Toledo is home to the Mud Hens, Tony Paco’s, Klinger and my mother-in-law. So, whenever we visit, I love doing in-person store checks in grocery stores. This morning I did a store visit of the local Kroger grocery store. As I was walking through it, I made some key observations.
Visits to grocery stores like Kroger provide key shopper insights.
1-FLOOR MEDIA: For a variety of reasons, including safety concerns and cleanliness standards, Canadian grocery retailers do not offer floor decals as part of their retailer media network solutions. Shame. Kroger had at least a dozen floor media executions that I found to be visually engaging, helped brands reinforce key messaging while directing customers to specific areas of the store.
2-CHOICE: In Canada, shoppers are generally limited in their buying choices for most CPG categories to stores private label plus one or two national brands. Not the case at most US supermarkets. For example, Kroger had an entire aisle dedicated just to cereal.
3-CROSS-MERCHANDISING: Several brands utilized a cross-merchandising strategy with shelf media placements in 2 or more aisles in store. The best example I found came from the @Mars brand Ben’s Original. In the rice aisle, the company promoted its new Street Food product by telling people they can find it in the canned food aisle. In the canned food aisle was a second shelf media ad placement promoting the benefits of the new product: new, fast and flavorful.
4-LARGE DISPLAYS: Kroger’s floor was bustling with massive, eye-catching displays placed in high-traffic areas from top-tier CPGs like @Mondelez (Oreo), @Kellanova (Pringles) and McKee Foods (Little Debbie). No doubt driving impulse purchases.
5-BACK-TO-SCHOOL: The wheels on the bus keep going round and round when it comes to display units during the back-to-school period. Kroger featured school buses from @General Mills (Nature Valley), PepsiCo (Lay’s, Doritos), @Keurig Dr. Pepper (Motts) and Mondelez (multi-brands).
What are your thoughts on these insights?
Have you noticed similar trends in your local stores?
Have any feedback on my content or just want start a conversation about shopper marketing leave a comment or email aaron@jamzmarketing.com.
Ever think about how RATINGS AND REVIEWS can provide CPG marketers VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO CONSUMERS ACTUALLY BUYING YOUR BRAND?
I have!
And guess what? Ratings and reviews are a goldmine for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands looking to gain insights into shoppers. These insights are crucial for understanding customer preferences, improving products, and enhancing overall brand strategy.
Thinking about what shopper insights CPGs can glean from ratings and reviews.
5 Ways Ratings and Reviews Provide Consumer Insights
1. Understanding Consumer Preferences
Direct Feedback: Reviews provide direct feedback from consumers about what they like and dislike about a product. This helps brands understand consumer preferences and tailor their products accordingly.
Detailed Descriptions: Consumers often describe their experiences in detail, highlighting specific features they appreciate or find lacking. This granular feedback is invaluable for product development.
2. Identifying Common Issues
Spotting Trends: By analyzing reviews, brands can identify common issues or complaints. For example, if multiple reviews mention that a product’s packaging is difficult to open, this signals a need for improvement.
Prioritizing Fixes: Understanding the most frequently mentioned problems helps brands prioritize which issues to address first, ensuring that they tackle the most impactful areas.
3. Gauging Product Performance
Performance Metrics: Reviews often include ratings on various aspects of a product, such as quality, value for money, and ease of use. These metrics provide a quantitative measure of product performance.
Benchmarking: Brands can compare their product ratings and reviews against competitors to see how they stack up in the market.
4. Enhancing Product Development
Innovation Ideas: Consumer feedback can inspire new product features or entirely new products. For instance, if reviews frequently mention a desire for a specific flavor or variant, this can guide future product development.
Iterative Improvements: Continuous feedback allows brands to make iterative improvements to their products, ensuring they stay aligned with consumer needs and preferences.
5. Improving Marketing Strategies
Targeted Messaging: Insights from reviews can help refine marketing messages. Understanding what consumers value most about a product allows brands to highlight these features in their marketing campaigns.
Customer Segmentation: Reviews can reveal different customer segments and their unique preferences, enabling more targeted and effective marketing strategies.
