In-Store Access

I love being psychic... Thanks Alice.

2009-10-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I posted this... in which I said, "I received my first order 4 days. Everything I ordered was in the box, intact and great. In-pack sampling, however, I hope is something they start doing." And then, this is what I found on facebook today. "Alice.com announces free samples + win a Mac Book! - http://bit.ly/Kvtu0".

Seriously, I'm psychic. Go check out the link.

Retail Forward Conference in NYC

2009-09-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Some of my cohorts from Insight and Strategy are in NYC this week at the Retail Forward Conference. They are tweeting live some interesting tidbits. Check them out: http://twitter.com/ShopperCulture

Alice.com Delivers

2009-09-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

The very definition of in-store is changing, even for the most basic of products. For buying something as simple as shampoo, opportunities are both real and virtual. The growth of services like Peapod and Amazon Fresh as well as online ordering for brick and mortar stores like Safeway and King Sooper have changed the game.

At this point, Alice.com has received a decent amount of press, and I have been following them for a while. First on their blog, anxiously awaiting their beta to end and for them to open to the public. Then when the opportunity finally arrived, I registered for my account. The registration process gathered smart and select details about my household (number of adults, children, their ages, etc.). Enough to be useful, but not so much as to slow the process.
I went online and pulled together my first order last week. The process was simple and the site easily shoppable. I would have like to have seen a little more cross-merchandising though, but I'm sure, as they gather more info about their shoppers, they will better provide recommendations. Anyway, I received my first order 4 days. Everything I ordered was in the box, intact and great. In pack sampling, however, I hope is something they start doing.

The question this raises for me is... will shoppers start brand switching because only limited brands are sometimes available through these new, highly convenient services?

Fresh and Easy Reason to Twitter

2009-04-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

As everyone on the planet is rapidly signing up for and figuring out Twitter, I have been keeping an eye out for great retail uses of it. (see recent post about Meijer) So, when the above popped up on my Twitter feed from Fresh n Easy, I was pleased. Outside of the usual news and deal announcements employed by most retailers, or even promotional offers as Meijer has done, creating a feedback loop with shoppers is a great innovation. It represents a retailer truly understanding the need to have a conversation with its shoppers, not just push out messages at them. Well done Fresh n Easy!

Digitail™: The Bosses' Big Presentation

2009-04-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Its been a big day for Digitail™, a relatively new practice we have hatched over at Integer. Digitail was created to capitalize on existing trends in the retail and digital spaces which are bringing the two closer and closer together. Digitail has basically involved a shift in thinking across the agency as well as new internal structures and a couple strategic alliances. Both Craig Elston, SVP of Insight and Strategy (my boss) and Morgan McAlenney, SVP of all things digital (my adopted boss) are at the In-store Marketing Institute Summit today presenting. This is the first time that we have had an industry forum to present our thinking in this arena. (y ou download the presentation here). I'm very curious to see what the response is.

Also, today, promomagazine.com gave us a guest column spot and pubilshed an article on Digitail as well. Article is here.

The launch of this practice has been a real adventure and has already yielded some great results. If you want to long story on Digitail, you can read the white paper which can be found on shopperculture.com (our work blog). The white paper can be found here.

My Digital Love Affair with Meijer

2009-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Meijer rarely makes it into the top ten retailers of my clients and I don't even have one around me that I could go kneel in front of... but I do truly love them. Over the past few years, I have watched in wonder as they embraced new technology in a very simple and, most importantly, shopper-centric way. I have mentioned their great widgets/apps in a previous post, (Favorite Tech and Trend Tidbits Effecting Retail in 2008), because while the Target snowglobe iphone app was cute and all, it wasn't really that helpful. Meijer on the other hand, is trying to use technology to enhance the shopping experience.

Today, however, I wanted to briefly mention their Twitter feed. While none or few, of their competitors are embracing the world of mirco-blogging, Meijer has integrated it into a fun little Easter promo they are having on their website. The promo is simple. Step 1.) Log in to meijer.com and read today's clue. Step 2.) hunt around meijer.com. Step 3.) Find the egg and find the promo code. Read more here. With a very simple idea they are, driving traffic to the site, creating increased visitor frequency (come back to see tomorrow's deal), and increasing pages viewed per visit as users look for each day's egg (they can put the egg on a new or under used part of the site for awareness). So simple an idea that does so much.

So, each day on Twitter, they put up the day's clue to drive traffic to the promo. For example "Today's Easter Egg clue - To get a reel deal at Meijer, follow the bunny at http://ow.ly/1H5s! Hint: You may be star struck!" Further, I love that they have also brought some light hearted fun back into promotion. Today we have serious consumer trends about the economy, health and environmentalism which, while important, often tend to focus brands on more serious promotional concepts, or worse, simple value-based ideas that lack any imagination at all. As a marketer that is currently wandering the frontier of the intersection of digital lifestyles and how they impact shopping, its nice to know that there is a retailer out in these parts as well.

Join our Social Media Experiment - Tide Loads of Hope

2009-03-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

This evening we're in an interesting social media experiment. We're testing the power of social media to spread a "buy now" message to support a great cause. Tide is selling retro tee-shirts to support Loads of Hope. Check out the video below for more about this great cause, and support them by going to Tide3.com and buying a shirt—two shirts gets free shipping.

It is definitely a great cause so a worthwhile endeavor. But the key to the experiment is in not using traditional paid media and instead appealing to bloggers, twitterers, facebookers, etc. as the mechanisms to reach out and talk to folks. So please check out Tide3.com and join our experiment.

Favorite Tech and Trend Tidbits Effecting Retail in 2008

2009-01-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Since I have been MIA for a while on the blog, I thought I would fill you in on what I have be up to and thinking about for the past few months. Tech and Retail. They are integrating in new ways, and to stay innovative in both the retail and online spaces, I have spent a lot of time playing in this space. Check out a few of my favorite things from 2008 in this arena.

