Ten Tips for Powerful Shopper Marketing Measurement

There’s a famous Zen saying, “The obstacle is the path.” That could have been uttered by a shopper marketer. Why? Because shopper marketing is about understanding the shopper’s path and influencing her past the obstacles to purchase.The analytical side of shopper marketing is no different. The complexity of the shopper journey tests our ability to measure and analyze exactly what’s working. But the next few years will be a watershed for shopper analytics. To help you take advantage, here are 10 ways to overcome the obstacles to smarter analytics — and to more sales.1) Align shopper programs and analytics with other marketing and sales efforts. As it has evolved and grown, "shopper" sometimes inhabits its own niche in marketer minds and organizations. But everyone loses if it is not firmly part of “the whole picture” and aligned with other drivers, such as sales goals and above-the-line campaigns. This means that shopper marketers must step out of silos.And here’s another reason why traditional marketers should embrace their colleagues in shopper: there’s evidence that successful shopper marketers are good collaborators by nature — and high achievers corporately.2) Push manufacturer and retailer collaboration. This is a sticky place, because both sides are increasingly in competition and cautious about sharing strategy and data. Both have legitimate concerns, but here’s an encouraging fact: a recent GMA/Booz & Co. survey found that 87% of manufacturers either “agree” or “strongly agree” that the recent emphasis on shopper solutions has improved their collaborative relationships with retailers.This is welcome news, because GMA/Booz pointed out in a separate report three years ago that refusal to collaborate over shopper insights would make it impossible for either party to sell its own management on shopper initiatives going forward.3) Don’t skip the research because of a small budget. There is no automatic spending threshold below which research is a waste of money. Experts can suggest an appropriate measurement/analytics program for any budget. When done right, sometimes small, data-driven studies on shopper specifics can allow inferences about other areas, like brand equity.4) Don’t fall prey to perfectionism or insecurity. A recent Shopper Marketing article noted that traditional above-the-line advertising often has murky ROI, yet shopper marketing is somehow expected to be more measurable. Thus, the article notes, “within the walled gardens of their companies, shopper marketers lament the shortcomings of their methods, even when they are relatively minor.”5) Experiment and consider something new. In traditional advertising, the measurement systems are mature, so the variable in the equation is which marketing tactics to measure. But in shopper, you also need to experiment with the measurement systems themselves. So take stock often: a former top ConAgra Foods marketer told Shopper Marketing earlier this year that he advocates a “measure, learn, change” approach with very frequent reviews, where you’re not only studying results but the efficacy of the measurement and analytics themselves.6) Don’t measure just to measure: Envision what success looks like. “It is tempting to use the metric we can easily get rather than measure the real objective of the program,” PepsiCo's Tracey Doucette told Shopper Marketing earlier this year.More specifically, create shopper analytics with an awareness of the measurement taking place around traditional programs, to encourage correlations. Also, shopper marketers throughout the organization must collaborate to share results and avoid duplication. Finally, give experimentation time to work, adding a longitudinal element and tweaking when necessary.7) Don’t ignore social media analytics. The measurement models aren’t wrong, but social isn’t directly driving a lot of sales yet. It will, though, so the question is, “When do I start taking money away from established mechanisms, and how much should I take?” You can spend a flat $10 million in TV today and generate results, but you’ll want a more sophisticated mix pretty soon — especially since the missing links between social media shopper experiences and sales data are quickly filling in.8) Remember, shopper marketing isn’t just about sales. Make sure to measure what each element rationally can achieve. Consider Yoplait’s successful “pink lid” campaign benefiting Susan B. Komen for the Cure: a powerful shopper-centric campaign. It has to be measured in terms of brand perception and its ripple effect, not just its strict sales results.9) Get a creative’s opinion. Measurement and analytics seek to explain shopper behavior. Good creatives have innate insights into how shoppers think and behave. Just as the numbers can inform creative insight, creative insight can strongly inform the assumptions your researchers make about what behaviors to measure and how.10) Remember that shopper measurement and analytics will never stop getting better. A steady criticism of shopper analytics is that it doesn’t bridge gaps – for instance, that data on “new conversations” with shoppers is hard to correlate to increased equity and sales. Another gap is between the distinct aims of brands (loyalty, sales lift and category share) and retailers (store loyalty, basket size and category growth). But evolving best practices are bridging these gaps.Remember, shopper marketing is about removing obstacles to purchase. These 10 tips do their part by removing the obstacles to better measurement and analytics.Michael Komasinski is president and group managing director of Schawk Retail Marketing at Schawk Inc., a leading provider of brand development and deployment services. For more information, visit www.schawk.com

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