As we enter 2011 Evolution Insights considers some of the Shopper Marketing trends which are set to shape the year ahead.

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True brand loyalty can enable brands to command a premium over their competitors, in some cases even where there are alternatives of equal or even higher quality available at a lower price.

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While a traditional grocery coupon is torn from a newspaper, flyer or mailshot; carried by the shopper; and then redeemed by handing to the checkout assistant - a ‘digital’ coupon is less clear. This is because digital media and mobile devices can be utilised for either the distribution, transfer/transport or redemption of coupons – or any combination of these.

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We often refer to the shopper journey through the store as a key behavioural characteristic when considering where best to place shopper marketing initiatives. Well, it is perhaps of no surprise that the same principle applies to online grocery shopping. Shoppers interact with different ‘touch points’ of the grocery website as they move along their ‘journey’ from initial login to checkout, just as they would in the supermarket.

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Opportunities for shopper marketing are not necessarily constrained to the store environment – consumers often enter into the shopper mind-set before they enter the store, and increasingly decide what to buy when at home or on-the-go. This is where digital media really comes into its own.

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At Evolution Insights we are always intrigued by the latest innovation in food and grocery shopper marketing abroad. The United States is often of particular interest and is considered by many to be at the forefront in the field. Indeed, given the extent of shopper marketing activity and thought leadership originating from the US, one could be forgiven for concluding that many retailers and manufacturers in the UK are playing catch up.

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The online food and grocery market continues to grow rapidly presenting new opportunities for consumer goods companies to engage shoppers, increase sales and develop their category strategies. But to date only a minority of players have fully embraced the online channel.

For many, the online space is perceived as somewhat of an enigma which remains on the periphery of traditional shopper marketing activity, more an afterthought than an integrated component of a holistic channel strategy. At Evolution however we believe firmly that online activity should sit at the heart of the shopper strategy, following the same fundamental principles we have learned in-store while acknowledging the marked differences between the physical and online worlds.

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Health and wellbeing is a subject of increasing concern among shoppers, retailers and manufacturers. The pressure is well and truly on - from government, press and consumers - for brands to demonstrate their health credentials. Indeed the number of health related initiatives from FMCGs has snowballed in recent times.

But how do shoppers respond to the plethora of different health initiatives aimed in their direction at the point of purchase? Which messages actually work with shoppers and which don’t?

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Digital Shopper Marketing (DSM) is a new term in the retail arena, but what does it actually mean? Essentially, DSM encompasses any and everything with a digital characteristic(s) that features, or can feature, in a shopper’s path to purchase.

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• Digital Shopper Marketing 2010

Shopper loyalty is a hot topic in food and grocery. It is widely accepted that the recent recession has contributed to a decline in shopper loyalty, with more shoppers taking to shopping around, sniffing out the best value for money and choosing different stores and brands to suit. Indeed in response, 2009 saw a renewed focus on loyalty schemes from many of the major food and grocery retailers.

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• Brand Loyalty: Creation, Retention, and the Role of Private Label 2010

At Evolution Insights we find that FMCGs are actually by and large on top of their game in this respect when it comes to their own brands and categories. However they are often less au fait with how their category interacts with others in the context of the shopper’s overall shopping trip, with the shoppers’ motivations for visiting the actual store and with their associated behaviours. .

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• The Top-up Shopper Mission 2010
• The Lunch On-the-go Shopper Mission 2010
• The Snacking On-the-go Shopper Mission 2010
• The UK 'Main Shop' Shopper Mission 2010

Shopper marketing is in essence the use of shopper insights to develop marketing campaigns that seek to influence shopper behaviour at the point of purchase.

Shopper marketing initiatives range quite considerably, from the format and location of displays in-store, product merchandising, packaging and POS, to promotion and even in-store sampling and live demonstrations.

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• Shopper Marketing Trends 2010