CPG companies are engaging directly with consumers, and need to understand the path to purchase. All of these findings are insightful, positive, and provide actionable insights for future outreach.

I see today’s question as concerning two different things: In-store promotions and impulse purchases. In-store promotions are shoppertainment events designed to create a fun and unique experience that encourages shoppers to buy. In this case I would go with Hershey’s Delight and Inspire. Impulse purchases are a whole different animal. Here, Indulge, Score and Incent describe the jobs of end features, merchandise outposts, speed bumps and displays at the checkouts. Women are big impulse shoppers, men not so much. She’ll shop the aisles, but you have to place fixtures loaded with impulse-worthy items in his path. Remind is exactly what we’ve seen at office stores. You’re at the checkout about to pay when you realize you forgot paper. You say, “I’ll get it next time” but the cashier is already reaching under the counter where there’s small stash of most forgotten basic items. Sale saved. Placing product where shoppers can’t miss it is happening in new ways all over the store. Checkout queues at Old Navy that display items not traditionally found on the sales… Read more »

Creating “irresistible shopping experiences” starts with understanding the human truths or shopper motivation behind buying. Kudos (oops, is that one of their brands?) to Hershey for doing the hard work to segment and understand shopper behavior. I wonder if they factored in the fact that most locations where they drive impulse today (near checkout) are rapidly disappearing and more sales are moving online?

I love this! It’s easy to put together an impulse display that’s visually appealing and has some trend items. But by addressing the underlying psychology of the impulse buy, retailers can make their displays much more effective.

For impulse purchases, indulge, delight and score seem to be the most important. Price point is super significant when it comes to impulse buys, so the product has to be a good deal. I agree with Georganne that impulse buys and in-store displays are by nature two different things.

This is a great list for Hershey. I enthusiastically endorse understanding this type of complex situation with a range of values or approaches. Too often it seems we demand of marketing that they choose a single motivator and we run it into the ground. That said, to what degree do these help anyone else? Only as a model. So much in-store display depends on product, category, and what other marketing support there is. If the product is advertised on TV and is a one-time purchase, the in-store experience needs to focus on connecting so that consumers say “ah, that’s the one I saw on TV!” Quite often the in-store workers need to offer a way for the customer get hands-on with the product — not necessarily to try it but to heft it and get a sense of “quality” that we pick up in person. As to what’s most important — you’ve got to get shopper attention. So the element of surprise emphasized here is important. Whether that’s by placement, unusual suggestions for use, or… Read more »

Delight is a critical element for marketers to understand and deliver against! Consumers want products that delight, but they also want in-store experiences that delight. What does that mean? It means retailers need to invest to understand what their shoppers are looking for in terms of attributes, packaging, price versus value, placement — those magic four Ps of marketing!

Identifying the goals and the metrics that help attain those goals is critical. With the organization focused on common goals and common metrics, the atmosphere becomes an enabling one, eliminating silo thinking and marketing-versus-sales friction. A cross-functional focus on defined metrics arises, directing every arm of an organization to the same place — success and growth. Well thought-out, strategic metrics will deliver a set of in-store principles that help create better playbooks and execution roadmaps, and they will create execution collaboration.

Kudos for Hershey. It is this kind of research by a CPG company that can lead to closer collaboration with retail partners.