P2PIQ-1220

Page 1

DECEMBER 2020

Path Purchase

pathtopurchaseiq.com

TO

E N D - TO - E N D S T R AT E G I E S F O R D R I V I N G C O N S U M E R D E M A N D

INSIDE E-COMMERCE LEADERS: OUR ANNUAL WHO’S WHO LIST

STORE SPOTLIGHT: GIANT HEIRLOOM MARKET

ACTIVATION GALLERY: MICRO-HOLIDAYS

SOLUTIONS GUIDE: DIGITAL SHOPPER TECHNOLOGY

SPECIAL REPORT

SHOPPING POST-PANDEMIC

Facing permanent changes in behavior, brands prepare for the new normal In cooperation with:

Edge Marketing

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Contents E N D -TO - E N D ST R AT E G I E S F O R D R I V I N G C O NS U M E R D E M A N D

10

SPECIAL REPORTS

Shopper Behavior Monitor

Shopping Post-Pandemic

Using proprietary research, the Institute examines how brands are responding to potentially permanent changes in shopping behavior driven by the pandemic. Produced in cooperation with Edge Marketing.

18

Who’s Who in E-Commerce

Our annual report recognizes more than 160 brand and retail executives who are making notable contributions to digital commerce.

42

Guide: Digital Shopper Technology

We showcase 25 leading companies that provide solutions to help connect with shoppers through digital channels.

December 2020

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VO LU M E 33 | ISS U E 1 2

December 2020 NEWS

DEPARTMENTS 6

Editor’s Note:

Flattening the Funnel

9

P2PI Member Spotlight:

Bonduelle Fresh Americas

8

30

Activation Gallery:

Micro-Holidays

34

P2P Toolkit

Spotlight: In-Store Experience

38

8

Store Spotlight:

Giant Heirloom Market

8 Sampling Is Back

The revival of sampling at Whole Foods Market suggests a tentative return to relative normalcy following months of COVID-19 restrictions.

8 Hallmark at Walgreens

The drugstore chain is distributing free greeting cards to shoppers while also promoting a “coming soon” e-commerce initiative.

48

NEW Horizons

50

Solution Provider News

52

Personnel Appointments/ Editorial Index

38 54

54 Retail Intel:

Target’s Partners

Target is collaborating with CPG giants Procter & Gamble (for loyalty marketing) and Kraft Heinz (for gamification) in uniquely innovative ways.

Path to Purchase IQ (USPS 4568, ISSN 2688-4984 ) is published 12 times a year, by EnsembleIQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60631. Subscription rate for the U.S.: $125 one year; $230 two year; $14 single issue copy (pre- paid only); Canada and Mexico: $150 one year; $270 two year; $16 single issue copy (pre- paid only);Foreign: $170 one year; $325 two year; $16 single issue copy (pre- paid only). Periodical postage paid at Chicago, IL 60631 Copyright 2020 by EnsembleIQ. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Reprints, permissions and licensing, please contact Wright’s Media at ensembleiq@wrightsmedia.com or (877) 652-5295. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Path to Purchase IQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste. 200, Chicago, IL 60631.

December 2020

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Retail has evolved. So have we. Driving sustained revenue growth for you, our Retail and Brand partners. It’s what we do.

News America Marketing is now Consumer Insights are at the core of how we’ve innovated our comprehensive suite of end-toend digital and in store retail solutions, and our 4,000 field reps, with over 20 years of best-inclass execution across 45K retail locations, help turn shoppers into buyers. Innovation, Execution, Results. That’s Neptune.

In-Store Media/Merchandising • Digital • Incentives

We can help, learn how P2Piq@neptuneretailsolutions.com

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Editor’s Note

Editor-in-Chief Peter Breen, pbreen@ensembleiq.com

Flattening the Funnel PETER BREEN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I am writing this Editor’s Note just after concluding the allnew, all-virtual Path to Purchase Digital Expo. When you participate in a three-day marketing conference as both a speaker and attendee and you wear sweatpants the entire time (even when dressed in formal attire from the waist up), your thoughts can tend toward the surreal. But I hope the idea that shopper marketing is poised for a great leap forward isn’t a mere flight of fancy as I consider the conversations that took place during P2PX, where the virtual stage was dominated by two topics that may, in some serendipitous way, reveal “the truth” about shopper marketing: that it can build brands just as well as brand marketing does while also doing a great job of driving sales. The first topic was, of course, our industry’s response to the pandemic, which involved dramatic shifts in marketing activity and funding to the digital arena in response to changes in both shopper behavior and retailer priorities. The second not-wholly-unrelated topic was the continued emergence of retailers as bona fide media companies, legitimate options for national media dollars looking to reach consumers with brand-building messages. In theory, the marketing function has long been segmented into functions defined by their broad area of responsibility across the purchase funnel. But over time, the distinctions have become more about the media being used and/or the budgets being utilized, the lingering result of organizational structures and longstanding conceptions – even industry politics, to some extent. So brand marketing used mass media to work the top of the purchase funnel, shopper closed the sale at the bottom, and never the twain (or budget) shall meet. That’s a quaint notion from an age when consumers learned about brands through mass media and then had to make time in their lives to

Managing Editor Charlie Menchaca, cmenchaca@ensembleiq.com Associate Director/Content Patrycja Malinowska, pmalinowska@ensembleiq.com Associate Editor/Content Cyndi Loza, cloza@ensembleiq.com

visit a store and become shoppers. Discussions taking place around retail media networks have made this abundantly clear. A branded promotional endcap in Kroger supermarkets is shopper marketing. A display ad on Kroger.com communicating the same promotion is also shopper marketing. But a display ad communicating the same promotion that the retailer syndicates across various consumer media on behalf of the brand is … national media? That’s what retailers are telling brands these days. Truth be told, they largely are financially motivated to say that – national media budgets being much larger than shopper coffers, after all. But they’re not wrong in asserting that media advertising which can directly attract viewers and then immediately lead them to purchase is a more effective way for brands to spend their marketing dollars than having one budget start the process and another budget finish the job. And it seems silly to maintain the distinction because of archaic internal structures. “We challenge ourselves to make every moment shoppable, and that means incorporating retail media into the full funnel of media planning,” said Lindsey McGowan, shopper marketing senior manager for General Mills, during a P2PX session hosted (and sponsored) by Kroger Precision Marketing. “We kind of just said, ‘No more funnels. It should just be a connected commerce experience,’” added April Carlisle, Coca-Cola’s vice president of shopper marketing. Over the years at the Institute, we’ve occasionally suggested that all marketing should be “shopper marketing” because the ultimate goal of influencing purchase should always be considered. Based on what’s been happening lately, I’m starting to think we’ve been right. But then again, what do I know? I’m wearing sweatpants.

