THE ROLE OF THE OCCASION

Posted on Jun 22, 2010 - 09:44 AM

The role of the occasion in retail is gaining momentum in Australia, but is yet to realise its full potential. In-store displays and advertisements are largely category-based, and few target specific occasions such as dinner tonight and lunch on-the-go.

This is a missed opportunity for both manufacturers and retailers. Effective occasion-based shopper marketing can help create new usage occasions, leverage brand equity from participating partners, and in some cases increase distribution.

In the UK, Marks & Spencer ran a ‘Dine in for 2 for £10’ campaign. The marketing invited the shopper to select an eligible main, side, dessert and a bottle of wine, all for 10 pounds. With selections ready to grab and go, and heavy promotion in-store, it was an excellent example of retailer initiative in marketing to the dinner tonight shopper.

When it comes to leveraging occasions in Australian retail, Shop-ability poses the following questions:

• What are the relevant shopper occasions for your category? Map your category to your shopper occasion to your channel. Some occasions will belong in one store type and not in another – you may need to change your occasion-based marketing based on channel type.
• What other categories are likely to be shopped by the same shopper for the same occasion and how can they be displayed and promoted together? Are there opportunities for cross-supplier promotion based on occasion?
• Where in the store are shoppers likely to go to find what they need for the particular occasion? Is your display in the right place?
• Is there a clear value proposition and price point based on the occasion?
• Is the occasion communicated multiple times on the shopper path to purchase and signposted clearly in terms of where to find it in store?
• Have you thought about the other occasions shoppers visit a particular store type for at what time of day, and how you might leverage the occasion opportunity? Examples are fuel before and after work and the snack on the run opportunity.

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