Author name: Aaron Richman

Aaron Richman is a Toronto-based shopper marketing consultant passionate about motivating shoppers to buy your brand!

Aaron’s Top 5 CPG Shopper Marketing Trends for 2022

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2021 was an exciting year in shopper marketing highlighted by the rapid expansion of E-Commerce, advancements in technology and the re-definition of how shoppers shop the CPG category.

With 2022 upon us, I want to highlight 5 key trends to look for in the CPG world, in Canada, this year:

  • The emergence of social commerce partnering brands with social influencers to generate sales direct-to-consumer.
  • Brands allocating more advertising dollars in grocery media retail networks utilizing retailer owned data to target offers to shoppers.
  • Increasing investment in technology (eg. AI) to collect first-party data and use to personalize offers to brand buyers.
  •  Increase support of E-commerce sales especially with the introduction of a 15-minute home delivery service channel.
  • A rise in use of price promotions and digital coupons to drive conversion while helping Canadian grocery shoppers to save money in the face of massive increases in food costs.

What trends do you see coming to the forefront in 2022?

Leave a comment.

Until next time, thanks for visiting.

(Photo Courtesy of Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash)

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New Netflix and Walmart partnership is a win-win allowing them to extend brand dominance.

Walmart Teams with Netflix for Online Shopping Hub

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I think the pairing of Netflix, the world’s largest entertainment streaming service, and Walmart, the largest retailer in the USA, to launch a Netflix Hub on Walmart.com is an interesting one.

For Netflix, this new relationship provides the largest dedicated online shopping destination for Netflix merchandise in the USA as well as the streamer’s first-ever digital storefront with a national retailer.  

For Walmart, it’s about content, providing Walmart customers and Netflix Super Fans with a new, exciting entertainment destination.

Beyond sales conversion, this relationship is about one other thing: DATA and how both companies utilize it to drive shopper/user engagement.

If you have a comment please leave one.

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Shopper-Marketing-Minute--Back-to-School-Displays

Shopper Marketing Minute: Back-to-School Displays

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Yellow school buses are quintessentially connected to back-to-school, but is it time for brands to look at different iconography?

Watch the Shopper Marketing Minute to find out.

Love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment.

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Shopper Marketing Minute: Qr Codes Are Making A Comeback

SHOPPER MARKETING MINUTE: QR CODES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

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QR codes are making a big comeback.

How big? 

A recent survey in the US by MobileIron, shows 72% of people scanned a QR code in the past month.

Nowhere is the use of QR codes more noticeable than at your local grocery store where brands are looking to enhance a shopper’s experience.

So I went on a virtual store check with Shelfgram.com to see how some CPGs are using QR codes, After reviewing pictures from stores across Canada, I have observed the top 3 ways brand are QR codes are

  • Share Recipes
  • Share product information
  • Share details on a promotional offers

Are you using QR codes in your marketing campaigns?  Are they working? 

Leave me a comment and let me know.

Until next time, thanks for visiting.

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New technology presents many challenges to CPG companies

Shopper Marketing Minute: Technology & Shopper Engagement

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AI, AR, VR, QR, livestreaming, in-store robots, beacons and more. All technology solutions all developing at a rapid rate with a goal of driving shopper engagement, consideration, and conversion along the path to purchase.

For CPGs, all of the new technology presents 2 key challenges:

1. Keeping up with technology advancements.

2. Knowing when it is time start adding a new technology into the marketing mix.

To keep up, it is imperative CPGs have dedicated human resources who are subject matter experts – internal or at the agency level.

From a marketing perspective, brands need to be an early adopter and allocate budget dollars to do test and learns.

Yes, you might fail a few times, but most market leaders are okay with this as long as they hit a few home runs too.

If you have any comments, please leave one.

Until next time thanks for watching.

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Grocery shopping behaviours are changing during covid

SHOPPER MARKETING MINUTE: POST-COVID GROCERY SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR

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Welcome to the Shopper Marketing Minute. As Canada slowly starts to open up post-pandemic, Marketers are wondering which grocery shopping behaviors will go back to pre-Covid norms and which new ones will stick.

A recent research study of 10,000 Canadians by Dalhousie University and Caddle provides our first insights into expected shopping behaviour over the next 6 months.

