Happy Holidays from Shopper 360

We're taking some much needed time off from our coverage of shopper marketing and private label to celebrate the season with our loved ones. We want to sincerely thank you for your readership, your comments and your participation.

Here are our top posts from 2009:

Walgreens making changes to be customer centric

*Updated* The Return to “Personal Selling” at Retail

*Updated* Keynote:A Fresh and Easy Place to Shop


We'll be back in January with more coverage.

We wish you Happy Holidays!

Hispanic Market Sees Value in Private Labels

Supermarket News reports that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Hispanics agree that “store brands are a great value for the money,” and 64% said “store brands are just as good as national and international brands.” The study also found that 73% of Hispanics are buying more private label foods this year and one in four plan to purchase private labels in 2010.

What do you think?

Learn more: Hispanic Market Sees Value in Private Labels

Popular Author Deals Directly with Amazon.com

This post in retailwire discusses how the high-popular author Stephen Covey has given Amazon.com the exclusive e-book rights to two of his most popular titles. Musical artists have long partnered with big retailers to help increase music downloads and sales of their units, but this is a first in electronic publishing.

Amazon.com has offered Stephen Covey a royalty rate double that he would normally receive through the publisher. Is this the new route for popular authors? Will we see less book publishers in the future?

Archived Recording Available: Do Consumers Prefer Private Label? A Look Into Consumer Attitudes About Private Label

What is the difference between name brands and store brands? Do consumers know? Do they care? How do they describe private label compared to name brands? Does this differ across categories? How about across markets?

Private label and store brands are having an impact on many consumer purchases today, both in the US and Europe. And within these markets the definition of private label compared to name brand varies according to category and retailer.

When is a name brand important? What makes a name brand different? Do consumers feel the same way about brands today as they did a year ago? Why or why not?

Showcasing BuzzBack’s unique portfolio of award-winning online research techniques, this webinar will highlight new consumer research conducted in the US and UK about purchasing behavior and attitudes associated with private label versus consumer name brands. The study will present ways to identify consumer behavior and attitudes about shopping via an online survey.

As you listen in, you will learn:
What drives consumer purchases of private label brands and why
Consumer perceptions and attitudes about private label compared to name brands
Types of people who purchase private label compared to store brands

Listen: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785

Official Call for Presenters is Now Open for the 10th annual Shopper Insights in Action Conference

The Institute for International Research (IIR) is currently seeking corporate practitioner presenters for the 10th annual Shopper Insights in Action Conference.

Due to the high volume of submissions, we suggest you submit your proposal early and no later than January 5th, 2010 to Amanda Powers, Senior Conference Producer at apowers@iirusa.com or call 1-646-895-7332. (Only proposals from brand and retail corporate practitioners will be considered, for all other submissions please see sponsorship section below).

Shopper Insights in Action is recognized as the world's leading conference focused on understanding shopper behavior and translating insights into action.

This year's theme is The new 360 degree sphere of influence: physical. virtual. mindset.

It addresses the game-changing paradigm shift from influencing shoppers in-store to influencing them whenever, where ever they are in a shopper mindset.

2010 will be a true best practice and idea exchange for those responsible for activating purchasing behavior across the brand and retail continuums. It is the only unbiased shopper-rooted platform where practitioners can properly benchmark their research/marketing practices against the leading brand and retail companies.

2010 Main Themes:
You may choose a specific topic or suggest a topic that fits within one of the themes.

1. STORE DESIGN & THE EXPERIENCE

2. REVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH PRACTICES

3. BRAND IDENTITY & PRODUCT INNOVATION

4. PRIVATE LABEL INSIGHTS: MEETING CHALLENGES WITH OPPORTUNITY

5. NEW & NEXT PRACTICES

6. ACTIONING THE INSIGHTS

7. WHAT'S NOW, WHAT'S NEXT...in the retail landscape

8. Other

Speakers receive FREE admission to the conference as well as any pre-conference activity such as workshops or symposium.

What if I am not a corporate practitioner (from a client-side company) but still would like to participate?

More than 75% of our content will be delivered by corporate practitioners. If you are a consultant or solutions provider and wish to be a part of the program, please contact Jon Saxe, Senior Business Development Manager at jsaxe@iirusa.com or 646-895-7467. We will customize opportunities to fit your needs from speaking, branding, networking and/or exhibiting.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS:
For consideration, please e-mail apowers@iirusa.com with the following information by January 5th, 2010:
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and e-mail
• The main theme you plan to address
• Which format you'd like to present
• A brief summary (75 words max)
• Please indicate what is NEW about the presentation
• What the audience will gain or learn from your presentation (please list 3-5 deliverables)
• Previous conference presentations
• Short Bio (2-3 sentences) & Speaker Headshot

If you are a retail executive and interested in attending the event but can not commit to presenting, you may apply to be a "retail thought-leader”. Write to Amanda at apowers@iirusa.com with your interest.

Complimenary Webinar: Do Consumers Prefer Private Label? A Look Into Consumer Attitudes About Private Label

Wed, Dec 9, 2009

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785

Mention priority code MWS0020BLOG

Do consumers know the difference between national brands and store brands? Do they care? How do they describe private label compared to national brands? Does this differ across categories? How about across markets?

Private label and store brands are having an impact on many consumer purchases today, both in the US and Europe. And within these markets the definition of private label compared to national brands varies according to category and retailer.

When is a brand important? What makes a national brand different? Do consumers feel the same way about brands today as they did a year ago? Why or why not?

Showcasing BuzzBack’s unique portfolio of award-winning online research techniques, this webinar will highlight new consumer research conducted in the US and UK about purchasing behavior and attitudes associated with private label versus national consumer brands. The study will present ways to identify consumer behavior and attitudes about shopping via an online survey.

As you listen in, you will learn:

• What drives consumer purchases of private label brands and why
• Consumer perceptions and attitudes about private label compared to national brands
• Types of people who purchase private label compared to national brands

Featured Speaker
Brendan Light, SVP, Research and Development, BuzzBack Market Research

Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785
Mention priority code MWS0020BLOG

Does your shopper marketing need to be re-evaluated?

In an interesting article at Inside Retailing, they look at the evolving customer and how you can reach them most efficiently when they enter your store. Shoppers need to be directly spoken to by your in-store advertising. This can result in more purchases. According to the article, 68% of buying decisions are made while the shopper is in the store.

Your strategy can be broken down into three stages:
-Developing a clear understanding of shopper behaviour and related insights
-Engaging the shopper in unique instore experiences
-Converting the shopper into a buyer

They also state that shopper marketing success relies on three things: the quality of your customer, your shopper insights and how well you integrate both of them. Read the full article here.

More Choices in Store: India's Retailers Are Stocking Up on Private Label Brands

The University of Pennsylvania's Marketing portal reports that India's retailers are filling their shelves with private label goods.

The report states,

In India, the growth of store brands is a function of increasing retail sophistication. Large-format, modern retail stores (known as the "organized" retail sector) -- as opposed to smaller, traditional "mom and pop" stand-alone stores -- are presently only a small portion of total retail in the country. A report by investment bank Northbridge Capital, titled "Indian Retail Research 2009," estimates the total Indian retail market at US$450 billion, growing more than 30% a year and expected to cross US$720 billion in 2011. Of this, organized retail accounts for just 14%, or US$63 billion -- although this sector is expected to grow 40% faster than the overall market to reach US$90 billion in 2010.

Learn more: More Choices in Store: India's Retailers Are Stocking Up on Private Label Brands

What do you think of the surge in private label goods by Indian retailers? What other factors may be causing this boom?

JCPenney Strikes a Deal with Mango

This recent post in retailwire discusses how JC Penney is striking up a deal with the fashion retailer Mango to setup a "store-within-the-store". This unique agreement will allow JCPenney to offer affordable contemporary fashion to women.

