Should Peapod be scared?

The world's largest retailer is testing out an online grocery delivery platform in San Jose, CA.

"Walmart To Go" allows customers to order fresh produce, meat and seafood, frozen foods, bakery, OTC, household supplies, and HBC products online and have them delivered to their doorstep.

If Walmart succeeds, it'll give Peapod and Amazon Fresh a run for their money. Check out the new Beta site for more info.

The XTreme Shopper

The recession has given way to a take-charge kind of customer: the “XTreme Shopper."

Who is the XTreme Shopper?

• Demographically speaking, anyone!
• Highly motivated, aggressive, and passionate about shopping
• Uses multiple resources and goes to almost any length to seek out the best possible value
• Determines value using factors such as enjoyment, usefulness, simplicity, and assurance

Ads That Analyze You

A new technology enables billboards to cater ads to the specific person walking by.


Highlights:

• Digital billboard software is referred to as "immersive enabled"
• Analyzes a passerby's age, gender, and estimated attention span, as well as the number of people they're walking with and how long they look at the billboard
• Sony will be testing it at JFK airport in NY

(CNN Money, April 14, 2011)

Marketing to Millenials

A Q&A with Erin Bilezikjian-Johnson at OMD reveals that Millennials are:

• Not as impulsive as we think—spend a lot of time researching products/services
• Influencers: As much as they're influenced/controlled by their parents, they also influence their friends to the same degree
• Deal Hunters: They look for value and want to make sure they're making the right purchase decision
• Savvy consumers: Can still have relationships with brands, just have to be authentic, affordable, and quality

(AdAge, April 2011)

Marketing to Men

Ready to break down stereotypes about male shoppers and learn new insights about their path to purchase?

Myth
Men "hunt" in the store, and they just want to get in & out as quickly as possible

Facts
60% don't set time limits on shopping
They browse in electronics, home improvement, and mass channels
44% of males age 20-29 say fun is a reason to go shopping


Other highlights in the article include:

• Men look for solutions and straightforward communication at POP
• Men value clear in-store navigation
• Retailers should integrate mobile with in-store offerings, mobile advertising, and mobile-optimized sites (men, especially 25-34, are more likely to use their mobile phones while shopping)
• Analyzing behavior based on lifestage rather than age is more important
• Married men clip more coupons
• Single men think shopping is more fun
• Single men place more value on brand names

(In-Store Marketer, April 2011)

Direct-to-card coupon programs

Shoppers are not only utilizing digital coupons, but they're starting to expect them to tie directly to their loyalty cards.

Programs like this allow shoppers to go online or on their phones and select coupons, which then automatically apply when their loyalty cards are swiped during checkout. To see how retailers are leading the pack with these concepts, check out:

Kroger

Sam's Club

Meijer

With digital coupons on the rise (17.4% more manufacturers released digital coupon offers in 2010 than did in 2009), retailers will need to step up to the plate to integrate these offers into their loyalty programs.

(In-Store Marketer, April 2011)