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Winning In Store: A Conference for Shopper Marketers was held in Bentonville, Arkansas, earlier this week by the Supplier Community organization.

“Shopper marketing is a team sport.”

Today’s shopper marketing teams face heightened pressure to deliver more with less. But the pressure doesn’t stop there. On the other side of the coin, shoppers and consumers are demanding more from brands and retailers, expecting convenient, highly personalized solutions for their busy lives. And while advancements in technology (e.g., the wide adoption of smartphones and the emergence of smart home tech) provide consumers with seamless shopping experiences, these modern conveniences add new layers of complexity to an already fragmented purchase decision journey.

While best-in-class shopper marketing is predominantly judged by output (sales lift, ROI, industry awards, etc.), the unsung heroes of best-in-class work are the behind-the-scenes processes that facilitate collaboration between retailer, brand, and shopper marketing teams. Building a winning infrastructure is not only about creating collaboration internally, but about earning a seat at the table with buyers and internal sales teams to ideate and co-create focused solutions. When the work is done and the results are in, shopper marketing teams should take ownership of end-to-end knowledge. By analyzing and sharing results, shopper marketing teams can work to deepen credibility and collaboration across all teams, pushing for continued excellence.

“Insights are king.”

Today’s shoppers expect more. Plain and simple. They crave seamless, highly personalized shopping experiences, and to receive these experiences, they are willing to trade information. In turn, marketers have reams upon reams of data on purchase behavior, location data, demographic information, and social patterns. The list goes on.

In theory, data arms marketers to reach shoppers more precisely, but in practice, data is the cost of entry. Insights are the true golden nuggets, providing what the data cannot, illustrating a facet of humanity within the shopper’s needs, desires, or day-to-day lives that spark a clear “Aha!” for greater creativity and impact.

Sometimes insights are buried within the data, waiting to be uncovered, but an insight can also be a cultural or emotional truth hidden just below the surface of what is already common knowledge. Strive to know your shopper and your retailer. Great insights, when applied against key measurements and business goals, are critical to developing best-in-class campaigns with focused strategies.

“Digital teams: Go back to basics.”

Comprised of multiple channels and points of interaction, e-commerce presents new challenges for brand equity and visibility. While marketers work to push and pull shoppers across digital formats with banner ads, microsites, and social influencers – the final point of conversion for online retailers is always the product page. To implement a best-in-class e-commerce campaign, shopper marketers must first achieve a foundation in digital excellence, pairing digital shopper insights with on-page content optimization to drive conversion at the digital shelf. Upkeep is yet another cornerstone for foundational excellence, and even teams who can check the box for the basics should be periodically revisiting opportunities to maximize organic growth by updating SEO or enriching content. For teams struggling with digital prioritization, remember “CARS.”

CARS: Your Digital Foundation of Excellence

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In an omni-channel shopping journey, a digital strategy may not be measured by online sales. Being clear about KPIs and the goals of your digital shopper strategy is the best way to maximize spend.

Best of luck in your shopper marketing journey! For more information on Supplier Community, follow them on LinkedIn or visit their website.