MNG, by Mango, which is an exclusive line for women aged 18-35 will also be sold at JCPenney beginning next fall. Enric Casi, Mango's CEO, mentions:

"Every time we bring Mango to a new international market, it has driven immediate, strong demand, and we have only begun to capitalize on the great desire for Mango in the U.S. JCPenney is the perfect match for us to take advantage of the opportunity we see for the MNG by Mango brand in this market."

Walmart Turns Trash Into Pizza Boxes

In an effort to reduce waste and to recycle their private brand pizza boxes, Walmart is utilizing a new way to reduce its footprint by recycling the cardboard waste collected in its stores into boxes for it’s private-label, take-and-bake pizza boxes, according to Earth911.com.

“We’ve totally and literally closed the loop using a retailer’s own boxes to go through a paper mill and then to make corrugated boxes out of those same things again,” said Myles Cohen, president of the recycling division for Pratt Industries, the company carrying out the new program. “Quite frankly, the program with Walmart that we’re partnering on is groundbreaking [...] It’s the future.”

Walmart estimates this measure alone will save 8,600 tons of waste from landfills. Additionally, it will reduce the need to consume the equivalent of 40 million gallons of water and 125,000 trees.

Walmart Turns Trash Into Pizza Boxes

Retailers Have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season

This post in retailwire highlights that retailers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. Economist feared a total economic collapse, and so far we have not yet seen that. They have been though entering this year's holiday season with a little more caution than they have in the previous years. What are some positives coming into the retail industry this year?

British Retailer, Marks & Spencer Hold Live Web Chat with Customers

Last Friday, British retailer, Marks & Spencer held a live web chat with their customers. According to Marketing, a number of people have complained the Advertising Standards Authority claiming that M&S' star-studded TV campaign is sexist, because of ‘Life on Mars' actor Philip Glenister's comment about model Noemie Lenoir "prancing about in her underwear."

This is the second live web-chat M&S has hosted on Facebook. In June customers put questions to M&S' head of sustainable business, Mike Barry, about the retailer's Plan A - M&S' 100-point eco-plan.

McIntosh said: ‘Facebook is a fantastic platform for communicating with our customers. It's direct, responsive and popular with almost 100,000 fans of the M&S facebook site.

‘We want to hear what customers think of our marketing; what we've done well, what we've done less well and what they want more of,' McIntosh said.

What do you think? Do you believe that this life Facebook will help the retailer?

Marks & Spencer marketer to hold live web-chat with customers via Facebook

Reminder: CALL FOR PRESENTERS: Shopper Insights in Action 2010

INDUSTRY ALERT:

OFFICIAL CALL FOR PRESENTERS IS DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.

Call: 1-646-895-7332 or email apowers@iirusa.com

The Institute for International Research (IIR) is currently seeking corporate practitioner presenters for:

10th annual Shopper Insights in Action Conference

Fore more information, please click here.

Free Web Seminar - Do Consumers Prefer Private Label? A Look Into Consumer Attitudes About Private Label

Date/Time: Wed, Dec 9, 2009 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

Do consumers know the difference between national brands and store brands? Do they care? How do they describe private label compared to national brands? Does this differ across categories? How about across markets?

Private label and store brands are having an impact on many consumer purchases today, both in the US and Europe. And within these markets the definition of private label compared to national brands varies according to category and retailer.

When is a brand important? What makes a national brand different? Do consumers feel the same way about brands today as they did a year ago? Why or why not?

Showcasing BuzzBack’s unique portfolio of award-winning online research techniques, this webinar will highlight new consumer research conducted in the US and UK about purchasing behavior and attitudes associated with private label versus national consumer brands. The study will present ways to identify consumer behavior and attitudes about shopping via an online survey.

As you listen in, you will learn:
• What drives consumer purchases of private label brands and why
• Consumer perceptions and attitudes about private label compared to national brands
• Types of people who purchase private label compared to national brands

Featured Speaker
Brendan Light, SVP, Research and Development, BuzzBack Market Research

Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/781266785
Mention priority code MWS0020BLOG

7-Eleven Adds Wine to its Private Label Offerings

Convenience store powerhouse, 7-Eleven has now introduced its own wine to stores in the US and Japan. At just under $4, the wines will be sold under the Yosemite Road label and will be available in the U.S. and Japan. The wines are being made by The Wine Group in California, which is the world's third-largest wine producer. The Huffingtom Post says the wines are, "zesty with notes of apricot, peach and honey, and the cab as full-bodied with juicy plum overtones." To hear more about 7-Eleven's entrance into private label wines, check out NPR's coverage.

Costco No Longer Does Business with Coca-Cola

According to this article in retailwire, the largest warehouse club store in the US, Costco, has decided to stop doing business altogether with Coca-Cola. Costco has mentioned that Coca-Cola has not given the warehouse competitive pricing and so Costco is not able to pass along the discounts over to their members.

Brands associated with Coca-Cola like Coke Classic, Cherry Coke, Black Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite and Squirt, Dasani Water and Vitamin Water along with several energy drinks will also cease to be sold at Costco warehouses.

Shoppers changed this holiday season

Marketing Week recently looked at how shoppers behaviors have changed from holiday shopping seasons past, as shoppers are now more conscious by making lists and sticking to them when they make their trips to the mall or grocery store. According to a recent survey, 68% of shoppers have increased their budget settings, 57% have increased the number of price comparisons they do across multiple stores, and 61% are using more coupons. Marketing Week credits shoppers with looking to the simple, and encourages stores to navigate that way. They use Apple and IKEA stores as great examples of keeping things simple while still meeting the customers needs. Read the full article here.

What are you doing in-store to cater to your customers who are now more budget conscious?

Shoppers look at more than just price in recession

Daniel Palmer of Australian Food News writes that shoppers are not simply looking at price tags when stretching their food dollars. Palmer writes that the initial findings of a shopper marketing study released by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Booz & Company and SheSpeaks, titledShopper Marketing 3.0: Unleashing the Next Wave of Value, concludes that price is not the only focus of consumers and also looks into the effectiveness of in-store promotions.

“This research shows us that even in a recession, more often than not, shoppers are making purchase decisions based on factors other than price,” said Brian Lynch, director of sales and sales promotion for GMA. “This key finding reinforces the notion that there is significant opportunity to influence shopper behaviour by having the right messages in place along the entire path to purchase.”

For more information, please click on the link below.

New research shows grocery shoppers still looking beyond price

Shopper marketing can help the small businesses

In a recent article at the Epoch Times, they look at how small businesses can use shopper marketing to their advantage during these hard economic jobs. They begin the article by stating that shoppers are people who come into your store, and engage with you and they may become your customer. Your customer is someone who has made repeat purchases and comes back to shop with you.

With small businesses, they can focus on their shoppers on the store level and encourage them to come back. Ways to do this are:
• Shelf-talkers (signage that attaches to the shelf)
• Floor graphics (non-slip stickers on the floor)
• In-store broadcasting on TV, public announcement system,
• Displays/Kiosks
• Promotional: contesting, sampling,
• In-store interviews

My Private Brand: Private Brand is Front Page News at Duane Reade

New Yorkers will notice that there are a few changes to the Big Apple-centric drugstore, Duane Reade. The venerable retailer has unveiled its line of private label goods, "deLish." Here is Private Brand expert, Christoper Durham's take on the retailer:

PRIVATE BRAND IS FRONT PAGE NEWS AT DUANE READE

The ubiquitous New York drug retailer Duane Reade has been featured here on a number of occasions over the last few months and I admit to a certain fondness for this David fighting off the Goliaths of drug retail that are quickly invading New York. However it is more on principle than reality, I have visited many of their stores over the last few years and the redesigned stores are a great improvement from many of the classic shoebox city stores that they are known for. So I am excited to see the progress they have made with both their retail experience and their brand. They are uniquely New York and seem to have taken that to heart in their new branding efforts. This reinforces Duane Reade’s brand mantra of New York Living Made Easy.
Duane Reade has long been the place where New Yorkers could find everything from prescriptions to potato chips. So it’s only fitting that the city’s largest drugstore chain, now undergoing a substantial transformation, is introducing hundreds of new Private Brand products and featuring them in the new magalog, The Duane Reader. This is a tried and true Private Brand promotional tactic that retailers including Trader Joe’s and Loblaws have implemented with great success.