Meijer Launches WineList Widget – Qponix 12/19/08

“Meijer launched WineList, a compact finder widget we developed. WineList allows you to explorewines in your local Meijer store. It compresses lots of interactivity and abundant data into a160x300 embeddable, viral application. The playful interface gives you many ways to find interesting wines. After choosing a location, you make the big choice: will it be red, pink or white tonight (R, P or W)? You then play with a set of selectors - winery, price, varietal, from (region), flavor, and pairing - to refine your search. You can save wines you like to a favorites list and print it out.”

My Thoughts: Along with their Mealbox shopping "widget turning mobile app" Meijer is doing impressive work in this area. Much more useful than the Target snowglobe app, my only question is... how ready are shoppers for this? But sometimes we need to forge ahead of the current state to be truly innovative.

Shop Savvy With Your Cell Phone – ABC 2 News 12/3/08

“Now, there's new technology that can save you money when you're shopping. Some smart phones are now equipped with applications that allow you to scan barcodes to find the cheapest price. The nnew scanning technology called “Shop Savvy” can be found on T-Mobile's G1 phone.”

My Thoughts: Its that app that every retail agency wanted to come up with first, but didn't. Its basic and fantastic all at the same time.

Stop & Shop Deploys Scan It! in 50 Stores – Mediaweek 1/8/09

“With the new locations, the hand-held, self-service and electronic coupon devices are now in a total of 145 Stop & Shop and Giant Food stores. Launched in Aug. 2007, the Scan It! system is designed both to save shoppers time, and offertargeted promotions based on current shopping behavior and purchase history. Here’s how the system works: Shoppers pick up a hand-held device as they enter a store and scan their loyaltycards, allowing the system to track the shopper's progress through the aisles.”

My Thoughts: I love this system. Its makes the experience easy for shoppers, delivers targeted promotions for brands and shoppers, and overall is a smart use of data and tech.

Consumers will seek help to guide them through online product selection – unitedbit.com – 3/30/08

“Overwhelmed by an ever-increasing variety of products and services for sale online andoverloaded with choice, consumers will demand better ways to quickly find what they are looking for with absolute accuracy. They will increasingly turn to price comparison sites, consumer ratings and reviews, and product finder and selection tools. Smart retailers has already offer enhanced product discovery tools, such as Cybertec Research’s Online Shopping Advisor software or HP’s Retail Store Assistant shopping assistant.“

My Thoughts: I find this interesting only because I am the opposite type of e-shopper. I like the research I get to do. However, I think I am in the minority. So, this seems like the future of product search and its great to hear that sites are optimizing for it already. These days tech adoption needs to move at these types of speeds.

Target Builds Snow Globe Effect as iPhone App - mediabuyerplanner.com - 12/3/08

“Target is one of the first brands to create an iPhone application. The Target “gift globe” allows iPhone users to shake their phones to launch a snow-fall effect.”

My Thoughts: I was truly disappointed in this app as it was nothing more than window dressing with great press. It did little to enhance the shopping experience.

Cents-Off Coupons and Other Special Deals, via Your Cellphone – NY Times 12/17/08

“Cellfire recently signed a deal with Kroger, the grocery chain, to show users a list of 10 to 30 offers, like 50 cents off Cottonelle toilet paper or 75 cents off a box of Chex cereal. When you select a discount, Cellfire feeds the coupon information directly to the grocer’s loyalty program. Users submit their loyalty program membership numbers to Cellfire; with subsequent swipes of the loyalty

card, all of the chosen discounts are credited.”

My Thoughts: This is the future of couponing. Paperless, simple and secure. While the cell part might take some adoption, there are web versions for the less tech savvy shopper. But overall, the tie to loyalty cards means more targeted deals increasing relevance for shoppers and redemption for brands.

Mintel Predicts Top Trends for 2009 - You are in CONTROL – Business Wire11/11/08

“Over the years, people have become more confident and demanding about how they live their lives and spend their money. Even as a recession hits, they’ll want to stay in control of their choices wherever they can. Consumers will seek out products and services that give them exactly what they want, when they want it, especially as their budgets tighten. And the Internet will be key. It shows people every option available and gives them the power to demand more, while also allowing them to influence others through user reviews and feedback.”

“What it means for businesses: Manufacturers will respond with products that suit people’s specific needs and lifestyles. “Those companies that give consumers precisely what they want or give them the freedom to customize their purchases will do well. Companies that fail to do this will see consumers walk away,” says Joan Holleran. In addition, Baby Boomers will be of particular interest to businesses. Companies will move beyond traditional “old age” products and services to ones that embrace the active, healthy lifestyles of many older consumers.”

My Thoughts: We’ve known about consumer control for a while…(especially after Time Magazine made all of us, the person of the year in 2006.) However, the impact on shopping behavior on a broader scale is now starting to take effect and we can start reaping the benefits through smart marketing, or get left behind by remaining “mass marketers”.

Free Shipping: Facts, Trade-offs and Alternatives – ecommerce-guide.com 12/22/08

“If you look at the statistics, it would seem that the free shipping debate has all but been decided for online retailers. In a 2008 survey conducted by PayPal and comScore, 43 percent of shoppers said they abandon their shopping carts because of unexpectedly high shipping charges. Forrester Research reports that 61 percent of online shoppers prefer to shop with a retailer that offers free shipping than one that doesn't.”

My Thoughts: As a part of a brick ‘n’ mortar focused retail marketing agency, beginning to apply our long earned learnings to eCommerce, we face new challenges. However, getting at the same basic understanding of how shoppers, pull product off the shelf, put it in their cart and ultimately get through check out follows requires same discipline, just with new variables. And understanding facts like the above go a long way to driving conversion and creating happier clients.

Why Twitter Should Matter to E-Commerce Shops - ecommerce-guide.com 12/15/08

“Less altruistically, some businesses have discovered that Twitter is an effective way of

communicating with consumers. Dell says Twitter has produced $1 million in revenue over the past year and a half through sale alerts. People who sign up to follow Dell on Twitter receive messages when discounted products are available the company's Home Outlet Store. They can click over to purchase the product or forward the information to others.

