Can Shopper Marketing really be the superhero companies have been waiting for? While this may sound like a million-dollar question, it is in fact the multi-million dollar answer it entails that we are most interested in.

The art that is Shopper Marketing may be an obscure, complex, multi-faceted issue, but one that today’s companies cannot afford to ignore any longer. Considering that the recession has forced shoppers to rethink their spending habits, companies that do not adapt to this change may be closing the door on future growth. The techniques employed in a Shopper Marketing campaign, and the way these techniques are carried out, can in fact determine whether a brand can succeed in a wounded economy. Companies looking to attract shoppers and potential brand advocates need to understand the new shopping behaviours and attitudes.

So rather than focusing on what we don’t know, let’s look at what we do know.

These statements may sound obvious, but they are fundamental. They explain why a giant like Frito Lay pays so much attention to retail. The company’s state of the art S.M.A.R.T. Learning Center in Dallas (5294 Belt Line Rd, Dallas, TX 75254) is a 15,000 sq. ft. simulated supermarket that tests the effectiveness of various marketing solutions to drive impulse purchases. Through automated observation and other research methods, the marketer studies the behaviour of actual consumers as they shop the aisles and react to different merchandising tactics. And Frito Lay is not the only one to invest in a better understanding of shoppers’ decision-making process. Other well-known mega brands are also sinking big bucks in similar shopping behaviour studies.

So can Shopper Marketing really help get us out of the current economic mess? While we wish it was that simple – imagine the numerous mandates this would entail for us! – it has nonetheless become an intrinsic and crucial part of any company’s marketing effort. There is clearly a new dynamic in the relationships between retailers and shoppers, and companies need to listen up and tune in if they want to retain their customers and potentially attract new ones.