When you say ‘shopper marketing’, people immediately think about retail, point of sale materials and promotions. That’s simply because the industry has done very little to evolve the definition of the discipline.
Historically, shopper marketing established itself as the operational component of category management in the late 90s. The term was used synonymously with in-store promotion. Over time, the scope of shopper marketing evolved to encompass all activities taking place inside the four walls of a store. Until recently, the term was mostly employed by the marketing industry to describe retail and trade marketing activities. Shopper marketing was focused on increasing sales in a store during the shopping trip. In other words, pushing the right product, at the right price, in the right place with the right promotion. Fairly basic marketing.
But fundamental changes are now challenging the old definition of shopper marketing coined by the pioneers at the end of the 2000s. The fact is that new technologies are radically transforming shopping. People research products, get usage ideas, seek out deals and review the opinions of peers and experts. Not only for big-ticket items but also for everyday products. Through their mobile devices, they can access content and tools to help them organize, simplify and speed up their purchases. Not only at home or at work but also on the go or at retail. In an omnichannel world, shopper marketing is about influencing people wherever, whenever, however, they are shopping. This means delivering the right proposition, with the right value, at the right moment of the journey and in the right way. Yes, the 4 Ps of marketing, but made contemporary. Shopper marketing is marketing. Marketing to shoppers – so to speak people who are in a shopping mode.
So why using the term ‘shopper marketing’ in the subtitle of my blog while ‘marketing to shoppers’ would be more appropriate? Simply because the expression ‘shopper marketing’ having imposed itself, it would be pointless – and a bit presumptuous – to challenge the most commonly used term in the industry. I will, therefore, comply with general use. But whenever you read ‘shopper marketing’ in this blog, don’t associate the term with point of sale materials and promotions but to the broader holistic discipline of ‘marketing to shoppers’.
Think Shopper 