Dell started experimenting with Twitter in March of 2007 after the South by Southwest conference, an annual tech/music festival in Austin, Texas. Conference attendees could keep tabs on each other via a stream of Twitter messages on 60-inch plasma screens set up in the conference hallways. There are now 65 Twitter groups on Dell.com, with 2,475 followers for the Dell Home Outlet Store.”

My Thoughts: Although ultimately disturbed by Twitter as I’m not sure that people care that much about what I do, minute by minute, as a marketing tool I love it. From network TV programs to information companies, everyone is finding ways to make this short form messaging engine work hard for them.

Amazon, eCommerce grow despite downturn – Forbes.com, 01.05.09

“while U.S. retail sales grew just 2 percent in the first nine months of 2008, eCommerce grew by 8 percent and Amazon's retail revenue in North America shot up 31 percent from the same period a year ago.”

My Thoughts: No Duh... To use an expression from years past. This wasn’t surprising as much as it validated what we already new. Shoppers were already going to the web to be better informed shoppers due to new financial stresses and as the top online e-tailer, Amazon stood the most to gain from this trend. “I love it when a plan comes to gather” – Hannibal from the A-Team.

E-Commerce Trends for 2008 and 2009: Trying to Cash In on Social Sites – ecommerce-guide.com 12/30/08

“Perhaps the biggest conundrum of 2008 in regard to online sales was how to make a profit by marketing and selling on social networks such as Facebook. Widgets and special e-commerce applications abound for social networks, but so far, members seem to want to communicate more than they want to shop.”

“Still, word-of-mouth marketing is powerful, and research continues to cite the fact that consumers continue to share — and trust — information about products they gain through social networks, even if they aren't actually making purchases there. So, we're certain in the coming year we will see more services and technology designed to help online businesses both market and sell through these sites.”

My Thoughts: This is a big challenge because linking sales back to word of mouth can sometimes be difficult. However, as the tool box for these technologies advance, hopefully as marketers we can engineer in some better metrics to show the value of 2.0 tech. Its there somewhere, like an answer on the tip of your tongue that you just can’t quite verbalize.

Web Stores Score with Customer Ratings – eMarketer, 09.12.08

“Letting customers rate products on e-commerce sites is the top Web 2.0 spending priority, according to online retailers in the US surveyed in August 2008 by Vovici for Internet Retailer. Well over one-half (57%) of online pure plays said customer ratings and reviews were a priority for them. One-half were also intent on adding video.”

My Thoughts: Engagement and experience are something that online retailers are still working out. There are many shoppers who still like going to the store because they feel that ecommerce while maybe simple and intuitive can lack a certain experiential factor. Just as in-store experiences have changed to accommodate shopper desires, it only follows that the web world will work the same. And lets be honest, it’s a lot cheaper and easier to change one website that redesign the interior of hundreds or thousands of stores.

Hope you enjoyed the little recap, if you want anymore info on any of these topics, please throw a comment in and I’ll get back to you.

White Paper Madness Giveaway - Clean Store, Digital Retail...

2008-09-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything lately because we have been slaving away at work on a couple of interesting white papers regarding the in-store world.

An associate of mine wrote a very interesting piece cleverly titled, Clean Store Policy: A Point of View. As the title suggests, he delivers our point of view on current trends in Clean Store Policies. (just messing with you Andrew, its a great title).

As for myself, I have been working closely with Craig and Morgan to launch our new Digitail™ intiative. Digitiail is a new focus at Integer around the convergence of the digital and retail spaces. Technology shifts and changing shopper behaviors, in addition to a number of other factors led us down this path. Take a look here to find out more.

White Paper: Women and consumer electronics: A love story

2008-07-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wanted to throw a shout to our office in Dallas who have just produced a new white paper based on a Consumer Electronics Study undertaken in 2007. The paper looks at the needs and wants of the female shopper in the Consumer Electronics category and offers some thoughts on how to effectively engage them. Head over to shopperculture.com to check it out.

Safeway goes Hollywood

2008-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little lazy, but at the same time need some new content for you all. So, I'm pillaging a post I also recently threw up on our work blog. But, the story and point of view are interesting I swear. Here you go.

The Promo Magazine website recently featured a story about Safeway partnering with Warner Bros. to launch a kid friendly extension of their Eating Right product line. In a marketplace where many popular kids brands are having to turn away from licensed characters for their "not-so-healthy" products, Safeway is taking advantage and moving aggressively with their private label brands. This isn't their first step in redefining private label (see Safeway to Market Private Label Brand to Other Supermarkets).

According to the article, "More than 1,700 Safeway locations in the U.S. will carry the line, which includes Toasted Os cereal, frozen meals, such as chicken enchiladas, and beverages." By adding popular licensed characters to their Eating Right line, how long will it be before kids have an affinity for healthy private label products over long established kids brands, because they feature Bugs, Taz or Marvin the Martian.

PRISM White Paper

2008-02-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

Over on our official Integer blog, shopperculture.com, we have posted our first white paper. The paper covers off on our point of view about the impact PRISM will have on the in-store media landscape. We draw some parallels to the impact of metrics on other media vehicles and make some rough predictions about where we think the industry will go. Check it out.

At Shelf Video Gets a Little Better

2008-02-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Recently had a meeting with POP Broadcasting to check out their new demo unit for at shelf video. (See pic to the side and notice coffee cup cleverly place for scale) There are a couple fascinating things about this unit that get me excited.

1. Its wireless and runs off of cellular signals. This means that you don't need to tap the stores internet connection or depend on their IT capabilities. Content is beamed directly to each unit from POP Broadcasting's mothership.

2. Not only do you get the motion activated video screen, but you also have a small text display which can be changed out to display a price point, promo message or whatever you want.

3. Content can be change out in a relatively real time manner via the web. Clients can log in and upload new creative and can even schedule during what daypart they want it to start running.

4. Backend reporting is fantastic. Clients can log in and get reports of how many times what content played and in which stores. Imagine paralleling that with sales data to determine real effectiveness.

Like I said, after the meeting I was excited about the possiblities of this kind of technology at shelf. Will keep you posted in the future with what happens.

