»  In-Store Marketing

Google recently launched its mobile-payment platform Wallet with hopes of persuading consumers to trade in their credit cards and instead pay for purchases by smart phone. Google has partnered with MasterCard and Citi in its Wallet application, which is designed to be a combination credit card, rewards program and coupon case when customers tap their smart phones at the register.

What has gone somewhat unnoticed in the reporting of this new platform is the potential this app has to connect the dots along the path to purchase. Osama Bedier, Google's VP-payments, demonstrated how buying a pair of shorts at American Eagle would work with Wallet. Through Google search, he found a coupon on-line for 20% off anything at AE and saved the offer to his Wallet app. (The Offers ad product will be out in wide release when Wallet launches this summer.) Then, at the store, he tapped his smart phone on the MasterCard PayPass terminal and the transaction, minus the discount plus AE rewards points, processed together.

Learn more about birdsong gregory and our shopper marketing services at www.birdsonggregory.com

Because we're social animals. That's why. And no matter how fast a network we have at home. Or however many QVC channels. Or how convenient it is to order a kayak while wearing pajamas, just because it's increasingly easy to shop online, doesn't mean we'll stop going to the mall.

Indeed, for most retail sectors, a physical store can serve a fundamentally different function, giving consumers the ability to see, taste and touch the products in a way that is impossible online. Think of prime retail spaces like an Apple Store. Or Nike Town. Or the Disney Store.

The shopper marketing challenge for retailers in the future will be to figure out a way to play up the strengths of a bricks-and-mortar store while incorporating new technology and consumer trends into the experience. From interactive video screens to a smaller, carefully cultivated selection, here's an interesting article from The Street about ways that retailers can remain relevent as online commerce continues to grow.

It can be a difficult task to break a shopper's loyalty to a particular retailer – especially a grocery store. So when our client Bloom launched its brand refresh in the Norfolk and DC markets, our strategy was to lure as many folks back into Bloom with compelling offers, based on shopper insights, and also bring a taste of the new Bloom into the community. In addition to a direct mail campaign with coupon offers, billboards, radio and agressive digital and print advertising, the mobile unit pictured above will show up at local events in the market (with the giant shopping cart in tow) and sample an array of the new products found in Bloom. We'll also be distributing coupons that direct people back to the store for free products. Check out more of the work we deliver around Shopper Marketing at www.birdsonggregory.com

As another sign that retailers are looking for ways to adapt and adopt new technologies, Express has announced they will make their whole clothing catalog available on Facebook. As Jim Wright, SPV of CRM and e-commerce at Express explains, “If you look at what's happening today, top-down marketing and driving people to places to transact has changed. We need to be where customers are having their experiences and sharing information. We need to take down the barriers preventing a shopping experience.”

Did you catch that important shift? Retailers can no longer afford to wait for shoppers to come to them - they have to be where their shoppers are. Technology, in this instance Facebook, has brought about the means for retail marketing to evolve beyond the traditional four walls of the store. The result is a whole new world of retail. 

The article goes on to quote Patti Freeman Evans, VP and research director at Forrester Research as saying experimenting with social commerce is valuable for retailers even if it doesn't drive direct sales. Why? Because retailers “get insight into customers that are much more intimate. Retailers can pull those insights and turn them into analytics and use those analytics on their website to make recommendations to customers based on friends' purchases.”

The implications are far reaching. You have to be where your shoppers are to get the shopper insights you need to stay relevant. Even if that means being willing to experiment with new ways of being where your shoppers are. 

Retail Marketing continues to evolve. Retailers have become manufacturers, creating brands and products to sell in their stores. Manufactures as retailers, looking to create more direct interactions with shoppers. Based on this, here are two interesting examples of manufacturers blurring the lines beyond their traditional roles.

Pepsi's Social Vending Machine:
This new execution from Pepsi mixes the lines of retailing, manufacturing and social media. As the video shows, you can purchase or gift a drink as well as explore ways to get involved with their Refresh project. Will it result in more sales? Increased brand engagement? Stronger brand preference? Maybe, but more importantly, the ability for shoppers to interact with products and as a result, for Pepsi to gain shopper insights from those interactions can be priceless.  



