Shopper Marketing is a Supply Chain Partner's Next Marketing Frontier

Industry Week reports that seventy-three percent of consumer product goods manufacturers and 86% of retailers rank shopper marketing as the number one activity that delivers meaningful return on investment.

"Shopper marketing is the hottest issue in retail and consumer package goods," said UT Shopper Market Forum organizer Dan Flint, UT's Proffitt's Inc. Associate Professor of Marketing.

Learn more: Shopper Marketing is a Supply Chain Partner's Next Marketing Frontier

Mark your calendars:

Shopper Insights in Action
July 11-14, 2010 • Marriott Chicago Magnificent Mile • Chicago

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.

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

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

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.

Jamba Juice to Develop Grocery Store Line of Smoothies

NACSonline.com reports that Jamba Juice will be selling the blend-and-serve kits in retail environments, namely grocery stores.

“The make-at-home smoothie is an emerging category and represents perhaps the most literal extension of the Jamba brand to date,” said Susan Shields, vice president for consumer products and licensing at Jamba Juice Company. “We want to serve the healthy habits of our consumers wherever they live and shop.”

Will Jamba's reach spread to groceries around the country? One question is if Jamba Juice is recogizable across the country. How can in-store marketing introduce customer's to the brand?

We'd like to hear how effective you think this may be.

Jamba Juice to Develop Line of Smoothie Kits

The last place to mass market: In the store

AME Info takes a look at the current state of marketing, and points out that in-store is really the last place that marketers have left to market to everyone.

• - Marketers and retailers must find the right mix of creative content and technology to reach consumers in a meaningful way.
• - Second, the metrics that measure in-store advertising effectiveness need to reach the same level of sophistication and standardization that exist with more established media.
• - Finally, marketers must integrate in-store advertising programs with other promotions and media campaigns.

Read the full article about the last mass marketing avenue here.

Home Depot looks to revamp their instore marketing

Home Depot is working on reshaping their current marketing plan to reach out to customers to let them know that it's easier to shop at their store now.

"We've reduced the number of SKUs, and increased in-store marketing. And we're striving to eliminate rebates, coupons, sweepstakes, and gift cards. We don't have to want consumers to have to do something else to save money when they leave the store, like fill in a rebate card," stated Craig Menear, EVP of merchandising.

Read the full article at MediaPost.