Field Agent Canada Retail Insights Blog

GLP-1s and the Canadian Food Basket: What Brands Need to Ask Next

Jeff Doucette — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:32:45 GMT

We surveyed 2,120 members of our Canadian agent community and found that 15% use a GLP-1 for weight management, raising timely questions for food, beverage and restaurant brands.

GLP-1 medications are changing more than conversations about health and weight. We believe they may also be changing what people put in their grocery carts, how much they eat, which product claims get their attention and how often they visit restaurants.

For companies that make, sell or serve food, we think the question is no longer whether GLP-1 use could affect consumer behaviour. It is where those changes are showing up, and how quickly brands need to respond.

We recently asked 2,120 members of our Canadian agent community about GLP-1 use. Here is what they told us:

15% said they use a GLP-1 for weight loss or weight management.
12% said someone else in their household uses a GLP-1 for weight loss or weight management.

Virtual Store Tour - Shake Shack, Calgary

Jeff Doucette — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:36:33 GMT

Here at Field Agent we LOVE new stores and restaurants! We try to get out to them as soon as they open and share what we see with you!

Shake Shack recently celebrated the grand opening of their first Canadian location with a drive-thru, at 9253 Macleod Trail S.W. in Calgary.

The location is serving up Alberta-exclusive treats such as the Prairie Berry Shake and 100 per cent Alberta beef. The restaurant is decorated inside and out with murals by Calgary artist Larissa Schuler.

Do You Need a Merchandiser, or Do You Just Need Field Agent?

Jeff Doucette — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:06:34 GMT

When trying to understand what is happening at retail and you are looking for a simple and quick solution to get the information you need, the first instinct may be to call a merchandising company.

But before you book a third-party merchandiser, it is worth asking a more basic question:

Do you need someone to fix what is happening in store, or do you first need reliable information about what is happening in store?

Merchandising companies and Field Agent solve different retail challenges. Knowing which one you need can save time, stretch your budget and help you take the right next step.

Virtual Store Tour - Wendy's, North York

Jeff Doucette — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:37:43 GMT

Here at Field Agent we LOVE new stores and restaurants! We try to get out to them as soon as they open and share what we see with you!

Wendy’s has opened its first Future Fresh restaurant in Canada at 865 York Mills Road in North York. The location trades the brand’s familiar red palette for a more blue-forward look, paired with modern design details and upgraded digital features that help streamline the customer experience.

Inside, the restaurant seats 40 and is designed to support both dine-in traffic and delivery or mobile orders. A dedicated waiting area also helps keep delivery drivers and pickup customers from crowding the counter.

The ROI of Mystery Shopping in Canada: How Brands Measure Customer Experience Impact

Jeff Doucette — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:48:16 GMT

In Canada’s retail and foodservice economy—which has surpassed $834 billion CAD in annual sales in 2026—customer experience (CX) has become the decisive driver of market share and margin preservation. However, multi-location Canadian enterprises frequently face internal friction when justifying these investments to the C-suite. Historically, traditional evaluation programs have been framed as an operational expense or compliance check, rather than a quantifiable revenue generator.

Proving the ROI of your customer experience initiatives requires closing the gap between head office strategy and store-level execution. This guide provides a mathematical framework for measuring the tangible return on investment of mystery shopping programs, outlines actionable CX benchmarks, and contrasts traditional agency models with mobile, crowdsourced retail insights.

How Canadian CPG Brands Validate Retail Merchandising Execution In-Store

Jeff Doucette — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:41:38 GMT

In Canada’s fast-moving consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, driving success at the shelf is the ultimate test of your retail operations. For 2026, the Canadian retail market is projected to generate over $834 billion in retail sales, making the physical store shelf the most critical battleground for commercial success.

However, securing agreed-upon shelf space, endcap placements, and promotional signage requires substantial trade spend and collaborative Joint Business Planning (JBP). Despite these massive investments, historical data and industry benchmarks confirm that less than half of planned merchandising activations are fully executed as intended. To protect brand equity, trade budgets, and category share, Canadian CPG brands need robust retail solutions to validate display compliance and point-of-sale assets across national store footprints.

Virtual Store Tour - Safeway Oakridge Park

Jeff Doucette — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:51:31 GMT

Here at Field Agent we LOVE new stores and restaurants! We try to get out to them as soon as they open and share what we see with you!

On August 27 a new Safeway store opened at Oakridge Park Mall in Vancouver.

This 50,000-square-foot, two-level location will serve as a flagship store, featuring a global market, fresh seafood, sushi, Asian hot foods, buffet-style offerings, and ready-to-eat meal solutions. On the second floor, shoppers will also find a pharmacy, general merchandise, and a baby boutique.

Virtual Store Tour - Fresh Co, Lower Sackville

Jeff Doucette — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:01:45 GMT

Here at Field Agent we LOVE new stores and restaurants! We try to get out to them as soon as they open and share what we see with you!

FreshCo celebrated the opening of its first stores in Atlantic Canada earlier in August, with two locations in the Halifax area. We visited one of the new stores, located on Cobequid Road (the former Lawtons building) in Lower Sackville.

350,000 Canadian Shoppers: What Could They Show You?

Jeff Doucette — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:14:19 GMT

Field Agent Canada has officially welcomed its 350,000th agent!

That’s 350,000 real Canadian shoppers living in communities across the country—and ready to help businesses see what’s happening in stores, restaurants and households right now.

It’s an exciting milestone for our team, but the number itself is only part of the story. What matters most is what a network of this size can make possible for Canadian businesses.

How CPG Brands Track Competitor Pricing and Promotions Across Canadian Retailers

Jeff Doucette — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:36:56 GMT

In Canada's multi-billion dollar consumer packaged goods (CPG) retail sector—which generated over $834 billion in annual retail sales leading into 2026—margin protection and trade spend optimization have become daily battles. Facing persistent macroeconomic pressures, dynamic digital pricing adjustments, and aggressive competitor discounting, retail brands in Canada can no longer rely on delayed point-of-sale (POS) data or anecdotal sales reports to monitor their shelf position.

To safeguard market share and prevent trade spend waste, leading CPG manufacturers are adopting modern sales audits driven by mobile-first, crowdsourced shopper networks. By deploying on-demand shoppers into physical stores across national grocery chains and major mass/discount retailers, brands capture geo-verified, real-time ground truth. This guide explores how CPG brands track competitor shelf pricing, temporary price reductions (TPRs), and promotional displays, and how to build an actionable competitor tracking strategy in 2026.