P&G's Art of Shaving Store:
While not a new execution, I had my first visit recently and came away impressed. From the merchandising to the store employee training, it is obvious P&G has invested a lot into making this store work. And while it may or may not be successful, the learnings, interactions and sampling the Art of Shaving provides could be a differentiating factor as P&G looks to evolve the men's grooming business.


There are many examples I could pull from, as evolving roles continues to be a trend changing marketing. While the implications are many, the central focus for retailers and manufactures is the same - relevance. In today's shifting landscape, having an opportunity to engage consumers and gain shopper insights is critical to keeping your store and brand relevant.

 

Most shoppers look for the iconic cigar chomping Vlasic stork in the pickle aisle, but lately, thanks to a new instore ad campaign for one of America's most popular pickle brand, you can find the stoutly billed Groucho Marx-imitating bird in other parts of the your supermarket. Like next to ground beef in the butchers case. After all, what goes better with a hamburger than a nice crisp dill pickle? Research shows that a majority of burgers are served with pickles, and as grilling season gets underway the timing is good.

Along with shelves and grocery carts, vinyl ads also will appear on supermarket floors, while displays near the pickles themselves will dispense coupons and recipes. Along with this in-store advertising, which will run through September, the new Vlasic campaign includes recent ads in print magazines like People and Dash and on websites including FoodNetwork.com. 

Vlasic, a brand of the Pinnacle Foods Group, spent $7.9 million on advertising in 2009 and $8.4 million in 2010, according to the Kantar Media unit of WPP. Eric Hintz, vice president for marketing at Pinnacle, declined to reveal the exact cost of the new campaign, but said marketing expenditures in 2011 would increase by double digits over last year.

As a Charlotte based shopper marketing agency, birdsong gregory is experiencing this trend firsthand and is excited about how retailers and product brands increasingly understand the importance of being relevant at the shelf. 

According to a recent survey by the GMA and Booz, 55 percent of brands plan to increase spending on shopper marketing by more then 5 percent annually over the next three years, which is more than those intending to increase spending on social media (52 percent), Internet advertising (41 percent), print media (14 percent) or television (7 percent).

Some other examples of fun instore marketing juxtapositions:

• To promote its soy and teriyaki sauces, Kikkoman dispenses recipes for marinades and coupons from a shelf display in the meat section during grilling season and places turkey brining recipes in the poultry section before Thanksgiving.
• In an instore Valentine’s Day  promotion to encourage using M&M’s in recipes, the Mars brand recently placed displays in the bakery aisle at supermarkets with cupcake recipes featuring the candies.

Shopper insights reveal that the fresh departments in grocery stores are critical influencers on the perception of ones overall shopping experience. So when we decided to freshen up the in-store elements for Bloom's Norfolk and DC area stores, we paid particular attention to the produce department. As you can see in the photo above we utilized the wall areas surrounding the department to introduce vivid photography of fresh fruits and vegetables and, of course, people enjoying them. The reaction from shoppers (and Bloom Associates) to this work has been nothing short of amazing. It reinforces Bloom's commitment to offer the freshest fruits and vegetables in the market and improves the overall fresh perception of the store. Learn more about shopper marketing agency birdsong gregory at www.birdsonggregory.com

It should come as no surprise that smart phones are quickly becoming a part of regular life. As smart phone penetration has increased, the usage has evolved - they are no longer just communication devices, they are connection (web, social networks) and purchase devises as well. 

Here are some pretty staggering points from the Performics 2011 Mobile Search Insights Study:

• More than 50% of all smart phone users search the web on their phone at least once a day.
• 49% of smart phone users have made a purchase with their phones in the last 6 months.

Consumers are searching and purchasing from phones more than ever before. How should this impact your approach to retail marketing? Interestingly, when the report broke down search activity, it shed some light into how consumers are using their phones and what information they are seeking:

• 84% look for local retailer information (phone, address, hours)
• 82% find online retailers
• 73% find a specific manufacturer or product Website
• 71% learn about a product or service after seeing an ad
• 68% find the best price for a product or service
• 63% search before purchasing offline in a store or from a catalog

These facts should serve as a foundation for a deeper exploration of shopper insights. Mobile allows immediate access - to information, reviews and purchase - and shoppers continue to integrate mobile into how they shop. Given this, you should be looking for opportunities to integrate mobile into your retail marketing today.

