Shopper Culture

GDPR: Its Impact On Shoppers and Marketers

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect on May 25, 2018. Created to provide more control and better privacy protection to European Union residents, the GDPR compliance regulation affects all companies that are either marketing to or collecting data from EU consumers.

What US Marketers Need to Know?

Even if you work on US brands, your marketing may still be reaching shoppers from the EU—in fact, the terms used in the legislation are “data subject” and “natural persons,” which include non-citizen residents of and visitors to the EU for the duration of their stay. Therefore, consider that your next email promotion could reach U.S. citizens who are traveling or spending time living abroad and be subject to this legislation.

Also keep in mind that the GDPR can apply to brick-and-mortar as well as e-commerce. For example, shoppers paying with a credit or debit card, providing personal information such as a name or shipping address, or participating in a customer loyalty program can all fall under GDPR protections.

As far as financial penalties, non-compliance can lead to a maximum penalty of 20 million euros or 4% of your total global revenues, whichever is greater.

What Can Shoppers Do?

Japan Takes Vending Machines to New Heights

With Starbucks on every corner, Prime Now in major markets and chatbots on the rise it seems as if you can get anything in an minutes' time. But in reality, shoppers have to seek out locations or wait (an hour or a few days) to get things that are available at their fingertips (e.g., Amazon Prime). While brands and services strive to have mental availability, some of them lack the physical availability which is key to growing brands and sales.

When it comes to physical availability, Japan's vending machine scene is a site to behold. Vending machines are making "give it to me now" a reality for much of Japan. According to CNN, "The country has one machine for every 25 people, offering a range of goods from tomatoes and cans of hot coffee to noodle stew, beer and Buddhist charms." That's a lot of vending machines and a lot of options on every corner. But what is next? And how can a vending machine stand out?

Let the Summer Games Begin: Will Your Brand Rise to the Occasion?

If there's an occasion or event coming down the pipeline, you can bet your bottom dollar that the onslaught of thematic advertising is soon bound to follow. Nowadays, we've all grown pretty accustomed to the topical communications that sprout up from marketers during these key time frames. Whether it's for a traditional holiday (Valentine's Day, Father's Day) or the lesser-known yet socially revered National X Day (National Siblings Day, National Puppy Day), many brands have become experts at leveraging these moments as an opportunity to spark a conversation.

The underlying hope is that these marketing strategies create some top-of-mind awareness, an authentic connection, and that they ultimately lead to purchase. Most of the time, this can be a really effective tool. But what happens when we're all shouting the same thing at the same time? Will the communal and authentic spirit of the Olympic Games be able to shine through? Or does it come across as nothing more than a series of carefully premeditated machinations? This year, new policies put in place by the Olympic Committee could severely curb the oversharing frenzy of brands.

The Growing Currency of "Ugly" in Shopper Marketing

Mutant carrot or a coveted part of your next meal? Ugly isn't supposed to be cool. It's not very marketable. And only when ugly takes off its glasses and everyone realizes it was beautiful all along does ugly really become a great story. Well today, ugly is taking center stage and is culturally ripe for success. Pun intended, as fruits and vegetables are the place ugly is starting it's rise. 

Over the last several months, ugly fruit fever is spreading. Efforts by Ralph's and WholeFoods have provided cosmetically challenged fruits and vegetables to shoppers at discount prices. Food service companies, such as Bon Appetit Management Co., have also started programs designed to buy up uglies and use them in meals across the country. Even America's largest grocer, Walmart, this week will pilot discount sales of weather-dented  apples in 300 of its Florida stores. 

 

POKE!

This is a coming trend: The sushi of tomorrow called poke, pronounced “poh-key’. The word refers to diced fish. Poke is a raw fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. Traditional forms are aku (an oily tuna) and he’e (octopus). Increasingly popular ahi poke is generally made with yellowfin tuna.

The hip food of 2016 is revisiting the concept of poke. The idea is simple. One marinates raw fish in soy sauce, sprinkles it with sesame seeds. and serves it over rice. It can be topped with avocado, kale, fresh tomatoes, soy bean sprouts, sea lettuce, small chili peppers, macadamia nuts, mango, ginger, or coriander, depending on your mood.

Deliciously exotic and healthy, this dish attracts customers looking for flavor and freshness. A number of casual restaurants, especially in Los Angeles and New York, have already made poke the house specialty.