New Look, Same Great Taste

2008-01-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

No, you're not at the wrong blog, I'm just going for a new look. Its been about a year now since started this thing and it was time to clean it up. Hope you like, if you don't... let me know.

In-store TV Evolving in the Right Direction

2008-01-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

When I was home in L.A. over the holiday break, I took the opportunity to check out one of IBN's latest installs of their PerfectMedia In-store TV network. Conveniently, it happened to be in my parent's favorite Ralph's, so as I made the ever dreaded Christmas day "fill-in trip" for whatever ingredients mom's was missing, I killed two birds.

Overall, I was impressed with the offering. Large perimeter screens with their vertical orientation do standout, and the choice of locations, produce and bakery, meant that shoppers might actually slow down long enough to take in some messaging. Also, the creative I happened to see were nice in-store specific executions featuring video within a seeming flash-based branded environment. You can check out some creative samples here.

More interesting however, were the in-aisle placements. In the fabric care aisle, there was this placement. Right at eye level and with audio just loud enough to hear within close proximity of the screen, but not so annoying that you heard it beyond more than a few feet away. As I passed it, there was some content, I think sponsored by Better Homes, about organizing your home or something to that effect. Relevant enough for a placement in the household needs part of the store.

If in-store TV networks are going to live up to the hype currently in the marketplace and truly become a medium of the future, its networks like this, focusing on increasing relevance through context and quality placements over quantity, that will take this vehicle to where it needs to be. Now, unfortunately, they just need to roll out into more stores. Currently only available in less than 100 Kroger stores, PerfectMedia is evolving in the right direction, now they just need build their reach.

The Beauty of In-Store Targeting

2007-12-04T09:47:00.001-08:00

This weekend I went to Safeway, and among the random things on my list was Drano (to fix a slow draining shower issue). While my slow draining shower isn't that interesting, what was interesting was the Catalina coupon delivered to me upon check out. Now, in addition to you folks, Roto Rooter also knows that I had a drainage issue and are offering me $25 off there services. Is this wildly innovative? no just smart.

In the online world, there is constant banter around behavioural targeting and contextual targeting. Both these methods of "finding consumers" are very smart. However, thinking about an offline application of these same principles, the store provides interesting possibilities as well. Like everything else in marketing, this will only work for a finite number of products or services, but the consideration should always be there. Should a salon chain put something on shelf in front of the hair color if they can make a competitive offer? Why not, again messaging and offer will be important, but the fact that Roto Rooter thought to target people in the store buying Drano means that folks are already thinking this way. Very encouraging.

Shopping with All Your Facebook Friends

2007-11-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting for Morgan to get back from Facebook's big advertising event this week in New York, some interesting news has already been released...the addition of a Shopping application which will evolve word of mouth in the online shopping arena. I covered the topic on our company blog shopperculture.com. Read the long version there.

Short Version:
Good - The ability to fire online purchases directly over to your Facebook page may seem weird to non-facebookers. But for those on the site, you understand how much you keep up on peoples' lives via their status and whatever they super-poked you with today. Allowing me to, upon checkout of buying my new Flat screen TV, click a button to instantly show off my new toy to my friends seems really appealing. And as a marketer, I relish the opportunity to have this more authentic way for consumers to brag about their purchase of my brand.

Bad - Challenge could be the online only nature of the app. With a good number of purchases researched online but still bought in the real world, how can this app be expanded to be more inclusive of broader shopping behaviors? Seems like the addition of a "considering" feature could be a useful plus-up. For example, if a user is on bestbuy.com looking at flat screen TVs, maybe they can add categories or specific products to their considerations. For users this could be a useful tool to gather intelligence from a network of friends.

Can't wait to see what else they announce.

Albertsons Surprisingly Digital - Selection '07

2007-10-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Came across this Albertsons program when I was waist deep in Google gadgets trying to see if retailers were using the technology. And apparently one is.
Found a gadget for each of Albertsons "candidates" for a program they are calling "Selection '07" where the different foods are vying for your votes. Cheese, steak, shrimp, pineapple, egg and broccoli are the candidates. And although I don't eat seafood, shrimp is my favorite because he wears a monocle.
Once I voted via the gadget, which also featured recipe ideas for each ingredient, I was whisked off to the Selection 07 site. The site includes a series of funny videos which are housed on Youtube, where Albertsons has its own branded page set up for all the videos in the program. In addition to videos, for each candidate there are more recipes, downloads (the shrimp mask was my favorite, again the monocle kills me), wallpapers, IM icons, etc...
For a retailer to create a program like this says that they are investing in their brand and creating a personality that shoppers/consumers can connect with. As manufacturers and agencies, we need to recognize these personalities and determine how we can create programs to complement those efforts.

Retail, Brand, Media Partnerships can be great...

2007-09-06T09:48:00.001-07:00

...when done this well. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 7-11, AOL and Mountain Dew (Pepsico) came together to create a beautiful program. (Can't imagine the logistics for approvals on this one). Further, my favorite part is that I was first exposed at retail. (Pump topper at 7-11)

And yes, while they are hawking Game Fuel Slurpees, they certainly aren't going to start selling $70 video games at 7-11. So for Halo 3, who has the majority of the real estate, this is "c-store as a medium". They are getting millions of brand impressions in a environment appropriate for their target, made even more relevant when tied to the Game Fuel Slurpee product.

According to 2006 MRI data, almost 3 million men 18-34 visit 7-11 at least 4x a month. Another 529,000 male teens do the same.

Even better, is the fact that they're not just hawking slurpees...there's a promotion at Slurpee.com.

There are actually few promotional items.
1. Chance to voice a character in the next release of Halo, Halo Wars.
2. Collect "virtual straws" by doing differnt things on the site (games, tell-a-friend, etc...) which can be redeemed for smaller rewards.
3. Download a BOGO coupon to drive back to retail for Slupees.

Overall, this is just a well rounded promotional partnership between relevant brands, delivering something of value to consumers.