The top 3 key takeaways for me:

1.Online grocery shopping will remain popular with over 22% of Canadians stating it will be the method they use the most to buy groceries.

2. Promotions and deals will continue to be a heavy influencer of purchase decisions for over 70% of Canadians as our economy slowly starts to rebuild.

3. Loyalty programs are likely to influence what grocery store 73.3% of shoppers make purchases at.  This is significant considering 25% of Canadians changed stores during the pandemic.

Do you have any predictions?

Leave a comment.

If not, thanks for watching.

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COVID HAS IMPROVED THE CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE!

COVID HAS IMPROVED THE CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE!

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COVID HAS IMPROVED THE CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE!

For me, the car buying experience is an unpleasant one. Overbearing sales reps and managers using their sales 101/Herb Tarlick playbook to get me to sign a deal despite protestations of “I am not buying a car today”.   However, COVID has changed everything forcing local dealerships to change their sales approach making the shopping experience less pressurized. Here is how:

*Online Tools: car companies have made it easy to research vehicles with increased use of virtual showrooms, video, and other shopping tools.

*Live Sales Video Chats: plug in my postal code and within minutes I am speaking to a sales rep at my local dealer from the comfort of my own home.

*At-Home Test Drives: some dealers are making it easy by bringing the vehicle to my home to test drive

*Appointment Only Dealer Meetings: Want to feel safe? Go to a car dealership. Very few people, safety protocols in place and cars ready to test drive before you arrive leading to appointments times of 45 minutes or less.

*Dealer Incentives: Automotive sales are down and prices are rising in Canada, so dealers are getting aggressive with incentives to motivate you to buy.

Hopefully, car dealerships take the learning from COVID to make the car buying experience even better in the future.


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Shopper Marketing Minute – My Shopping Habits Are Changing

Shopper Marketing Minute – My Shopping Habits Are Changing

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I report and share my viewpoint frequently on rapidly changing shopping behaviour in the grocery channel. So this episode a little curve ball as I want to provide insight into how my family’s shopping habits have changed.

1.Pre-shop planning in my household is way up. We are meal planning, taking inventory of our pantry and making a detailed shopping list starting 2-3 days before we shop.\

2. We are influenced by value offers switching brands and buying more private label products than ever before.

3. Our in-store shopping trips are down 75% with Ecommerce now our family’s primary method to shop with both home delivery and curbside pick-up through retailers including Amazon, Walmart Click & Collect and Loblaw’s PC Express getting most of our grocery shopping dollars.

How have your shopping habits changed?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Until next time …

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Shopper Marketing Minute: Amazon & Online Shopping Habits

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Like many Canadians, my online shopping habits have changed dramatically in the last 9 months. In fact, if I go a day without a home delivery. My life somehow seems incomplete.

My preferred Ecommerce site – Amazon. And it seems I am not alone. A recent Caddle research study shows:

  • 58% of Canadian shoppers have an Amazon Prime membership or access someone else’s account
  • 35% of Canadians are using Amazon to compare prices

And why is Amazon so popular?  One of the reasons may be the fact 69% of shoppers state price as the #1 factor for shopping on Amazon.

Have your online shopping habits changed?

I am interested in finding out so leave a comment.

Until next time, thanks for watching.

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Shopper Marketing Minute: Top Changes in Shopping Behavior in 2020

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In this episode, I discuss the top 3 changes in shopping behavior during 2020.

First, we have seen an increase in pre-shop planning including meal planning, taking inventory of pantry and making detailed shopping lists before going on a shopping trip.

Second, we have seen the super acceleration of Ecommerce.  Whether it’s home delivery or click and collect, shoppers are buying more groceries online than ever before.  This is a trend that will continue with the huge investments made by retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Loblaws and Sobeys to improve the online shopping experience and the connectivity between online and bricks and mortar.

Finally, we are seeing more and more shoppers looking for information online to help them make purchase decisions.  Most popular tactics used by shoppers in 2020, are Ratings and Reviews to gain insight into what buyers think of products and advice gained from trusted shopper influencers.

Have your own top 3 list?  Let me know.

If not, see you next time.

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