Underdeveloped shopper cohorts are segments of consumers that spend less than expected in a given product category – even though they engage with similar categories, share relevant demographics, or align with your brand’s target audience. In Numerator and other DIY research tools, these groups often show up as consumers who under-index in category purchasing compared to others – meaning their buying behavior is lower than the norm.

Identifying these shopper segments can reveal valuable growth opportunities. They might represent:

• Consumers aware of your category but not actively purchasing
• Shoppers buying alternative brands or substitutes in other categories
• Groups with unmet needs or barriers to entry (pricing, access, messaging, etc.)

For example, suppose your product is a high-protein snack marketed to active adults. Numerator shows that Gen Z males are underdeveloped in the category – their purchase frequency is much lower than average. But they engage heavily with related categories like sports drinks and energy bars. This insight flags them as a high-potential opportunity – what’s holding them back from your category, and how can you change that?

Why businesses should care about underdeveloped cohorts

These segments may already be on your radar demographically, but without data-driven confirmation, they’re easy to overlook. Targeting underdeveloped shopper cohorts allows you to:

• Uncover hidden whitespace to grow the category
• Refine targeting and positioning strategies
• Better tailor innovation, pricing, and messaging to specific needs
• Reallocate investments to segments with the most upside

From a market research standpoint, these cohorts offer a way to move beyond tracking share and frequency to understanding untapped demand. They represent “greenfield” opportunities your competitors may not be leveraging.

However, just spotting these cohorts in Numerator’s dashboards isn't enough. Interpreting the data correctly requires understanding the context behind the numbers – category dynamics, behavior shifts, overlapping segments, and marketing impact. That’s why more companies are leaning on experienced research professionals to help make sure their DIY data inputs lead to meaningful business actions – not just spreadsheets of unanswered questions.

Numerator offers powerful tools to visualize consumer behavior across categories, channels, and shopper segments. But when it comes to finding underdeveloped cohorts, it’s not just about clicking through dashboards – it’s about asking deliberate questions and interpreting trends with care.

Step 1: Define category relevance

Before you start filtering reports, make sure you’ve clearly defined what “category relevance” means for your business. Are you looking at a broad umbrella category (e.g., snacks), or a more focused segment (e.g., protein snacks)? This will ensure you’re analyzing the right comparative baselines in Numerator.

Step 2: Use demographic filters to compare group behaviors

Within Numerator, you can segment data by age, gender, life stage, location, income, retailer preference, and more. Start by reviewing purchase frequency and basket share among relevant consumer cohorts. You’re looking for groups that:

• Are active in related categories but inactive in your target category
• Show low index scores relative to population share
• Have sporadic or declining category engagement

Step 3: Track shopper trends over time

Don’t rely on one snapshot. Use Numerator’s longitudinal data to identify patterns. For example, has the underdevelopment always existed, or did it emerge recently due to price changes, competitor campaigns, or shifting habits?

Step 4: Pair quantitative data with behavioral insights

Index scores alone don’t tell you why a segment is underdeveloped. Where possible, supplement Numerator data with social listening, surveys, or qualitative insights to uncover the “why.” Are there perceived barriers, confusion around messaging, or unmet needs?

Common challenges (and how to solve them)

Even seasoned professionals can run into roadblocks when extracting insights from shopper data. Here are a few common mistakes – and how to avoid them:

• Misreading index scores: An underdeveloped index doesn't always mean disinterest – it could signal a lack of awareness or positioning misfit. Pair data with real-world context.
• Over-segmenting: Diving too deep into micro-cohorts can lead to noise rather than insights. Balance granularity with relevance.
• Ignoring distribution or availability factors: A low-engagement segment might simply lack access to your product via preferred retailers or channels.

When to bring in expert help

If your team is running into analysis fatigue or hesitant about making decisions based on partial data, it may be time to call in On Demand Talent. These insight professionals specialize in high-impact data interpretation – helping your team zero in on the right growth segments and avoid common missteps.

They can also help upskill your internal team, ensuring that your investment in tools like Numerator continues to pay off long-term. That way, your insights aren't just fast – they’re meaningful, strategic, and business-ready.

Numerator is a powerful shopper insights tool, but like many DIY market research platforms, it requires thoughtful interpretation to yield meaningful results. Without the right consumer insights expertise, it’s easy to misread the data or miss key opportunity segments – especially when identifying underdeveloped shopper cohorts.

Challenge 1: Misinterpreting Index Scores

Numerator provides index scores that show how a specific shopper cohort performs relative to the total population. However, without context, these numbers can be misleading. For instance, a group that under-indexes in spend for a category might appear irrelevant – when in reality they have high category relevance but low engagement due to unmet needs or a lack of marketing reach.