Hundreds of new products will appear in the inaugural 20-page Holiday Edition, which will be inserted this week in The New York Times and The Daily News, as well as handed out on commuter trains and in office buildings throughout the city. As well as in the more than 250 Duane Reade stores in the metropolitan area.
According to a Duane Reade press release: Joe Jackman, acting chief marketing officer, commented, “The Duane Reader represents our most recent effort to strengthen our brand image in order to match the positive changes that we are making to our customer experience. It’s our hope that busy New Yorkers will find it to be a relevant, useful, and entertaining companion for city-living during the holidays.”

The Duane Reader spotlights hundreds of products at hot introductory prices. It also profiles exciting new – and New York-centric. Many of the products highlighted make their debut under one of the exclusive Duane Reade Private Brands:the expanding DR Delish Private Brand of delectable food and beverage items Apt 5, Duane Reade’s quintessential New York Private Brand, which now includes a new environmentally friendly line-up called Apt 5 Goes Green
the beautiful new beauty Private Brand Look NY, and the long-standing and recently relaunched Christmas In New York Private Brand.

“Virtually all the products in The Duane Reader have a connection to city living, with many created especially for the joyous holiday season,” said Joe Magnacca, chief merchandising officer at Duane Reade. “We are thrilled to use this unique publication to highlight the great values and wonderful array of new and exciting products that our team has been busy creating. Whether stocking-stuffer gifts, easy entertaining, or quality food choices on-the-run, we had fun tying in these items to the everyday events and happenings that we experience as we get ready for the holidays in New York.”

The premier issue of the Duane Reader, which debuts this week, focuses on the holiday season, with a number of new and relevant items for entertaining (DR Delish French sparkling sodas), decorating (Christmas in New York cards, wreaths and apartment-sized trees), stocking-stuffing (Apt. 5 corkscrews and LookNY make-up brushes), and just plain New York “survival” items (sheer hosiery, vitamins, stain removal sticks and ‘green’ cleaning supplies).
Accompanying the perfect-for-holiday items is a pull-out Holiday Planner providing a New Yorker’s view of things to see and do this month and next, and other sections with fun tidbits such as which restaurants are serving Christmas dinner, and the hours of the Central Park Ice Rink.

In addition to the exciting product news, The Duane Reader publication is packed with bargains, useful tips and hints, historical notes about New York City, and holiday ideas. It is a must-read for city dwellers and visitors.

Shopping for Clothes is Not a Positive Experience for all Women

This post on retailwire highlights that research done in Australia shows that while thinner women view shopping as a therapeutic and pleasurable experience, many obese and slightly overweight women do not find shopping for clothes a positive experience. A professor from the University in Australia mentioned that the difficulty for larger women to find clothes that fit make the experience a negative one.

Women in the study were asked to rate their shopping experience a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being extremely pleasurable. Most of the thinner women rated their experience high while overweight women rated their experience lower on the scale. The study also concluded that thinner women shopped with fashion in mind while more obese women had intentions of camouflaging their figure when they went shopping.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS: Shopper Insights in Action 2010

INDUSTRY ALERT:

OFFICIAL CALL FOR PRESENTERS IS DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.

Call: 1-646-895-7332 or email apowers@iirusa.com

The Institute for International Research (IIR) is currently seeking corporate practitioner presenters for:

10th annual Shopper Insights in Action Conference

Due to the high volume of submissions, we suggest you submit your proposal early and no later than Monday, November 30, 2009 to Amanda Powers, Senior Conference Producer at apowers@iirusa.com or call 1-646-895-7332. (Only proposals from brand and retail corporate practitioners will be considered, for all other submissions please see sponsorship section below).

Shopper Insights in Action is recognized as the world’s leading conference focused on understanding shopper behavior and translating insights into action. 2010 will be a true best practice and idea exchange for those responsible for driving shopper-centric programs in the brand and retail worlds. It is the only unbiased shopper-rooted platform where practitioners can properly benchmark their research/marketing practices against the leading brand and retail companies.

2010 Main Themes & Topics:
• New Methodologies for Understanding Shoppers
• Bringing Insights into the Next Era: New Qualitative & Quantitative Techniques
• The Psychology of the Post-Recession Shopper
• Adopting to the New Era of Simplicity
• Clear Messaging Amidst Media Saturation
• Holistic Solutions on a Global Level: End to End Insights to Activation
• Connecting Emotionally in the Store
• The Impact of Culture in the Private Label Boom
• The New American Shoppers
• Segmenting Based on Shopper Occasions
• The Ultimate Integrated Marketing: Bridging the Gap between Brand, Digital and In-Store
• Taking Insights to Scale in a Portfolio Benefiting Manner
• Packaging Insights
• Pricing Thresholds and Awareness with Shoppers
• The Strength of Mass Engagement and What it Means for Shopper Marketing
• Social Media in the Store: iPhone and Technology Revolution
• Tying Store Design and Layout to Shopper Insights: What Shoppers Do and Don’t Want
• The Blurring Lines between the Shopper and the Consumer: Where Does Branding Meet Shopper Marketing? (Opportunities, winning stories)
• In-Store Metrics & Measurement
• In and Out of Store Technologies that Engage Shoppers
• Change Agents: Getting Your Entire Organization to Embrace and Breath Shopper-Centricity (are you a change agent and catalyst in your org?)
• Small Shops, Big Lessons (If you’re a smaller retailers or a brand that has had great success partnering with alternative channel formats, let us know)
• New Technologies: Virtual, What’s Next?
• Communicating Insights through Storytelling Techniques

Within each of the above topics we are looking for presenters in the following formats:

Storytellers - Presenters sharing 10 minute stories around one of the key themes above. We will select the top 3 proposals within each of the themes to participate. Each storytelling cluster will be conducted in an intimate format concluding with Q&A and/or discussions after the set of stories.

POV Contributors – In recognition that there isn’t just one way to solve issues, we will tackle one topic using a panel format with diverse point of views. We are looking for panel contributors to share their Point of View on a specific hot topic. Please submit a short description of what unique angle or perspective you'd like to share within the specific topic and we will pick the top five proposals from each of the areas.

Champions - Case Study Sessions presented by Executive Level Corporate/Client Side Practitioners only. Practitioners please submit in-depth case studies which focus on the how-to, not just what, and whys.

Discussion Catalysts - Collective intelligence is the key to sparking new ideas and innovation. We are looking for expert facilitators to conduct collaborative activities or discussions around each of the key themes above. Please indicate which topic you'd like to facilitate, your background in facilitation as well we a proposed activity around one of the topics mentioned above.

Change-Agents – Activating insights requires an immense amount of collaboration between various business units, cross-functional teams, outside vendors and partners. If you’ve been a change-agent and have a success story tell, let us know.

Speakers receive FREE admission to the conference as well as any pre-conference activity such as workshops or symposium.

What if I am not a corporate practitioner (from a client side company) but still would like to participate?