Image source: NellyRodiLab

Mainstream Retailers Embrace 'Ugly' Food

Whole Foods recently announced a partnership with Imperfect Produce to test-run sales of 'ugly' produce in a few of its Northern California stores, which is set to begin next month. This announcement comes after increasing consumer demands for the food industry and retailers to help eliminate food waste—a petition on change.org specifically called out Whole Foods, as well as Walmart, to take steps towards becoming more inclusive with their produce selections by including more imperfect fruits and vegetables. Giant Eagle has also announced this month that the grocery chain will incorporate 'ugly' produce in 5 Pittsburgh store locations as part of a "Produce with Personality" pilot program.

Cause Marketing & Gender Parity

Did you know that March is Women’s History month? Did you know that March 8, 2016 is International Women’s Day? Everyday Google changes its homepage search bar and 3/8/16 was dedicated to women. Google is a huge brand with a ton of visibility and is making a statement about gender parity. How can your brand get involved and support this day/month? Could your brand/retailer create an event or promotion specifically for this cause?

Image Source: Google 3/18/16

 

Redefining Moment-Based Promotional Occasions: The Blue Monday Example

We all have a friend who (or we), when asked the question, “What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?”, will roll their eyes and reply with the most colorless tone, “I don’t buy into this marketing celebration of consumerism” or something to that effect.

Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, Dry January, Back to School, Halloween… There are now so many occasions created by retailers and marketers in order to price discount, run competitions, and ultimately boost sales. No wonder consumers can be skeptical and dismissive. The wide variety of tools and shopping evolutions (e.g., price comparators, shopping apps, forums, rise of convenience and "locally produced" stores) has evolved consumers’ purchase influencers. Therefore, the relationship between the retailer and its consumers has to change and adapt.

Shoppers Aren't The Only Ones Having Fun This Halloween

Shoppers thoroughly enjoy Halloween and all the festivities and treats that it entails. But this season, some retailers are not just helping shoppers but also getting in on the fun themselves.

UK-based grocer Tesco transformed one of its chain locations into a "Spookermarket." Not only were aisles decked out for Halloween but the retailer played spooky hidden camera pranks on shoppers in the store. These frightful encounters are part of their "Spookermarket" campaign and have already generated over 10 million combined views across Facebook and YouTube in less than a week.

Insightings15: A Decade of Trendwatching

For the past ten years, Integer has looked at, and shared, over sixty macrotrends in its annual InSightings presentations. And, since we feel confident that the macrotrends from yesterday are still driving shopper, retailer and brand behavior today, we thought we’d review the TOP TEN FROM THE PAST TEN in our presentation to see if our mission statement when we began this journey has held true:

New Study: Checkout China–Uncovering Complexities of Shoppers in China

Chinese consumer confidence has decreased over the years yet prices continue to increase, because of this reality, marketers have to work harder to get a share of an increasingly smaller basket size. Gaining a better knowledge about the way people shop is more crucial than ever if brands and retailers want to exceed. This new study uncovers the complexities of Chinese shoppers by using a range of variables including spending habits, shopping attitudes and the key drivers behind purchases. With this, four different shopper archetypes were identified: the ‘Experience Lover’ who loves shopping and looks for unique experience; the ‘Precision Planner’, who is detail-oriented and willing to spend on high quality; the ‘Time Saver’ who sees shopping as a mission and focuses on efficiency; and the ‘Strategic Spender’ who validates the price and value from comparison and wants to get the best deal.

Download the study to learn more about what motivates these different types of shoppers.

Cancel That Meeting: USA plays Germany in World Cup 2014

This morning, I walked into the office to a voicemail asking me why my employee declined a co-worker's meeting for tomorrow. After looking at the calendar, I realized the meeting was scheduled smack dab in the middle of the USA versus Germany World Cup match. Well, the answer is obvious.

Many companies have tried to predict the lost productivity during major sporting events. Earlier this year, Challenger, Gray & Christian calculated that the March Madness tournament cost more than $1.2 billion to American businesses and Captivate Network found that the 2012 Olympics cost U.S. companies $1.38 billion. More specifically, during the 2010 World Cup, InsideView uncovered that $121 million was lost in US productivity. 

