Brands will try to change buying behaviour at the point of sale with shopper apps and experiential campaigns
Rahul Saigal
In 2008, marketers in India announced that shopper marketing was born. Like all things new, we let this toddler be, made it part of our casual conversations and expected no more than a little amusement in return. In 2013, shopper marketing will turn five. Five, for many, is a milestone of sorts. For shopper marketers, this means a change in gear. Say hello to shopper marketing 2.0.
If there?s one thing that will drive shopper marketing out of the garage and finally on to the road, it?s shopper behaviour. Shoppers are behaving differently; they?re demanding more and choosing better. The new 42-inch LED television with a fancy home-theatre system doesn?t offer the best 3D experience for brand discovery. There?s a better 3D experience in town; it?s called the hypermarket.
There?s no denying that traditional trade formats still contribute to over 90% of the sales for most fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands in India. But, let?s face it, kirana stores aren?t known for their ability to help brands woo shoppers, tell them something new and change their buying behaviour. On the other hand, modern trade can do all that and more. And behaviour (read category and brand preference), once changed in one channel, is unlikely to change in another.
Shopper marketing 2.0 will be about brands investing disproportionately at modern trade with a desire to change shopper behaviour. Here?s a list of what could be top trends for shopper marketing in 2013.
* Smartphones will make shoppers smarter. It?s hard to think of anything more effective than slipping a little note into a shopper?s pocket when she?s choosing between two brands of pasta sauce. In 2013, we?ll see a host of smart shopper marketers come up with a ton of shopper apps. Here are a few examples of what?s possible. Imagine a multi-category FMCG brand?s got an app that offers content for every brand of the company that?s available in the hypermarket. You walk up and pick up the company?s packaged soup and point your phone at it, you get three recipes apart from the one printed on the pack; you do the same thing to the company?s anti-dandruff shampoo and you know enough about the effects of dandruff to decide to stock up for the decade.
* Shopper marketing will turn experiential. Today, all shopper marketing that works in India is highly strategic; often invisible to the untrained eye. Brands that are able to engage shoppers in a meaningful manner will create an impact far greater than advertising. Next year, we will see a new trend of very intelligently designed, highly engaging experiential shopper campaigns being implemented by brands at modern trade stores across the country.
* More shoppers will take decisions in the store. And what?s stopping them now? Quite frankly, there?s nothing, apart from price-offs that?s begging shoppers to spare a glance. But with smart marketers turning to experiential and digital solutions, shoppers will discover more and start taking more decisions in store. Over the course of the next year, this will lead to more shopper marketers willing to spend disproportionately at the point of sale.
* India will have more shopper marketers. It?s already happening. In 2012, several FMCG organisa-tions appointed people to the role of shopper marketing manager, for the first time ever. More people, on the client side, are thinking shopper marketing 24 hours a day. This new breed of marketers will sensitise organisations inside-out to ensure that a larger chunk of marketing dollars go towards building shopper marketing capabilities (for instance, research) and in-store campaigns.
* Shopper marketers will talk as much to him as they talk to her. Research shows that the shopper in India is pre-dominantly male, across geographies and channels. The percentage of males in the shopper mix increases as we move from urban to rural India and from modern trade to kirana stores. Shopper marketers will start devising programmes that engage equally with men, especially for categories that are likely to be meant for men or for consumption by every member of the family.
* Social media will push e-commerce. No one?s buying online without checking reviews, beforehand. This isn?t a new trend, really. But it?s got to find itself in a list of this sort. Online shopper marketers will do all it takes to influence a world they have little control over: Social media.
* Shoppers will win. And eventually, as a result of more marketers trying to woo shoppers at the point of purchase, shoppers will win. Bigger deals, contests, better service, more fun; shoppers can expect all this and more in 2013. Enjoy your shopping experience at leisure; this ride is here to last.
The author is vice president ? retail, OgilvyAction, India