More than 75% of our content will be delivered by corporate practitioners. If you are a consultant or solutions provider and wish to be a part of the program, please contact Jon Saxe, Senior Business Development Manager at jsaxe@iirusa.com or 646-895-7467. We will customize opportunities to fit your needs from speaking, branding, networking and/or exhibiting.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS:

For consideration, please e-mail apowers@iirusa.com with the following information by November 30, 2009
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and e-mail
• The main theme you plan to address
• Which format you'd like to present
• A brief summary
• Please indicate what is NEW about the presentation
• What the audience will gain or learn from your presentation (please list 3-5 deliverables)
• Previous conference presentations
• Short Bio & speaker headshot

Tips/Guidelines
Due to the high volume of proposals we receive, not every submission is selected. We rely heavily on three components:
1. Content matches interest of audience identified through research
2. Compelling topic that showcases something new and exciting. It must show how to insights were leveraged to drive action/sales/loyalty
3. Speaker is able to provide details in the format of a case study or interactive session. This event is about sharing with members of your industry, so the speaker must be willing to showcase the "how-to" details.

All the best,

Amanda Powers
Senior Conference Producer
Institute for International Research

Email: apowers@iirusa.com
Phone: 1-646-895-7332
Fax: 212-599-2192
Mail to: 708 Third Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Brandweek: Battling Brand Malpractice

Terri Goldstein of Brandweek discusses today how though the rise in private labels has been good for retail, it may be detrimental to the "big brand" CPGs because of design theft. Goldstein writes, A national or retail brand imbued with its own positioning, a unique selling proposition and a one-of-a-kind look and feel is a gold mine. However, the fact that retailers have access to the newest products and latest positioning by leading national brands enables them to steal valuable colors, shapes, symbols and keywords for the design of their own private label brands—a phenomenon that can and should be described as “brand malpractice.”

Further, Goldstein writes that Rather than continuing to play favorites and practice private label thievery, retailers would do well to develop store brands that create their own experience with the consumer via unique visual triggers and brand positioning.

While it’s easy for private label brands to capitalize on the cachet of their competitors by changing a few letters around, fully developed store brands fight fairly for the hearts and minds of consumers on the retail battlefield.

What do you think? Are too many private labels stealing from "big brands"? Can products be successfully sold if they look nothing like their "big brand" inspiration?

Battling Brand Malpractice

In-store marketing growing faster than internet marketing

According to an article at Marketing Magazine in the UK, shopper marketing is growing in importance, and looks to have an annual growth rate of 21% by 2010. A key observation by the article as that more consumers are heading to the store with shopping lists, but they aren't specifying what brand they need. This is a key note for brands, as the consumers will make on-site decisions as to what brand they'll be purchasing. Another observation was that shoppers are now more in-tune with how much food the are potentially going to waste, so they make decisions about that as well. Read the full article here.

7-Eleven Stocks Up With Private Label

Stacy Straczynski of Brandweek reports that 7-Eleven is diving further into the private label sector. The convenience chain this week announced the expansion of its 7-Select private label line to include 15 bakery-type snack products.

The new products include mini-donuts: Powdered sugar (six-pack and 10-ounce bag), chocolate frosted (six-pack and 10-ounce bag), and crunch (six-pack). The other additions are chocolate cupcakes, gold creme cakes, apple snack pies, cherry snack pies, iced honey buns and glazed honey buns. Several kinds of danishes round off the lineup, including iced cheese, iced cherry cheese, iced apple, and bear claw varieties.

What strategy could 7-Eleven use to introduce their private label goods to their target audience?

Home-Depot Offers Trade-Ins to Promote Energy Efficient Products

This article from retailwire discusses how Home Depot is trying to get consumers to trade in their old, worn out power tools and drills for brand new items by offering them big discounts. The company is offering a 15% discount off the purchase of lithium-ion drills and is also offering consumers $3 off new holiday LED lighting. The company is doing this in light of its new Eco-options program which promotes more energy efficient products.

Branded candy still preferred by shoppers for the Halloween seasons

According to Media Post, consumers are still choosing branded candy in the weeks leading up to Halloween over private label candy. And even in the current economic climate, this isn't expected to change.

Experts give a few reasons:
-Private label candy has not been able to overcome the candy brands' huge marketing investments in brand-building
- Consumers who don't buy much candy outside of the Halloween holiday may be going right to the brands because of limited store-brand assortments and limited knowledge of these options.

Read the full article here.

Whole Foods Launches Private Label Coffee To Benefit Jane Goodall Institute

Whole Foods has recently unveiled their Kanyovu light roast coffee, which will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute. Every purchase of single-origin Tanzanian coffee will support efforts to reforest the area around Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park — a preserve in the region where the coffee is grown — ultimately sustaining the area for local farmers and restoring habitat for endangered chimpanzees. This will help coffee growers in the Kanyovu region to use traditional and sustainable growing, harvesting and processing practices that help keep the land healthy and fruitful.

The coffee’s packaging will feature the Jane Goodall “Good for All” branding, the retailer said, which features a small green and white graphic bearing Goodall’s photo.

Whole Foods Launches Exclusive Coffee To Benefit Jane Goodall Institute

Private Label Impact Session Update—OfficeMax Joins Our Exclusive Speaker List

Later this month we’re headed to Chicago for the Private Label Impact Conference 2009, October 27-28.

This year we’re pleased to welcome innovators in the private label space representing an array of companies including: A&P, AJES Bread, Blueocean Market Intelligence, Bumble Bee Foods, CBX, Cliffstar Corp, Coca Cola Company, ConAgra Foods, Cott Beverages, Design Resource Center, Dragon Rouge, DuPont, Food Industry News, General Mills, Interbrand, JM Smucker Company, Kraft, My Private Brand, New Hope Natural Media, OfficeMax, PepsiCo Inc, PetSmart, Philadelphia Macaroni Co, Smoker Friendly, Sonoco, Sorrento, Lactalis Inc, St Joseph's University, Supervalu Inc, T. Marzetti Company, T&T Supermarket,The Hartman Group, United, Valero Retail Holdings Inc, Vestcom International Inc, Wallace Church Inc

Will your company be represented?

As a member of our CMSI LinkedIn group, we’re offering to you an exclusive 20% discount off your registration -- join us today!

Private Label Impact 2009: http://bit.ly/2Qqo24

Event Brochure: http://bit.ly/48d8mn

Event Registration: http://bit.ly/3u4mfn

New Session Added: Mike Kitz, Vice-President - OfficeMax Brands, Product Development and Imports, OfficeMax

Retailer Driven Innovation and Branding

Mike will discuss how retailers are getting more sophisticated in creating and driving their own brands. And, in some cases, when manufacturers will not innovate for retailers’ brands, the retailers drive this innovation themselves. Attendees to this session will:

• See examples of OfficeMax using best-in-class processes to innovate, create new premium brands, and bring innovation to the marketplace.

• Discuss ways for manufacturers and retailers to collaborate in innovation and brand building.

See you in Chicago!

Cheers,
Private Label Impact

Disney’s Retail Plan Is a Theme Park in Its Stores

The Magical World of Disney stores are about to get a major overhaul, says the mouse-eared giant. Popular throughout American malls, the Disney stores will now offer a "theme park-like" experience for customers. The New York Times reports that, the chain’s traditional approach of displaying row after row of toys and apparel geared to Disney franchises will be given a high-tech makeover and incorporated into a new array of recreational activities. The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer, perhaps bolstering sales as a result. Over the next five years, analysts estimate that Disney will spend about $1 million a store to redecorate, reorganize and install interactive technology.

What do you think of this in-store overhaul?

Disney’s Retail Plan Is a Theme Park in Its Stores

P&G to Launch Custom Beauty Magazine Rouge in U.S.

From AdAge.com, custom magazines from package-goods marketers have been around for a while, such as Kraft Foods' Food & Family, launched earlier this decade with a free circulation of 12 million, according to Redwood Custom Communications, which produces the program. But a new wrinkle in the U.S. rollout of beauty magazine Rouge, which began earlier this month, is the use of the mommy blogger community to help build the database of the relationship-marketing program.

