Its not easy to create something really different in a retail environment. In this article I’d like to share a shopper marketing case study that does this and use it to understand some of the critical success factors behind creating significant change in-store – nine key learnings from one in-store marketing case study!
Shopper Marketing Case Study: Its hard to have a major impact in-store!
Anyone working in consumer goods knows how hard it is to do something differentiated in-store. The barriers are myriad: You need to have good data, and the ability to create ground-breaking shopper insights. You need to be able to turn this into a meaningful plan, and you need to get budgets together to implement it. And last, but not least, you need to get a retailer to support it. A barrier in any of these areas means that the shelf stays broadly the same. So, when I came across this vibrant and exciting implementation in the frozen aisle of Sainsbury’s, a UK supermarket chain, I was keen to understand how it came to be. And very kindly the team behind it were happy for me to share this as a shopper marketing case study.
Shopper Marketing Case Study: How it happened
This article is based on a conversation with Mhairi Dunn from the Birds Eye team who led the development. The genesis of the project was a conversation with a retailer (Sainsbury’s) who was keen to create some excitement in the frozen category. At the same time, the Birds Eye team had a significant campaign around “Color” from their marketing team, and a number of key shopper insights that they were keen to test in-store. Putting all this together, it felt as if there was an opportunity to test something quite significant.
There was a high level of collaboration from the beginning, with workshop sessions including the consumer marketing team at Birds Eye (as well as the category, shopper and sales teams) and the retailer team from Sainsbury’s. From this the team was able to bring out their key insights, and tie in their above-the-line marketing campaign in a way that met both brand and retailer objectives.
The initiative was implemented in one store as a test, and the initial results are encouraging: a double-digit uplift in sales which in a relatively staid category such as frozen, is impressive. Conversations continue as to how best to roll the program out in a cost-efficient way.
So what can we learn from this shopper marketing case study?
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: There needs to be a big consumption opportunity
Shoppers buy to consume: so long term shopper growth must be built on a big consumption opportunity. In this case it was clear that the opportunity to use more frozen food was huge! 99% of UK families use frozen food, but only around 13% of meals contain frozen. Why? Frozen food was seen as lifeless, a last resort when there was no ‘proper food’ available. But frozen food could deliver so much more! It is healthy (frozen food locks in the goodness), flexible (you can keep a lot of different ingredients on hand all the time), and its good for the environment as it can help reduce food waste.
So there is a big consumption opportunity: but to realize that, shopper behavior needs to change. And for that to happen…
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: You need a big shopper insight
Without a big insight, it is unlikely that the initiative will deliver a significant change in shopper behavior. And without a significant change in shopper behavior, where is the payback? From the conversation with Mhairi it was clear that the journey was long and hard work: a powerful insight, that everyone buys into, is key to keep the team going, to see things through to the end.
In this case the core insight was that for shoppers, frozen was an after-thought: unexciting and an aisle visited to stock up on commodities. But some shoppers were looking for inspiration, goodness and convenience from their shop. Sadly, they weren’t looking for this from the frozen aisle. But if the aisle was made to feel more inspirational shoppers would engage. Then key messages, such as the fact that frozen food is actually healthy (perceptions among shoppers are that it isn’t) could be delivered, and sales could be transformed.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Tie in the consumer team
The consumer marketing team was engaged in this from very early. This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, changing shopper behavior without changing consumer behavior delivers short term gains only. If you really want to drive long term growth, you need to change consumer AND shopper behavior.
Secondly, alignment. Internal alignment helps get things done. It also means that campaigns resonate, maximizing the impact of both consumer and shopper budgets.
And if you want to know more about why consumer marketing teams should support shopper marketing, check this out!
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Tie in the retailer
In this case, the retailer approached Birds Eye. That’s great, but even if this doesn’t happen, it is key that the retailer is engaged. This means that they see value in it, but also feel ownership. The buying team can’t implement anything on their own, and to get support in their organization for anything out of the ordinary is difficult. So the retail team need to feel ownership and belief if they are to have the resilience and stamina to make something big happen.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Choose the right retailer
As stated before, in this case, the retailer approached the manufacturer. That’s a good sign, but it doesn’t mean that we should always “go go go” when a retailer shows interest. We’re going to spend a lot of time and money on this, so we need to be sure it will pay back. For that, we need to be really clear on who our target shopper is and know that those target shoppers can be found at this retailer’s stores. We should consider a strategic fit with the retailer too. In this case, Birds Eye was targeting shoppers looking for a healthier alternative – these shoppers are definitely found in Sainsbury stores, and health is a strategic driver for the retailer too.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Timing
Retailers often say no to stuff. But ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘no’ forever. In this case there was a new buying team in Sainsbury. A team that wanted to make an impact. A year ago, or in a year’s time, the outcome might have been very different. Timing is everything.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Test & Measure
It was clear that this was a big initiative, and the costs were high. The decision was (sensibly) taken to test first, and then learn to see if it was worth rolling out. As I have mentioned in a previous post – we never really know what will happen until we actually implement.
But of course for this to truly be a test, we need to measure. And it is key to measure in as much granular detail as possible. Measuring a sales uplift is mandatory, but more detail can be enlightening, and critical for an effective roll-out.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Measure individual elements to make the roll-out more efficient and effective
Too often measurement is at a macro level (for example, sales went up). But this doesn’t help us optimize. In any implementation, some elements will work well; others less so. A roll out will require modification to amplify the good bits and remove the elements that didn’t work.
In addition, most of the time, a full roll out is often a diluted version of the ‘full’ category test. For practical reasons, and budgetary, it isn’t always possible to do ‘magic’ in every store. So it is critical to identify the elements that really had the biggest impact, so that they can be extended to every store at a lower cost.
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Doing something might lead to a new learning or insight
Another benefit of granular measurement is that we can spot the accidental win. In this case Birds Eye was focusing on attracting health-conscious shoppers. But it turned out that the biggest uplift was among shoppers with children. The bright colors attracted the kids and brought mom to the aisle. A good result, but not exactly what was planned. Remember, that even when you think you have the answer, we are still learning. Perhaps there are two opportunities here rather than one!
Shopper Marketing Case Study Learnings: Anything is possible!
Don’t be put off if you sometimes struggle to make great things happen in your category. It is tough, but hopefully this case study shows that it is possible to create magic in the aisles. If you’d like to know more about this case, or how you might be able to move from good to great in your category implementation, please get in touch. We can have a quick chat, I can give you a few pointers, and we can see if we can help.