Not sure where to start? Give bg a call - we would love the chance to help you build a relevant mobile strategy.

The supermarket business is a tough one and our client Bloom has been challenged like most grocers over the past few years. The economy spurred a flight to thrifty spending and that cost many mainstream stores a dip in sales. As the economy slowly recovers, Bloom is poised to unveil a fresh new look for its stores in the Norfolk, VA and DC markets. In addition to a larger product assortment to meet the needs of its shoppers, Bloom is also investing millions of dollars in new decor and wayfinding elements to enhance the shopping experience. We're proud to have employed our shopper marketing insights and played an integral role in the concept and design of these materials. The banner pictured above is just a taste of the work we've done for Bloom. This entry sign greets Guests as they enter the store to herald the new product assortment and attractive pricing.

Stay tuned for a full reveal of the Bloom Rebrand, and visit birdsong gregory's web site to learn more about our Shopper Marketing services.

In-store marketing has always been about understanding and engaging shoppers on their path to purchase. And yet technology continues to act as the change agent, bringing new levels of innovation to retail. It has forever evolved the traditional path to purchase. Given the changed retail reality we all face, I found this to be a fantastic article that challenges much of the commonly accepted philosophies on why shoppers make the decisions they do.

The article boldly states there is no longer a traditional path to purchase. Meaning there is no longer a linear purchase process - there are added dimensions and layers to how consumers get, interact with, and give information. And these interaction points can influence or change a shopper's approach to purchase. It is no longer about tracing a shopper along a path leading to a store for a purchase. As Mark Prichard, CMO of P&G says, you have to "follow the consumer. And the consumer is becoming more and more engaged in the digital world.” 

Shoppers are becoming increasingly channel- and commerce-agnostic. Said another way, they care more about the what than how they get their what. Given this, how are you evolving your approach to them? Here are three initial ideas and I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

1. Question your assumptions. Really seek to understand how these new retail realities are shifting your shopper's behavior. Not knowing or not being sure are no longer acceptable. 

2. Follow your shopper. Find, gather, and utilize shopper insights in new and different ways. Shoppers are not taking a traditional approach to the store. Your insights shouldn't either.    

3. Integrate your strategies. Social, mobile and shopper marketing should no longer be treated as divergent strategies. Shoppers use them seamlessly and marketers must start viewing them as different avenues by which you can communicate to the same target.

Ultimately, with an ability to purchase anywhere at anytime, a shopper's path no longer is a journey to a brick & mortar store. Each shopper can take many different paths at different places at different times. As shopper marketers, it is time to embrace the many paths to purchase.

More is happening.
And it is happening faster: 
Culture.
Technology.
Business.
They all move at the speed of evolution, which has sped up from fast to real-time.
You have to live in the now.
Don't blink or you will miss an event, opportunity or insight.

And yet, there is value in looking backwards. 

I loved this article from Ed Cotton of Influx Branding on the importance of looking backwards, of using the past as a path to the future. The next time you are stuck today on what should come tomorrow, consider these questions from the article: 

• What was the core promise of the brand at its inception? 
  
• How did that promise manifest itself? 
• What cultural truth informed it?
  
• Is the original promise relevant today?
  
• Does that promise fit into the context of contemporary culture?
  
• How might you update the promise to be relevant? 
  
• Instead of rushing forward, believing that by adding some shiny new object to the brand we are going to make it relevant again, what can we learn from its past that can help inform its future? 

As marketers, regardless of traditional or in-store marketing, you have to be a futurist, understanding and navigating what is coming. But you should also be a historist, understanding the decisions and implications of what has already come.

It is pretty common to wonder about the future. Even more common to wonder when some of those futuristic visions will become a reality. My Dad just sent me this video, which I found to be pretty interesting. 



