The Personalized, Omnichannel Retail Approach to Shopper Marketing

Many CPG brands adopt shopper marketing strategies that focus on the in-store marketing side of the consumer journey.

However, brands can be doing a lot more to influence the behavior of shoppers beyond displays, promotions and packaging.

To be clear, shopper marketing is not exactly the same as consumer marketing, even though there are overlaps. Shoppers and consumers aren’t always the same people – one person may do the shopping in a household for example.

Shopper marketing tactics strategically address the person in-store, and brands are increasingly focusing on it for several reasons:

  • Shoppers can have very splintered media experiences with a brand or product
  • Saving money is a bigger priority for shoppers which has diluted brand loyalty overall
  • As retailers develop their own branding, CPG manufacturers must tie themselves alongside the retailers in order to enjoy any shopper marketing benefits.
  • Measuring marketing performance metrics and consumer data has never been easier, making shopper marketing easier than ever to predict

Shopper marketing agencies know that the shopper’s train of thought is different from the consumer’s, even if they’re the same person. For instance, how they interact with a product in person is often quite different than how they would react with it via an advertisement online.

Comparing the Personalization of Physical vs. Online Shopping Marketing

Physically shopping is a very different experience to seeing or hearing an ad from a specific brand, and as online marketing has surged in recent years, many retailers and brands have done all they can to add a more human feel to it.

Using chatbots, tracking techniques and data analysis, CPG brands and retailers learned how to get really good at creating personalized shopping experiences that help consumers feel seen, understood and satisfied.

Both physical and online stores have their own unique advantages, but with physical stores, customers can make impulse purchases, see, feel and test a product that they want to buy, and there’s no time spent waiting for their purchases to arrive by post.

The Omnichannel Approach to Shopper Marketing

Omnichannel retail marketing is marketing that offers a smooth, personalized user experience across all channels (relevant to the buyer’s journey). Bridging online and offline marketing approaches seamlessly is the way forward as it accomplishes a few things:

1. Omnichannel approaches prime shoppers

Shoppers who see brands with omnichannel presences are primed for their in-store experience while simply being online.

2. Omnichannel doesn’t rely on a single destination

Since shoppers purchase from many different retailers and places, there’s no way to reach them all at the same time or place. Omnichannel delivers consistent branding across a series of marketing channels to capture targeted audiences’ attention.

3. Omnichannel personalizes the experience for shoppers

Your shoppers are unique individuals, so providing them with personalized, targeted advertising across different channels (like sending them a personalized email) ensures they are aware of and may purchase what suits them specifically.

How to Make the Most of Omnichannel Retail Marketing:

Improve your mobile marketing efforts

People look at mobile screens the most. Sites and content must be responsive for mobile viewing, so interaction and information are clear and easily obtainable.

Personalization isn’t the same as intrusion

If you’re asking for information, don’t come across as intrusive. Make it relevant to your offer. Consumers may not like being asked if they’re married while buying a new rake.

Check your content frequency

How often should you send emails or texts? Pushing content shouldn’t be pushy. Get the message across without being irritating and always deliver value with your content.

Focus on brand continuity

The most important point of omnichannel retail is bridging your online and offline shopper marketing strategy and consumer marketing strategy. A holistic brand across the board means more brand recognition, loyalty and customer retention.

Here at Cliffedge Marketing, we help brands move products at retail across a variety of in-store and digital channels to help engage targeted shoppers and cultivate brand loyalty. If you’re interested in driving retail growth, tap us to deliver proven, practical and creative solutions to overcome your business challenges. 

It starts with a free shopper marketing proposal!
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