Storebites Q1 2010

Perhaps it was the fact that it was the first quarter of the year and marketing budgets for most brands, but it seems noteworthy in-store initiatives weren‟t rolled out until later on in the quarter.

The work that we did take notice of was not as innovative as it was consistent, impeccably executed and well thought out.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, it seems shopper marketing as a practice is becoming more and more mainstream with share of voice in store becoming a rare commodity. Some brands such as Ariel have resorted to extraordinary solutions, to grab attention.

Judging by the state of the market, it may be safe to say that all brands have either jumped on the bandwagon or not, and those that have, firmly grasp the basics about POSM.

It now seems to be time to innovate in terms of communication, design and in-store activation. At the source is a thorough understanding of our shoppers habits.

It is up to us to analyze how people shop with our categories or brands. Whether we are speaking of cars, apartments, kitchenware, laundry detergents or chocolate bars, our shoppers behave differently depending on the environment and stimulus we and our partners in retail offer them.

Consumers Praise Store Brands - They earn high marks for more than just low prices

Respondents to a 23-country survey largely agreed that store brands are at least as good as national

brands in many respects.

Released yesterday by Ipsos Marketing the Consumer Goods poll (conducted last November through this

January) found 89 percent of respondents saying store brands are "the same as or better than" national

brands when it comes to "providing a good value for the money."

But it's not just that they're seen as a bargain. Large majorities of respondents also said store brands are at

least the equal of national brands in "offering products that meet my needs" (87 percent), "offering products

that are good for the family" (86 percent), "offering food products that taste good" (81 percent) and "offering

home products that work well" (81 percent).

Another indication that store brands have shed the fly-by-night aura they had in years past: 80 percent of

respondents agreed that they're as good as or better than national brands at "offering products I trust."

Likewise, 73 percent said they're at least as good at "offering high-quality products."

Smaller majorities rated store brands as highly as national brands in "offering innovative products" (69

percent) and "having appealing packaging" (65 percent).

Besides the U.S., countries covered in the survey included Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Sweden,

Britain, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland,

Russia, Turkey, India, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Ad Week , (4/10)

First MENA Shopper Checkout survey carried out

MENA Checkout had 2,398 respondents from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It was carried out in February.

The findings aren't particularly earth-wobbling - people mainly want quality products, decent service and an easily navigable store - but they do show the importance of garnering local insight, as opposed to relying on data from other parts of the world, something Evans was keen to point out. Shoppers in the Middle East, for example, place far more emphasis on brand names than their counterparts in the US. In this region too, unsurprisingly, shopping is a more social affair than in America. A significantly larger percentage of MENA respondents said that they enjoyed going shopping with friends and family.

Overall, though, Evans says the results show that there are "more similarities than differences between MENA and US shoppers".

Ad Nation , (4/8/10)

Al Othaim to enter Egypt

Saudi Arabia-based retail chain Al-Othaim is looking to expand beyond its home market

and has announced plans to enter Egypt.

The company is expected to either acquire an existing grocery chain or set up a

subsidiary to operate a network of small format convenience stores. If the company

plans to enter the market via an acquisition, Al Othaim will be looking to benefit from an

existing loyal customer base and established store locations. The retailer will then be

looking to refurbish and rebrand them accordingly.

SUBWAY to open 300 outlets in Middle East and Africa

US-based sandwich chain Subway has announced that it is expanding across the

Middle East and Africa and has set itself a goal to open 300 additional locations

throughout the region. The expansion plans would bolster the brand's total number of

franchises in the region to 550. “With minimal equipment needs and space

requirements that are extremely flexible, a Subway franchise is the perfect solution for

many park and recreational facilities that want to bring in a branded fast food concept,”

said Hisham Ghazal, Regional Marketing Manager for the Subway chain.

Retail Planet, 26/05/09


New packaging prolongs shelf life of bananas

To health-conscious consumers, bananas are a welcome part of a convenience

store's offering. That is, until they turn brown. Which is why Del Monte developed a

new plastic wrap for bananas that promises to more than double their shelf life by

keeping out air and moisture. 7-Eleven convenience stores have been trialing the

second skin in 27 of its Dallas-area stores. If the trial is successful, the bananas-in-

bags could be stocked in the majority of the chain's 5,787 shops by early 2010.

www.springwise.com, 8/12/2009

Bloomingdale's opens in Dubai

People in Dubai are now able to indulge in the magic of Bloomingdale‟s as the

American department store ventures outside the US for the first time in its 138-year

history.

Customers crossing the threshold of the store will be able to abandon themselves to a

three-storey shoppers‟ heaven. With about 200,000 sq ft of floor space, the store will

sell fashion wear, furniture and accessories, while a “street of shops” in its homeware

section will include an ice-cream parlour and the Magnolia bakery, made famous in the

TV series Sex and the City, where a glass front allows customers to watch their treats

being iced before them.