Here are my reflections based on watching this: 

1. Flexibility of the technology: Notice how flexible the technology looks, seamlessly surrounding them throughout their day. It allows interaction at different points in different ways. Regardless of what your industry is or what your widget does, flexibility is an essential part of designing with the end (consumer and usage) in mind. Are you making flexibility a key ingredient in your approach today?

2. Customizing the Experience: We consumers crave customization based on our unique needs. Businesses that create customized recommendations for consumers are gaining a loyal following - look at Amazon and Netflix as two personal examples. Are you building customized experiences for your audience?

3. Empowering Consumers: Especially the in-store segments, the shopper is able to review the product information, interact with the product options and deselect down to what she was most interested in trying on. This is not an example of technology for technology's sake (which a lot of these future videos tend to have), but rather technology for shopper's sake. Do you understand your target's purchase pattern enough to identify where gaps and opportunities exist that technology might be able to fill?

The future will be exciting. It always is. And yet the fundamentals applicable today will still apply in the future. You have to have a foundation of consumer and shopper insights in order to build anything relevant, especially in marketing. This allows you to start with the problem/issue/opportunity and then find the right solution (technology/product/service) to fill the need.

As far off as the future is (after all, does it ever really arrive?!), you should be futurizing your approach today. Sound daunting? Not sure where to start? You are in luck. We can help. Because at bg, we futurize. 

Back in the days of traditional advertising, before the days of social networking, the path-to-purchase was a clear and distinct road to follow:

awareness--> consideration--> preference--> purchase--> retention

Now that there are new realms to influence decision making, the brick and mortar, in-store marketing is taking a back seat to social media. So much can be done online, and every step of the purchase funnel now includes some aspect of online presence.

Shopper insights take the form of facebook posts, yelp reviews, product review websites.  More than ever brands are finding new ways to get their message out there in more targeted forums that hit the consumer from every angle, rather than just radio, TV, print or OOH. This can be a positive point of sale for a brand and a free boost in a brand's image (through Word of Mouth), but can also pose a potential risk if consumers have even just one bad experience. Brand's beware, shoppers have a strong influence and voice today.

I love this example of pushing the traditional definitions and executions of in-store marketing from Adidas. AdiVerse is a fully dimensionalized and interactive point of sale experience that creates an engaging and informational experience, all available at a shopper's fingertips. I especially love the way they integrated shopper insights into their approach, bringing external information (like how many goals their soccer shoe scored in the World Cup) into the information provided to shoppers.

A recent post from Advertising Age sheds a little bit of light on a planned in-store kiosk from Kraft to take shopper marketing to a new level.

Using a consumer's list and shopping history (derived from scanning your loyalty card and/or shopping list), it regurgitates suggested recipes and adds new items to the shopping list that are needed to cook the meals. Kraft has not deployed it anywhere yet, but is in discussions with unnamed retailers about possibly launching it soon.

"Shoppers struggle with 'What am I going to make?' every single night for dinner," said Don King, Kraft's VP-retail experience. "This is designed to try to help that process go smoother." Along the way, it drives more purchases at the store, including more Kraft brands.

The kiosk also includes a small camera that scans an image of the shopper's face. Using video analytics technology, the machine derives a basic profile -- such as age and gender. Now if the kiosk could only come to my Charlotte home and cook for my family!

From the blog at birdsong gregory, a Charlotte, NC shopper marketing and advertising agency.

The best in-store marketing takes a holistic approach to reaching shoppers. Whether point of sale or packaging design, color is one of the most important and influential aspects of design. The below infographic from KISSmetrics provides a visually interesting and compelling breakdown of its influence on all aspects of a purchase decision. 
 

Traditionally, in-store marketing has been targeted at female heads of household, as they have been the primary shopper for their families. However, as the traditional family shifts away from traditional marketing stereotypes, a significant shift is the more active role of men in family decision making.

A recent Ad Age article found that more than half of men now believe they control their family's shopping cart. While that number might be a bit exaggerated (industry numbers tend to be around 1/3 of men), the impact is nonetheless significant for marketers. 

