How Vion reversed stagnant category growth with YouGov

Facts & figures

Global HQ: Boxtel, the Netherlands 

Founded: 1934 

Employees: 10.7K worldwide 

Annual revenue (global): €5.5 billion

Business challenge

Vion, a global food company supplying pork, beef, meat products, and plant-based alternatives, operates across multiple international markets. Like many in the industry, the business is navigating rising global competition, political and regulatory pressure, and increasing demand for affordability and sustainability.

While aiming to maintain quality and ethical standards, Vion is also seeing shifts in consumer behavior, particularly toward price-sensitive choices and growing interest in plant-based options. These pressures are placing added strain on category performance in key markets.

Solution

In the Netherlands, Vion is using YouGov SimIT Web, an advanced shopper analytics platform designed to help category managers uncover growth opportunities across retailers, categories, and brands.

To further understand shopper motivations, Vion used YouGov Why2Buy, a targeted research solution that identifies the drivers behind FMCG purchases using real behavioral data from YouGov's shopper panel. This approach helped clarify the "why" behind consumer purchase decisions and informed how Vion could tailor its strategy to address changing shopper needs.

Business outcomes

The combined insights from YouGov SimIT Web and YouGov Why2Buy platform enabled Vion to identify where potential shoppers were being lost in the purchase journey, particularly in specific trade channels and category segments. Working alongside retail partners, Vion co-developed an optimized assortment strategy designed to close those gaps.

This approach reversed previously stagnant growth, improved shopper conversion, and increased category share. Real-time tracking allowed for ongoing monitoring and fast adjustments, ensuring Vion stayed aligned with evolving shopper behavior and market dymanics.

By grounding its decisions in data and focusing on specific levers for category growth, Vion was able to drive measurable impact and long-term resilience in a challenging and competitive environment.