August Competitive Edge Builds Shopper Value Equation

On a monthly basis, the Willard Bishop Consulting Competitive Edge newsletter provides key insight and thought leadership to brand marketers and retailers looking to gain a sustainable advantage on the competition. The August issue is no exception as author Jon Hauptman discusses, “Building a Winning Shopper Value Equation.” The Shopper Value equation is defined as a go-to-market-strategy that fills important shopper needs in a unique and appealing way.

Retailers are pulling back on some recent initiatives that were designed to enhance efficiency, but in the end pushed shoppers away. Hauptman uses Walmart as an example, citing temporary price reductions, Project Impact assortment reduction and reducing aisle displays as failed experiments that the retailer is now reversing. This recent Walmart experience is an example of a company reverting to a clear, appealing shopper value equation. In other words, they are getting back to the things that made them successful in the first place.

Why does this happen? Hauptman says many retailers try to be all things to all people rather than identifying what they are going to stand for and taking a leadership position. Another factor is not being able to keep up with the latest shopper needs. Success is some areas and categories have lulled some retailers to sleep as their own success made them blind to the fact that competitors had caught up and surpassed them. Still another factor is not being able to see new competition such as Dollar and Drug chains offering food items.

Competitive Edge says that building a successful shopper equation requires a retailer to define key elements of its value proposition and then establish and implement strategy that makes them the clear and undisputed market leader in at least two of the elements.

Of course, this is all easier said than done. Headquarter strategy often falls short at the point of at-retail execution. That is precisely where partnering with NARMS members can help retailers and suppliers balance the Shopper Value Equation. Again, we thank Willard Bishop Consulting for sharing their thought leadership and encourage our members to download and digest the August issue by clicking here.

Sept 1, 2010 MyNARMS Newsletter

In this issue:

- NARMS InTransition
- Member Program - ReadyTalk

Read the newsletter

Aug 27, 2010 IRI/Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 8/27/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- A&P Hopes Newest Exec Brings Friendly Skies With Him
- Sale Sign Comes Down For Marsh Supermarkets
- Trader Joe’s: Less Is Much, Much More
- Sansolo Speaks: “Unseen Competitors”
- Costco Goes To The Mall
- Carrefour Begins Rolling Out New Hypermarket Format
- The Role Of Authenticity In Defining Wellness
- FastNewsBeat
- Executive Suite

Click here to read Retail Industry News

Times & Trends Report Looks at Channel Migration

Over the history of this column, we have occasionally previewed the findings of SymphonyIRI Group, Inc. and their monthly Times & Trends Reports. Their August 2010 edition examines the shopper channel strategy in terms of how many different channels consumers are shopping, how many trips they are making and what they are spending per trip and by department. It is important to keep our fingers on the pulse of these trends as the at-retail initiatives of CPG brand marketers and retailers are surely affected by them.

We know that consumers are continuing to seek money saving strategies in their shopping practices. According to SymphonyIRI, shopping in multiple channels to find the best deals on everyday CPG needs has been embraced by many, especially after fuel prices dropped. Three quarters of consumers shop at five or more channels for their CPG needs. However, a significant segment is starting to cut down on channels as 24% shop at five or less channels, a two percent increase from 2008.

Supercenters seem to be the big winner when it comes to shopper penetration. SymphonyIRI reports that nearly 70% of shoppers make CPG purchases in supercenters, an increase of 1.9 points over the past year. Supercenter shoppers seem to be migrating most heavily from the club, grocery and drug channels. Dollar stores are also gaining shoppers, mostly at the cost of club and mass merchandisers.

SymphonyIRI also reports on the drastic shift in consumer shopping trip behavior. Early in 2008, gas prices spiked and the number of consumer shopping trips dropped while basket sizes grew. Trip frequency recovered as gas prices eased and basket sizes went down in 2009 as consumers made more frequent and less productive shopping trips. Now it appears the frequency of trips is on a slow decline while basket sizes are still continuing to fall.

This is just a summary of the major themes covered in the SymphonyIRI August 2010 Times & Trends Report. To fully absorb and embrace the information, you should download and read the report in its entirety. It is a quick read and offers extensive data and insight as to what consumers are doing and where they are doing it.

Father of Category Management to Lead Webinar - Retail Marketing: The Next Wave

We know that, as the result of the economy, shopper perspective and behavior has gone though some dramatic changes. Even though it appears we are on the road to a slow recovery, those changes in consumer behavior are expected to remain, creating a new normal. To be successful in this new environment, retailers must make a major transition from merchants to marketers. Join Dr. Brian Harris for the NARMS Webinar on Thursday, Aug 26 at 1:00 PM CDT as he presents, “Retail Marketing: The Next Wave.” The hour-long event, another in a series of member educational offerings by NARMS-U, is sponsored by Natural Insight and brought to you through the technology of ReadyTalk.

The retailing industry is undergoing many significant changes as it attempts to manage the new consumer. This is the next wave of retailing and it is firmly centered on a deeper understanding of the shopper and shopping behavior. The webinar will focus on how the shopper perspective has become the core component of two important industry business methods - Category Management and Shopper Marketing. These new shopper-driven tools are essential to successfully navigate the waters.

Dr. Harris is internationally recognized as a pioneer and innovative thought leader in the field of retailing and consumer products marketing. He pioneered and led the global adoption of two significant modern methods in the retailing and consumer products marketing industry — Computerized Shelf Space Management which he introduced in 1983 and Category Management in 1989.