How do you think the American market and the Mommy Bloggers will take to this new magazine?

P&G to Launch Custom Beauty Magazine Rouge in U.S.

Are you contracting out production for private label items?

This post in retailwire discusses that the trend for grocery retailing is for merchants to seek out and contract out production for private label items. An exception though to this case is Kroger, they manufactures about half of the 14,400 private label items it sells. Kroger believes that buy manufacturing these items, it is better able to control production decisions and pricing. Is your outsourcing most of its production of private label items or keeping the bulk of it in-house?

Join us for the 2009 Private Label Impact Conference, this month in Chicago!

Advertisements for staple foods increasing

The New York Times recently took an in-depth look at how the dynamics of advertising has changed in magazine since the economic collapse. Meal time products in magazines have dramatically increased, including advertisements for ketchup, mayonnaise and peanut butter. With shoppers buying more staple meal time products and avoiding the gourmet meals, these brands have found a wider audience in magazine advertising. It has also allowed for staple brands such as Betty Crocker and Bumble Bee to create more premium products under the familiar brand to capitalize on the consumer shift. Read the full article here.

Reed's Soda Sees Increase in Private Label Orders

Los Angeles-based natural soda manufacturer, Reed's is gearing up for a huge surge in productivity as business from private-label customers has increased, Joel Russell of the Los Angeles Business Journal reports.

"We are seeing strong interest for the private label products that we are offering to major retailers,” Chief Executive Chris Reed said in a statement. "Our production facility's unique product and packaging capabilities allow us to make a comparable margin to our existing brands with private label. For the most part, we're not competing with our own brands with the new private label business. Our current plan is to finance the growth of our branded business with the private label profits."

The company also said that two major supermarket chains expect to begin shipments of private-label drinks soon from the plant.

Reed’s Sodas Upgrades Bottling Plant, Issues Shares

Join us for the 2009 Private Label Impact Conference, this month in Chicago!

Consumers are not happy with online tracking

This post on RetailWire discusses how according to research done by the NY Times, more than two thirds of Americans object online tracking. Respondents of the survey did not like that ads tracked them at company websites and then followed them to other sites and offline stores. About 55 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 objected to tailored online advertising, and in some areas about 49 percent of respondents said that tailored discounts were ok. Do you think that online behavioral targeting should be eliminated?

Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 Highlighted Session: Defining Consumer Behavior at Retail with Phillip Raub, Nintendo

Join Phillip on Friday, October 16th at 1:30PM for his presentation, "Defining Consumer Behavior at Retail: Why do Consumers Cross the Retail Threshold?" at Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009.

Why do consumers decide to shop where they shop: in-store design, superior customer service, quality products, low cost...In the original 5 & dimes it was about variety and value. In the 1980s specialty reigned king. By the 90s big bog had emerged, yet luxury prevailed with the Internet boom. By 2000, bit box was holding storn as the economy contracted; however, by mid-decade speciality retail was back and in only a few short years, big box rules again.

So what drives why consumers show where they shop?

In this session you'll learn:

• A better understanding of why consumers choose one retailer over another.
• What it takes to ensure that your Brand is still relevant and top of mind to consumers
• The need to diversify your business and constantly budget for appropriate reinventions.

For more information about the great sessions offered at Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009, please download the brochure.

Private Label Impact 2009 Savings End Tomorrow!

Calling all CPGs, Retailers and Private Label Manufacturers... if there is one event you cant afford to miss, it is this one. Private Label has revolutionized the retail industry and will continue to do so. Join us to discover how this new retail landscape can be a win-win for all parties involved - co-exist profitably. Register by tomorrow with code PL09PBLI to save $100 off your registration.

Event: http://bit.ly/Yfsdp
Brochure: http://bit.ly/ClaeY
Registration: http://bit.ly/17CxfN

Check out some of the great presentations:

“Private Label: Redefining the Meaning of Brand” with Michelle Barry, Ph.D., Co-Author, A Brand Called Hope, SVP, The Hartman Group

Can private label thrive without name brands? The emergence of private lab ease a quality product that can compete with name brand products on an equal basis has changed the dynamics of how consumer products are marketed and sold. This presentation will provide an accurate portrayal of the changing landscape of the private label market and the associated strategic business implications for both retailers and manufacturers of name brand and private label branded products.

Learn more about Michelle Barry, Ph.D.: http://bit.ly/7CKv3

“How Brands and Private Label Can Work Together to Achieve Category Goals” with Thomas Ewing, Director, National Accounts, Private Label & International, T.Marzetti Company

Learn how a category merchant can use the unique strengths of both branded and private label products to build a coherent category merchandising plan. How do you use these strengths to build a merchandising plan to meet the differing objectives? What are the different tiers of private label products?

Download more information on speakers and presentations at this year’s event: http://bit.ly/ClaeY

Private label in the news:

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel
CSPnet.com reports that despite remarkable strides made during the past several years, private-label sales are concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of consumers. The top 50 private-label categories, representing 17% of CPG categories, account for 69% of store brand sales.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1Agney

Amazon's Private Label Goods Continue
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is quickly and quietly moving into the private label arena. Reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler says that the latest sign: The Seattle-based e-commerce giant, last month received a U.S. design patent for a wooden chopping block.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1ov9zs


See you in Chicago!

Cheers,
Private Label Impact

Kmart Provides Assistance to the Unemployed Through its Savings Card

This post on retailwire discusses how Kmart will be offering assistance to customers who have lost their jobs with a 20% discount on private label items through its Smart Assist Savings Card. This program allows customers to access discounts for a period of 6 months. Participants in the program are required to show Kmart their valid state unemployment ID. Tom O'Boyle, senior vice president, president, food and consumables for Kmart, recently mentioned:

"We've seen in Michigan that the Kmart Smart Assist Savings Card has helped cardholders keep good quality food on the table and their households stocked with staples while they get back on their feet. We hope that this program has the same positive impact across the country."

Government officials have already praised Kmart for their kindness in offering those in need. It shouldn't be too much longer before we see other retailer giants follow in the same foot steps.

Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 Speaker: Anne Howe, MARS

Anne Howe
SVP, Market Intelligence
MARS

As Senior Vice President - Market Intelligence, Anne Howe serves as the agency futurist. Focused on interpretations of overall market trends, Anne develops both immediate and long-term strategies for the agency and its shopper marketing clients. As a member of the Executive Team, she also leads the agency's industry association activation efforts.

Anne brings to MARS more than 24 years of experience in all aspects of consumer and shopper marketing. She is responsible for the formation of the agency's Insights and Planning team and also played a large role in the development and organization of the Account Management and Promotion Development departments.

Previous to MARS, Anne's extensive marketing communications background includes a Regional Sales VP position with Sara Lee Hosiery. She also has shopper marketing knowledge in consumer packaged goods, food and beverages, hotels, intimate apparel, appliances, personal care products and more.

Anne's biography courtesy of MARS.

____________________________________________________________________

We recently asked Anne a few questions about the importance of Shopper Marketing, here are her answers:


1. Why do you feel shopper marketing is getting so much attention?


Anne Howe: Shopper marketing is getting attention because of the results realized from shopper-centric marketing.
Manufacturers and retailers working together to create better shopping experiences and solutions for shoppers understand the power of collaboration against true insights.

2. What do you think needs to happen for it to progress?

AH: In order for shopper marketing to reach its full potential, all the players have to share data, insights and be open to out of the box ideation. The future is about meeting unmet needs that the shoppers can't articulate.
Taking the industry forward will require marketers to integrate budgets across all phases of the Shopper's Journey, not just inside the store.