Stouffer's Dinner Club

2007-08-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

I read about the Stouffer’s Dinner Club promo in Promo Magazine this weekend. In a nutshell, Stouffer’s is doing a nice twist on the traditional points system promotion by adding an auction aspect to it. Basically get 100 points for registering, 20 points for each code entered off a pack and some additional points for filling out surveys (great way to entice more consumer info out of folks and make them feel good about it).

So I went online, registered and then found myself at the store a day later. And what do you know; Stouffer's were on special, “buy 6 for $12 dollars”. What a deal!!! Plus, that’s another 120 points in the Stouffer’s Dinner Club. So I bought six and upon check out received this!

Not only did the lovely Catalina coupon drive back to the site to enter points, it further rewarded me with an additional $2.00 off next time. Now, whether I will leave it on my desk or actually remember to bring it to the store, I don’t know. But I certainly am feeling pretty good about my friends at Stouffers right now.

Shopper Culture Blog

2007-08-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen it on Craig's Blog or Sean's Blog, you're seeing it here. We have started a Shopper Culture blog which if you read this blog, you should check out immediately. As it says in the logo... its "a global discussion about the impact of shopper culture on brand strategy".

So please go read, bookmark and comment, as our intention is creating discussion.

Thanks!!!

Instant Consumer Segmentation

2007-08-28T10:09:00.001-07:00

I’m straying a little outside the store on this one into Morgan's territory, but its still retail related...
So I was on smartsource.com checking out who is utilizing the world of online coupons and ran across something interesting. Instant self-reported segmentation. Instead of the usual "click here" for your coupon, you "clicked here" to reveal your savings, after answering 2 questions.

So I clicked. I was presented with a frequency of purchase question as well as a usage question. As I have never bought Greased Lightning before I answered never for purchase frequency and Kitchen for my “toughest cleaning area”. And POOF, much to my delight, my coupon value was upgraded from 55 cents to $1.25 off.
In a world where not every product needs or gets a big promo site with drives for registration, this is a great approach to be smarter about coupon distribution.

Consumers Sip, Rather than Gulp, Green Kool-Aid

2007-08-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

Interesting article found today on Marketing VOX regarding the world of Green and how much consumers actually care. Based on a new Yankelovich study, the article points out that despite a glut of media coverage, a relatively small percentage of consumers are really passionate about being Green.

Yankelovich illustrates the degree to which all consumers - from “Green-less” to “Green-Enthusiasts” - are likely to buy a product based on its green features:

Green-less (29%) Unmoved by environmental issues and alarms
Green-bits (19%) Don’t care but doing a few things
Green-steps (25%) Aware, concerned taking steps
Green-speaks (15%) Talk the talk more than walk the walk
Green-thusiasts (13%) Environment is a passionate concern

While the largest percentage of Americans are “unmoved”, those “passionate” can still be a valuable niche. At 30 million strong they are nothing to snicker at, they simply should not be viewed as a mass audience.

Further, this is, to a large degree, a corporation driven movement based on good PR, and the reality is that as “organizations are required to meet strict federal and state environmental regulations - often at huge expense - it makes sense to try and leverage “new and improved” green product to consumers.”

As more marketers are finding Green is not just the color of money anymore, it'll be interesting to see which campaigns hit on the right message for the right audience and which just throw it out to the masses falling mostly on deaf ears?

P.R.I.S.M.

2007-07-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

It looks so cool in all caps with periods and stuff huh... Pioneering Research for an In-Store Metric. Did the acronym just work out that well? But I digress...

As a part of the consortium (another fun word), I can't really talk about the details of what's going on. However, I did want to comment on the experience overall. Its a massive undertaking from a logistics standpoint alone. Its interesting how much pure thinking and pre-planning needs to go into setting this thing up; test design, coding, metrics, outputs, etc... Its amazing to see how many research, agency, brand and retail people it takes to screw in a light bulb.

My biggest thought is that technology feels like a double edge sword here. While it facilitates the process immensely, it also creates the assumption that this thing should be perfect. Think back to TV; it was first measured with a small sample of households self-reporting their viewing habits into a diary. Hell, diaries are still used in many markets. We (retail folks) are a victim of post internet metrics. The web was so trackable, we measured everything to the point where most of the metrics were useless.

The hope with this is to find a nice middle ground of useful metrics for planning and auditing purposes, while also maintaining accuracy beyond counting on someone to tell me they think they watched Law & Order last night on NBC but they can't remember which permutation.

Either way, its very cool to be a part of the beginning of something this big. One day, when my grandchildren tell me they generated 2 unduplicated impressions in the produce section of Safeway, I'll be able to say that I was a part of that.

Have a Good 4th everyone!

I Love a Good Conspiracy

2007-07-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

I found this article posted on MSN Health... 10 Things Your Grocery Store Doesn't Want You to Know. While the more health-based points I don't mind, (yes, shockingly grocery stores are dirty) its "the man is trying to control you" type points that annoy me.

Marketers influence so many of peoples' experiences at this point, it seems redundant to point out. Has the general public not have noticed that... no sporting event goes un-sponsored, arenas are re-named by mutual funds, popcorn bags in movies theaters have ads, your trip to the bar bathroom is sponsored by a cab company, people on TV only drink beers with labels facing the camera, etc.

For those that haven't figured out that marketers control their lives, we do.

That's all for today...

Common Sense from Scott...

2007-06-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

As marketers we all may sometimes fall victim to overthinking things sometimes. So, on occasion, tts nice to see a simple promotion for a simple category.

Introducing Scott's Common Sense promotion. Check it out here.

Premise: See in-store materials or FSI, go to website, submit a tip that your mother told you, have a chance to win $25,000. I discovered the promo in-store on a Smartsource Banner. (I've been behind on my coupon clipping and missed the FSI which dropped mid May).

Once at the website, consumers are greeted with perfectly expected experience. The site is full of polls, tips, community, submit a tip and win, etc... Navigation is intuitive and feels like the other sites that their consumers are probably used to. Color palette is soft and soothing (2 good things to associate with toliet paper). Overall, this is easy.