December 2020

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Executive Editor Tim Binder, tbinder@ensembleiq.com

Associate Editor/Content Jacqueline Barba, jbarba@ensembleiq.com Editor Emeritus Bill Schober, bschober@ensembleiq.com Director – Production Ed Ward, eward@ensembleiq.com Creative Director Colette Magliaro, cmagliaro@ensembleiq.com Art Director Michael Escobedo, mescobedo@ensembleiq.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Erika Flynn, Ed Finkel, Michael Applebaum, Chris Gelbach, Dawn Klingensmith, April Miller, Samantha Nelson

SALES & P2PI MEMBER DEVELOPMENT Managing Director Tanner Van Dusen, 312.518.5000, tvandusen@ensembleiq.com Brand Leader Joe Territo, 973.727.7338, jterrito@ensembleiq.com Associate Brand Director Arlene Schusteff, 773.992.4414, aschusteff@ensembleiq.com Associate Sales Director Lisa Hirata, 630.400.8951, lhirata@ensembleiq.com Senior Account Executive Katrina Lopez, 813.732.5281, klopez@ensembleiq.com Senior Director/Member Development Patrick Hare, phare@ensembleiq.com Director/Member/New Business Development Todd Turner, tturner@ensembleiq.com

AUDIENCE

List Rental MeritDirect Marie Briganti, 914.309.3378 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES/CUSTOMER CARE TOLL-FREE: 1.877.687.7321 FAX: 1.888.520.3608 contact@p2pi.org

ENSEMBLEIQ LEADERSHIP TEAM

Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Litterick Chief Financial Officer Jane Volland Chief Innovation Officer Tanner Van Dusen Chief Human Resources Officer Ann Jadown Executive Vice President, Events & Conferences Ed Several Senior Vice President, Content Joe Territo

EDITORIAL AND EXECUTIVE OFFICES 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60631 Phone: 773.992.4450 | Fax: 773.992.4455

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Welcome to the New Reality INTRODUCING THE PATH TO PURCHASE IQ SHOPPER ENGAGEMENT PARTNER SHOWCASE

urner,

everal

Explore our all-new, highly-interactive digital experience of product marketing solutions and agencies in an environment unlike anything experienced before on PathtoPurchaseIQ.com. The Shopper Engagement Partner Showcase provides 24/7, year-round access to insights, trends, and valuable tools and services. Not virtual reality, this is the new reality, engaging marketers directly with solution providers and agencies when you can’t meet face-to-face.

THE SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN Participants can spotlight new products, portfolios, and unique capabilities. Information is seamlessly displayed in a digital environment where visitors can easily click-to-connect.

G E T YO UR TOUR TO DAY ! Contact Joe Territo, Brand Leader (jterrito@ensembleiq.com, 973.727.7338), or your sales representative for a tour of the Shopper Engagement Partner Showcase.

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Sampling/In-Store

Sampling Is Back at Whole Foods BY PAT RYC J A M A L I N O W S K A

The revival of sampling at Whole Foods Market last month suggested a tentative return to relative normalcy as retailers and brands find creative solutions following months of COVID-19 restrictions. A tactic that had been all but struck from the marketing playbook amid pandemic safety concerns is now back at the grocer, as evidenced by a sampling station spotted at one Woodbury, Minnesota, location during the first weekend in November. Unlike sampling efforts of pre-pandemic days – which usually comprised plastic small-portion bowls outfitted with serving spoons (or toothpicks) and filled with opened foods such as fresh-cut fruit or cheese cubes

– today’s “new normal” requires a sneeze guard and individually packaged units. Adapting to the times, the sampling station spotted at Whole Foods checked off both safety requirements, offering up small, sealed containers of Cedar’s organic hommus from manufacturer Cedar Mediterranean Foods. The individually packaged units of hommus were kept on ice underneath a clear shield separating shoppers from the employee manning the station and were intended to be taken “togo” and sampled at home. The safe sampling experience not only removed the possibility of spreading the virus but also of triggering an impulse purchase, undoubtedly making it more difficult to convert samplers to buyers. To counter that drawback, Cedar’s made a

Sampling/E-Commerce

Hallmark Primes Initiative at Walgreens BY T I M B I N D E R

Walgreens stores are distributing a free Hallmark greeting card to shoppers at checkout as part of the card manufacturer’s “Put more care in the world” campaign that also promotes a “coming soon” e-commerce initiative for the brand on the drugstore chain’s website. In one instance, the store associate handed over the card, an envelope and an informational take-one explaining the effort along with the receipt. The card itself had a “This is a paper hug …” message on the front and a “… with

your name on it” note on the inside. The back side of the card said it was created exclusively for Walgreens. The take-one explains that Hallmark and Walgreens are giving away more than one million free cards while also promoting the soon-to-be-available capability to shop Hallmark on Walgreens.com. Currently, any Hallmark cards sold on walgreens.com are “not sold

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concerted effort to extend consideration beyond the store. The brand offered a take-one recipe booklet delivering directions for small dishes incorporating hommus, such as “sweet potato sliders,” as well as a coupon awarding $1 off any two SKUs that is valid through the end of the year. The booklet also shared Cedar’s brand story, invited consumers to follow the brand on social media and offered a number they could text to find more deals. A counter sign displaying a clear “Stop! Hommus Time” call to action also invited shoppers to follow the brand on Instagram, promising an unspecified coupon. IQ

in stores.” The coming service apparently will allow shoppers to buy online the cards that are available in stores and then pick them up in-store, curbside or at the pharmacy drive-thru. With the holidays approaching and COVID-19 concerns still present, it’s a seemingly safer way to shop greeting cards than simply browsing at the shelf in stores. It’s the latest collaboration between the partners that has touched individual consumers and shoppers. In years past, for occasions such as Thanksgiving and as a general “thank you” for their business, the duo have sent a personalized greeting card via traditional mail or email to consumers who’ve made Hallmark greeting cards purchases at the chain. IQ

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Member Spotlight

time. We look forward to leveraging the resources P2PI provides for training and developing shopper marketing programs that not only meet our goals but also resonate with consumers.

Bonduelle Fresh Americas

Bonduelle Fresh Americas is a whollyowned U.S. subsidiary of Bonduelle, a French-based, family-owned company. Bonduelle’s history of more than 160 years is marked by innovation and a mission to create a better future through plant-based foods. The subsidiary focuses on fresh vegetables, salad blends and kits, and fresh meal solutions for the U.S. under the company’s Ready Pac Foods, Bistro, Ready Snax, Cool Cuts and Bonduelle Fresh Picked brands. Its products are available through standard grocery channels and in restaurant chains across the country. Path to Purchase IQ managing editor Charlie Menchaca asked the trade marketing department at Bonduelle Fresh Americas a few questions about the business.

Tell us about a recent campaign or program that you’ve conducted. We successfully expanded the Bistro brand by executing a campaign that

drove trial and awareness for the newest flavors in our portfolio. Colorful shelf blades were placed in-store to highlight recipes, while on-pack instantly redeemable coupons incentivized trial of the products. At the beginning of this year, shoppers were given the opportunity to sample these new flavors and received a coupon for a future purchase. A digital offer also was activated through the Checkout 51 app to encourage consumers to add Bistro salad to their grocery list and earn cash back upon purchase. Premium in-app placement and social media amplification through mobile and owned social channels helped to increase awareness.

The consumer landscape has changed rapidly since the COVID-19 crisis. With social distancing, self-isolating, remote working and a lagging economy becoming the status quo, there’s been a corresponding shift in the way we need to think about reaching consumers. First and foremost, companies and brands need to stay relevant to meeting consumer needs. This means applying a calming, reassuring tone with a positive message (as a welcome reprieve from the seemingly 24/7 negative news). Now more than ever, infusing empathy in marketing communications is important to ensure the tone is appropriate and the message is well received. Second, keep a finger on the pulse of consumers by moving the brand online and creating a unified consumer experience is critical. Focus on your brand/ company story, website and content marketing strategy. Leverage keyword research and social listening tools to provide insight into topics that consumers are seeking. Be nimble and adapt the messaging to stay relevant. IQ

MEMBER UPDATE

How does your company plan to use its P2PI membership resources?

