MARKET WATCH
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Standard Metrics Developed for In-Store Shopper Research
A set of standard metrics has been developed to better quantify shopper behavior in retail environments. The measures aim to enable retailers and consumer product manufacturers to accurately measure the impact of in-store marketing and other efforts aimed at influencing shopper behavior and increasing performance.
The metrics were by VideoMining Corporation, the leading provider of in-store intelligence for shopper marketing. They are grouped into four broad areas that represent key aspects of in-store shopper behavior and interaction: Exposure, Engagement, Conversion and Segmentation.
The most valuable applications of the metrics are measuring category or brand performance, identifying opportunities, and pinpointing “impact points” along the path to purchase where actions can be taken to influence in-store behavior.
“We were excited to have access to hard numbers that represent what shoppers actually do while in the store. This gives us the ability to gauge the true impact of initiatives using VideoMining’s collaborative in-store platform,” said David Haubert, Vice President of Business Development and former Director of Manufacturer Collaboration at Safeway.
The platform and the creation of standard metrics are designed to enable manufacturers to more effectively allocate dollars and achieve the best ROI on their efforts. The platform can be used to establish a baseline and form hypotheses, then trial new initiatives with an ongoing test and measure approach.
“The need for such standards in measuring in-store behavior became evident through the work we were already doing with both retailers and CPGs,” said Dr. Rajeev Sharma, Founder and CEO of VideoMining, based in State College, Pa. “We’ve factored in significant market feedback in creating metrics that provide common ground for benchmarking, testing and decision support and in many areas.”
Bloom to Pilot In-Store TV
Nine of Food Lion's Bloom Supermarkets in Washington, D.C. will soon pilot an application that combines the benefits of in-home television with the efficiencies of the Internet. Automated Media Services (AMS), developer of the technology, says the platform is the first automated and programmable advertising and media platform. More installations are planned after the research phase is completed.
Specifically, the research will explore:
- How shoppers interact with and feel about media in the store
- The appropriate use of in-store video and the role that audio plays
- The impact of different types of creative on purchasing behavior.
“As we move from the lab into the store, this research program will allow us to apply new insights
to the improvement of our media technologies,” said Bob Wolinsky, CEO of AMS. “The goal is to
take the known science and art of media and television and discover the important qualities that can
make marketers' efforts more predictable and efficient, while providing shoppers with the best
possible experience.”
Intelligence gleaned from the research may also help inform product placement and store layout for retailers to maximize merchandising opportunities.
New Mobile Coupons from Dole
The Dole Food Company is now placing its social network coupons, recipes and nutrition content on mobile phones, according to ProSent Mobile, provider of the technology. Each Facebook or Twitter posting from the company contains a link that enables the transfer.
The process is simple. A customer clicks on the link, enters their phone number, and instantly down-
loads it to their phone. Customers can sign up via Facebook or by visiting the company’s website (www.dole.com).
Target Enhances Photo Kiosks
Target has upgraded its Kodak Picture Kiosks with social network connectivity in most of its stores nationwide. Shoppers can how access and print online photo albums directly from their Facebook or Kodak Gallery accounts.
Shoppes will also be able to create various photo products ranging from standard prints to personalized photo keepsakes such as photo books, collages, calendars, holiday and greeting cards, picture movie DVDs and more.
Simplifying Mobile Promotions
Two leading digital firms are partnering to help simplify the execution of scalable mobile promotions. Inmar, a leading provider of digital coupon clearing and other promotion transaction settlement, added a partner, Mad Mobile, to the ONiX digital incentive platform and exchange. Mad Mobile is a leading mobile marketing company that works with major brands and agencies to devise mobile strategies and execute mobile programs.
The mobile coupon platform offers brands the essential SMS, Web, and Mobile Web components required to implement a turn-key mobile coupon campaign coupled with a client-facing dashboard which displays real-time program activity.
The link between Inmar's ONiX platform and this template-driven graphic solution increases the opportunity to offer seamless redemption of mobile promotions at retail. It also allows brands to play in a safe digital promotions environment with trusted audits and controls built into the ecosystem.
Merging In-Store TV with Social Networks
Two companies are collaborating to deliver cross-channel social media on in-store television networks. Premier Retail Networks (PRN), a digital place-based media services provider, and LocaModa, a place-based social media company, are partnering to enhance PRN’s Checkout TV Network currently in 950 supermarkets. The companies will jointly develop a suite of cross-channel ad units designed to enhance customer engagement at checkout by integrating mobile and Web with digital place-based media.
PRN’s advertising solutions now include the ability to display social media components with user-influenced content and trending topics collected via mobile texts, Twitter and Facebook. The new
place-based ad units are measurable and connect PRN’s Checkout TV Network to mobile phones and social networks.
As an example of the offering, PRN Checkout TV Network social media ad units could be configured to display the most important shopping items according to local customers’ comments. Audiences can participate via mobile phones, Facebook, Twitter or brand websites, and see aggregated results on the Checkout TV Network screens as well as online.
Integrating Social Media into Web Sites
Twenty supermarket retailers have enhanced their web sites with a new platform from the Grocery Shopping Network. GSN’s Social Media Integration Suite lets retailers personalize the shopping experience through a mix of transactional data coupled with Facebook profile information.
Shoppers register for their favorite grocery retail web site using their Facebook identity. They can share their favorite recipes with family and friends by pressing the Facebook “Like” button or Twitter “Tweet” button featured on each recipe detail page. By selecting either one, consumers will also help grocers create a more personalized shopping experience.
Some of GSN’s retail partners that have launched the suite include: Scolari’s Food and Drug Company, Strack and Van Til Supermarkets, Ultra, Grand Union Family Markets, Coborn’s, and D’Agostino’s.