I played on the site a bit, and then was pleasantly (as a marketer), surprise when I left. After closing the site, I was served a little pop up.

"hey, you interested in filling out a survey", said the little pop-up. "you could win $250".

See, when submitting tips for the sweepstakes, they asked for bear minimum information. They simply want to drive participation. Then for those interested, when served the pop-up, you can fill out a rather extensive survey which asked all kinds of demo, brand and category questions. A treasure trove of data for a little re-marketing later.

Now, I'm not sure what Morgan's take will be on this, he's the online guy. But as a retail to web promotion, this worked for me. Easy to understand in-store proposition drove to a web experience that was comfortable and easy. While not every brand should do comfortable and easy, its exactly what I want from my toliet paper.

Excited yet Conflicted about the Future of Retail

2007-06-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

The more I read and hear, the more I wonder where Retail Marketing is going. PRISM hopes to simplify the media aspects of it, while Retailers are also becoming more demanding in Customer Specific concerns as well as now Customer/Shopper specific efforts.

WARNING: This a long one, but worth it for those whose bread is buttered in this arena.

I was reading a fantastically interesting article in the Hub about shopper marketing which got me thinking about the myriad of forces at work on retail marketing. The article written by Chris Hoyt and Gail Peterson of Hoyt and Associates basically outlines the shift by retailers to better shopper segmentation and what in means to anyone selling goods at retail. Check it out here.

The net net is that retailers are now aiming to better serve their shoppers by customizing stores (product selection, layout, etc...). The hope of the more shopper relevant store is, as always increase sales, but also increase loyalty.

"This store understands me" seems to be the general response we are looking for here.

I love this, its smart, makes complete sense, but in everyway complicates what we as an agency are going to be tasked with in the future. Try customer specific programming across a clients top 10 retailers and you can go a little nuts. But now, its going to grow geometrically as each customer specifc program will have 4 - 8 "shopper specific" twists.

Again, I love this, it will only lead to more targeted programming which hopefully means more effective and successful work. I just think we made need a few more folks on the home team.

My conflict comes as I have the pleasure of working with the PRISM folks on the development of that fantastic tool. As stores differentiate further, what does this mean for uniform measurement and planning. I would argue the measurement factor can remain less affected as "eyeballs are eyeballs" in the world of media measurement. An impression in prime time TV is added on top of an impression in Time Magazine and then added again to a Yahoo impression is terms of overall plan delivery.

Yes, the levels of engagement are different, but that's a separate consideration as a part of the planning process. But as far as Neilsen is concern, they are measuring "opportunity to see"; eyeballs are eyeballs. (Its the same song for TV, Print and everything else measured)

So, this leads me to the part which is affected by all this retailer specific mumbo jumbo; planning retail programs. While thanks to PRISM we will know how many people will see our in-store pieces, how to interupt and engage will become a more important artform.

This is very exciting. Encouragement on the part of retailers for more specific programs around the "kind of shopper" that is in a particular store provides an opportunity to start testing the limits of in-store creative. How do we take a once simple promotional tool and update and inspire it to be more. What kind of creaive measurement do we establish to test what works where and for whom? I could tell you my thoughts, but I'd have to charge you.

While its a somewhat confusing time...

unform measurement vs. store specific segmentation,

clean store policies vs. a growing retail media landscape,

Retailer Brands vs. CPG Brands vs. Consumers vs. Shoppers.

...its an exciting time. Its exciting because conversations are being had that weren't had before. Positions, departments and companies are being created to address all the colors of the retail rainbow. Legitimacy is around the corner, if not here already. Now we just need more hands on deck.

Thanks for playing... I'll make my next entry shorter I promise!

In-store Digital Video is a mess...

2007-04-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Really? Is about the only way I can address this situation.
Here is my view of the in-store video landscape to date:

Wal-mart TV (PRN) - Just sent me a very nice letter basically saying "oops, we may have jumped the gun". They are going to conduct a small pilot to work out kinks that even I could have predicted and will run somewhere from 6 months to a year behind on roll out. So much for my 2008 plans. However, I will applaud their efforts to get it right rather than just moving forward collecting $$$s but ultimately doing a disservice to in-store media. So thanks for your diligence.

SignStorey - Used to be my number 3 choice in in-store video, but rapidly moving up. Just ate up Captive Audience, to add ShopRite and Big Y stores into their network. Also, SuperValu (the back bone of SignStorey's network) gave an impressive little display at the In-Store Marketing Conference last week in Chicago. Along with technology partner DS-IQ, they are paralleling video logs of ads, with sales data to provide a better idea of effectiveness of the video product. Very Interesting.

IBN - Not even sure where these guys went with PerfectMedia. I liked the idea, but the roll out in all Kroger stores just never seemed to happen. Oh well, there's always in-store radio...

NewsAmerica - Often labeled "the dinosaur" by their high tech competitors, NAM is going a different route. Saving money on NOT buying hundreds/thousands of 42" plasmas, they created a simple at shelf video option which can be placed directly in front of product. No, its not a fancy "Internet Protocol Driven Vertically Oriented LCD Magic Carpet Ride" type of offering but it does do a few things the others don't.
1. Brings video down to the consumers level. (this has long be an argument from the anti-in-store video front, if such a thing exists)
2. Also, its user initiated. Instead of pushing our pre-determined mix of messaging we assume shoppers want out on big screens, it simply invites shoppers to push the magic button if they want to learn more.

I'm not sure where this is all going to net out...that's kind of why its annoying. We plan a year in advance, and I can't predict who'll actually have things where they're supposed to be. But its entertaining to watch and I hope someone gets it right. The opportunity for richer in-store messaging would be welcomed by most brands, but it can't be a turn off to shoppers and I would love a little measurement as well.

That's all for today.

Sustainability, bla bla bla, I know

2007-03-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

But…even though I am admittedly not a recycler, hybrid driver or green in pretty much any way, I see that this is the future of business. My favorite approach to sustainability is, as always, Wal-Mart’s.