Path to Purchase Institute is delighted to welcome new and returning members to our community: Catalina Marketing, Family Dollar, Fandango Rewards, General Mills, Intel Corp., Quad, Serta Simmons Bedding, The Nature’s Bounty Co. and Visual Latina.

In this year of unprecedented change, having access to the latest trends and information that P2PI provides is critical. The team at Bonduelle Fresh Americas is excited to learn more about new opportunities in the digital space and get inspiration from other programs evolving during this disruptive

Join the hundreds of companies that benefit from P2PI every day with strategies and best practices on succeeding in today’s chaotic omnicommerce environment. For more information, contact Katrina Lopez at klopez@ensembleiq.com.

December 2020

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What are your predictions for the future of marketing, and how will your company navigate that future?

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR

THE POST-PANDEMIC

GROCERY SHOPPER Brands are preparing for what appear to be permanent changes in traditional behavior In cooperation with:

BY S A M A N T H A N E L S O N

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered wild shifts in consumer behavior, forcing brands and retailers to adapt to drastically altered shopping preferences, supply chain upheaval, mandated changes to store operations and an economic downturn – all at once. Nine months after the pandemic hit the U.S., much of the early turmoil has subsided as retailers and shoppers reverted back to the “norms” of February 2020 (although the threat of a second pandemic wave again wreaking havoc was not out of the question as this magazine went to press). Some of the critical changes in shopper behavior are lingering, however. While they may initially have been forced to change their shopping activity in response to safety concerns or even local-government regulations, it now seems clear that many shoppers like the new habits they’ve adopted and have no intention of returning completely to their pre-pandemic routines. An online survey of more than 1,000 primary household grocery shoppers conducted in September by the Path to Purchase Institute examined shifts in a wide range of behaviors, including online shopping, alternative fulfillment, brand swapping and price sensitivity, and how those changes have evolved over the course of the pandemic. Here, we’ve compiled some of the most critical findings related to grocery shopping, along with details on how the industry has responded. (Institute members will have access to a variety of additional data, including a channel-specific look at grocery shopping and information on the home improvement and consumer electronics channels.)

PLANNING IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT Grocery shoppers are spending more time planning their trips than they did in the early stages of the pandemic, taking time to check their home inventory and plan meals for the household while also browsing digital circulars and coupon opportunities (see chart, page 11). This behavior can be attributed to several factors, including the need for shoppers affected by the current recession to save money, a desire to use products purchased during the initial panic-buying phase, and the wider variety of shopping options (and time to utilize them) available to stay-at-home consumers.

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR “Getting on the shopping list is more important than ever for brands, and product availability is crucial,” says Carlos Garcia, industry manager for CPG-Retail at Facebook. “To drive discovery of new products and innovations, brands have been relying heavily on digital channels as time spent has increased during the pandemic.” While many retailers and brands scaled back promotional activity in the early days of the pandemic to avoid sparking unfulfillable product demand, unhealthy store traffic or inappropriate messaging, most began resuming their standard practices by May – albeit with a much heavier focus on digital shopper engagement. And that has led to an increase in personalized offers that can deliver custom pricing based on specific shopper needs. “You have the ability to identify audiences [and determine] if they need a deep discount or if it’s more of a loyalty play and you’re going for a lighter discount,” says Heather Campain, Johnson & Johnson customer leader for omnichannel strategy and activation. “By really studying the audience, it allows you to really customize your expenses.”

OMNICHANNEL HAS ARRIVED The most consequential and likely most lasting impact of the pandemic on shopper behavior is, of course, the rapid acceleration in adoption of online grocery shopping. Online retailers have only grown more popular, with 47% of survey respondents saying they were using e-commerce options more frequently in September than they did in the early stages of the pandemic, and 15% saying that they started shopping online for the first time due to the pandemic. The shift online has even been widespread among senior shoppers, who have been particularly concerned about their safety, according to Alysia Ross, director of insights & planning for CocaCola Beverages Florida. Although many retailers have devoted special hours to seniors-only shopping, the demographic

Pre-Shop Behavior Frequency, Early Pandemic vs. Now When asked about their pre-trip planning activity, shoppers continued to outline a more methodical process that involves more meal-planning, list-making and deal-hunting. % RANKING AS MOST IMPORTANT

Check home inventory Plan household meals/menus

32%

Shopping list (print)

31%

7%

50%

7%

53%

26%

11%

10%

9%

12%

30%

49%

7%

15%

4%

Coupons (digital)

30%

48%

9%

14%

6%

Recipe search

29%

46%

9%

16%

4%

Coupons (print)

28%

47%

9%

16%

7%

27%

50%

Shopping list (digital)

26%

Compare prices across stores

26%

Consult others in household

22%

Read product reviews

21%

Consult others via social media

17%

More Often

19%

9%

50%

About Same

12%

11%

51%

33%

20%

7%

47%

22%

11%

46%

13%

10%

9%

Less Often

41%

6% 6% 8% 5% 4% 2%

Don't Do This

Source: Path to Purchase Institute 2021 Shopper Behavior Monitor Study (Sept. 2020)

has embraced online ordering and both home delivery and click-and-collect fulfillment, Ross said, while speaking at a recent Institute virtual roundtable. “For those folks who had never tried it before, it was incredibly easy and incredibly safe from their perspective.” The majority of consumers surveyed said they plan to shop online at least as often or even more often than they currently are after the pandemic is resolved. Brands have been expecting this, and so continue to accelerate their e-commerce efforts. “We continue to evaluate our investment in [home delivery] providers such as Instacart and Shipt,” says April Carlisle, Coca-Cola Co.’s vice president of shopper marketing. “We were using them more prior to COVID for driving trial and awareness. Now we’re thinking of them more holistically as a true trip driver for us.” While pure e-commerce remains a relatively small portion of Coke’s whole business, the company has seen dramatic increases in click-and-collect purchases, particularly through Walmart and Kroger, Carlisle says. The challenge now is modifying some of the tactics the company has traditionally used in stores to fit the e-commerce environment. One example: using a home-page takeover on a retailer website as the equivalent of a store lobby spectacular. “We’ve created a digital-to-physical conversion chart,” she says. “We’ve identified the points of inspiration in a physical store and come up with what the equivalent is to each of those. We’re really educating our internal stakeholders that we can’t just do one, we have to do them all.” Campain says J&J is also working on developing new digital tactics to emulate basketbuilding or impulse-buying efforts in-store, such as popup ads asking shoppers if they’ve forgotten an item or suggesting products complementary to what’s already in the basket.

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6% 4%

52%

38%

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR

Shopping Trip Frequency by Channel, Early Pandemic vs. Now While shoppers are making their way back to brick-and-mortar stores as safety concerns subside, it appears that many have settled into omnichannel habits.

