Thank you to the 385 Co-op owners and shoppers who participated in our 2015 Shopper Survey!
This survey is one of the key inputs we use in planning store improvements and direction. Your feedback is much appreciated as management, staff, and the Board work to understand your concerns and meet your needs.
The survey used this year and in prior years is developed by National Cooperative Grocers (NCG) and administered by the University Of Wisconsin for food co-ops around the country. By using this standardized survey, the results from Chico Natural Foods Cooperative can be aggregated and compared with the results from NCG co-ops as a whole.
We are pleased to see that the survey shows a high level of shopper satisfaction with Chico Natural Foods Cooperative overall. We won't take this for granted, though, and promise to continue working to make shopping at the Co-op an even better experience for everyone.
Owner Satisfaction
Overall satisfaction with Chico Natural Foods Co-op was measured in several ways in the survey. Owners were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the Co-op and to indicate how well Chico Natural Foods Co-op meets their overall needs.
How would you rate your overall satisfaction with Chico Natural Foods Co-op?
Another indicator of overall satisfaction with Chico Natural Foods Co-op is provided by owners’ responses to a question asking how likely it is they would recommend the Cooperative to a friend or colleague. Seventy-six percent said such a recommendation was very likely, 15% were likely to recommend the Co-op, and 7% were somewhat likely.
How likely is it that you would recommend Chico Natural Foods Co-op to a friend or colleague?
OwnerCharacteristics and Preferences
Owners were asked to identify the most important factors they consider when making a purchasing decision. The top factors for Chico Natural Foods Co-op shoppers are certified organic products and locally produced products. Approximately one-third of members place importance on health/nutrition, non-GMO product labeling, and ethical livestock treatment
In your purchasing decisions, which of the following is most important to you?
(Mark up to three)
Demographic differences:
Women place more importance on ethical livestock treatment and less importance on sustainability.
Younger owners place more importance on health/nutrition and less on non-GMO product labeling.
Certified organic products are more important to older owners, and owners living further from the Co-op.
Fair trade is more important to owners living closer to the Co-op and lower income owners.
When owners were asked to identify up to three issues they think Chico Natural Foods Co-op should champion, most owners want the Co-op to support local, sustainable agriculture. As Figure 11 shows, only one other issue, supporting GMO labeling, was identified by a slight majority of owners as an issue they would like the Co-op to champion. Two percent of owners said that Chico Natural Foods Co-op should not champion social or environmental issues.
Please mark up to three social issues that you think Chico Natural Foods Co-op should champion.
Significant differences of support among Chico Natural Foods Co-op owners include:
- Promoting recycling is a cause that has more support from higher income owners and owners living without children in their households.
- Nutrition education is more likely to be supported by younger owners and owners with less formal education.
- Women and older owners are more supportive of Chico Natural Foods Co-op supporting GMO labeling.
Expansion
Owners were asked about the degree to which they support expansion and/or relocation in the next 3 years. As shown In Figure 14, approximately 7 in 10 owners either strongly favor (53%) or weakly favor (18%) expansion.
To what degree do you support expansion and/or relocation in the next three years?
Owners were asked the importance they attach to expansion options. Results are shown in Figure 15. According to owners, the option that is most important to them is expansion by relocating the store to a different location. Approximately one-half of owners place importance on expanding in the current location or opening an affiliated business. Very few owners (2%, 9 owners) said that the Co-op should not expand.
The Co-op could expand its business in many different ways. Please indicate the three most important options to you.
Chico Natural Foods Co-op owners were asked the importance they place on expansion outcomes. Results are shown in Figure 16. Only three outcomes are important to a majority of respondents: new or expanded services in the store, a greater variety of products in the store, and selling more local and/or organic foods.
Which of the following outcomes are the most important to you if the Co-op expands?
(Mark up to three)
Owners were asked to indicate their level of interest in making a loan or other investment to support a potential expansion project (Figure 17). Approximately one-third of owners said they were probably not interested (14%) or not at all interested (23%) in making a loan or other investment. A considerable percentage of owners, 36%, were not sure, 22% were somewhat interested, and only 5% were very interested.
Please indicate your general level of interest in making a loan or other investment to support a potential expansion project.
This is just a sample of some of the survey results and responses, which we thought you might find interesting. You can download the full report with answers to all 36 questions here.