They aren’t viewing it as tree hugging, hippie-esque efforts to save the Earth, that’s just a secondary benefit. (Of course this isn’t what the press release to the general public says) More efficient uses of materials, means less waste which reduces costs. More efficient designs of packaging and POS means less trucks which means lower distribution costs. (oh yeah and less pollution, isn’t that nice) And while I may appreciate their commitment to the bottom line probably more than most, its raises an interesting point. This is seemingly a way to make Wal-Mart happy.

We rack our brains constantly trying to figure out ways to create programs that will get Wal-Mart jazzed. However, apparently, if we just size a PDQ just right so it holds three more bars of soap and they can use 60 less trucks to get them to market, that’s a win. If we create pallets that stack a little better, little more efficiently into a truck, that’s a win.

Consolidation, both Natural and Not

2007-03-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

In an unlikely intermingling of channels/retailers over the past few months there were some strange developments between Wild Oats, Pathmark, A&P and Whole Foods. The quickest way I can break it down is like this:

- December 06: Pathmark announces it will start carrying Wild Oats private label brands in their stores
- March 07: A&P announces buy out of Pathmark
- March 07: Whole Foods to buy out Wild Oats
- March 07: Whole Foods states that it is unlikely that the Pathmark/Wild Oats private label partnership will continue

I only write about this because I found the entire thing very odd, yet captivating. As the world of retail is consolidating, the competition is tremendous. Traditional grocers are partnering to carry “natural private label” to expand their offering; smaller chains are expanding through acquisition to increase their weight in the marketplace; while others are simply eliminating the competition through buyouts. That’s a lot of activity in a short time in the retail world.
Unfortunately for me, the natural channel is not a very retail media friendly environment, so Whole Foods getting bigger isn’t really good news. As for A&P and Pathmark, last time I check neither popped really high on the radar as a top customer for any of my clients. But thought it was interesting none the less.

Retail to Web Made Easy?

2007-03-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Per my last 2 posts, we can see there is obviously a growing amount of retail to web communication going on in-store. And now, as released last week, Catalina and ePrize are taking it to the next level. Through a strategic partnership, they are coming to market with all-in-one solutions for these programs. Catalina has vast data (which I love) on who buys what, how often and where, a treasure trove of shopper nuggets. ePrize has 101 templatized ways to create and online promotion quick and easy. Together they bring rich targeting capabilities at retail on the front end with strong engagement tools and data capture potential on the backend. And while it may not all be done in one phone call, it’ll be pretty turnkey. Check out the current Dole Salad/Yahoo Music/Elliot Yamin (former American Idoler) promo. (and yes, the song sucks, but that's not the point) Another solution this provides is for the constant problem of unique codes on package which take months of planning to execute due to production timelines. Now you can simply have Catalina trigger an ad when a shopper buys your product and they can be given a unique code which can tell what SKU was purchased and at what retailer. Great info to have as soon as they go online and enter it. The executional fixes and promotional opportunities are all still to be fully explored, but its exciting/scary.

Everybody Likes a Pizza Party

2007-02-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

Its true...and Schwan Foods is counting on it driving traffic to their web promotion from retail. Using their entire portfolio of frozen pizza brands (Freschetta, Red Baron and Tony’s), they are driving traffic to pizzapartypro.com for the chance to win the “ultimate party” including a party planner, day spa treatment, party day attire, digital camera and a flat panel hdtv.

They had three placements in the frozen aisle including a floorgraphic in front of the Red Baron pizza along with a shelftalk, then further down the aisle was another shelftalk in front of the Freshetta. While the “Party Like a Pro” sweeps was carried through all, the individual placements also maintain the equity of each brand.

The site itself is really really basic; a couple party tips, sweeps info and an entry mechanism. The engagement online could have certainly been more compelling, but the traffic driving vehicles in-store showed a commitment to store as a medium. The fact that they invested in 3 placements and had absolutely no sell messaging, but instead simply used retail as a medium to drive awareness of their online promotion is impressive.

Healthy Choice - Retail to Web

2007-02-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

Since we all sit around talking about in-store as a medium, not a sales tool, it’s nice to see it used for something other than simply trying to drive sales lift. Healthy Choice currently is running an interesting in-store drive to web promotion. The main window of the shelftalk pushes the current promotion “START MAKING CHOICES” which drives you to web to “get your personalized health and wellness tools at healthychoice.com.”

Beyond that, the outer extension is pushing other portfolio products, namely their Healthy Choice soups. Obviously their frozen offering is their marquee product… so they are harnessing their equity there to drive awareness of other extensions as well as create an online experience. This is in-store as a medium; its driving awareness as well as push to web. Oh, and to date, the website currently boasts over 35,000 people who have signed up to "START MAKING CHOICES"!

Macro Trends + In-store Trends = New Opportunity?

2007-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

With our Trends and Technology conference still recent in memory, and a lot of 2006 recaps/2007 predicitions for in-store in the press, my brain spit out an interesting dicussion... Does Storytelling and the rise of digital signage in-store create a new forum for brand engagement. (Also, do shoppers want it)

"In-Store TV is Hot
Target launched "Channel Red" in its entertainment departments, Kroger discussed its "Perfect Media" plans for integrated TV-radio networks, and Meijer went live with a chain-wide network...Wal-Mart best exemplified the issues surrounding in-store media...by placing monitors in aisles and on endcaps"
- In-store Marketer 2006 trend recap...

Also, more recently it was announced...

"Two divergent players in the world of in-store advertising are teaming up for a test that would surround shoppers with an ambient, multimedia advertising and marketing experience. The test, which will rollout in a sample of supermarkets owned by The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., will combine the place-based programming of InStore Broadcasting Network (IBN) with personalized shopping media developed by Cuesol.

During the Stop & Shop tests, IBN will deliver synchronized advertising messages via its audio and video platforms in the store, which will be combined and integrated with Cuesol's technology, a high-tech shopping cart equipped with a digital personal shopping assistant dubbed the "Shopping Buddy."
- MediaPost 2/6/07

These applications in-store allow us to provide more in depth brand experiences to shoppers. Do shoppers want them? I don't know, we'll have to ask. If we push a bunch of complicated messaging at people, I'm guessing they won't be happy. But if user initiated content can be served up to shoppers to bring them further into our brands, how valuable is that? What does this mean in a world where we have espoused the notion that we have 3 seconds to seal the deal or shoppers will be lost.

