The Consumer/Shopper Fusion

The stakes are high as we plan the roll out of any marketing plan translating into tactics that can deliver the best connect with our target audience and eventually drive sales. One thing that needs to be kept in perspective is the integrated approach that will enable us to convert our targeted shoppers into buyers while ensuring that the employed strategy translates into capturing the shopper attention, product interface and eventually a purchase leading to consumption.

Consumer Vs. Shopper

There is, and always will be a difference between the Consumer and the Shoppers communication strategy. First and foremost, the consumer is not ALWAYS the shopper. The shopper often knows what the consumer likes, but while shopping, might replace it with something, cheaper, healthier or may be something that just stood out. The ultimate decision is at the point of purchase known as the “Zero moment of Truth”.

The consumers are driven by a completely different set of drivers’, which includes their Needs & desires, purchase occasions, consumption occasions, product experience & social gratification. Whereas the shoppers are driven by; mission need, store location, channel selection, product selection, brand perception, & POP influences. Their needs and motivations differ dramatically vs the Shopper mode i.e a person is in shopping mode; when he/she is making a shopping list, driving to a store, researching information online or browsing the aisle in a store. A typical thought process of an individual in shopping mode may include: Do I need this? Where should I buy? How much should I pay? What are the choices?

The stages of product purchase

The stages through which a person goes while shopping are important to be understood as it ensures that we have the right elements to deliver relevance, sustainable connect and engagement with our target audience.

Following approach enables us to capture the complete path to purchase by understanding each step of the journey and connecting with your target in the most relevant manner. It is here within these stages that the consumer/shopper fusion transpires.

Priming

The Pre-Store - This is about understanding the behavior about your category, brand, mission & channel selection, in terms of; how do they prepare for their shopping trip? how often do they buy the product? is it at the start of the month or the middle of the month? which channel do they go to for each trip? do they make a list? is it done just before the trip or do the make it over a period of time? Understanding the priming stage enables us to reach out to them while creating our brand space when they are planning to make the purchase.

Incidence

The shopping mission - The stage which is driven by the category, channel, the need in time addressing the decision tree and the frequency of consumption. Your target is now in the shopping mode which as addressed above defines; where and how to buy the product. Mission understanding enables targeted channel connect in terms of; level of planning, browsing levels, promotion uptake & amount to be bought. For each category we need to know which are the main missions and how they vary by channels. Missions drive placements; in terms of WHERE and HOW to place your products.

Attention

Impact or recall - This is where your brand’s communication comes into play, while they are on the way to the store, entering the outlet or have already embarked on their journey within the outlet. This refers to understanding their navigation style & what captures their attention? Is it the leaflet? Do they use directional signs? What is the optimum hot spot or touch point to capture their attention? What is their first destination for shopping your category? It is your brand’s communication foot print tailored toward your targets audience’s mission, channel & category that will translate into an ideal engagement.  One size doesn’t fit all, therefore it important to address this stage by adapting the right mix of communication messaging by channel of choice.

Interaction

The Verdict – This is when the actual pack or product interaction takes place, how much time do they spend in front of the aisle? Is it an involved purchase or are they just on auto pilot mode? How well your assortment is placed for the ease of navigation? How does your product display warrants find-ability of the product of their choice? This is the moment where they will decide on to buy your brand or go for an alternative. The time of the final verdict!

Gratification

The performance - If the verdict is “Yes” there comes the FUSION between the shopper and the consumer. Products and services have to be bought first and then consumed – you shop and consume and then shop again. This is the moment of truth where one product is chosen over the other. Prior to this stage you have connected well with the shoppers along the different stages of their journey. Now once the product is bought, from here onwards it all depends on the product performance leading towards gratification. A positive product experience and a favorable brand image makes this happen and contributes towards the ultimate goal of enhancing the brand equity. Which all marketers strive for.

 If you would like to get help towards building Shopper Marketing capability within your organization or finding it difficult to devise your Shopper strategy. Plz feel free to get in touch at muhammad.a@shoppertunity.co