At this summer’s annual IIR Shopper Insights in Action conference, there was a surprising focus on biology and chemistry, and how all of these subconscious human processes relate to decision making.

This year, the conference had a slight feeling of Bill Nye the Science Guy meets shopper insights. We heard some intriguing facts about how our senses of smell and sight, for example, work in relation to branded scents, and—of special interest to me—why we humans tend to look beyond what is right in front of our faces.

In Shopper Sciences, we are often called upon to create disruptive solutions in store, putting brands in the shopper’s line of sight. One of our constant challenges, especially in mass retail, is that it’s not just our client that wants to be disruptive. It’s every brand in that category, and every category in every aisle. We’re working in any extremely noisy environment.

In Shopper Sciences, we are often called upon to create disruptive solutions in store, putting brands in the shopper’s line of sight. One of our constant challenges, especially in mass retail, is that it’s not just our client that wants to be disruptive. It’s every brand in that category, and every category in every aisle. We’re working in any extremely noisy environment.

That’s why the key takeaway for me is the science that explains what we had already found to be true. Humans look for shortcuts, both intentionally and unintentionally, to accomplish our daily tasks with greater speed. From a shopping perspective, this offers additional insight as to why brands are so powerful: they offer a shortcut to decision making.  Now we know it plays into the very way we are programmed for efficiency.

From a shopper sciences perspective, where it’s our goal to get shoppers out of the efficient “auto-pilot” mode, this insight has big implications.  When every brand and category assumes it’s unique and tries to be disruptive at the same time, the store suffers from the Times Square Syndrome—everything is bright and shiny so nothing stands out. Our human drive to efficiency makes us look beyond everything. 

So, what does this mean?  It means that we need to think holistically (at the category, adjacency, and store levels) and to think differently by communicating beyond brand and category borders whenever possible so that efforts toward disruption have a better chance to succeed.

While I spend my days understanding shopper behavior and applying rigorous research and analysis methods to help companies “grow categories,” I spend my weekends shopping like crazy.  With my bank account being the victim of all of these great growth strategies! As you know, retailers and manufacturers are always finding new ways to create incremental growth or, simply put, make shoppers spend more.

One of my favorite places to shop is Target. Before I even make it into the store I have generally blown $20 on the dollar spot. After piling my cart with a bunch of stuff I really have no use for, my second stop is always the shampoo aisle. Regardless of need, I always stop. Something about the colors and the arrangement of the shampoo aisle just makes me feel so clean and orderly and I generally end up picking up something guaranteed to fix frizzy hair or give me more volume.

Well, much to my surprise, my venture into the shampoo aisle a few weeks ago yielded a fantastic new surprise! The new Pantene display! Aisle violators grabbed my attention as they organized the offering by color and hair solution. That’s right, hair solutions–easily found! And not only did the aisle violators frame up the offering, but the bottle packaging was new and perfectly coordinated with the signs. You can image my excitement as I quickly zeroed in on the “fine” solutions area. I left the aisle with a whole new system of hair care.

And as if that weren’t enough, over the past two weeks I have seen TV ads, magazine ads and even a billboard all showing the same solutions-oriented campaign. This prompted me to go to the Pantene website which just confirmed the greatness of this initiative; because it, of course, had the same message.

As a shopper scientist and self-proclaimed expert shopper (at least, that’s what I tell my husband) I just want to highlight this entire initiative to all of the CPG companies out there. It has all of the key elements needed to truly bring growth to a category. First, there was obviously research conducted to understand the category needs. Clearly, the brand understands that women have very specific concerns. Second, shopper research must have been done to understand that women come into the aisle looking for a solution, and that behavior needed to be addressed. Translating those shopper insights into action is critical! Third, the in-store execution is simple, easy to understand and gives the shopper just enough information to get where she needs before closing in on her specific product. Finally, Pantene brings it all together with a consistent campaign across every touchpoint of the brand from TV to website to billboards.

This, my CPG friends, is how it’s done! 

As I was finishing up payment at the pharmacy, a young male employee strolled into the area and struck up a conversation with the staff by saying, “That new Kotex packaging is sharp!”  Silence.  Then, apparently mistaking the silence as a request for clarification, he continued, “You know, the black packages?  They are really cool looking!”  More silence.  Based on a quick survey of their expressions, everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, What is an 18 year old guy doing talking about feminine hygiene products?!  

Even as I grabbed my purchase and escaped the awkwardness, I began to contemplate what transpired.  Given that I spend my days knee-deep in shopper sciences, I found the situation quite compelling.  Good packaging should be, in part, disruptive, and the new U by Kotex packaging is definitely that.  The sub-brand is unique in the category, both in shelf presentation and in the “get real” tone of the advertising.  A+ on disruption. 

But…packaging should also be appropriate for the category, and I’m not convinced that U delivers on that part just yet—or that they are justified in bypassing that rule.  The new package grabbed the attention of the young male employee and made it seem accessible to him, but what does that mean for the brand intended exclusively for a female audience?  (For sure, some men do purchase these items for the women in their lives, but they are not stakeholders.  I highly doubt most women ask their male partners to “bring me something new” in the category when passing off the shopping list.)  I am interested to see how women shoppers will respond to this new offering.  Will women view the disruption as a welcome change in category fraught with pastels and euphemisms?  Will it become a signpost—a game-changing brand that other brands will be forced to emulate or accommodate?  Or, will women view it as a garish statement in a category where they are looking for discretion, security, and reliability?

