Shoppers make products available
to consume. In consumer marketing,
the focus is on how to make the
consumer use the brand more, in
shopper marketing, the focus is on
how to make the shopper buy my
brand. Effectively, the consumer is
the brand’s second moment of truth,
while the shopper is the brand’s first
moment of truth!
Understanding this differentiation
enables marketers to develop
appropriate strategies with the most
effective mix of media and messaging
to target the right segments of
consumers and shoppers.
Of course in many instances the
consumer is the shopper, however,
when planning or engaging in
a purchase, a consumer-turnedshopper may have different needs and
different behaviors.
Changes in the retail landscape
complicate consumer/shopper
decision-making and the challenges
of marketing through this channel.
Recent research and surveys in
Kenya show the growth of retail
stores. One survey shows that “56%
of the respondents shopped in a
supermarket in the last week, this,
coupled with 5% who shopped in a
mall”, makes it a representative 61%,
shopped in the ‘modern trade’ in the
last week.
To most marketers, this may not be
earth-shattering news given that
‘modern trade’ has been growing
consistently over the last decade.
The opening of new stores with
varied offerings by local players,
evidences this across the country
and in the region; Nakumatt,
Tuskys, Naivas and Chandarana and
recently, global players including
MAF Carrefour (UAE), Wal-Mart
(through Massmart) plus acquisitions
recently by Choppies from Botswana.
With this growth also comes the
52 MAL 13/16 ISSUE
‘‘ Shopper marketing is a cross-functional
discipline designed to improve business
performance by using actionable insights
to connect with shoppers and influence
behavior along the path to purchase.’’
rise of private labels to compete with
manufacturer brands - all of these
factors influence marketing strategies
and tactics at the “first moment of
truth.”
opportunity to purchase the brand.
The premise behind shopper
marketing is that manufacturers
and retailers can together create a
more engaging shopper experience,
influencing shoppers at the point of
purchase where they make the most
final buying decisions.
In 2007 Unilever was awarded
the CPG Award for Innovation
and Creativity by the Grocery
Manufacturers Association
(GMA) in conjunction with
its Associate Member Council
(AMC)
Manufacturers and retailers can use
shopper marketing in concert with
traditional marketing strategies to
substantially improve the shopping
experience for a targeted shopper.
When done well, a shopper should
feel like the store was designed just
for him/her. He/she will visit more
frequently, dwell longer and make
better product choices.
After partnering with Ahold’s
Stop & Shop, Unilever drove
center store sales by increasing
conversion from food to health
and beauty care. It executed its
program with a three-pronged
approach that used:
However, shopper marketing is not
just an in-store tactic. It is a shoppercentric approach to increase the
relevance of products, brands and
retailers. Shopper marketing offers a
means of building both brand equity
and sales lift.
Happier customers dwell longer, buy
more and visit more frequently –
results that are difficult to match with
conventional practices.
Effectively, marketers now need to
focus on three areas required to drive
growth: Create desire to consume
the brand; Motivate retailers to
support the brand; and Maximise the
Case Study 1: Unilever
1. Co-marketing promotions to
incent consumers to make larger
shopping trips
2. In-store “programming” to
increase purchases by shoppers
across categories
3. Simplified and enhanced lowtraffic aisles to ease the shopping
experience
Unilever reported outstanding
results: shopper trips to the
store up by 90 percent, multiple
category purchases up by 80
percent, sales per trip increasing
by 25 percent, and total store sales
up by 138 percent