Here is an example:
Imagine a CPG brand that sells a popular ice cream product. By analyzing reviews, they discover that while many customers love the taste, there are frequent mentions of complaints about the lack of eco-friendly packaging and a desire for a low-sugar variant. Armed with these insights, the brand can improve the packaging and introduce a new low-sugar option, addressing consumer needs and potentially increasing sales.
In my opinion, ratings and reviews provide CPG brands with a wealth of consumer insights that can drive product improvements, enhance marketing strategies, and ultimately lead to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. 🚀
In today’s competitive marketplace, ratings and reviews have become an essential tool for CPGs to drive consideration and sales. Makes sense since consumers rank ratings and reviews as the #1 KEY CONSIDERATION WHEN MAKING PURCHASE DECISIONS. But there are a variety of ways brands can use ratings and reviews to their advantage.
Here is a list of the top 5:
1. Building Trust and Credibility
Authenticity: Ratings and reviews from real customers provide authentic feedback, which builds trust. Potential buyers are more likely to trust a product with positive reviews from other consumers. This authenticity is crucial in an age where consumers are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising.
Social Proof: Ratings and reviews help consumers see that others have had positive experiences with a product reassures potential customers, making them more confident in their purchase decision. Social proof is a powerful psychological phenomenon that can significantly influence buying behavior.
2. Influencing Purchase Decisions
Peer Recommendations: Consumers often rely on the opinions of others when making purchasing decisions. Positive ratings and reviews act as recommendations, encouraging others to buy. This peer influence is especially strong in categories like beauty and health products, where personal experiences are highly valued.
Detailed Insights: Ratings and reviews provide detailed insights into the product’s performance, helping potential buyers understand its benefits and drawbacks. This information can be crucial in the decision-making process, , as it allows consumers to make informed choices based on real-world usage.
3. Enhancing Product Visibility
SEO Benefits: Ratings and reviews contribute to SEO by providing fresh, user-generated content. This improves the product’s visibility in search engine results, attracting more potential buyers. Search engines favor content that is regularly updated and relevant, and reviews help achieve this.
Higher Click-Through Rates: Products with high ratings and reviews and numerous reviews are more likely to attract clicks from search engine results pages (SERPs), leading to increased traffic and potential sales. High click-through rates signal to search engines that the product is popular and relevant, further boosting its visibility.
4. Reducing Purchase Anxiety
Addressing Concerns: Ratings and reviews often address common concerns and questions about the product. When potential buyers see that others have had positive experiences, it reduces their anxiety about making a purchase. This reassurance is particularly important for high-involvement purchases where the risk of dissatisfaction is perceived to be higher.
Transparency: Honest ratings and reviews, including both positive and negative feedback, provide transparency. This helps consumers feel more informed and confident in their decision. Transparency builds trust and can differentiate a brand in a crowded marketplace.
5. Encouraging Repeat Purchases
Customer Engagement: Engaging with reviewers by responding to their feedback fosters a sense of community and loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers. This engagement shows that the brand values customer input and is committed to continuous improvement.
Product Improvement: Ratings and reviews provide valuable feedback that can be used to improve the product. Enhanced products lead to higher customer satisfaction and increased repeat purchases. By listening to customer feedback, brands can make data-driven decisions that enhance product quality and customer experience.
Here is an example:
Imagine a customer is considering buying a new skincare product. They read several positive ratings and reviews highlighting the product’s effectiveness and gentle ingredients. These reviews address their concerns about skin sensitivity and provide reassurance. Feeling confident, they decide to make the purchase. After a positive experience, they leave their own review, further boosting the product’s credibility and encouraging more sales.
In my opinion, ratings and reviews are powerful tools that help CPG brands build trust, influence purchase decisions, enhance visibility, reduce purchase anxiety, and encourage repeat purchases. By leveraging this feedback, brands can drive sales conversions and boost overall sales. 🚀
Entrepreneur and Shopper Marketing Consultant at JAMZ Marketing, founded in 2003.