Recognized globally as the “Father of Category Management”, Dr. Harris co-authored the U.S., European, and Brazilian ECR Category Management Best Practices Reports. He founded The Partnering Group in 1990 to develop and implement his business methods, including Category Management; later implementing his business methods in leading retailers, wholesalers, and consumer goods product manufacturers in over 25 countries on six continents. He continues to lead the development of industry next wave including the Retail Commission on Shopper Marketing efforts on Best Practices for Collaborative Shopper Marketing.

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. You can register by clicking here.

Aug 20, 2010 IRI/Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 8/20/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- Stater Bros. Focus On Education “Goes Beyond”
- Kroger Doubles Private Brand HBC Range
- Walgreens Brings Taste Of Duane Reade Past The Hudson River
- Sansolo Speaks: “Both Sides Now…And Quickly”
- Marketing To The “Of The Moment” Generation
- Walmart Looks To Future As It Retools Its Merchandising Approach
- Executive Suite: More Moves By A&P
- Fresh & Easy Targets Early 2011 Northern California Openings
- New Study Has Different Take On Back-To-School Shopping
- FastNewsBeat
- Executive Suite

Click here to read Retail Industry News

NARMScertifyU Course Trains Eyes and Ears Too

Certainly the members of NARMS provide arms and legs to help retailers and brand marketers with professional at-retail marketing and merchandising support. But equally important is their mission to gather data and intelligence about the shopper experience at store level. Mystery Shops are a great way for trading partners to walk a mile in their customers’ shoes. NARMScertifyU, the official on-line learning center of NARMS, offers a Mystery Shopping Course that teaches the standards necessary to become a productive and successful at-retail intelligence agent.

Mystery shopping services provide valuable intelligence to executives and frontline managers who need to better understand the quality of interactions happening between their associates and their customers. The fundamentals of a mystery shop are very simple: Conduct and report the results of mock shopping experiences in order to assess and improve customer service, sales and merchandising performance.

While these fundamentals are simple to understand, actually executing them can be very challenging. It requires a deep understanding of certain fundamentals and specific skills to complete the duties successfully. Upon successful completion of this course, your field rep will develop a clear understanding of mystery shopping excellence, how to prepare for and execute an effective store visit and how to properly submit their report.

NARMScertifyU is available directly to individual field personnel at $15 per course, or in a bulk pricing package now available to allow for member companies to purchase on-line courses for their field reps at a great savings. Questions about pricing and purchasing should be directed to Scot Maurath at NARMScertifyU. His phone number is 949-472-6700 ext 1107.

There are eight courses currently offered at NARMScertifyU: Train the Trainer, Retail Visit Excellence, Merchandising Standards, Demonstrations, Event Marketing, Fixture Installation, Mystery Shopping and Team Lead Skills. The user simply selects and completes the course to earn a certificate of completion. Their NARMS Recruiter profile is automatically updated with the increased level of knowledge making them a more valuable, accessible, marketable and hirable resource.

NARMScertifyU represents a quick, easy and inexpensive option for enhanced at-retail service knowledge for both service company and individual field personnel. To learn more, visit the site here and then help spread the word of this tremendous industry building resource.

Aug 13, 2010 IRI/Morning NewsBeat

Below is the list of articles you will find for the week ending 8/13/10 edition of Retail Industry News.

- The Opportunity Of “Calculated Consumption”
- Raley’s To Convert One Of Its Stores To Discount Format
- Meijer Makes Room For The New
- Publix Takes Second Shot At E-Grocery Business
- Casey’s Completes Private Placement
- Food Deserts Issue In Chicago Gets Addressed By…Walgreen
- FastNewsBeat
- The MNB Wal-Mart Watch
- Executive Suite

Click here to read Retail Industry News

August 15, 2010 My NARMS

In this issue:

- NARMScertifyU
- Member Program - Staples Advantage

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Sample NARMS JobBank

As experts in the field of at-retail marketing and merchandising services, we all know the value of a good sampling program. So in the spirit of practicing what we preach, NARMS will be offering a sample of our NARMS JobBank service. And although it is not free, it is offered at a greatly reduced rate. On August 16th from 12:00AM to 11:59PM CDT, we are offering one JobBank ad per member company for the reduced price of $10.00! What a great time for you to try JobBank for the first time, reconnect with this terrific resource or save a little money on your job advertising plans.

You don’t have to do anything special, just go to Post a Job in the JobBank from the dropdown list under Jobs/Careers on www.narms.com on August 16th to place your job posting. If you have multiple listings, the price will be adjusted manually for the first ad per company and additional ads will be billed at the normal rate. Those companies who are taking advantage of the JobBank Showcase program will be able to post a fifth ad on that date for $10.00. The FiveUp! option will be billed an additional $80.00 for a total of $90.00, not the usual $160.00 for a savings of $70.00! Contact Cindy Liebl at cliebl@narms.com with any questions.

The JobBank is a powerful resource to help fill your field resource needs. It is searched 575,000 times each month and provides greater coverage through RSS feeds of your listings to top job sites and social networking applications. Why post jobs on multiple sites when all of your job posting needs can be met by using this one handy resource that is viewed regularly by trained and experienced field merchandisers? The regular charge for a 30 day job posting is $80 for NARMS members and $150 for nonmembers.

NARMS also offers unlimited postings in the JobBank for 30 days for $1,000 for members and $1,250 for non-members. The fee must be pre-paid via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express) and the posting is in effect for 30 days from the date of payment.

NARMS JobBank has been serving the industry well since the beginning of our trade association. If you have never used it, or want to experience the benefits of its constantly evolving reach, there has never been a better time.