participants to record their thoughts, feelings and behaviours related to the category over a period of time to record what is important in their daily lives. This is useful for capturing non-conscious category entry points.

Prioritise category entry points with quantitative research

Once you have identified potential category entry points, validate their incidence with quantitative data from surveys. This will allow you to prioritise those that are most important to consumers and are associated with the highest market volume.

Measure the association of category entry points with your brand

Finally, you should check to what extent your brand is associated with the category entry points you have prioritised. If your brand is easily remembered for a large number of category entry points, it will have an advantage over others in attracting a larger number of buyers. And if you identify category entry points where your brand is not positioned, and your competitors’ brands are remembered, you will already have the keys to increase sales. Reinforce these category entry points within your portfolio and your communication to exploit the full potential of your brand.

Category entry points with We are testers

With We are testers you can do all the research you need to integrate category entry points into your brand strategy. The research platform supports both qualitative research to identify category entry points and online surveys that will allow you to prioritise them and understand the extent to which your brand is associated with each one. In addition, we have a team of research experts who will help you to approach all aspects of your category entry points research. And if you prefer, our team will do it for you so that all you have to worry about is deciding what to do with the information gathered to grow your brand.

Contact our experts now and find out more about how category entry points can help you boost your brand and grow your sales.