I’m passionate about combining my love of sports, mentoring young people, and community service. I have been a volunteer coach, Director of House League and Board Member for several local sports organizations. Fun Fact: I even won a bronze medal in basketball for Canada as an Assistant Coach at a major international competition!
Clients and friends often tell me my personality is as colourful as the shirts that I wear.
Sharing insights and my point of view on key industry news and trends impacting the shopper marketing/omnichannel/connected commerce world is both a creative outlet and a passion. But trust me, my two-time Cannes Lions awarding winning son @Zachary Richman is the copywriter in the family.
As a Marketing Consultant my primary goal is to HELP BRANDS DRIVE SALES CONVERSION focusing on retail, CPG and technology companies within in the omnichannel space. I work with some of top agencies and CPGs) in Canada.
My expertise includes:
Shopper and retail strategy
Shopper digital media planning (RMN and RAMP)
Data analysis
Senior-level client service
I aim to provide thought leadership through my content and, when the opportunity arises, when we work together.
Currently, for the first time in several years, I HAVE CAPACITY TO TAKE ON NEW CLIENTS.
If you’d like my perspective on a trend or want to see if we’re a good fit, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn or email me at aaron@jamzmarketing.com.
♫ Might as well admit it I’m addicted to…RATINGS & REVIEWS! ♬ Aren’t you? If so, you are among the vast majority of consumers (99.75%) who consult Ratings and Reviews when shopping online or pre-planning shopping trips before purchasing a product. (I need to meet the 0.25% who don’t use reviews! 😊)
How important are Ratings and Reviews?
Consumers rank Ratings & Reviews as the #1 key consideration when making purchase decisions (90%) ahead of family/friend recommendations (74%), search engine ranking (56%), Facebook and Instagram (28% & 26%) and brand influencer endorsements (17%).
BUT RATINGS AND REVIEWS ARE NOT JUST FOR ONLINE PURCHASES AND PRE-SHOP PLANNING!
More and more shoppers are using their mobile devices IN-STORE to research products by comparing and looking at product reviews.
A recent survey shows 84% of consumers use smartphones to look at Ratings and Reviews when considering IN-STORE purchases.
Just the other day I found myself in @Shoppers Drug Mart checking out reviews on @Google and @Amazon looking for consumer insights on an after-shave brand I had not purchased before. Focus group of one, but I purchased the product so … REVIEWS DO DRIVE SALES CONVERSION!
So, how can retailers and brands bring the power of Ratings & Reviews IN-STORE?
Recently, when exploring in-store photos on Shelfgram I came across a shelf media execution by Native deodorant that included a call-to-action of “50,000+ 5-star reviews”.
Also, Walmart Canada is testing digital shelf signage (see video below) that includes product and price information while integrating Ratings and Reviews. This is a splendid example of omnichannel marketing, as Walmart is making Ratings & Reviews accessible to shoppers online at Walmart.ca and in-store.
So how do you make Ratings & Reviews more easily available in-store while we wait for retailers to integrate digital signage?
Simple.
Integrate a QR code into your shelf media, POS, displays and packaging with a call-to-action to check out Ratings & Reviews. For brands already using QR codes to drive shoppers to receipt validation contest pages, recipe sites and brand pages this tactic is a no-brainer. While you’re at it, add a QR code linking to Ratings & Reviews in your flyer ads too!
Plus, if you want to gain insights into shopper engagement with QR codes check out Tapscan, which offers a platform featuring real-time reporting on shopper engagements by retailer, time day/week, language, location and more.
Finally, there are a lot of companies that offer Ratings & Reviews services in Canada to help brands drive consideration and sales conversion. Caddle, Field Agent, Samplesource and Shopper Army just to name a few.
Marketing agencies operate in a dynamic and highly competitive environment where staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. In this landscape, marketing consultants serve as invaluable assets, offering expertise, fresh perspectives, and specialized skills. This blog delves into some of the myriad benefits that marketing consultants bring to agencies, spanning from augmenting the agency’s capabilities to enhancing client satisfaction and growth.
