Member News Function Helps You Get the Word Out

Join the growing list of companies who use the News from Members function on www.narms.com to help them get press releases and announcements to the marketplace. By simply adding membernews@narms.com to your PR distribution email list, you can leverage the tremendous traffic on our website to help publicize your company’s personnel moves, strategic plans and customer wins.

Many have asked how they can get their company news release published in NARMS Newsfeed. The answer is that you really can’t. Newsfeed is dedicated to monitoring and bringing stories to you from independent, objective media sources and to a lesser degree, an outlet for NARMS association news. Should one of your releases get picked up by an independent source, you can certainly bring that to the attention of the NARMS staff for inclusion. However you can and should email your press release to membernews@narms.com so they can be placed in News from Members.

Our website, www.narms.com, is read by tens of thousands of people. Everyone from field merchandisers to industry peers to prospective customers visit the site on a regular basis to stay in touch with industry happenings and to access world-class at-retail merchandising and marketing companies. Your press release copy will appear in the Member News section word for word as you intended it to be read. The preferred method is to either attach an MS Word document to the email or simply include your message in the body copy of the email. Please do not send .pdf or graphic files for this application.It’s time to be heard, Put membernews@narms.com on your PR distribution list today!

Shopper Data Beyond Target Marketing

It has been awhile since we visited the pages of Willard Bishop’s Competitive Edge. In the September edition, Craig Rosenbloom writes about the proliferation of Shopper Marketing Practices and how shopper data is evolving as a force in the 21st century. Having this opportunity to intimately know the consumer is certainly a great tool for tailoring on-line and at-retail consumer promotion, but as Rosenbloom asks, “Why are we only using shopper data for such limited applications?”

As the eyes and ears, as well as the arms and legs, of CPG manufacturers and retailers around the country, NARMS members are uniquely positioned to play a vital role in both the gathering of shopper data and the execution of any resulting at-retail plans. Because of this, it’s important to know in which direction that these trading partners might be headed with the application of information.

Although Rosenbloom offers three additional ways that marketers can use shopper data beyond target marketing, there is one that jumps off the page in the eyes of at-retail merchandising and marketing companies. That is the application toward assortment and space. With the perimeter of the store growing with necessary offerings to service the customer, that space has to come from somewhere. In most cases, it means that the center of the store is shrinking. Having less space makes each facing and end cap that much more valuable to our customer. Competitive Edge says that trading partners would be wise to use shopper data to optimize assortment offered in the dwindling space.

The article also introduces a term called, “affinity score.” An affinity score helps you decide what additional items a shopper is likely to buy with the purchase of a given item. This all leads to the creation of unique product placement. He uses the example of a, “breakfast center,” where milk, eggs, bacon and cereal are all available in the same place.

Knowledge is power. Shopper marketing data is power for trading partners and knowing the application of the data is power for our group of service companies. A deep understanding of what is driving our customers is invaluable in the evolution our service offering into a valuable go-to-market partnerships.

Nov 13, 2009 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 11/13/09 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Sedano’s Buys Three Albertsons Locations, Expands Into Central Florida
- Sansolo Speaks: “In Friends We Trust?”
- Walmart To Relieve Black Friday Stress By Extending It Into Previous Day
- ShopRite Supermarkets is Launching a New iPhone Application
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet

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U.S. Retail Sales Increased 1.4% in October

U.S. retail sales increased 1.4% in October, above the 0.9% rise projected by Wall Street. The jump came on rebounding demand for cars, a sign the economy kept recovering despite climbing unemployment. Aside from automobiles in October, other sales rose just 0.2%.

The Commerce Department said September sales were revised down to a 2.3% decrease from a previously estimated 1.5% tumble.

Read the full article on WSJ.com

NARMS-U Educational Schedule Coming Together

We are pleased to report that the NARMS-U Spring Conference Seminar Schedule is evolving into what should be a truly enriching educational experience. The Conference is scheduled for April 17-20 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa. Today, we would like to share the latest revision of the schedule.

We get things started on Sunday, April 18 with the first session running from 4:00 – 5:00 PM. During that time we have, “2010 Sampling Survey Findings,” by Dr. Kenny Herbst of Wake Forest University; “The Down Under Perspective on Merchandising,” by Kevin Moore of Crossmark Australia; “HR Update,” by Russ Hollrah and Craig Sherman; “Partnering with Your Customers to Create Superior Value,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin and, “Neuromarketing and the Future of Retail,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin.

We then jump to Tuesday, April 20 for a 9:00 – 10:00 AM block. This session features, “Beyond WOW Customer Service,” by Myra Golden; “NARMS Certify U and You,” by Larry Dorr; “Three Principles for Marketing Today,” by Nancy Wong of the University of Wisconsin; “Branding Up and Down the Value Chain,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin and, “The Values-Based Retailer,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin.

After a quick half-hour break, we have another group on Tuesday, April 20 running from 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Among these are, “This Is The time For A Change,” by Dave and Laura Butler; “2010 Emerging Retail Trends,” by Mark Hunter – The Sales Hunter; “Partnering with Your Customers to Create Superior Value,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin; “Neuromarketing & the Future of Retail,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin and, “The Psychology of Choice,” by Nancy Wong of the University of Wisconsin.