Companies under pressure to stem margin erosion may jump headfirst into shopper marketing before they are ready. In doing so, they could overlook the need to solve fundamental problems in the shopping experience and end up with unpredictable results in the store.

The urge to dive in is understandably tempting. Brands that invest in shopper marketing are seeing three times the return as compared to traditional marketing disciplines. But the discussion revolves around a very small percentage of brands, such as CVS/pharmacy and Mars Snackfoods, ShopRite and Kellogg’s, Walgreens which just announced it will engage in a shopper marketing pilot with The Hershey Company, and of course the eminence of shopper marketing, Procter & Gamble. All have been working on shopper marketing for years and have an extremely high level of expertise.

Instead of starting with the shopper journey, a company should first seek its own path. Ask yourself, ‘Where do you want to go?’ From there, you need to determine how that impacts your category growth strategies, partner relationships, and competitive advantages. Then you can look at your path in light of the path of the shopper you want to have. Shopper marketing understands the shopper psychology and what drives choice, but who benefits from that depends on what their business objectives are.

The performance-boosting strategy promised by shopper marketing is real. But there are many ways to get lost in the avalanche of rhetoric and the diversity of views among practitioners. Companies need to take the time to understand what separates effective from ineffective efforts.

Retailers looking for great examples of wirelessly connecting with their shoppers have three great brands to look to: American Eagle Outfitters, Netflix and Amazon.com. The continue to differentiate their shopping experiences with intimacy, responsiveness and relevance.

Even with millions of items for sale, Amazon connects intimately with customers, from its one-click ordering to its ability to become more relevant with each visit. The result is a “barrier to exit” that other brands envy.

American Eagle excels at aggressively integrating multi-channel marketing tactics into both its traditional and digital campaigns. It connects at all the right touchpoints, which goes a long way towards achieving brand loyalty. This year, AE included a mobile filed in its loyalty program, and used mobile as a point of entry into sweepstakes as well as an alerts program. Calls to action were posted on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter in the form of banner ads, status updates and tweets.

Netflix invites feedback and gives customers what they want. The movie provider uses crowdsourcing to find ways to improve its service and offerings, and recently generated a lot of buzz with a million-dollar prize awarded to the customer who could improve its movie recommendations by ten percent—a classic way to allow customers to interact positively and co-create with the brand.

In the future, both online and brick-and-mortar retailers will need to focus on customer mobility to connect intimately and immediately with customers. The giving is no longer one-way. These brands clearly demonstrate the digital connections also provide valuable information that allows services and products to be personalized with the crucial insights that help companies stay relevant.

While we can all agree that price matters more to the consumer than ever, it’s not the be-all, end-all of shopping. At some point, the hunt for best price has to stop. And why it stops is up to the retail brand.

Shoppers attach to brand, not price. Brand—the distinct way you do business—needs to provide a reason to activate the purchase, a reason beyond price. It can be trust, convenience, fun, effortlessness, time savings, fashion or many other factors a brand makes itself known for.

Many retailers have learned the hard way that price-based competition is simply not sustainable. To survive, they need a balanced value proposition unique to the brand that makes the shopper confident she has found the right choice among similar offerings of the product or solution she seeks.

This year, retailers have made headway in the battle against “sameness” by negotiating exclusive famous name brands, making sure their private labels stand for something besides “cheaper” and by infusing the shopping experience with emotional appeal. One brand that renewed its value-plus-reason image is Old Navy. After veering off into fast fashion inspired by the designer runway, it has returned to bright basic family apparel surrounded and supported by its kitschy sense of humor. Shoppers are returning to the store and business is on the upswing.

Differentiation is crucial to brand strength. A lack of it kills value of both the brand to its owners and its worth in the shopper’s perception. Without a differentiated proposition, a company has less power to defend margins and create demand.

Copying the latest “hot” retailer is an easy way to stay current, to level the playing field. But imitation doesn’t keep you at the top of the shopper’s mind. When a retail brand displays a unique, creative energy—the J. Crew Liquor Store comes to mind—I get a dose of inspiration like an electric charge. I’m not just browsing now, I’m fully engaged because a particular creative spirit permeates every touchpoint for an unmistakable experience. That’s when the brand stops chasing and starts engaging. Maybe it’s my emotions, my ego, or my sense of fun which is always looking to come out and play.

A great retail concept represents something more than just fulfilling a need. Yeah, I need a shirt but why did I run all the way down to Tribeca to have this particular shopping experience? It’s the kind of thing that inspires affinity—experiential attachment. I think that’s great.

I know maintaining a brand’s creative mindset is challenging. That’s why you have to see the fun side of creativity, the side that plays with your senses and the environment around you. You can twist and stretch ideas to bend old paradigms into something new. No part of the retail experience is too small to consider, since those that appear insignificant are often found to have surprising impact.

All too often, however, I find that retail brands let their most engaging idea run its course. They rest on their triumph or allow others to copy them. Mistake. Ongoing creativity makes you different and keeps you that way.