Online Retailer

47%

Dollar Store

34%

Mass/Supercenter

30%

Grocery Store

29%

Convenience Store

27%

Discount Grocery

26%

Specialty/Natural Grocery Wholesale Club

14%

44%

23%

46%

25%

51%

20%

47%

26%

45%

29%

23%

43%

34%

23%

44%

33%

Drugstore

20%

Home Improvement

20%

Health & Beauty

19%

Pet Store

19%

Sporting/Outdoor

39%

54% 44%

Apparel Retailer

15%

41% 51%

30%

40%

16% 16%

36%

40%

17%

Electronics Store

26%

43%

40%

44%

38%

47%

38%

More Often

48%

About Same

Less Often

Change in Shopping Trips, by Fulfillment Method In fact, grocery shoppers right now are roughly splitting their trips between traditional in-store visits and various omnichannel fulfillment methods.

September 2020

53% Shopping In-Store

April 2020

26%

14% Buy Online for Contactless Delivery

21%

13% Buy Online for In-Person Delivery

18%

10% Buy Online for Curbside Pickup

17%

10% Buy Online to Pick Up In-Store

17%

Question: Please estimate how often you are using each of the following methods of shopping for groceries. Source: Path to Purchase Institute 2021 Shopper Behavior Monitor Study (Sept. 2020)

METHODOLOGY: An online survey was fielded Sept. 18-22, 2020, by the Path to Purchase Institute. The survey results reflect feedback from 1,024 consumers in the U.S. Respondents were required to be the primary decision-maker for grocery shopping in their households and to have made at least one shopping trip in the previous week. Respondents were recruited to be representative of gender, generation and geographic region distributions.

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“The relevance of it is really important,” she says. “You don’t want it to be an annoying popup if it’s just one more thing to say no to. [But] it can be something that’s even more helpful than taking your cart around and seeing a display, in that it’s really personalized based on your behavior.”

C s c

STAYING IN STOCK STILL CRITICAL While the majority of surveyed shoppers listed price as their No. 1 priority when selecting a retailer, the second most important factor was finding the products they need. While panic buying cleared off many shelves in the early days of the pandemic, lasting shifts in consumer lifestyles have continued to cause disruptions in many categories, from toilet paper to beer. “There’s still a big challenge for us making sure we’re staying in stock,” Greg Kearns, Kimberly-Clark’s global consumer engagement enablement leader for global marketing capabilities, said in September at an Institute event. “There are challenges with people buying one or two more [SKUs]. We have to be prepared if there is a second wave and people start buying in bulk again to stock up. We have to be ready to respond to those challenges.” [Note: In mid-November, Kroger and Publix reinstituted purchase limits in some categories.] Coca-Cola has been particularly hard hit because the company uses different forms of product packaging across channels. For instance, special bottles manufactured exclusively to sell in conjunction with attractions at Disneyland and Disney World have piled up due to the park closures, and beverages typically sold to airlines, cruise ships, stadiums and vending machines have also fallen off, Ross at Coke Florida explained. Meanwhile, concerns about safety forced Coca-Cola to find new ways to sell fountain drinks, such as changing the interface of its Freestyle soda machines and providing tamper-resistant lids to restaurants. In addition, as beverage consumption

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Can you see what’s coming next? Extraordinary times require extraordinary wisdom to anticipate what could happen next. At EDGE, we have the intuition to adapt to a changing future, because we’re respectful students of the market’s past. It’s what helps us to meet the demands of our clients’ needs in this constantly shifting shopper landscape. If your shopper marketing plans are ready to take flight, let’s connect.

heart hustle respect courage creativity WelcomeToEDGE.com /

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR

Adaptability Is the New Advantage The COVID-19 pandemic has unquestionably advanced the adoption of innovation and technology by retailers and shoppers and contributed to a more rapid change in the evolving face of retail. Understanding the dynamic changes that retailers are embracing, prior to and because of the pandemic, is imperative as this knowledge assists CPGs in knowing what services and products are currently most important BY L I Z F O G E R T Y in today’s vendor, supplier and shopper relationships. However, success doesn’t always hinge solely on executing where and what is shiny and new. It also relies on understanding how these new products and services help deliver business growth through a lens of good practices in customer business fundamentals. Regardless of data and media sophistication, behavioral shifts among shoppers and the drive for omnichannel engagement, it is the need to drive traffic, win trips and build store preference that is the heartbeat of all retailer business strategies (including e-commerce players) and growth plans. While the pandemic has undoubtedly created a heightened need of where and how CPG partners must react to win immediately, the research findings discussed in this article suggest that the long-term impact on shopper behavior – specifically regarding channel choice and trip type – will be less dramatic. As a matter of fact, significant shopper behavioral shifts seen in April 2020 have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels and are not projected to change significantly when looking ahead to life after the pandemic. Further, the momentum for online shopping has somewhat abated, with shoppers moving more toward the middle in the online versus instore debate (see chart, page 12). This does not mean shifts in channel choices or trip types can be ignored. In fact, the opportunity for manufacturers lies in understanding where the most pronounced shifts reside so they can further map and adjust their future focus. Those who plan and act now for

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the potential “boomerang” will be prepared to win in the “new normal” to come.

THE 800-POUND E-COMMERCE, ONLINE BUYING GORILLA IN THE ROOM With nearly 47% of respondents claiming they shop online retailers more often today than during the early stages of the pandemic (see chart, page 12), there’s no doubt that COVID-19 has further raised the stature of online as a revenue stream. It has also caused retailers and brands to innovate with greater speed, and as a result, they’ve experienced a period of significant growth due to online buying behavior. However, as time has revealed, that growth has slowed compared to the highs seen in April (see chart, page 15). Despite this leveling off, the importance of having an e-commerce strategy in place should remain a strategic priority for both retailers and brands. However, that requirement should be tempered and not pursued at the expense of minimizing the opportunities that will continue to exist across all commerce channels. Consider this: In the early pandemic stages, just 26% of shoppers were visiting stores; today, more than 53% of shopping trips are made in-store, an increase of 27 points compared to April (see page 12). In fact, shoppers who claim they’re shopping more or about the same across channels indicate their online purchasing will diminish post-pandemic – although not dramatically (between 1%-2%). What’s important to understand is that online retailers have now achieved a point of relative equality among channel choice. They’re not catching up anymore but now keeping pace. The unlock here for manufacturers is not about an all-in shift or narrowing of focus because of COVID-19’s impact on shopping behavior, but rather the ability to adopt new strategies permitting wins across all channels including e-commerce, while supporting customers in their omnichannel efforts.

About the author: Liz Fogerty is chief strategy officer at Edge Marketing. In the world of borderless retail, Edge is conversion obsessed. Edge creates enduring bonds between people and brands through agility, brave thinking and retail prowess.

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR has shifted away from venues to the home, beer and soda companies have been competing for aluminum cans, creating a major shortage. “We continue to work with our bottler partners to have package options available,” Carlisle says.

BRAND SWAPPING IS NEED-DRIVEN Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents reported buying a new brand or product during the pandemic, with much of that involving a shift to private labels or other alternatives for out-of-stock household cleaning favorites and similar categories that have been in particularly high demand. That trend has created both a challenge and an opportunity for brands. “We want to get the people who ... are loyal to our competitors but are forced into a purchase of our product because it’s there when our competitors aren’t,” Kearns said. Kimberly-Clark has worked to do that by bringing shoppers into its first-party database to build relationships with them and show off the company’s charitable efforts – which many consumers have viewed as a particularly important part of purchase consideration during the pandemic. Among K-C’s recent efforts were a pledge to donate one case of Huggies (up to 5 million diapers) to the nonprofit National Diaper Bank Network for every promotional package bought at Walmart during September, and tying purchases of U by Kotex SKUs at Meijer in August and September to donations for the Alliance for Period Supplies. “Some brands have cut back on marketing, not wanting to advertise to empty shelves, while others have doubled down to retain mental availability even if physical availability is disrupted. Procter & Gamble and Clorox, for example, have both been public recently about increased advertising during the pandemic,” Garcia says. “[The companies] that are investing into pandemic-fueled growth are largely looking to convert new users into repeat users, as well as shoring up those already

Anticipated Use of Fulfillment Methods, Post-Pandemic Asked to predict their post-pandemic trip behavior, shoppers again laid out plans for a balanced routine that will utilize many different options.