Because we know that you may want to attend several of these seminars that are going on simultaneously, have no worries. As you have already seen, there will be repeat performances throughout the conference. It start on Tuesday at 11:45 – 12:45 with The Down Under Perspective on Merchandising, 2010 Emerging Retail Trends, The Values-Based Retailer, Three Principles for Marketing Today and Branding Up & Down the Value Chain.

Later that afternoon on Tuesday, April 20 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM there will be yet another chance to catch 2010 Sampling Survey Findings, Beyond WOW Customer Service, NARMS Certify U & You and The Psychology of Choice.

As you can see, we are building an agenda to provide you with maximum value and education under the NARMS-U banner. We hope you will avail yourselves to this exciting opportu

Helping Those In Transition

Just a little under a year ago, NARMS announced the formation of the Individual Membership program. This category of membership allows for an individual not associated with an active member firm or corporation but is engaged or has an interest in the at-retail merchandising and marketing industry to be a member of NARMS. We are pleased to announce a new service that will cater to our individual members.

Starting in 2010, NARMS will be creating a service which we are tentatively calling “In Transition” where individuals can post their resumes, cover letters and photos which will be searchable for management level position that are posted in the Career Connection or on the variety of social networks. This service will be linked to a NARMS Linked In and Face Book Page and will be an added benefit for all those who become a NARMS Individual Member at $49.95 per year. We all know people in the retail industry that are looking for employment and we see this as one more tool for them and possibly a few more individual members for us.

This new feature is a natural extension of the Individual Member benefit package because the modest member registration fee will allow for a somewhat limited participation, and thus create a more focused and effective tool for those seeking and hiring qualified individuals for management level positions. It should be pointed out that if field reps want to participate, they are eligible to become an NARMS Individual Member.

This venture is not seen as a huge revenue generator for the association. Rather, it is seen as something that can assist our member companies to find qualified managers and also those individuals who are currently out-of-work and could use a little help from their trade association

Stay tuned in the weeks and months to come for more information.

Nov 6, 2009 IRI / Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 11/6/09 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Tesco’s US Reboot Extends To Fresh & Easy Website
- CPG Innovation: Going In Two Different Directions
- Sansolo Speaks: “The Power of Fun”
- Family Dollar At 50: “We Still Have The Same Basic Principles”
- 7-Eleven To Offer Different Kind Of Big Gulp
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- The Balance Sheet
- Executive Suite

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Hy-Vee CEO Ric Jurgens Honored as Retailer of Year by Iowa Grocers. Mueller-Yurgae Associates, Blue Bunny’s George Tracy also recognized at IGIA annual dinner

DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 400 grocery industry leaders attended the 16th Annual Iowa Grocery Industry Association Hall of Fame Dinner Tuesday, November 3, at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel, where the IGIA honored its Retailer of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award winners.

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Upcoming Webinar to Share 2009 Survey of At-Retail Marketing Services

What if you could read the minds of decision makers at leading packaged goods vendors and retailers in regards to at-retail merchandising and marketing services? Well now you do not have to! Join us for the next NARMS Webinar on Thursday, November 12 at 1:00 P.M CST as we present, “The 2009 Survey of At-Retail Marketing Services.” Chris Dammann of The Christopher Group will share the findings of this attitudinal survey directed at the users and benefactors of at-retail marketing service companies. The NARMS Webinar series is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

The hour-long session will help you to gain trading partner insights, identify market needs and opportunities, quantify the value of at-retail activities and track marketplace conditions. You are invited to register for this event now! This NARMS Webinar is another in a series of member educational offerings by NARMS – U.

Dammann of The Christopher Group is one of the original at-retail marketing services observers and commentators. Having spent six years with an original member of NARMS, he combines that industry knowledge with the objectivity of nine years as an independent market research writer and consultant. Dammann last conducted this survey for NARMS in 2004 and is a frequent contributor to the NARMS InfoShare library. He is also editor-in-chief of NARMS Newsfeed and the author of the weekly Friday Focus blog on www.narms.com.

The session is complimentary to NARMS members as a membership service but is also made available to other interested persons at a non-member rate of $99.95. We encourage you to share this invitation with other co-workers and anyone else who might gain value from this information-sharing opportunity.

TeamHaven & FSS Receive Top Honors at Marketing Channel’s Annual Awards Banquet: Most Effective Use of Technology and Data

November 2009 - United Kingdom – After going up against the best companies in the Field Marketing industry, TeamHaven and FSS’s case study on Cadbury UK was selected as the winner of the Most Effective Use of Technology and Data. Partnering up with TDRIVEN, a creative agency in Orange County, California, FSS and TDRIVEN prepared a winning product that truly displayed the power of TeamHaven’s technology.

Field Sales Solutions (FSS) have been working with Cadburys for over 17 years, offering a number of field marketing disciplines from sales and distribution drives through to merchandising and auditing activities.

With a cutting-edge, industry leading IT system, TeamHaven, FSS has created a bespoke platform for Cadbury – enabling them to provide a greener, paperless means of briefing the field team, collecting data (via PDA) and providing online reports back to Cadburys. This use of IT, coupled with FSS’ use of CACI’s Journey Planning system to ensure the Ambassadors spend the minimum number of hours possible on the road (and a significant reduction of vehicle emissions) has earned them the Field Marketing and Brand Experience “Green Award for Effective Use of Data and IT”.
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