Marketing 101 - if you’re trying to talk to everybody, you’re going to have a difficult time reaching anybody well. Targeting has always played a massive role in marketing and despite some misconceptions, shopper marketing is no exception here. It is essential to ensure the campaign is as efficient as possible, even if we are “only” talking about “some cardboard in-store.” To illustrate just how important this is if a barker is booked to go live in 200 ‘un-defined’ or ‘un-targeted’ stores it may go live where the featured product is not listed or in the 200 smallest stores of a retailer’s estate. Here we will review principles around store targeting within the shopper discipline and review some of the newest opportunities to test.
The ability to target shopper media by store varies depends on the touch-point in question and which retailer we are considering. As a minimum, brands should always ask the following fundamental questions: Can this touch-point be store targeted? If not, then what proportion of its defined store list over-laps with the distribution list of the featured product? The answers here will inform investment decisions and can support negotiations around the activation’s cost.
If a touch-point can be store targeted, then brands should ensure activity store lists align with distribution and are cognisant of the broader campaign context. For example, if you are seeking to deliver maximum % uplift within a campaign, then perhaps look to overlap media store lists. Always ensure each store list is defined early on to allow for robust AvB evaluation work.
There are several ways in which store level sales data can further optimise store selection. Each store targeting strategy should be informed by the campaign objective. If you want to deliver the highest possible ROI then target top-performing stores for your brand. If driving penetration is key, target stores which perform well for your category but not your brand.
In today’s shopper landscape, we are witnessing an exciting change coming to play – brands are not only targeting stores based on the store and product, but also a defined shopper. Outlined below are a few exciting ways brands can use targeting in their shopper campaigns. This is not an exhaustive list but showcases the interesting innovation in this space.
First off, there are some exciting opportunities to use customer data within store targeting. For example, Tesco Clubcard data can be used in front of store digital 6 sheet executions and within Sainsbury’s, Nectar data can be used within mobile activity. Activity could be targeted to stores with a high proportion of lapsed shoppers for example.
Equally, store selection can be optimised through transport data i.e. TFL data in London. Through accessing and understanding this data, brands can understand not only where their target shoppers are, but where they travel to, how they travel and, in some cases, even the specific route they take. This allows us to target media to or around stores which will be visible to this group.
Finally, using digital devices (mobile etc.) brands can now identify their target shoppers through unique Device IDs. With this information brands can follow their device to understand where they shop as well as how they travel to that location and where they generally travel to across the week. This again facilitates huge optimisation in campaign visibility and relevancy.
Targeting the right stores and the right shoppers is vital for any brand and shopper marketing, with some exciting new capabilities in market now is the time to test and learn!