3. What are you speaking about and how will that information help
move the industry ahead?

AH: John Andrews of MARS affiliate Collective Bias and I are speaking together on the intersection of social media and shopper marketing.
The "wisdom of the collective crowd" continues to grow as an important purchase influencer, impacting brand relevancy and business results for both manufacturers and retailers. We will help marketers learn why social media matters and how community influence programs can be the catalyst for success before the store, at the shelf and beyond. The shopper marketing industry will be able to better understand how social media efforts can create not just buzz, but relevant brand influence and sales growth.

Anne will be speaking at Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 with her presentation, "The Power of Bloggers: Integrating Social Media in Your Shopper Marketing Plan" on October 14 at 10:30am.

We'd love to have you join us next month at Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009. Join the most progressive BRANDS, RETAILERS and VISIONARIES for the first and only event to tackle the
true integration of ALL marketing functions - category management, in-store marketing and shopper marketing - to create a seamless experience from start to finish beginning with the first emotional trigger to the final point of purchase and beyond.

Event: http://bit.ly/20LPJn
Brochure: http://bit.ly/H8BVl
Registration: http://bit.ly/q9cYh

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel

CSPnet.com reports that despite remarkable strides made during the past several years, private-label sales are concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of consumers. The top 50 private-label categories, representing 17% of CPG categories, account for 69% of store brand sales. As a point of comparison, the top 50 national brands represent less than half of total dollar sales. Even heavy private brand buyers allocate just 22% of their CPG budget to store brands.

CSPnet.com recommends that retailers begin to look at a multi-tiered perspective in order to fully take advantage of the private label products on their shelves. With customers continuously looking for value and affordability, retailers who embrace private labels may make increase revenue and profitability during the economic downturn.

Private-Label Growth in Every Channel

Paper Coupons are a Thing of the Past

This post on retailwire highlights how J.C. Penney is rolling out a mobile coupon campaign in Houston in which consumers are allowed to download discounts to their cell phones, and then it can be scanned by a special reader at checkout. Is this the direction that coupons are headed in?

Mike Boylson, CMO for J.C. Penney mentioned:

"We've always made it easy for our customers to save money. These mobile coupons are the ultimate in customer convenience, because there's no need to clip or carry around a printed coupon, and they can be instantly scanned from a cell phone. It's another way we're innovating to enhance the customer's shopping experience."

J.C. Penney will try to rollout this digital coupon campaign to over 1,100 stores nationwide wide if it is successful. A NY Times report also noted that digital coupon usage is up 25% in the first half of this year versus last year. We should definitely be on the lookout for more and more companies adopting this in the future.

New Content Added to Walmart Presentation at the Shopper Marketing Fusion Event!

Walmart has added a new section to their presentation entitled “The Walmart Smart Network: Smarter Shopping, Smarter Marketing." In addition to the original content, Walmart has added a new piece around “halos” which will be shared for the first time at this event.

• Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009: http://bit.ly/2Z8bHW
• Brochure: http://bit.ly/14ZMFc
• Speakers: http://bit.ly/3Lvp3m
• Registration: http://bit.ly/fKjKy

New Section: THE 3 HALOS OF IN-STORE MARKETING
James Beck, General Manager, Walmart Smart Network, Walmart Stores, Inc.

What is an in-store marketing halo? When marketing drives lift beyond the advertised item to other related items and beyond the campaign to subsequent weeks. It’s the inverse of cannibalization or forward buying.

On Friday, October 16, learn more about this outcome and see examples from the Walmart Smart Network that include brand halo and post-campaign halo.


Plus, James will share:
The Walmart Smart Network: Smarter Shopping, Smarter Marketing
The Walmart Smart Network was introduced a year ago to improve the shopper experience and to drive higher sales lift. Since then, it has delivered impressive results for Walmart’s partners. What has been achieved? What has been learned? What does the future hold? Learn how the Walmart Smart Network combines expertise in retail messaging, dynamic targeting in- store, and reliable insights to accelerate business results.

Key Takeaways:
· How partners on the Walmart Smart Network have achieved exceptional marketing results.
· Programs and programming that deliver what shoppers want and inspire them to buy.
· New approaches to optimization that drive higher sales lift.

---------------------------------------
James Beck, General Manager of the Walmart Smart Network, guides a team that is helping moms shop smarter and Walmart suppliers market smarter. Prior to the Walmart Smart Network, James led Walmart’s Home and Hardlines category marketing teams. Before joining Walmart, James served in executive marketing roles with Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and General Mills.

We hope to see you next month!

Cheers,
Shopper Marketing Fusion

Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 Featured Company TracyLocke in the News

Shopper Marketing Fusion featured company, TracyLocke is in the news. The brand to retail marketing agency recently helped the iconic lock company Schlage kick off a national television campaign last week to support the LiNK remote home-management system, which enables homeowners to lock and unlock doors, monitor live camera feeds, and control temperature, lighting and other devices from a computer or Web-enabled mobile phone. Delivering more than 190 million impressions, the 30-second spots will run through mid-November on HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel, TLC, The History Channel, MSNBC, A&E and NBC`s Today show.

Al Witteman of TracyLocke will be speaking at 10:30am on Friday, October 16 with John Dranow of Smartrevenue. Their presentation will discuss, "Solutions without Walls."

Because over 50% of purchase decisions are made in-store, there is a new paradigm. This new paradigm creates complexities that require understanding the purchase decision. Understanding the purchase decision requires the integration of consumer segments with shopper types and the retail environment. Purchase understanding drives a new model that is consumer-and shopper-centric and internally & externally collaborative. In this session, you will learn a new model that has been constructed by a best of class companies working collaboratively to provide Solutions without Walls.

To find out more about the presentations at this year's event, please download the brochure.

Amazon's Private Label Goods Continue

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is quickly and quietly moving into the private label arena. Reporter Geoffrey A. Fowler says that the latest sign: The Seattle-based e-commerce giant, last month received a U.S. design patent for a wooden chopping block. Also, in June Amazon launched a new collection of private-label kitchen utensils, designed by Seattle Chef Tom Douglas and sold under his name.

Amazon won't disclose any other patent applications, but says it is always evaluating opportunities to patent the designs it develops for private-label products.

As Amazon expands from a book seller to a certifiable retailer, what other private label avenues do you think they have in the works?

Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 Podcast Series: Jesse Spungin, VP, Shopper Marketing, ConAgra Foods

Recently we had the pleasure of speaking with Jesse Spungin, VP of Shopper Marketing at ConAgra Foods. We invite you to hear our discussion by listening to the podcast or you may read the transcript below.


Melissa Sundaram: Thanks for joining us today for the Shopper Marketing Fusion 2009 podcast series. I'm Melissa Sundaram, Online Producer for the event and I have the pleasure of speaking today with Jesse Spungin who serves as the Vice President of Shopper Marketing at ConAgra foods. Jesse will be speaking on Tuesday Oct 15 on The Anatomy of a Winning Shopper-Centric Strategy.

MS: Thanks for joining us today Jesse.

Jesse Spungin: Thanks for having me, Melissa

MS: Jesse, let me begin by asking you--why do you feel shopper marketing is getting so much attention?

JS: You know I really feel like shopper marketing is quite frankly reinventing a lot of other names in the past. Regional co-marketing, account specific marketing; but I think its getting a lot of attention both on the manufacturer side and the retail side, quite frankly. Because finally we've gotten to a place where we can both agree on which is the mutual shopper and it really all starts with the shopper. The account shopper as well as the shopper for the manufacturer that picks up their brands.

MS: What do you think needs to happen for it to progress?