This chart shows the variety of activities where men are getting, playing a more influential role than traditionally. Given this, have you shifted your approach to gaining and understanding shopper insights? How will you make sure you get a gender balanced perspective. How are you approaching packaging design and point of sale differently given these shifts? 

Shopper marketing is ultimately about creating a relevant connection and the most critical aspect of relevance is an understanding of your audience. As your audience shifts, so should your approach and understanding.  

When it comes to retail, your brand is built on everything the shopper experiences - from the products you offer to the cleanliness of your bathrooms. Given this, what does this floor plan of a typical Ikea say about their brand?

What's striking is that while the Ikea brand is all about giving customers the tools for organization, the design of the stores doesn't let shoppers make navigation decisions. Instead, the layout carefully creates an orchestrated customer pathway.

The Daily Mail article got Alan Penn, director of the Virtual Reality Centre for the Build Environment at University Collect London to comment, and he compares Ikea's strategy with retail parks designed to keep customers inside as long as possible. "In Ikea's case, you have to follow a set path past what is effectively their catalogue in physical form, with furniture placed in different settings which is meant to show you how adaptable it is."

Taking a shopper insights approach to retail has resulted in most retailers going towards an open, inviting environment. Ikea's stores seem like a step backwards, seemingly ignoring in-store marketing. Ikea's retail design is one way to ensure their shoppers see their full variety, but it makes me wonder if this strategy could hurt them in the long run. What other trips are they missing out on with their own, preordained, retailer-centric store layout?

What do you think? Is Ikea's strategy the right approach for their industry? Or is it a design desperately needing an updated, shopper marketing overhaul? 

 

The world's largest coffee company unveiled it's fourth version of the logo in 40 years yesterday. Starbucks says that this fresh new look goes right along side a new direction for the company, as it makes it's way back from the tough economy. 

 

The first three versions of the logo have helped Starbucks build it's brand recognition. Therefore, the company now feels that they've come to a place where they no longer need to reinforce their name, so they took it out though it had always previously encircled their iconic siren. She too received subtle updates, as the icon's facial features appear slightly softer, and her shape slightly leaner. On the Starbucks website Mike P., Senior Creative Manager, says " We enhanced her form in subtle ways, smoothing her hair, refining her facial features, and weighting the scales on her tail to bring the focus to her face." It's here also that we find a video of CEO, Howard Schultz, explaining their new updated look. The company plans to bring it to stores in March to coincide with the it's 40th anniversary. 

 

Starbucks says this logo facelift will also better suit their new direction, with expansion beyond coffee into a wider array of business lines, and into more international markets. "Starbucks will continue to offer the highest-quality coffee, but we will offer other products as well - and while the integrity, quality and consistency of these products must remain true to who we are, our new brand identity will give us the freedom and flexibility to explore innovations and new channels of distribution that will keep us in step with our current customers and build strong connections with new customers." says Schultz.

 

As birdsong gregory has been involved with brand development and brand revisions (small and large) with many of our clients, it's very interesting to watch large companies like Starbucks move forward. Change, more often than not, keeps a company relevant; even if the changes are subtle. 

 

Tell us what you think about the new logo! With most change comes resistance, as we've already seen in articles on the web, but we believe that with time, people become more comfortable, accept, and understand changes like these. After all, is anyone really not going to recognize this iconic figure as Starbucks Coffee? We don't think so. 

Simple question right?

Has your answer to that question changed or evolved in the past 5 years? If not, it is time to reconsider what a retailer in 2011 really is.

A retailer is a seller.
A retailer is a brand.
A retailer is a manufacturer.
A retailer is a realtor.
A retailer is a marketer.
A retailer is an entertainer.
A retailer is a media network.

The list is by no means exhaustive and will continue to grow as retailers continue to evolve. Need proof? Best Buy just launched their own network called On. It will have in-store and online reach and with an ability to reach over 1 billion consumers a year, it has tremendously broad implications. 

The role of a retailer in 2011 is definitely different than it was in 2001 and will be different than it was in 2010. If you haven't evolved your view or approach to retail, you need to. It is time to look at retailers differently.