The National Newspaper, 1/02/2010

Al-Futtaim building towards regional IKEA growth

Al-Futtaim, the Dubai-based retail group, is in talks to bring the home-furnishings giant

IKEA to Egypt even as it begins construction on the chain‟s largest outlet in the region

on Yas Island.

Officials from Al-Futtaim – the IKEA franchise holder in the UAE, Oman and Qatar –

and the Yas Island developer Aldar Properties broke ground at the site of the 32,000-

square-metre store that would mark the beginning of IKEA‟s expansion plan across the

Gulf. IKEA‟s regional expansion comes after a year of contracting retail sales, as

consumers cut spending amid economic turmoil. Still, Al-Futtaim is relocating its store in

the capital from Marina Mall to a space more than twice the size on Yas Island because

it had outgrown the location, and the lease ends this year.

The National Newspaper, 3/02/2010

TESCO launches cooking tips and recipes website

Tesco has launched a new food website, www.Tescorealfood.com, offering a wide

variety of cooking tips and recipes. It comes in partnership with a new quarterly food

magazine „Real Food‟ which launches on 22 March. The site features cooking videos, a

blog, as well as information on the origin of some of Tesco‟s fresh produce. It also

includes a search feature allowing users to search for their favourite recipes or

ingredients. The site is linked to Tesco‟s online grocery shop, allowing users to

purchase items featured from Tesco.com.


TESCO to create recycled clothing range

UK retailer Tesco is to create a line of recycled clothing for its Florence and Fred

clothing range in collaboration with an ethical fashion label. The collection, called From

Somewhere to F&F and which includes six pieces, is made from end of line Tesco stock

which would otherwise have gone to landfill. It is being produced in one of the world‟s

most environmentally friendly factories located in Sri Lanka, having been awarded a

gold rating for environmental responsibility by LEED. Prices for the clothing range start

US$25.97.


Carrefour is currently working on new concepts aimed at getting customers back

into its French hypermarkets

At the presentation of its 2009 full year results, Carrefour CEO Lars Olofsson hinted at

the strategic programme to reinvent its hypermarket format in France. While the full

details of the programme will be unveiled at an analyst presentation in June, he said

“work is in progress” and that four to five types of hypermarkets have been identified

highlighting hypermarkets close to city centres and those located at the periphery.


Maggi had a big bang launch for its soup. This is by far the most extensive brand

exercise undertaken in store by a brand that we‟ve seen this quarter. The

communication followed shoppers from the escalators to the shelf, passing through

the promotional area, making it almost impossible to miss it‟s „3x richer‟ claim. If we

were to make one comment, it would be, as is the case with all in store

communication, that the copy was not location specific.

Strategically located Dunhill display

selling units at eye-level next to cashiers

make for good visibility and easy,

convenient access to pick up and

purchase. Considering there was a

dedicated area for all tobacco brands,

having a dedicated and eye catching unit

played to Dunhill‟s advantage.

Capri-Sonne had a palette wrap that

grabbed shoppers attention with good

location, an unusual design and the

highlight of a word every shopper loves:

WINNER.

Perhaps not the best example for

organization and merchandising, but

Almarai is able to have an imposing

presence is the congested HFS

landscape with dedicated fridges.

Maggi „s communication followed shoppers from the escalators to the shelf, passing through the

promotional area, making it almost impossible to miss it‟s „3x richer „claim.

Admittedly just a simple shelf

flag, the copy tackles the

shopper (moms) and insight

about them (they shop for the

family with each members‟ likes

and dislikes in mind) to develop

very simple and smart copy:

please everyone.

Basic at first sight but very

effective when you think of its

usage.

Colgate used its prime location to

its fullest with an attractive set of

units that had great stock ability

and eye-level visibility of their

most recent campaign.

Pringles made it

very clear, and

difficult to miss for

consumers, that

each of its new

containers on

display would carry

90 chips.

Activia made sure to get

passerby attention with massive

branding.

From a simple palette wrap,

McVities was able to clearly

illustrate its promotion to

shoppers passing by, with a

fresh look at headers.

Braun‟s FSUs were designed

to capture the shoppers

attention by highlighting the

key benefit claim (visually) on

the side panel and header,

whilst reinforcing it onto the

shelf strips

Panadol used flashy colors,

exciting imagery and

bilingual copy to reach a

larger audience and stand

out from the crowd.

Babyliss mounted a unit

onto a pillar in store and

had an LCD screen

integrated looping its

demonstration video. A

great use of what would

otherwise be dead

space in a store!

