CHICAGO—Today’s consumer packaged goods (CPG) landscape is quite different from days gone by. Competition is intense, the media landscape is rapidly changing, and brand loyalty has become increasingly fragmented. In this environment, old marketing tricks just don’t work. It’s time for a new playbook, where the shopper will play the lead role. To help develop and execute programs that drive not only purchase behavior but also true shopper loyalty, the recent issue of Times & Trends: “The Next Generation of Shopper Marketing: Re-Architecting Shopper Marketing for Maximum Performance,” from SymphonyIRI Group, Inc., provides insights into the consumer mindset throughout each stage of the purchase cycle, from planning to purchase.

These insights will provide a critical foundation for marketing strategies aimed at delivering the right products, to the right place, at the right price, and creating a shopping experience that keeps the best shoppers coming back for more.

“Tomorrow’s most effective marketing programs will begin with a holistic view of the shopper and his/her in-store experience,” says Robert I. (Bob) Tomei, president, Consumer & Shopper Insights, SymphonyIRI. “This complete view of shopping behavior will result from integrated analyses of customer-level transactional data combined with an understanding of the impact of demographics, life stages, needs state, trip missions, attitudinal and usage requirements, and the influence of media and promotions have on actual behavior. This approach will provide insights into not only what consumers buy, but also why and how they shop for those products. And, it will provide these insights across all retail channels and outlets.”

The SymphonyIRI research examines how to maximize CPG marketers’ influence throughout the four phases people pass through during the purchase process:

  • When the consumer is researching products at home
  • As the consumer travels to the store
  • In the store as the consumer evolves into a shopper
  • As the shopper shops, selects products and becomes a customer

One area where there is significant room for improvement is collaboration among manufacturers and retailers. This is especially important for the two middle phases of the purchase process-when consumers are traveling to the store and once they are in the store. During these middle phases, the consumer is evolving into a shopper and the influence of the manufacturer gives way to the influence of a retailer.

“If the touch points with consumers/shoppers in that handoff are inconsistent or conflicting, they will likely delay their purchases or switch to other brands,” adds Tomei. “If these touch points are coordinated, they will be influential, and shoppers will accelerate the purchase decision, contributing to brand loyalty.”

CPG retailers and manufacturers seeking to benefit from the power of shopper marketing should consider the following action steps:

  • Product Marketing: Both retailers and manufacturers must drive new marketing platforms to a new level by integrating old and new media with consistent and complementary marketing messages. They also need to ensure that their media mix begins to impact the shopper in the home and then reinforces their message throughout the shopping experience.
  • Shopper Marketing: Retailers and manufacturers need to partner in the development of loyalty program offerings that are targeted against the needs/wants of key shopper and target segments. They also need to reduce out-of-stock situations by developing distribution strategies (manufacturers) and inventory management strategies (retailers) that are reflective of dominant/desired trip missions and purchase patterns.
  • In-Store Marketing: Retailers and manufacturers should collaborate to determine the most effective product location; location within the store and product adjacencies should reflect dominant and targeted trip types. They must also tie in-store efforts with externally-targeted promotional campaigns to reinforce/solidify purchase decisions made prior to entering the retail environment.

About the Report
Times & Trends: “Shopper Engineering: Re-Architecting Shopper Marketing for Maximum Performance,” is available from SymphonyIRI, the world’s leading innovation partner that enables CPG, retail and healthcare companies to create and maximize new opportunities. The findings of this report were compiled based on SymphonyIRI Shopper Marketing Suite , SymphonyIRI Loyalty Advantage , and SymphonyIRI Target Advantage . To download the special report, visit http://www.symphonyiri.com/Insights/Publications/TimesTrends/tabid/106/Default.aspx.

About SymphonyIRI Group, Inc.
SymphonyIRI Group, Inc., formerly named Information Resources, Inc. (“IRI” ), is the global leader in innovative solutions and services for driving revenue and profit growth in CPG, retail and healthcare companies. SymphonyIRI offers two families of solutions: Core IRI solutions for market measurement and Symphony Advantage solutions for enabling new growth opportunities in marketing, sales, shopper marketing and category management. SymphonyIRI solutions uniquely combine content, analytics and technology to deliver maximum impact. SymphonyIRI helps companies create, plan and execute forward-looking, shopper-centric strategies across every level of the organization. For more information, visit http://www.SymphonyIRI.com.

SymphonyIRI Group
John McIndoe
E-mail: john.mcindoe@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3862
or
Shelley Hughes
E-mail: shelley.hughes@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3675

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