The top three expectations of agencies are: creativity (72%); research/insights (71%); and strategy planning (63%). The others are: integration of all marketing activities (46%); executional manpower (45%); and coordination of sales & marketing communications (36%).
Category: SHOPPER FYI
RESEARCH REPORT
BRAND X JOURNAL Some retailers try simplified pricing
Others profit from complicated discounts
The Wall Street Journal: “Retailers have a gift for discount-obsessed holiday shoppers: simpler pricing … Kohl’s has been testing a ‘Your Price’ feature that shows the final price after all discounts … For example, a Disney Princess Palace, regularly priced at $79.99, was on sale on Kohl’s website earlier this month for $54.99 and eligible for an extra 25% off. The “Your Price” was $41.24.”
CONFAB REPORT Ask not what your shoppers can do for you
The future of brands & retail is not rocket science
Legend has it that on a tour of NASA in 1962, President Kennedy approached a man pushing a broom. “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy,” the President said. “What are you doing?” The man replied: “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”
Like so many other legendary stories, this one may be apocryphal. Would JFK have asked a man pushing a broom what he was doing? Maybe he did, but the point is clear: This man may not have been a rocket scientist, but was part of the journey nonetheless.
A man pushing a broom is not intended as a metaphor for Shopper’s role within the broad context of the brand and retail culture. It is rather a vivid illustration of the universal truth that success ultimately depends upon a living, breathing network of many different types of people with many different kinds of skills. Everything, and everyone, matters. Every moment matters.
FEATURED VIGNETTE Colgate Saves Water & Builds Loyalty
A sustainable platform built on emotional connections
When we talk about solving shopper problems, often we’re focused on culinary questions, like “what’s for dinner?” When Colgate and Albertson’s teamed up to address their mutual interest in water conservation, the goal was to address a different kind of conundrum: guilt.
Research found a broad spectrum of consumers were concerned about the water they waste. The shopper insight, meanwhile, was that people — millennials especially — were more likely to buy products that support a cause they care about.
RESEARCH REPORT How have Shopper trends changed?
Several shifts are worth noting
Overall, Shopper trend lines have remained steady since our previous survey, in 2014. However, several shifts are worth noting, in particular that “internal communications” is now seen as the top impediment to Shopper success (57%). Previously, “conflicting sales, marketing and retailer objectives” was viewed as the number-one problem (64%).