Aquafresh spoke

directly to its younger

consumers hoping they

would get mom the

shopper to pick up a

toothbrush.

Snickers followed

through on their „active‟

campaign and past

work with football by

setting up a mini pitch

and net in store.

Coco Pops took the typical palette wrap and brought it

to life with vibrant colors and their family of mascots.

Kellogg‟s went

with the family

brand approach

at the corner of

the aisle.

As a great merchandising effort,

Energizer batteries are placed with

electronics and kitchen appliances.

Although none of these items require

batteries, we assume they‟re banking on

the consumer‟s associations with

durables.

Small screens were placed

beside various products

playing TV ads and edits,

definitely setting them apart

from competition.

Philadelphia had tasting stands in the snack aisle. A great move

to push trial and remind shoppers of the many uses of the

product.

Super Max also had a very

attractive stand, but did not

make the most of the space

it had at its disposal.

Dove‟s stand had great design that made

it very attractive. Perhaps not the best for

navigation, but very attractive nonetheless

In a push to build their own

brands, Carrefour has been

using shelf stoppers to point out

their generic brand.

M&M‟s managed to use its

own pre-packed displays to

create an easy to spot

branding solution for its

otherwise ordinary palette

wrap.

Ponds may not get the award for most

creative display unit, but does take the cake

for most efficient and best merchandised.

Close Up uses its

space wisely with

clear messaging and

ample stock for

people looking to

quickly pick up some

toothpaste.

Kit Kat took over one end of the store

with a branded area any chocolate

lover would die for!

This cute colorful FSU gave customers

information on the Cerelac brand with

typical baby colors to ensure a calm

peaceful ambience.

Away from all the clutter, Majdi spices

stood out with its brightly lit up

branding and colors. The division of

the spices makes it very practical and

efficient for shoppers to select from.

Adidas stood out in the men‟s section

with overhead and on-floor branding.

Shoppers were sure not to miss this

one!

Almarai leveraged its local heritage for

all to see.

Always got prime

location and made the

most of it by using

strong branding and

having each of their

variants available for

easy off take.

Ariel used design cues from its promotional stands

at the entrance of the store to remind shoppers at

the shelf of the product‟s main benefit.

A first! Two competing

floor stickers in the

same aisle! Shopper

marketing seems to be

taking off.

Oral B has very strong

colors and messaging,

making this stand a

definite success.

Ariel had a gigantic display stand to

promote its campaign :„Power on

Impossible Stains‟ .As soon as

shoppers would walk into the store, one

of the biggest supermarkets in Jeddah,

they were immediately struck with the

size of the stand. A great way to grab

attention and make sure people read

your message!

Always drew attention to its brand with a shelf flag and floor

sticker combination, making it almost impossible to miss!

Dove had a beautifully designed

display fully stocked and ready for

shoppers.

Nescafe‟s advertisement

for their “3 in 1” packs

asking customers to

choose the favorite cup

Wrigley Extra‟s bespoke stand –

shaped after the product itself, it

is a welcome change from the

usual counter shelves shown

below

The Whirly Pop stand – a

very conspicuous display, but

it was hiding the branding

behind it.

Kinder‟s eye-catching stand -

attractive coloring & proper

stocking puts it amongst the

best stands for the month

Frito-Lay took an opportunity

to stock each of it s brands

near the cash, making picking

a snack easier than ever.

The Snickers campaign lines “Step

Up” & “Don‟t Stop” covered every

corner of the store:

A great campaign coverage through

different BTL adaptations

Good visuals & consistent themes make

the Snickers campaign one of the best

for this month

Sweet Cred candy stand – clear communication, a full stock of all their

candies and an appropriate placement (next to the door) where shoppers

can easily spot it

A Mars rack situated in the

snacks area next to the

coffee machine – Aiming for

impulse purchases targeted

at coffee buyers

Front windows– a very competitive area for brands to advertise their

products on, especially near the magazine rack.

Mars reminded people buying drinks

of their products as a great

complement, with a simple sticker.

Genius! Emarat‟s oil products take over a

gondola end; attractive

packaging makes for an

aesthetically-pleasing addition to

the store.

Red Bull‟s tent card has a

message relevant to MEED

outlets which are usually adjacent

to a gas station and tire workshop.

The message says “Cars can be

improved. So can the drivers” in a

link to their energy drinks‟ effect.

Very smart!

http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=10052&langId=-1

Gillette dedicated an entire area to men

and men‟s grooming with a breakdown of

the perfect shave! Great execution for a

location where shoppers are known to be

more responsive to advice.

SkinCeuticals had the most premium of all

units we saw with clean and crisp design.

Vichy had a great set up for browsing.

For any enquiries,

please contact any member of the team.

Storebites Q1 2010

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Transcript of Storebites Q1 2010