JS: think a couple of things need to happen for all the great momentum that has built around shopper marketing to continue. I think strategic planning with each other, and when I say with each other I say both the manufacturer and the retailer, is critical--not just looking at the quarterly short term quarterly leads. But where is it going and how do we get there? I think the second thing that needs to happen in order for it to progress is on the manufacturer’s side, I think that more and more manufacturers need to build this capability inside. In order to do that it takes a decent amount of commitment not only from the human capital perspective, but also financial resources. And also a commitment to really getting at what are those insights, those deep shopper insights. Because without those, quite frankly, programming is just programming instead of stuff that can drive results for both the manufacturer and the retailer.

MS: As I mentioned earlier, you'll be speaking on the Anatomy of a Winning Shopper-Centric strategy, how do you think that information help move the industry ahead?

JS: I think its going to show clearly ConAgra Foods has the capabilities that we've built as an integrated customer marketing team. Not just a shopper marketing when you harness the power of shopper insights, category leadership, in-store marketing with shopper marketing. How you bring all four of those disciplines together and the power it can have on volume, growth and profit. That's what we hope to display, that's what I know we will display during that conference. And I think that will educate a lot of people on what does it take to do best in class in shopper marketing and achieve the kind of growth that both manufacturers and retailers want.

MS: Again, I'd like to thank Jesse Jesse Spungin and all of you for joining us today. We look forward to seeing you this October 14-16 for the 2009 Shopper Marketing Fusion conference at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, FL.

JS: Thank you, Melissa

MS: Great, see you in October!

Join the most progressive BRANDS, RETAILERS and VISIONARIES for the first and only event to tackle the true integration of ALL marketing functions - category management, in-store marketing and shopper marketing - to create a seamless experience from start to finish beginning with the first emotional trigger to the final point of purchase and beyond.

The evolution of shopper marketing

Brand Week recently sat down with Dorothy Allan, the senior vice president of retail strategy for TracyLocke and looked at how shopper marketing has evolved over the years. She talks about the importance of understanding human mind when it comes to reaching in-store audiences. Read Dorothy's full interview here.

One of the things Dorothy mentions in the article is the importance in reaching the shopper and getting them to make choices in the store. How do you best identify what's getting in the way of your shoppers when they are making decisions in your store?

Shopper Marketing Fusion Speaker: James Damian, Best Buy

James Damian
SVP, Experience Design Group
Best Buy, Inc.

As senior vice president of the experience development group at Best Buy, James Damian is responsible for reinventing the experience of shopping in a big-box retail store. He is, in his own words, a “right-brain ambassador for the value of design within the left-brain world of consumer electronics.”

In 2004, Damian led the design of Best Buy’s first concept stores—Studio D and Escape in Chicago—and developed the company’s “new store experience” R&D capability. He continues to lead optimization of the big-box design for a shopping experience that not only answers, but anticipates changing customer desires. He names legendary Tiffany’s window designer Gene Moore as his primary source of inspiration.

Prior to joining Best Buy in 1998, Damian held positions with Howard Sant Partnerships, a London architectural firm; Harvey Nichols, a London-based luxury retailer; B. Altman & Co. and R.H. Macy & Co. department stores in New York; and Hindsgaul Mannequins Worldwide of Copenhagen, New York, and Paris. He also served as president of Damian Randd (Resources Advancing New Design Directions).

In 2005, he received the Markopoulos Award for his many contributions to the design industry; in 2006, DDI recognized him as one of the Design Influencers of the Year. He also recently received Best Buy’s Culture of Innovation Award in recognition of his leadership in concept development and execution. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York City, Damian holds a degree in retail store design, exhibition design and corporate identity.

Damian is a member of the board of directors of NADI, NASFM's visual merchandising division, and serves on the advisory board for DDI magazine. He is also a member of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors. At Best Buy, he is executive sponsor of the employee resource group P.R.I.D.E. (People Respecting Individual Differences Equally).

Biography courtesy of A.R.E.

Call for Submissions: Achieving Customer Relevance, the destination those looking to understand how to reach targeted life styles and stages.

Achieving Customer Relevance
Strategies for Connecting Lifestyles within Life Stages
May 10-12, 2010
Chicago, IL

The Institute for International Research is excited to announce that production of the Achieving Customer Relevance conference is underway. We will be reviewing presentation submissions until September 21st – space is limited so please submit your ideas TODAY! This three-day event is the destination those looking to understand how to reach targeted life styles and stages. From the segmentation to the marketing, explore best practices for pinpointing innovative ways to deeply connect with profitable segments, growing segments and new segments to maximize lifetime value and achieve sustainable growth.

Your Opportunity
We are currently recruiting corporate practitioners to share unique ideas, perspectives and case studies related to future trends. Got a good story to tell? Have a provocative perspective that needs to be shared? I’m interested in hearing from you.

Session topics include but are not limited to:
• Transition in Life Stage: How Your Customer Evolves
• Breaking into New Life Stages without Alienating Your Consumer Base
• Products Across Life Stages- Which Ones Succeed and Why?
• Common Threads and Differences in Specific Segments
• Creating an Authentic Message to Build Loyalty for Life
• The Spread of Technology through Life Stages
• Keeping Your Product Relevant as Your Consumer Ages
• Trends in Social Media and Technology

Submission Guidelines & Deadline
For consideration, please e-mail Amy Kritzer at akritzer@iirusa.com with the following information by Monday, September 21st:
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail
• Title of presentation
• Brief overview of the presentation (1 paragraph plus 3 – 5 key audience “takeaways): Please write this with the knowledge that if your proposal is selected, this description will be printed in the brochure
• Previous conference presentations and/or brief speaker biography

Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to respond to each submission. All those selected to participate as speakers will be notified shortly after the deadline.

Thank you for your interest in Achieving Customer Relevance!

All the best,

Amy Kritzer
Senior Conference Producer
Marketing and Business Strategy Division
Institute for International Research
akritzer@iirusa.com

Price Comparison Works for Retailers

According to this article in retailwire price comparisons might not only work insurance companies, but it will also work for e-tailers. The article reveals research conducted by the e-tailing group that shows that 36 percent of consumers spend more than half an hour comparison shopping before they make their purchase decisions. Almost two thirds spend at least 16 minutes.

What this mean for retailers? Consumers want to be able to view competitors' prices when shopping at a retailer website. More than seventy five percent of consumers mentioned that they would return to a site that showed competitors' pricing. This is definitely a great way to increase customer loyalty.

Shopper Marketing Fusion Company TracyLocke Talks with Brandweek

TracyLocke will be represented at this year's Shopper Marketing Fusion Event by Al Wittemen, Managing Director for Retail Strategy. Alan's colleague, Dorothy Allan, SVP, Retail Strategy for TracyLocke, was recently interviewed by Brandweek editor, Todd Wasserman. In the interview, Allan discusses how she has helped packaged goods enhance their ROI from shopper marketing. As she notes, CPGs have to communicate value quickly in-store or they lose out. And that's too bad, because consumers aren't only motivated by price.

Here are a few highlights from their discussion.

BW: What are some lessons you've learned in shopper marketing? (Granular
stuff, like "red doesn't work")?
DA: I’ve learned a lot about the human mind in this role. We all make decisions in basically the same way. We classify and sort information based on pattern recognition over the course of our lives. We deselect before we select. Our minds are designed to remove extraneous pieces of information to get to a decision, which is why shopper insights are so important. It gets to the very heart of what’s getting in the way of making a choice. On the granular side, there are principles of how human beings process information that need to be followed to achieve success. For example, if you want to be able to read anything from 10 feet away, you need to use a font that is at least three inches. If the store is dark, you need to use light colors for contrast. Color has meaning: Red is an action color; pink used to mean “girl” and now it stands for breast cancer; green equals the environment, etc. The first thing and last thing you read, you will remember twice as long as the lines in between, and the last line you will remember two times longer than the first. What’s the last piece of information on almost every Walmart point-of-sale unit? – “Save money. Live better.” I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

BW: How has shopper marketing reacted to the economy?
DA: This year, there has been a lot of information that really makes a case for the entire path to purchase and a cohesive approach. The In-Store Marketing Institute conference, as well as IRI and A.C. Nielsen, have begun to illustrate that the point of decision has crept out of the store. Clean store policies are forcing brands to use their leverage outside the store, and thankfully for the first time in 10 years, consumers and shoppers are reading. That is a good thing for brands. If you group shoppers into segments, you’ll find that the shopaholic is “out” and the mission-minded, pragmatic shopper is “in.” Value is the new darling, and brands have to find ways to quickly communicate their benefits to differentiate – or shoppers will default to comparing prices. Shoppers are looking to brands to help them make better value decisions. It’s not always about price, but price does have influence.