Shopping In-Store

32%

Buy Online for Contactless Delivery

25%

Buy Online for In-Person Delivery

24%

Buy Online to Pick Up In-Store

21%

Buy Online for Curbside Pickup

21% More

18%

35%

15%

39%

25%

11%

35%

25%

14%

32%

29%

14%

About Same

Less

2%

32%

Will Not Shop This Way

Changes in Key Shopping Behaviors, Then, Now and Anticipated Although extreme behaviors have abated to a significant extent, shoppers are still more like to identify themselves as planners who want to get in and out of stores faster; pantry-loading, however, seems to have subsided. Planner

Impulsive

In & Out

Browse

Stock Up

Few Items

Before Pandemic 22%

17%

28%

15% 17%

13% 10% 22%

22%

33%

13% 15%

27%

20%

24%

Early Pandemic (April 2020) 46%

18% 17% 10% 10%

52%

17% 14%

8% 9%

32%

19%

22% 13% 14%

Today - During Pandemic (Sept. 2020) 22%

18%

34%

14% 11%

22%

17%

26%

19% 17%

19%

18%

32%

16% 16%

Predicted - After Pandemic 21% 16%

34%

16% 14%

16% 13%

28%

21%

22%

17% 16%

33%

19% 16%

Source: Path to Purchase Institute 2021 Shopper Behavior Monitor Study (Sept. 2020)

loyal to their brands. They are doing this through value-based messaging that reinforces why choosing their brand was the right choice.”

MEAL SOLUTIONS ON THE RISE That quaint old practice of preparing family meals at home has made a comeback. While

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10-17-P2PIQ_coverstory.indd 15

48%

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SPECIAL REPORT: P2PI SHOPPER BEHAVIOR MONITOR

Changes in Key Shopping Behaviors, Then, Now and Anticipated The momentum for e-commerce has abated somewhat, with shoppers moving more toward the middle between online and in-store options. Meanwhile, price seems to be less of a decision factor, despite the current economic climate.

Online

In-Store

Quality

Price

Before Pandemic 8% 19% 16% 5%

52%

21% 12% 21% 13% 33%

15% 13% 30%

18% 25%

Name Brand

Brand Loyal

New Brands

19%

29%

13% 9% 33%

18% 27%

30%

39%

17% 16%

17% 17%

37%

14% 15%

21% 15%

42% 11%11%

14% 11%

39%

17% 20%

Today – During Pandemic (Sept. 2020) 11%11% 35%

22% 21%

16% 13% 40%

16% 15%

13%14%

40%

18% 15%

11%13%

45%

16% 14%

Predicted – After Pandemic

Predicted – After Pandemic 20%

14% 14%

During Pandemic (April 2020)

Today – During Pandemic (Sept. 2020)

10% 9% 31%

Store Brand

Before Pandemic

During Pandemic (April 2020)

10% 11% 30%

Shoppers seem to be indicating a slight shift in preference from private labels back to national brands (left), although it appears some loyalty shifting may have taken place (right).

11%11% 38%

19% 21%

14% 10%

41%

19% 15%

Source: Path to Purchase Institute 2021 Shopper Behavior Monitor Study (Sept. 2020)

restaurants have reopened in most states (at least until some recent outbreak-related setbacks), consumers remain reluctant to eat outside of the home: Approximately half of respondents said they had not eaten at a restaurant (indoors or outdoors) in the previous 30 days. And only one in five said they are more likely to eat at restaurants more often even when the pandemic ends, indicating this is likely to be a lasting shift. Additionally, about one-third of respondents said they are planning their household meals/menus more often. One of the biggest winners in this shift have been meal kit makers, which had been struggling to attract new customers prepandemic as growth in the relatively new category had slowed, according to Garcia. “The pandemic breathed new life into the category, leading to a significant increase in demand,” he says. “As an industry, we need to figure out what the intersection is between CPG food, CPG retail and meal kits. What is the role for branded products in a meal kit? Is there an ingredient play? Is it a sampling opportunity?” With consumers now eating most of their meals at home, brands and retailers feel they can win big by providing convenience, inspiration, or both. For years, Coca-Cola has been running programs at major retailers that pair its beverages with

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prepared foods, but the manufacturer has ramped up such efforts since March, both by partnering with other CPGs companies such as Mondelez International and Kellogg Co. and by leveraging its own marketing assets. “We are leveraging partnerships with our ambassador talent, such as celebrity chef, Robert Irvine,” Carlisle says. “We’ll bring recipe content from him and help you think of how to make gameday tacos and pulled pork sandwiches. We sponsor NASCAR, and many of our NASCAR drivers are actually pretty good cooks. We’ll do content that leverages our NASCAR drivers to bring excitement to the at-home viewing occasion, since fans can’t go to the race.”

THE READINESS IS ALL Most respondents expect their holidays to be very different this year, which has brands looking ahead cautiously and expecting the need to continue adapting to rapidly changing situations. “Expect more surprises,” Stuart Vass, Pernod-Ricard USA’s region chain manager for strategic customers, said during a recent Institute event. “Throughout the pandemic, anyone who says they know what’s going to happen ... has been proven wrong. There’s just so much change that you have to be nimble, you have to be ready.” IQ

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JOIN US FOR A NEW WEBINAR SERIES

UN DE RSTAND I NG TODAY ’S S HO P P E R TO DRI V E TOMORROW’S SU CC E SS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

ON DEMAND | The Future Role of In-Store Displays

In this ongoing series of virtual experiences, the Path to Purchase Institute will join with thought leaders throughout the omnicommerce industry to examine the most effective ways for brands and retailers to adapt to the evolving nature of retail and capitalize on changes in shopper behavior. This unique series will drill down into the specific areas of shopper engagement that are undergoing the greatest amount of change.

P O W E R E D

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ON DEMAND | New Strategies for Product Sampling ON DEMAND | New Strategies for Driving Impulse Purchase DEC 10 | Agile Promotional Planning Note: Topics are subject to change

B Y

11/17/20 1:39 PM


WHO’S WHO I N E - CO M M E R C E

Our annual showcase recognizes more than 160 brand and retail executives who are making notable contributions in the online arena.

GIANT FOOD

(AHOLD DELHAIZE) GREGG DORAZIO E-Commerce Lead Gregg Dorazio spent 14 years as a brand marketing leader within Ahold Delhaize and General Mills. Success in those roles stemmed from immersing himself in the shopper mindset to uncover the most important insights. This has translated well for Dorazio’s transition to e-commerce. He knows the key to winning is offering an effortless, yet memorable customer experience from start to finish.

Q

Describe your current role and the function of your team.