Tomorrow’s USA world cup match is scheduled to take place in the middle of the work day. John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. said "Employers may simply want to prepare for the fact that many workers could be taking an extended lunch on Thursday." But then added, "Whatever positive impact companies realize by instituting a strict one-hour lunch break policy or by blocking access to WatchESPN will be undone by the negative impact on loyalty." He went on to say, "Employers should instead embrace this as an opportunity to boost morale. This is our national team and they are attempting to defy the odds by advancing in the World Cup. What employer can't get behind that?"

Research supports this positive morale boost associated with the World Cup. Prior to the 2006 World Cup, 62 percent of men and 52 percent of women suggested that if their national team did well, it would boost their morale and would have an impact on their working lives. The impact definitely was felt at retail where England experienced a US$2 billion sales boost as people bought beer, pizzas, barbecue equipment, televisions and more.

So, how much money will companies lose in productivity tomorrow? It appears the more pertinent question is, how much of a boost in positivity and morale will occur from a positive US result? 

Image source: http://www.gaccny.com/en/events/usa-germany-soccer-world-cup-2014/

Unique Commerce: Traffic Jam Transactions

Traffic is never really thought of as a good thing, unless you are a 'entreprenuer' in Managua, Nicaragua. On a recent trip there I noticed just how many locals were meandering between cars selling window-washing services, fruit and nuts to those stalled in traffic jams. And after a long plane ride I was pleased to buy some reasonably priced, freshly roasted cashews.

Managua is not the only traffic ridden city where local are capitalizing these unique commerce opportunities. NPR reported on Jakarta's 'gridlock economy' highlighting some interesting services for sale including personal traffic 'cops' and carpool 'aides' that basically means a woman and her infant hop in the car with you so you can ride in the carpool lane.

These locals prove that sometimes the best way to connect with shoppers (and make sales) is to go to them and deliver goods and services that are most relevant in that context. They are truly thinking shopper first.

How can Australian retailers jump on board the e-Commerce train and stave off encroaching international competition?

Retail in the U.K. and the U.S. is often leaps and bounds ahead of Australia, whether it’s innovative marketing techniques, in-store technology, or, in this case, e-Commerce. It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, there were no major Australian retailers with an online presence. While Aussies have made a lot of progress, they’re still lagging behind.

A recent report by NetSuite and the Australian Retailers Association shows that only 15 percent of Australia’s approximately 77,000 businesses currently transact online. Since Australian retailers don’t provide their consumers an opportunity to purchase online domestically, it’s no surprise that an estimated 40 percent of online retail purchases go outside Australia.  

There is great potential for Australian retailers to take advantage of domestic sales, with 50 percent of Australians described as “digital buyers” who prefer to buy online when possible; however, retailers’ snail-like pace in adopting e-Commerce is seeing them lose out.

So how can Australian retailers jump on board the e-Commerce train and stave off encroaching international competition?

"Beauty" Displays: How Can They Tell an Emotional Story?

In store, displays obviously play a fundamental role in “stop-hold-close.” For beauty, displays must do more. They must tell a seductive story to capture the shopper. Beyond the key visual, every element including graphics, materials, shapes and lighting are carefully thought out and combined to express the brand territory and personality. “God is in the detail” could be the mantra of any shopper marketer or designer when they conceive a display for Beauty brands.

On the “I love Dior” display, for example, the use of the black and gold colors, the subtle mix of sophisticated materials, the reinterpretation of the key visual with the curved shape and the glorification of the product by using a mirror, all contribute to building a story of absolute, sensual, and triumphant femininity with of course, a touch of luxurious and glamorous sophistication.

Kenzo Madly builds a story of ethereal and natural beauty for young women by glorifying the blue and the butterfly’s icons and applying them systematically on every retail tool to leave an unforgettable impression in shoppers’ minds.

Givenchy communicates the benefit of the hydra sparkling formula by immersing the consumer into a world of bubbles, water, light and transparency.

 

Implications: In store, beauty brands think brand story and brand experience. Their displays and retail tools are each built like a story for which emotional and sensorial triggers are key. For a beauty brand, the challenges are: beyond the key visual, how do we tell the story? How can we leverage the design to be more emotional and stimulate shoppers’ senses? When promoting multiple brands or products, how do we build a compelling story?

Photo source : http://luxemode.over-blog.com