Challenge 2: Focusing Too Narrowly

DIY research users may default to familiar demographic filters, like age or gender, and overlook cross-cutting behavioral or psychographic patterns. This limits the ability to discover hidden opportunity segments among shoppers who don’t fit typical molds but show promise.

Challenge 3: Skipping Contextual Factors

Numerator offers a vast array of shopper behavior data, purchase triggers, and media engagement trends. Without experience in structuring an analysis, it’s easy to ignore contextual drivers like seasonality, category lifestage, or economic factors – all of which affect shopper behavior and category performance.

Challenge 4: Overlooking Category Relevance Nuance

One of the most common pitfalls is interpreting low spending as low interest. In reality, some underdeveloped cohorts may be highly interested in a product category but face barriers to purchase, like pricing, poor product visibility, or limited distribution. Without a nuanced view of numerator category relevance analysis, these insights may fall through the cracks.

Other common roadblocks include:

• Trying to segment shoppers without a clear end goal
• Underestimating the time required for thorough data analysis
• Taking the data at face value instead of validating hypotheses over time

Altogether, these challenges often result in missed insights, wasted research effort, or – worse – misinformed decisions.

As DIY research tools like Numerator become more accessible, many teams attempt to execute full shopper studies in-house. While these tools offer agility and cost-efficiency, their effectiveness depends heavily on how the data is used. That’s where On Demand Talent professionals offer real value.

Bridging the Gap Between Tools and Strategy

SIVO’s On Demand Talent are seasoned consumer insights experts who know how to translate Numerator data into business impact. They bring deep experience in shopper segmentation, data interpretation, and opportunity sizing – helping clients move beyond superficial reads and focus on insights that matter.

Unlike general consultants or freelance analysts, On Demand Talent professionals are embedded quickly into your project and bring both strategic thinking and executional strength. Whether it’s evaluating why a certain cohort under-indexes or identifying which underdeveloped shopper segments offer the best ROI, they keep your research tightly aligned with business needs.

Key Advantages of Using On Demand Talent with Numerator

• Objective interpretation: Avoid biases that may shape internal reads of the data
• Tailored frameworks: Experts shape the shopper cohort analysis around your category strategy, not generic industry templates
• Action-focused outcomes: ODT professionals translate insights into activation paths, not just analytics deliverables
• Scalable support: Whether you need a quick analysis or end-to-end support, talent can step in as needed
• Capability building: ODT experts guide internal teams on how to use market research tools like Numerator more confidently over time

Importantly, this model provides speed and flexibility without sacrificing quality. When compared to hiring full-time staff or outsourcing to large agencies, On Demand Talent offers a balanced solution – bringing deep expertise where and when it’s needed most.

DIY tools are only half the equation. With the right professionals in place, brands can fully leverage shopper insights from Numerator to identify powerful underdeveloped cohorts – and turn that knowledge into growth.

Once you’ve used Numerator to pinpoint underdeveloped shopper cohorts, the critical next step is turning that data into action. Identifying an opportunity segment is valuable – but analysis alone doesn’t drive business growth. You need a strategy for how to re-engage and activate these shoppers meaningfully.

Step 1: Understand the ‘Why’ Behind Underperformance

Pulling index scores from Numerator is a starting point. But before reacting, you need to investigate why a group is under-indexing. Is it due to lack of awareness? Are there product barriers? Are competitors winning in this space?

A fictional example: If Millennial dads are underdeveloped in a healthy snack category despite showing strong interest in nutrition, it may reflect accessibility issues – like product placement or unclear messaging – rather than lack of demand.

Step 2: Size the Opportunity

Not all underdeveloped cohorts are worth the same level of investment. Use Numerator’s purchase frequency, trip data, and brand switching behavior to estimate upside potential. This helps prioritize which opportunity segments provide the best ROI.

Step 3: Align Messaging and Channels

Look at media consumption, trip type, and brand affinity within your target cohort. Tailoring creative assets and marketing campaigns to resonate with these signals will increase the likelihood of re-engagement. For example, if your underdeveloped shopper cohort prefers online deals or digital circulars, a heavy in-store activation may not hit the mark.

Step 4: Test, Learn, and Optimize

Launching a small-scale pilot can validate your assumptions before a larger investment. Use test regions or a select group of stores to examine changes in engagement, conversion, and overall category spend among the target cohort. Platforms like Numerator can help track the impact over time.

Remember, turning insights into business outcomes is a process. It requires a bridge between analysis and execution. That’s why many brands partner with On Demand Talent to not only extract hidden insights but to build action plans, validate strategies, and ensure cross-functional team alignment.

When underdeveloped cohorts are approached with the right mix of shopper insights, creativity, and experimentation, they often become your category’s next big growth story.