DORAZIO: As the e-commerce lead, my primary responsibility is to develop the growth strategy and orchestrate cross-

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ICON KEY Institute member

functional execution across our online businesses. Giant’s e-commerce footprint fulfills more than 2 million orders annually and includes Giant Delivers home delivery, Giant Pickup same-day curbside service, and Instacart rush delivery. It is a role that connects every function in our company – from merchandising to IT to operations to finance.

Q

How does your organization promote digital innovation? DORAZIO: Ahold Delhaize’s secret weapon is its size and scale, operating nearly 7,000 stores globally that generate more than $75 billion in sales. We are investing aggressively to build our digital and e-commerce capabilities, leveraging central groups like Peapod Digital Labs and Retail Business Services that are constantly rolling out improvements to our proprietary systems and sites. The local brands also experiment in their respective markets, so we all benefit when best practices or efficiencies are uncovered.

Q

How has your team’s work been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? DORAZIO: The greatest challenge we have had this year is accelerating our service expansion to meet the demand for contactless delivery and pickup. Our operations teams have acted with such speed and creativity to increase our capacity. We now offer Giant Pickup and Giant Delivers to more than 85% of our market. It has been an extraordinary effort to hire, train, and deploy more people and vehicles,

but everyone takes pride in knowing that our services are essential to the health and safety of our local community.

Q

What does omnichannel mean to you as a marketer and a shopper? DORAZIO: Omnichannel is simply the new reality in retail. Each week customers will shop in a way that best suits their needs. One day might be a quick store trip for dinner. Another day it is a large stock-up trip that they pick up curbside. A third time might be sending a grocery delivery to a loved one across town. The flexibility to engage with Giant in these different ways is true convenience and value for shoppers.

Q

How can brands take better advantage of the opportunities in e-commerce? DORAZIO: Brands play a vital role in the growth of e-commerce. Two areas come to mind where retailers and manufacturers can work more closely. One is the customer experience: learning about new items, personalizing their recommendations, presenting

Q

What will the acceleration of e-commerce due to COVID-19 mean for supermarkets going forward?

DORAZIO: Brick-and-mortar supermarkets are not going away anytime soon. Due to COVID-19, we have turned a corner in the adoption of online food shopping. Grocery is one of the last industries to move online. So in my opinion, you have to look at the changing nature of retail stores in fashion, electronics, beauty and home goods to understand how stores might need to evolve in food. Over time, I think the transactional elements of a traditional supermarket will become less important and the inspirational elements will move to the forefront. If everyday staples are shipped to your home or ready when you arrive at the store, then the value of walking the store becomes more about discovery, education, trial and other services. — Charlie Menchaca

RECENT ACHIEVEMENT DORAZIO: We recently expanded on a partnership my team set up during the height of the pandemic. Union Kitchen is a food and beverage accelerator in Washington, D.C., that shares our passion for supporting local entrepreneurs. More than 25 items from 11 different local brands are now available through Giant Delivers. Customers have really gravitated to these products and we are now looking to add them into our brick-and-mortar stores. Part of the beauty of e-commerce is that we can move fast. We are less constrained by shelf resets or traditional supply chains.

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great content. The other is efficiency in fulfillment: carrying items optimized for e-commerce operations (as well as in-store sales).

Abbott Nutrition ADRIANNE LAMBERT, Senior Manager, Cross Border E-Commerce Lambert’s work includes U.S. brands Similac, Ensure and PediaSure. She is responsible for developing and implementing sales and marketing growth strategies throughout the cross-border channel.

Acelerada (Bimbo Bakeries USA) COREY BALL, National Account Manager, E-Commerce Ball oversees all aspects of the ecommerce business for the Walmart Stores Inc. platforms (Walmart Online Grocery, Walmart.com and SamsClub.com). He also manages online marketing activity for these platforms, for both on-site and off-site placements. He is largely focused on growing share and penetration for Bimbo through the Walmart Online Grocery business as well as Sam’s Club’s pickup business. ANDREW BUECHNER, Manager of E-Insights & E-Analytics Buechner combines creativity and rigor in his data analysis, uncovering insights that drive performance and reshape strategy for this rapidly changing channel. He is most proud of having developed an approach to measuring search effectiveness across platforms this past year. HEATHER CHARTRAND, E-Commerce Account Manager Chartrand has worked in e-commerce for five years and in the CPG industry for 10 years. She started her career at Kraft Foods and then Mondelez International, handling various e-tailer accounts. She currently manages the Kroger e-commerce business for Bimbo Bakeries. She has a passion for working with the customer.

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE OMAR HAQUE, Vice President/General Manager and Head of E-Commerce Haque is responsible for leading the development and overall execution of the vision of Acelerada, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s standalone business unit dedicated to breakthrough product and process innovation and e-commerce. JAMES HASLETT, E-Commerce Manager Haslett leads customer relationships with highgrowth pure play customers, third-party delivery services and national omnichannel retailers. In addition, he supports organizational capabilities such as frontline sales alignment, working to connect e-commerce business information with its in-store omnichannel efforts.

in-store, pickup locations and five fulfillment centers. Along with operations, he has responsibility for fulfillment strategy, network development and e-commerce logistics for the organization. Hadwin joined The Giant Co. in 2006.

Albertsons STEPHANIE URTEAGA, Director, ECommerce Product Management

Anheuser-Busch GUILHERME LEBELSON, Global Vice President of E-Commerce

B

B&G Foods NEHA MALLIK, Director of E-Commerce & Digital Marketing

Bacardi USA

NIKKI LANG, Director of National Customers – E-Commerce See profile on page 25.

LORRAN BROWN-COSBY, Vice President, Digital Commerce

KELLY ROSES, Director of Digital and E-Commerce Marketing Roses leads strategy, planning and execution for best- in-class marketing, search and content. Focused on both paid and organic within Bimbo’s omnichannel and pure-play customers, she brings innovative leadership and works cross-functionally to drive growth and deliver an optimal shopper experience across brands.

GREG ARSENEAU, Shopper Marketing Manager, Retail and E-Commerce

Ahold Delhaize GREGG DORAZIO, E-Commerce Lead, Giant Food See profile on page 18. JJ FLEEMAN, President, Peapod Digital Labs & Chief E-Commerce Officer JUSTIN HADWIN, Director of E-Commerce, The Giant Co. Hadwin leads within the division through a network that consists of 145

Barilla America

Bayer Consumer Health ALANA JOY FELDMAN, Manager, Content Strategy & Activation Feldman is responsible for leading content strategy and execution across multiple digital platforms, including social and website, for all of the company’s brands. BRANDON HILL, Manager, E-Commerce/ Omnichannel Hill manages the Walmart.com, online grocery pickup and SamsClub.com business across the entire Bayer portfolio of brands. He is responsible for developing innovative solutions to simplify the shopping experience and drive omnichannel growth.

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LISA KELLER, Head of E-Commerce and Retail Media Investment CORA SZAPKA, E-Commerce Brand Manager Szapka has a wide range of experience leading both U.S. and global ecommerce strategy and capability development. Her primary focus has been enabling and executing new business models and platforms that allow the organization to be proactive to changing consumer preferences. She is currently focused on brand strategy across content, assortment and media to drive output with omnichannel customers.

