Digital Campfire

Notes from a retail summit on shoppers and digital media.

There has been so much talk about how emerging media and new technologies are changing how we shop and buy. I would like to think that this new technology and emerging media is finally a tangible output of all the shopper insights we have been gathering for years.

Shoppers have been telling us for quite some time that they want things to be easier, more convenient, with better customer service and an experience that will deliver on their expectations of trusted brands and retailers. It seems that we might finally be on the verge of delivering what shoppers and consumers have been demanding.

To test our notion, we invited a select group of retail and marketing thought-leaders to a day of exploration, discovery, collaboration — and some fun! It was kind of like a digital campfire. Our challenge was to create a vision of the current retail landscape, how technology is changing the shopping experience, and what we are doing to respond to shopper expectations.

What follows are some of my notes from our day’s journey at the Second Annual Hub Magazine and Active International Retail Summit, accompanied by a visual diary created throughout the day by Heather Willems of ImageThink (special thanks also to inVNT, our producer).

The day was full of optimism about retail and ways to make shoppers feel closer and more connected at retail. As we re-write retail, post-recession, we’re going to look to shoppers to tell us how to help them more. Let shoppers tell us what they want and let us guide the development of new tools and opportunities that ultimately make us all feel a little better and more connected!

Donna Sturgess, Buyology

“Get back to our senses.” Donna shared advances in neuroscience that her firm, Buyology, is using to get into the hearts and minds of consumers and shoppers. Science tells us that consumers have “mental shortcuts” that help bring brands and retail affinities to life. At retail, we can activate the shopper’s senses to imprint messages in a way online media cannot.

Rita Bargerhuff, 7-Eleven

“Ready to connect, in-store and out.” Even though 7-Eleven is a national chain, it is one that consumers have grown up with and regard as their neighborhood place. It elicits different shopper reactions and emotions based on the time of day: morning (breakfast buddy); after work (my transition from work to home); weekend or night (my social partner).

 When Rita and her team are looking at marketing opportunities, they want brand-building ideas that can connect with shoppers at all times. A partnership with Domo, a playful and irreverent Japanese cartoon character, matched 7-Eleven’s brand personality while promoting proprietary products and entertaining shoppers, both online and in the store, 24/7.

Manish Mehta, Dell

“Listen to your mom and pop.” We often talk about how the “big guys do it.” However, Manish noted that technology now allows us to flip this thinking around and capitalize on the qualities on which “mom and pop” businesses were built. Technology is not just about getting a message to market faster, Manish said, but also how to engage with authenticity.

Mom-and-pop businesses make you feel welcome, offer convenience, the right mix of product and services, personalized recognition, and a sense
of appreciation. When this happens, “word-of-mouth” becomes the best and fastest way to advertise. Many of these benefits can be delivered by new and emerging technologies at e-tail.

Jim Garrity, Bellwether Digital Bridge

“It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.” Jim noted a number of technology platforms that are shaping the future of shopping, such as Shop Saavy, Yowza!!, FastMall, Grocery IQ, and Foursquare.

He said we cannot underestimate the mobile phone’s impact across retail channels and on brand awareness, consideration, preference and loyalty.

Jim also said that a holistic, 360-degree view of what is happening across the brand’s ecosystem is essential, and that, more than ever, campaigns live or die based on how well they are integrated across platforms.

Tia Newcomer, Hewlett-Packard

“Mistakes are allowed in a revolution.” Tia thinks that shopper marketing is at a crossroads and has the opportunity to lead the revolution at retail.

We are getting better at understanding the store and managing the shelf, she said, but we must be sure that what we’ve learned about making life easier at the last three feet at the shelf also carries over to our other consumer and shopper engagement points.

Digital will be vitally important to shopper marketing. If we only focus on in-store, we’ve missed the mark.

Partner with shoppers to understand what works or could be better. Technology and emerging media can help us learn from our successes and even our mistakes.

Ed Kaczmarek, Kraft Foods

“Make life easier and more delicious through your mobile phone.” Several participants warned against chasing after bright, shiny objects. Ed demonstrated, via Kraft’s iFood Assistant mobile app, that a shiny new object can have great utility. Interestingly, Kraft’s consumers aided the app development and helped create metrics for success.

Patrick Meyer and Brian Meehan, Sourcebits

“Just doing an app is the lamest thing you could do.” Patrick and Brian demonstrated several new iPhone apps they’ve developed, including Knocking Live and Vegas Spin-the-Bottle. Knocking Live enables users to share a live video feed on their mobile phones, kind of like video Twitter, and has so far been downloaded more than a million times. Spin-the-Bottle is a game for young adults.

But Patrick and Brian said it’s not enough just to create a “wow” app, that it’s essential to create an app pipeline that’s insight driven and strategically focused. You also need a cross platform strategy that matches your targets across all demographics.

Karen Durand and Jim Schuh, Kimberly-Clark

“Use technology, past success and insight from moms to drive a deeper brand connection.” Karen and Jim and the Kimberly-Clark brand and shopper-marketing teams are always looking at ways to engage their consumers/shoppers (and largely moms) in unique spaces and certain times.

This includes physical spaces at retail or events, but also in virtual communities. The two need to work together along the path-to-purchase.

When done correctly, this can lead to a higher emotional bond. Just ask the moms who are part of the “Viva Diva” community!

Jim Adams, Redbud’s Raw Dog Food

“What I learned from a dog.” Jim shared insights he’s gained while launching Redbud’s Raw Dog Food, which is based on the emotional connection folks have with their dogs and the need for proper nutrition for their dogs. This passion that pet owners have and share is one that can be tied and linked to the social connectedness that people are feeling with many of the new social technologies today.

Tom Boccuzzi, US Army

“Make a phygital connection.” Tom talked about how his agency, Momentum, is engaging and educating potential Army recruits at events and with experiences that blend both physical experiences and digital data capture. Tom calls this “phygital.” The result is a better experience for both the recruiter and potential recruit.

Gary Hawkins, Hawkins Strategic

“Mind if we get personal?” Gary shared what his store, Green Hills Market, is doing with store-level data to create a more personal shopper experience. This opened the great privacy debate. But Gary says that if the information you are gathering and using connects in the right way with a consumer/shopper, it can hit an emotional chord. Concerns of privacy can be turned into feelings of intimacy and “just for me.”

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VINCE WEINER is a senior vice president of corporate strategy at Active International, focusing on developing retail and out-of-home digital solutions. Vince can be reached at 845-732-8514 or vweiner-at-activeinternational.com.