We’re proud to announce a new feature on the ShareBlog from our Shopper marketing team, Talking Shop. In this weekly special report TMA’s resident shopper marketing experts will expound on industry trends, best practices, and tips– ultimately with the goal of moving items from a considered option in the minds of consumers into the only option. Without further ado, this week’s feature:
Five Essential Tips for Effective Shopper Marketing
1. Know Your Retailer
The better you align your initiatives with the retailer’s overall category short and long term strategies, the more they’ll want to partner with you. Your programming should help their situation and resonate with their specific target shopper for the category. Realize that all retailers are good at something – so understand what they do well and incorporate that into your shopper plan.
2. Get the Basics Right
No matter how good your shopper marketing program is, a retailer won’t listen if your brand ’s fundamentals aren’t right. For example, if there’s a major pricing issue, you’ll need to address this before proposing any shopper marketing opportunities. Remember, retailers are still merchants first and they’re rewarded for their sales more than anything else. And don’t forget, collaboration with your sales team is critical.
3. Bet Strategically
Not every retailer or brand is ready for shopper marketing, so it’s OK to be selective about who to partner with. While it’s exciting to partner with the biggest retailer, sometimes the smaller retailers are more willing to work with you. Spend some time determining who’s the right match for your brand s and your consumer.
4. Spend Responsibly
After you’ve chosen the retailer and the brand s/categories you want to develop a shopper program for, the next step is funding. Some companies budget for shopper marketing, while for others, funding is a constant battle. Whether the funding is being held to the same ROI as trade events (or any other ROI used by marketers to determine if the vehicle is effective), shopper marketers must be diligent on how the money is spent. Transparency in how the money will be spent, the vehicles that it will be spent on, and the goals of the program are all critical in sharing with both the marketing and sales functions within the company. The more you can educate and show results, the more momentum you’ll have for future programs.
5. Scale it Up
Make your brand relevant to the shopper beyond your category. The shopper is focused on solutions – meaning she’s not just buying breakfast, but also lunch and dinner. She’s typically coming in to fill her cart and cross off her entire list, which means she isn’t focused on just one brand . Neither is the retailer – their number one concern is typically their banner or store overall first, then departments and aisles. Categories, brand s and SKUs fall last on their list. It’s an inverted equation to how manufacturers market their brand s. The more you can make your brand and category relevant to the shopper on a broader scale, the more likely the retailer will want to support it.
While that’s all for today, stay tuned for next month’s Talking Shop.