Monthly Archives: November 2008

Category Plans: What’s In A Name

Topics: Category Strategy, FMCG

Retail World September 2008 – by Norrelle Goldring, Director, ShopAbility

What is a category plan? What isn’t it? What goes in one, how do you go about constructing it and most importantly, how do you get traction on it?

It’s that time of year again for many suppliers – annual planning time. Yet many suppliers have category plans that are in-store tactical expressions of the brand or individual customer plans, rather than category plans in their own right. Based on discussions with a number of you recently, we thought it topical to provide some thoughts on best practice category planning.

Why have a category plan?

Category plans provide a common platform and overarching framework for all marketing, channel and customer activity. A good category plan helps you: Read More >

Getting Traction When There’s No Action!

Topics: FMCG, Insights, Shopper

The current global and local financial crisis has received enough air time over the last 6-8 weeks, so we don’t need to dwell on that too much, too depressing! Suffice to say that we have all been affected in some way or other, and according to leading behavioural experts, the changes to our purchase patterns are likely to be permanent.

Not only do many expect this recession to be far more turbulent and prolonged than past downturns, but supermarkets also have to face a slew of competitors fighting for a piece of the ever-shrinking consumer budget. Traditional supermarkets are battling for a share of the food dollar with a host of other outlets, some of which are their sister companies and are increasingly using grocery items as loss leaders. Read More >

As shoppers cut back, who is going to get squeezed?

Topics: Category Strategy, Channel / Retail, FMCG, Shopper

As consumers grapple with all that is plaguing the Australian economy, they have started to batten down the hatches and shift their spending habits, turning to money-saving options as they find ways to pay for dramatic increases in the cost of living and the associated run-on to the other necessities of life. Economic events outside the control of the everyday family such as interest rates, the housing bubble, rents, personal debt levels, stock market volatility, the cost of energy, petrol and food all combine to mean that our “average shopper” is now starting to do some distinctly “unaverage” things to make ends meet.

For example, heavy family vehicles and the old standard Ford/ Holden as the family car are no longer the dominant force, but hybrids and small car sales are going through the roof. Car pooling and the use of public transport are becoming more prevalent as people search for ways to stretch their dollar further. Read More >

Put your best foot forward

Topics: Category Strategy, Channel / Retail, FMCG, Shopper

By Norrelle Goldring, Director, ShopAbility, for Marketing Magazine August 2008

Driving store and category footfall in an era of consolidating shopping trips

We have discussed elsewhere in this magazine the anticipated shift to consolidated shopping trips and heavier focus on perceived value for money as the economy slows.

It doesn’t have to be all bad news though. There are a number of levers that can be pulled aside from deep discounting and being on perpetual sale.  The retail marketers who win in this environment will be those with a deep understanding of their shoppers – what drives them to their store in the first instance, then back for another trip and another.

Following we have listed some of the top ways to drive store traffic and footfall. Most of them can be applied at both total store and individual category/product level and offer ways that suppliers can help retail customers meet their objectives. Read More >