It is no secret that that there is a wealth of new and innovative shopper marketing channels available compared to ten years ago.
Nevertheless, with the spectre of GDPR hanging over Shopper teams across the FMCG landscape brands are more speculative than ever about trying something new. What’s more, if you know that an Asda barker is always likely to pay out, where is the incentive to try something new and keep things fresh?
In this ever-changing landscape Shopper Marketing teams should never stop innovating, and here are 3 easy, GDPR compliant ways to do this:
Be at the forefront at the storefront
Historically 6 sheets have been static paper posters or digital screens on a fixed share of voice at the front or in proximity to a retailer. However, media owners and retailers are now being more reactive than ever with a diverse range of new opportunities available to make this activity more interactive, intuitive and impactful.
Some Tesco stores now have the facility for touchscreens while the creative can also be tailored to target certain locations, and even the outside temperature. In a world of highly personalised advertising brands should consider a more innovative approach at the front of store to grab attention and stand out from the crowd.
No need to get physical
FMCGs have long been dubious about digital channels due to the difficulty of robustly evaluating these. However, with strides now being made to accurately measure online activity and an ever-growing toolkit of digital channels this activity should now form an integral part of any shopper strategy.
Geo-targeted SMS for example can cater for significantly smaller budgets than many in-store channels even with full branding and animations. Media owners have also taken steps to ensure it is fully GDPR compliant. Finally, according to SMG’s shopper media evaluation portal PlanVault it is among the strongest channels available in terms of payout, with a benchmark brand level ROI of £3.03.
Why re-invent the wheel?
All the above is not to say that shopper marketeers should stop investing in traditional supermarket media altogether. However, there is always more that can be done to stand out. For example, lenticular trolley posters are now available in both Tesco and Asda and can give the impression of a moving image on static media.
There are several other relatively low-cost channels available around the store with opportunities for innovation, from audio barkers at Asda to Tesco TV. None of these deviates far from the tried and tested, however should be considered by any shopper marketeer looking to find a way to stand out both in-store and at shelf.
Conclusion
Shopper marketing is only going to continue the cycle of innovation, and the sooner this is embraced by shopper marketeers the more chance there is of staying ahead of the curve. Successful Shopper teams should try and avoid re-using the same touchpoints repeatedly on the assumption that this is hitting their objectives.
When trying new approaches, a test and learn approach is vital and Shopper teams should look to evaluate everything that they can. Ultimately, by closely measuring the impact of every piece of activity marketeers can build up a bank of touchpoints that work for their brand and their objectives, be that new, innovative digital channels or tried and tested in-store media.