RESEARCH REPORT

Standards & training go hand in hand

A lack of definition leads to a lack of training

The need is for clear-cut industry standards and objectives as to what shopper marketing is and is not, and the training and skill sets to execute against these standards. Unlike category management, which, thanks to Dr. Brian Harris, is based on a very clearly defined and industry-sanctioned eight-step process, shopper marketing is all over the lot.

The future of digital is not evenly distributed

Lack of communication stands in the way

Despite the industry noise level of how shopper marketing-focused companies are taking advantage of digital, the results of this survey indicate that for most companies, digital is either non-existent or in very primitive stages. To date, digital is largely defined as the sales department getting retailers to feature their brands on websites or in pre-store coupons.

There are few indications among respondents that their digital efforts are based on a true path-to-purchase strategy and are coordinated among the various departments and agencies responsible for executing in a way that interacts with their target consumers at key decision points along the path.

Three more secrets of Shopper success

Training, scope & retailer focus

Training: Sixty-four percent of ‘excellents’ (i.e., those who say they excel at Shopper) report that they received their shopper-marketing training through formal company training programs, while only 22 percent of the ‘not-so-good/poor’ group did. Even more important is the quality of training: Only 3.6 percent of the ‘not-so-good/poor’ respondents rate the training they did get as excellent, compared to 50 percent of the ‘excellents.’

What does Shopper ‘best practice’ look like?

Experience, headcount & training, for starters

By comparing our “State of Shopper” survey responses of those who self-identified as ‘excellent’ in Shopper to those identifying as ‘not so good/poor,’ a picture of Best Practices in Shopper begins to emerge.

What is the agency’s role in Shopper?

Creativity, insights and strategy

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%).