The problem with the old way of doing category management, in my humble opinion, is that it treated all retailers and shoppers the same; creating a homogeneous retail environment, a Sea of Sameness.
I don't think what we are doing now will necessarily go away; things like critical thinking, POS sales analysis and Space management. However, the convergence of category management and shopper marketing is fast becoming a reality.
Here are my thoughts:
- Ability to make shopper segmentation actionable in the retail environment
- Willingness on the part of manufacturers to embrace a shopper centric retail environment (meaning one-size fits all will not be effective)
- People with the ability to think in "symphony", be great designers and master storytellers, as Dan Pink says in his book a Whole New Mind.
What skill sets do you think shopper marketers need to have to rescue themselves from this sea of sameness?
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2 comments:
I couldn't agree more, the future of category management is centered around the consumer and how we can best address their needs and wants. I believe that shopper marketing is the key to that, and I am excited about the progress being made in this area. Let's leave the endless templates behind us, streamline this process and focus on what matters - the consumer.
We are not only in the "Information Age", but also the "Sea of Diversity".
It's more challenging to 'please the masses', so smaller 'business units' for focus, energy, and attention are built. Market segmentations being segmented, niches being niche'd, and many other ways to analyze 'consumers or as I like to say, People' and their behavior, habits, and desires better with enhanced analytical tools and old fashioned 'listening'.
What really matters - listening, taking action on consumers needs/wants, creating quality products/initiatives. What's going in their 'cart' and why... (wrote an interesting article all centered around the grocery cart ranging in subjects from the size, dimensions, layout, and randomness such as the squeaky wheel and how it is corralled - all related to the shopper, fun fun)
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