Top 10 Benefits of Hiring a Marketing Consultant
Marketing Consultants Can Help Agencies in 10 Ways
1. Diverse Skill Sets for Holistic Solutions: Marketing consultants often possess a wide range of skills and experiences in various marketing domains. These professionals can complement an agency’s internal team by bringing specialized expertise in areas such as strategic planning, digital media, content marketing, sales promotion, branding and more. The diversification of skills allows agencies to offer holistic and integrated marketing solutions to their clients, ensuring that all facets of a marketing campaign are executed with excellence.
2. Fresh Perspectives Ignite Creativity: Marketing consultants bring a valuable outsider’s perspective that can breathe new life into an agency’s creative processes. They are not constrained by the agency’s historical methods or biases, allowing them to see opportunities that might have been overlooked. Consultants can challenge the status quo, encouraging teams to think outside the box and devise innovative strategies. This fresh perspective fosters creativity and can lead to breakthrough ideas that set the agency apart from competitors.
3. Specialized Knowledge Elevates Expertise: Some marketing consultants specialize in niche industries or specific marketing tactics. Marketing agencies can harness this specialized knowledge to better serve clients in particular sectors or target demographics. This specialized knowledge is particularly valuable when agencies seek to expand their client base into new verticals. It enables them to demonstrate a deep understanding of the client’s industry, instilling trust and confidence.
Marketing Consultants Help Agencies Grow
4. Scalability in Response to Client Demands: Client workloads often fluctuate in marketing agencies, with projects of varying sizes and complexities. Marketing consultants provide agencies with a scalable resource pool. Agencies can engage consultants on a project-by-project basis, ensuring that they can meet client demands without the commitment and overhead of hiring full-time employees.
5. Client Satisfaction and Retention: By integrating the expertise of marketing consultants into their services, agencies can significantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of their client relationships. Consultants can contribute fresh ideas and refined strategies that lead to better results, ultimately boosting client satisfaction. Satisfied clients are more likely to continue their partnerships with agencies, leading to increased client retention rates.
6. Cost Efficiency: Hiring full-time employees with specialized skills can be expensive for agencies, especially when those skills are not needed continuously. Marketing consultants offer a cost-effective alternative. Agencies can access specialized expertise without incurring the overhead expenses associated with permanent staff. This cost efficiency extends beyond salary considerations. It also includes savings related to benefits, training, and equipment allowing agencies to reallocate their budgets more strategically and maximize ROI.
7. Training and Development of Internal Teams: Marketing consultants can play a role in training and developing the agency’s internal team. They can share their knowledge, provide mentorship, and facilitate workshops or training sessions to enhance the skills of in-house staff. This knowledge transfer ensures that agency teams stay updated on the latest marketing trends, technologies, and best practices. It promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the agency, enabling it to remain competitive and adaptive.
8. Adaptability to Market Changes: The marketing landscape is characterized by rapid changes, driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and shifting market dynamics. Marketing consultants are often at the forefront of industry developments, and they are skilled at helping agencies adapt to changes and emerging trends swiftly. Whether it’s adopting new digital tools, pivoting strategies in response to market shifts, or capitalizing on emerging opportunities, marketing consultants provide agencies with the knowledge and guidance needed to stay current and competitive.
9. Deliver Faster Results: Marketing consultants possess a wealth of hands-on experience and streamlined decision-making processes allowing them to swiftly identify effective strategies, mitigate common pitfalls, and optimize campaigns, ultimately accelerating results.
10. Flexible Resource Allocation: Marketing consultants offer clients flexibility of being hired on a project basis or to provide on-going support allowing agencies to access specialized expertise when needed, optimizing costs while tailoring the consultant’s role to align with evolving agency goals.
Bottomline, marketing consultants are indispensable assets for marketing agencies seeking to excel in a fiercely competitive and ever-evolving industry. Their diverse skill sets, fresh perspectives, specialized knowledge, and adaptability provide agencies with a multifaceted toolkit to thrive in a dynamic market. Whether agencies require support in specific projects, seek to enhance client satisfaction, or aim to expand their services into niche industries, marketing consultants offer a wealth of benefits that contribute to agency growth and success.
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