Beam Suntory SHANNON EAGLE, Senior National Account Manager, E-Commerce With more than five years of related experience in the adult beverage industry, Eagle is responsible for driving business across the Beam Suntory portfolio of brands through channel-specific programming with strategic and emerging partners. She is proud that Beam was one of the first suppliers to launch featured products for the spirits category with Instacart in March at the onset of the pandemic.

Beiersdorf SARAH POMPOSELLO, Director of E-Commerce See profile on page 27.

Blue Buffalo CHRIS GREENE, Vice President, E-Commerce

Blue Diamond Growers JONAS PARETZKIN, Director of E-Commerce and Retail Stores Paretzkin leads sales and marketing across all online retail customers (including Amazon, Instacart and Walmart) while helping build capabilities in international markets. He also leads Blue Diamond’s D2C business, along with its three brick-and-mortar retail stores. He is most proud of the continued growth of the company’s e-commerce businesses based on investments in both marketing and internal capabilities. ANGIE RAIMONDI, E-Commerce Manager Raimondi is responsible for building and deploying best-in-class content, developing a promotional strategy, and collaborating with innovation and brand teams to launch new products that are optimized for Blue Diamond’s e-commerce platforms. She is most proud of the tremendous growth her team achieved through its Amazon business this year, and is looking at how to better leverage e-commerce on a broader scale.

Bodyarmor Sports Drink CONNOR MORHARDT, Director of E-Commerce

Best Buy ANASTASIA BENZ, Senior Director, E-Commerce Business Operations CORY EHLERS, Director of E-Commerce LISSA GATZ, Vice President, E-Commerce Category Management ANGELA MATTOX, Senior Director, E-Commerce Digital Marketing & Digital Content

Bonduelle KIMBERLY PHAN, E-Commerce Business Manager

C

Campbell Soup NATASHA VITALE, Category Strategy Lead

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE Canon USA GARY PAVAN, Senior Director & General Manager, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce

Church & Dwight FRANK ROSARIO, Retail E-Commerce Manager Rosario is responsible for driving growth strategies for omnichannel, delivery platforms and content health for online assortments. The company was honored with a content excellence award for its efforts this past year. STEPHANIE WOOD, Director, Digital Strategy Wood champions efforts to drive digital demand by helping brands develop and deliver connected consumer experiences. She thrives on being part of organizational transformation and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver step-change solutions.

Clorox ANNE ZYBOWSKI, Team Leader, Omnichannel Retail Zybowski is responsible for developing partnerships and driving test-and-learn pilots with strategic brick-and-click customers and leading the development of omnichannel strategy and capabilities. She is most proud of elevating and scaling digital shelf capabilities via strong external partnerships, from content syndication to digital shelf data and analytics, laying a foundation for the ecosystem to provide data and signals to crossfunctional business priorities.

Coca-Cola JOE DAVIS, Vice President, Digital Growth Davis leads the endto-end marketing and commercial functions for Coca-Cola’s digital business in its North America unit.

KATE JAMES, Senior Manager, Digital Commerce Marketing James is a digitally native storyteller, responsible for accelerating the company’s digital growth trajectory by creating breakthrough ideas that bring brands to life in e-commerce channels – thereby driving brand love and transactional marketing. JACE RHEE, Account Executive III, Amazon Rhee is responsible for leading all marketing across Amazon’s North America platforms as well as sales and strategy for the Amazon Fresh Food Fast business unit (Fresh, PrimeNow and Go/physical retail). MATTHEW TARALLO, Global Vice President, Amazon Tarallo is responsible for the global Amazon relationship and total business objectives for Coca-Cola and its global bottling network. He drives value share leadership while engaging with consumers by leveraging the power of the ecosystem across all platforms. NIKKI TODD, Vice President, Digital User Experience Todd is passionate about creating an amazing user experience for customers, consumers and associates that results in increased revenue and profitability. She manages a portfolio of approximately $1 billion in digital revenue for Coca-Cola. MATTHEW WEMPLE, Director, Digital Retail Growth Wemple is responsible for developing integrated strategies and resources that enable the company’s customer and marketing organizations to navigate the omnicommerce environment. With operations, foodservice and retail experience, his focus is on ex-

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perimentation, integrated planning and skill building. THURMAN WILLIAMS, Vice President of Retail Digital Commerce Williams’ team is devoted to delivering digital revenue and share growth through end-to-end customer management, sales consultancy, digital literacy, implementing retail growth initiatives and exploring commercial, strategic opportunities with new business models.

Colgate-Palmolive REKHA RAO, Vice President & General Manager, North America E-Commerce VIVEK RASTOGI, Director, E-Commerce Rastogi leads the team that manages joint business plans, operations and P&Ls across e-commerce retailers. His main area of focus is to drive growth through plans and strategies across the consumer purchase funnel, and leading change and thought leadership.

Coty US ERIC LONG, Senior Vice President, Global DTC E-Commerce

CVS Health MARYALYCE SAENZ, Senior Director, Omnichannel Merchandising and Category Management

D

Danone North America ADRIANNE DEL SOL, Vice President, E-Commerce JARED DEY, Global Head of E-Commerce – Americas Dey is responsible for rapidly accelerating growth for Danone in the Americas region across all product categories and key retailers. A key component for success in this role is upscaling capabilities internally while elevating external relationships with retail partners. Previously, he managed the European and Asia-Pacific global e-commerce relationships for Danone from Paris.

Constellation Brands WAYNE DUAN, Vice President, E-Commerce & Digital Commerce Duan has responsibility for driving an omnichannel growth agenda across both the beer and wine and spirits divisions. This includes strengthening and aligning resources, strategies and investments to further propel Constellation’s leadership position in the total beverage alcohol category.

DAS Cos. ROSS SACHS, Commerce Manager – CE Division Sachs is a problemsolver with extensive experience creating, executing and delivering sales and communication solutions.

Costco MIKE PARROTT, Senior Vice President, U.S. E-Commerce

Cost Plus World Market DIANE BURNETT, Senior Director, Digital Marketing

| 21 | pathtopurchaseiq.com 11/17/20 1:41 PM


WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE Del Monte Foods JENNIFER REINER, Senior Director, Omnichannel Marketing & E-Commerce Reiner led Del Monte’s entry into e-commerce in 2017 after developing a strategy and internal structure for success. Through cross-functional collaboration, the company’s business has grown exponentially, exceeding initial growth targets. Reiner is also responsible for omnichannel marketing, which enables marketing communication plans that are integrated across brand, shopper and e-commerce.

E. & J. Gallo

The Gallo e-commerce sales team partners with retailers to increase online wine and spirits sales. The team is committed to delivering data-driven recommendations to retailers to improve alcohol availability, increase category visibility and optimize the online shopping experience for wine. ERIC BADER, Manager, E-Commerce Sales

GEORGE BORDEN, Manager, E-Commerce Sales

Dole Food MOLLY GARRIS, Senior Manager, E-Commerce Marketing Garris is responsible for building Dole’s portfolio to compete in e-commerce, owning business plans and investment and the digital shelf (in partnership with Dole’s marketing team) to support omni- and e-commerce acceleration. Prior to joining Dole, she spent more than six years in the beauty category, consulting for Milani Cosmetics as its head of e-commerce and digital marketing. Garris also served as senior manager, digital strategy at Johnson & Johnson Consumer.

