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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Shopper Marketing Truth #3: The Line Between "Consumer" and "Shopper" is Becoming Blurred

Consumer…. Shopper…. Once upon a time, we might have simplistically distinguished the two along the lines of "shopper" = someone inside a store vs. "consumer"= some outside a store.  

“Old school marketers” (like me) have spent years distinguishing between the two using different marketing objectives. In the days of old, the objective of shopper marketing was to drive purchase behavior at the point of purchase. It was solely about the in-store experience: getting the shopper to pick the product off the shelf/rack and place it in their basket. Consumer marketing focused exclusively on driving brand engagement and affinity.

Whatever way we distinguished between these two groups in the past, today, a stark reality has emerged: the line between shopper and consumer is no more. The shopping experience is no longer contained to a store and certainly not to a single “shelf talker.” Today's shopper is someone influenced by a brand during the “path to purchase”.    As more digital platforms are introduced (mobile applications, 2D codes, etc), we’ll see the shopping experience begin much sooner (perhaps imperceptibly so).   Strong shopper marketing programs will reflect a continuum where (as in P&G's "Store Back" approach) brands will build from the desired purchase back to the shopping list. 

Smart brands and agencies will turn their attention to defining the entire continuum of the shopper's experience,  rather than placing emphasis on the differences they perceive between shoppers and consumers.

Posted by Ciri Fenzel at 10:28 PM Labels: consumer behavior, retail, retail marketing, Shopper marketing