For the interview in its entirety, please click here.

Why Pink Means 'Cancer' at Retail

Al Witteman, will be speaking on Friday October 16 at the Shopper Marketing Fusion Event. Don't miss his presentation, "Solutions Without Walls" with John Dranow, SMARTREVENUE

Private Label Impact Conference 2009 Speaker: Michelle Barry, Ph.D., SVP, The Hartman Group

Michelle Barry, Ph.D.

Co-Author, A Brand Called Hope

SVP, The Hartman Group

Michelle is the Senior Vice President of The Hartman Group. Since joining The Hartman Group in 1999, she has managed the ethnographic, retail, trends and innovation consulting divisions of the company and pioneered new ways to leverage professional anthropological analysis and creative fieldwork techniques to help clients' efforts in truly understanding consumer behavior and long-term implications of cultural change.

She currently oversees the Business Development, Marketing & Communications divisions incorporating innovation and analytics into business strategy. Michelle has consulted with food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical and technology companies across retail channels in developing both strategic and tactical direction in today's marketplace.

Prior to joining The Hartman Group, Michelle owned a design and branding business and has 18 years in the health and wellness arena as both a practitioner and analyst. With a doctorate in sociocultural anthropology and extensive work in communications and consumption, Michelle has co-authored two books with The Hartman Group: Reflections on a Cultural Brand and Marketing in the Soul Age, and has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, Oxygen, as well as in national and industry publications as a thought leader in human behavior and cultural trends.

Michelle's biography courtesy of The Hartman Group

October 27-28, 2009

Chicago Marriott

Chicago, IL

Retail Brands are not Engaging Women Through Social Media

This post on retailwire discusses how a recent study conducted by ad:tech Chicago and Q Interactive finds that three out of four women do not feel engaged when interacting with a brand via social networks. Matt Wise, president of Q Interactive mentions, "Although women are socializing a lot more with each other, they are not interacting with brands more. The brands are falling behind in this game and they are not opening dialog with women in this arena. We're seeing a divide right now of where the women are leaping ahead of the brand and the brands are struggling to find how best to interact with them."

A small percentage of women who friended brands actually had a positive reaction. Sixty four percent of survey respondents felt neutral and nineteen had a negative reaction. Brand marketers will have to improve on engaging women on social networks in the future.

Publicis Groupe Announces Acquisition Agreement of Unilever C.R.M. Program "Pour Tout Vous Dire"

Reuters reports that the French company, Publicis Groupe has announce that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Unilever subsidiary in charge of the customer relationship management program Pour Tout Vous Dire. This acquisition is part of Publicis` digital strategy. The goal here is to build a benchmark e-CRM platform for the Group`s clients that showcases brands and fosters interaction with consumers. Pour Tout Vous Dire will operate on an
open architecture basis so that it can accommodate any and all consumer retail
brands and fast moving consumer goods.

Major household brand names will be able to leverage the platform to engage
consumers in one-on-one communication - highlighting their latest innovations,
demonstrating their value, rewarding loyal customers, and ensuring easy access
to their products.

In conjunction with the transaction, Unilever has signed a five-year service
agreement with Publicis Groupe to keep its brands in the program and thereby
boost the incremental revenue it generates.

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More Online Stores Might Give Amazon a Run for Its Money

This post on retailwire highlights how Walmart.com might soon surpass Amazon.com's online retail success with its new launch. Kerry Cooper, Walmart.com's CMO recently mentioned:

"We've added nearly one million new items to our online assortment with the introduction of Walmart Marketplace, making it even easier for customers to find more of what they want when shopping Walmart.com. Working with select retailers, known for their strong customer service and large online assortments of new merchandise, gives our customer more reasons to choose Walmart.com when shopping online."

Walmart is expanding its product offering through product merchants, but they are not alone as well. Sears.com, Overstock, and Buy.com are among others that also do this.

Coca Cola's push to connect with customers

A CPG Matters, Coca Cola shares how they're keeping connecting with the customers and staying in the front of their minds through this economic recession.

Four key solutions they're focusing on are:
-Occasion based approach
-Shopper segment and merchandising
-Bundled solutions
-Packaging solutions

How are you keeping with your customers through this economic time? Are you providing a great alternative to what they currently could have been shopping for in previous times? Read the full article here.

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CMSI LinkedIn Group

Only the Strong Will Survive

Retailwire discusses in this post how recent research from Grant Thornton predicts that the number of store closings will nearly double from last year, reaching nearly 10,000 closings across the country. Last year, the closings focused primarily on home furnishings, electronics stores, and clothing stores. According to the research these same types of stores will be joined by book stores, food/beverage locations, and large department stores.

Scott Davis, principal at Grant Thornton's Corporate Advisory and Restructuring Services, mentioned:

"Although there's high risk in the retail industry, now is the time for companies to fine-tune their business and take advantage of new opportunities.The winners will be the disciplined companies investing the time, effort and resources to reexamine their strategies and position themselves for growth."

In other words only the strong will survie.

Whole Foods and its current brand perception

On August 12, the CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about his personal stance on health care. He doesn't believe in government run health care, you can see more of his views here. However, the general consumer at Whole Foods does not take this stance, which has lead for many consumers to start an online boycott of the store.

Mashable recently examined Whole Foods reputation online after these comments were made. Using YouGov, they saw that on a scale of 100 to -100, 0 being a neutral point, Whole Foods score started at 22.8 on August 12 before the op-ed column and fell to 13.6 on August 20. Mashable credits this to the Boycott Whole Foods Facebook group, which has grown to over 28,885 members.

Oklahoma Lawmakers Provide Incentives for Grocers to Bring Healthy Options to Shelves

Barbara Hoberock of World Capitol Bureau writes that two Oklahoma lawmakers to will begin an interim legislative study that aims to provide information about incentives to attract grocers selling healthy, affordable, locally grown produce.

Rep. Seneca Scott, D-Tulsa said that providing incentives to healthy grocers helps the economy, lowers health care costs and means Oklahomans won’t have to choose between convenience and health.

What incentives or ideas could you share with Oklahoma lawmakers or grocers?

Retailers Cranking Up AC to Bring in Shoppers in the Dog Days of Summer

There are many retailers that prop open their doors to lure in potential consumers with air-conditioning, but NY is the first city to ban large retailers from doing this. According to this post on retailwire, most of society are viewing this as a shameful sign of energy waste.

A survey conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council points out that keeping the door open with the AC on raises energy costs by as much as 25 percent but can lower temperatures outside the store by as much as 20 degrees. With environmental issues becoming a huge concern for consumers now, it's no wonder why many shoppers are angry. The lesson learned for retailers is keep your doors shut when the AC is on to not only save on energy costs, but to keep consumers happy as well.

Shoppers not making it to the checkout

In a recent article at the Associated Press, they discuss how the number of items left behind before the check out has risen. As many customers are thinking twice before checking out, up to 25% of them leave items either before or at the checkout. The numbers of abandoned carts online have risen too, from 47-53% over the past seven years up to 59%. Not only does this result in less revenue earned, but also gives more work to the already low staff levels at stores. Read the full article here.