Is shopper marketing strategy working?

Can a worldwide shopper marketing strategy change anything?

Is shopper marketing working? With consumer good manufacturers and suppliers demanding more return from the investment, supermarkets are searching for reasons to deselect products to satisfy a declining consumer demand. How effective is your shopper marketing strategy?

Products that are perceived to be outdated, expensive, trivial or non-essential are jettisoned from the family-shopping basket quicker than the loyalty card can be swiped.  An example of this is to look at the aisles closest to the checkouts and look at the single items on the wrong shelves. Has the shopper completed ‘final checks’ before approaching the till and decided to offload unwanted items before they are scanned.

Don’t misunderstand the example above to mean that the shopping basket is declining in value. It isn’t. But the shopper marketing messages are being missed. The shopper is buying more of the same products but in greater volume. The shopper is now buying the essential shop items that every family needs to survive. Volume is increasing, whilst variety in the shopping basket is declining. Hence the increase in own label premium quality ranges, like Waitrose essentials and Sainsbury’s own label.

But traditional advertising is declining as brands look for more innovative ways to catch the shopper’s eye. Pester power in paying off and becoming an increasing part in this process. Teenagers and young adults are making their own buying decisions through social network sites or from product placement within video games etc.  Is shopper marketing the only game in town?

Mums ability to influence the shopping basket content is coming under threat as a result. And if the supermarket can’t meet the demand, then Mum receives increased hassle from the family and moves to the outlet that can supply.

Therefore the need for targeted shopper marketing developed across all product ranges will become increasingly important, as the buying audience becomes more discerning than in previous generations. Is it time to change the way you think?