Anytime we have a challenge to our conventional thinking, I smell opportunity. It may be an opportunity to fall flat on our faces, but opportunty none the less.

Storytelling: Consumers want to hear our story and share their own...
Technology: Shoppers can have an interactive, audio visual in-store experience...
The intersection of these two concepts has to mean something. I'm curious to see what.

In-Store Media - User Friendly or Specialized Craft?

2006-12-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

The more I read about in-store media lately, the more tense I get. With the genesis of the "in-store GRP", or at least a reasonable theory on how to create one, there is a big push to create a future where in-store is planned right along side other traditional media vehicles. The way the process is discussed, it’s as though there will be some magical way to plan/buy 1000 GRPs of "in-store media" that can be thrown on a flowchart between TV and Print. As someone that spent the first part of may career planning traditional media, peppered in some online and now have moved to in-store, I see a few problems with this...

1. Having recently shifted focus to solely in-store media, its hard to envision your average media planner doing what I do. Not because I'm special, but strictly from a time and energy standpoint. Understanding in-store media requires a lot of space in ones brain to catalog and track all the vendor products (which are ever evolving), retailer likes/dislikes, latest shopping trends, etc... We aren't planning 30 second spots or full page four color bleed ads. There is no standard anything. Further, it’s a full planning process to "do it right"; however, the process has different inputs then traditional media planning. See point 2.

2. Even if you wanted to buy 1000 GRPs of in-store, you couldn't. Even if the metric existed, you still couldn't. It’s not bought, sold, planned or even concepted that way. A primary problem is retailer realities. Not all retailers take the same media from a vendor or the same vendors for that matter. Also, you have clients that want more differentiation for their retailers to make them feel like there getting something different, but you have legal hurdles that say you can't do that. Its a complex landscape that I don't see your average media planner navigating successfully, let alone excelling at to provide clients effective, innovative solutions.

3. Lastly, one of the complaints of in-store media folk is that we are just a line item under promotions, a tactic. My thought is…what's the difference if you go from a line item under promotions to a line item under media. If you have non-specialized planner in control of the line item, how is the medium better served. I compare in-store often to online, for a while the industry attempted to fold it in with traditional media, but it proved to be just too different. Any good online planner will tell you that behind all the numbers, there is an art to online planning; as there is to mastering the planning of any vehicle. However, at the same time, they did create superb metrics which were comparable with traditional media so it could live in the same presentations. I believe this is more of where in-store needs to go. Yes, let’s create metrics and language that are inline with other media vehicles so clients don't need to learn and entirely new lexicon for every meeting. However, let’s leave the art to the craftsman.

I don’t want to sound as though I don’t have faith in numbers, great planning should always be rooted in solid research. At the end of the day we are solving business issues and that should be quantifiable somehow. As I read that Nielsen is now on board to help create a definitive in-store metric, I get excited to see the outcome. I anxiously await the arrival of a magic number I can provide which helps with selling the store "as a medium" not just a generator of short term lift. But let the number just be that, another important chapter in a well crafted story. A chapter along side, brand objectives, retailer objectives, shopper behavior, channel analysis and a host of other new inputs that going into creating an effective in-store plan.

The omni-present Sunsilk

2006-12-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Thought I would start this thing off with the on-going case study of Sunsilk which I'm sure many of you have probably heard of, seen on TV or seen in-store.

My interest in Sunsilk began when I came across them in-store with a series of humorous cross category placements far from the hair care aisle in both grocery and mass. When they launched this campaign they viewed the store truly as a medium capitalizing on the reach of the whole store, not just the HABA categories. Placements ran near soda, ice cream, laundry and so on, all with contextually relevant messages that brought the brand's fun, humorous personality to life.

While this intrigued me, I was more impressed as I began to dig deeper and see how the in-store leg of the campaign worked so well within the broader media mix.

As I am not an 18-34 year old female, I haven't seen a ton of their TV, but by all accounts, most young women have. Along with a ton of national magazines, in-theater ads and online media, the TV rounded out a compelling campaign which had roots in a larger idea. A non-traditional idea for the category certainly. The brand is the star of the spots, this fun, clever persona which they created takes center stage, not Hair. There aren't dramatic slow mo shots of hair being flipped about present in any of the ads.

The last piece of the campaign, and the goal of much of the communication was a drive online to http://www.gethairapy.com, the brands site. After some initial intro which set up the tone not only for the site but the brand, the first thing I noticed were the two promo modules on
the homepage, one for a free sample and one for a sweeps. While there is certainly plenty of content around the site to keep users around for a while (video, blog, advice etc...), they didn't completely disguise there intentions... get a free sample, enter a sweeps, we are incenting you interact with us and our brand.

While I don't find my hair to be particularly in need of special care, I signed up under the free sample section and was met a few weeks later with a nice DM piece with my sample and a couple other fun things which again illustrating the playfullness of the brand and typically driving you back online to the site.

Overall, this started in-store, but through that I stumbled on to a very interesting and well glued-together wholistic campaign.

Subsequently, now out of the launched phase, they have evolved there in-store strategy with stronger purchase drivers. Currently they are now more focused in the hair care aisle with banners bookending the product and a coupon machine to drive trial.

Final bits...

1. In terms of non-traditional, I don't know the category
tremendously well, but I find it interesting that their spokespeople
are three men...no hair models.

2. Integration, integration, integration...they do a great job
of maintaining consistency of message, look and feel accross all
their vehicles, but, they don't neccessarily try and do everything
everywhere. For example, we never see the spokespeople in-store,
but the same humor is used.

Strange side note:
I'm not sure if its a new Unilever thing, but I saw another
out of category placement today at Safeway for Suave in the laundry
aisle. Interestingly, its the second Unilever brand in the past
couple months to put hair care in the laundry aisle.