KATE GRITSCH, Senior Manager, E-Commerce Sales

KAREN MIZELL, Senior Director, E-Commerce Sales

JENNIFER MURPHY, Digital Shelf Specialist

KELLY TAYLOR, Manager, E-Commerce Sales

Duracell LINDSAY MULLENGER, E-Commerce and B2B

E

GREG YAUNEY, Manager, E-Commerce Sales

E.T. Browne Drug

Edgewell Personal Care

ROB CIAFFAGLIONE, Director of E-Commerce Ciaffaglione is responsible for leading the strategic development and execution of the e-commerce channel for the Palmer’s skincare and haircare brand.

STEPHANIE LYNN, Vice President, Global E-Commerce

F

Ferrero USA ERIN HINES, Pure Play Leader Hines has been with the company since

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2017, working in diverse roles across the organization. She previously was its digital content and strategy leader, where she worked to develop a winning digital shelf strategy to elevate Ferrero’s presence in the channel and maximize its digital marketing campaigns. In her current post managing the Amazon business, Hines has been able to increase the company’s brand presence, build consumer trust and drive significant growth across the Ferrero portfolio.

experience, and the retailer’s firstand third-party gift card and e-gift card businesses. He is most proud of how his team has expanded and enhanced its online grocery offering and availability to meet increased demand for safe and contactless access to food and essential items during the pandemic.

G

AMY LABROO, Head of Digital & Creative

GSK STEVE KINSEY, Director, Digital Commerce

BRIAN WESTINER, Director of E-Commerce Westiner leads strategy, planning and business development for North American retail at the company. He is responsible for the development and execution of capabilities around digital shelf optimization, merchandising and reporting and analytics.

ALIZA LEVINSKY, Senior E-Commerce Manager, Digital Shelf & Analytics Levinsky is a seasoned leader with a focus on digital capabilities, marketing technology, strategy and innovation to support domestic and global markets. She is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to deliver best-in-class content and engaging online consumer experiences that drive sales and improve conversion to accelerate growth.

CHRISTINE WICKER, E-Commerce Shopper Marketing Manager Wicker started her career with a five-year stint at Target before moving to the CPG side. She has spent the last 18 months on the General Mills e-commerce shopper team working with customers like Amazon, Instacart and Shipt.

FARA POPE, Sales Lead, Omnichannel Pope has been with Wyeth, Pfizer and now GSK Consumer Healthcare for more than 15 years. She leads the sales team responsible for Walmart.com, Target.com, Costco.com, Instacart, Shipt, Boxed and emerging customers such as goPuff.

Giant Eagle

ERIN PRENDERGAST, E-Commerce Team Lead, Amazon

General Mills MATTHEW KARSCHNIK, E-Commerce – Global Capability Lead

DAN MAGRISH, Senior Director of E-Commerce Marketing and Payments Magrish’s team is responsible for consumer acquisition, growth and retention across various platforms, including online grocery ordering (curbside pickup and home delivery), the Scan Pay & Go in-store mobile shopping

LISA RICZKO, Digital Commerce Strategy Lead – U.S.

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WHO’S WHO IN E-COMMERCE

MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL

JIE CHENG Global Head of E-Commerce and Direct-to-Consumer Jie Cheng’s e-commerce journey began in 2004 when she was tasked at Conair with figuring out how to sell hair dryers online. Since then, she has honed her craft at Philips as well as food companies like Danone, Hershey and Campbell Soup. Cheng has spent seven years in global roles overall. For most of these roles, she was brought in to create something from scratch. Her entrepreneurial spirit has prepared her well for her job at Mondelez.

Q

Describe the function of your team.

CHENG: My team and I are responsible for driving global e-commerce growth, building capabilities, sharing best practices, and setting and realizing Mondelez’s bold e-business ambition across B2C, D2C and e-B2B.

Q

How does your company promote digital innovation? CHENG: Like many companies, we adopt a “test, learn and iterate” approach to promote

digital innovations. The exact approach is tailored to the initiative, its relative maturity and risk. For example, we would do a quick test with minimum investment upfront for opportunities that are unproven and have higher risks or dependencies. The idea is to rapidly prototype and test with consumers and get an initial validation of the concept. Alternatively, we would take a more refined approach for opportunities that have been inmarket and have some evidence of success. The goal is to continue to iterate and improve the core metrics before we can scale.

Q

How has your team’s work been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? CHENG: When COVID-19 hit, we were fortunately in a position of strength. We have grown faster than the overall market and we are driving significant share gains online in 2020. We did this not only by sticking to our winning strategies but accelerating our investments in resources, media and capability building. For

example, given that most of the growth was driven by new buyers migrating to e-commerce, we significantly increased (and in some markets, doubled) our advertising and commercial investments to drive buyer retention and repeat purchase. We also leveraged our supplychain, direct-store-delivery network to maintain higher levels of online availability than our competition. And we expanded our online assortment through “ePacks,” or bundled products. We built new pick-and-pack and drop-ship capabilities to adapt to increased online demand.

Q

What are your personal go-to digital devices and services?

RECENT ACHIEVEMENT CHENG: Latin America is one of the regions where we are seeing rapid growth of e-commerce. One of the fastest-growing platforms in the region is the last-milers, grocery and food delivery services. Our e-commerce team there is partnering with Rappi and Cornershop, the top local last-mile players, to create new occasion triggers to drive impulse buys for our Trident gum brand. We are seeing growth in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Columbia.

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CHENG: I use iPhone the most, followed by iPad and Alexa. For services, I use Amazon for most of my shopping needs, and Audible to catch up with audiobooks.

Q

How can brands take better advantage of the opportunities in e-commerce? CHENG: E-commerce is beyond selling products – it is also a marketing platform for brands to engage with consumers via great content and storytelling. It provides a great opportunity for brands to test-launch new products and get consumer reviews early on for iteration before launching in-store. Brands can also gain valuable online shopper insights for future innovation. Additionally, for DTC business, it provides brands with first-party data for greater consumer understanding and enables brands to build meaningful connections with consumers. — Charlie Menchaca

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE MARK STEVENS, U.S. Digital Commerce Lead Stevens is a leader in the OTC industry, with experiences spanning sales, marketing, strategy and finance. He is currently responsible for leading GSK e-commerce businesses in the U.S. He has a track record of driving leading brands and exceeding goals while developing sustainable growth strategies and plans across multiple channels and customers, both online and offline.

H

Hasbro NATHAN PENDLETON, Senior Manager, Omnichannel With a background covering analytics, insights, sales and marketing, Pendleton is focused on deepening his understanding of the consumer experience both pre- and posttransaction. This challenges him to create unique consumer experiences across channels that are measurable and scalable.

HEB GARY HUDMAN, Director of E-Commerce KEDAR PATEL, Vice President of E-Commerce

Henkel TIM BLACHOWSKI, Director of E-Commerce LAURA HYLAND, Vice President, E-Commerce U.S. TANUJA SINGEETHAM, Head of Digital Marketing, Henkel Beauty Care Professional, North America Singeetham leads a team focused on new initiatives for the professional hair care business in North America. Prior to this, she worked for five years at Behr Paint, leading the Digital Center of Excellence,

and 21 years in marketing at Nestle USA. She has more than 22 years in digital marketing and has received numerous awards and honors.

Hershey MEGAN PANTALONE, Digital Commercial Innovation

J

Jack Link’s AMY HINTZ, E-Commerce Marketing Manager Hintz has more than 20 years experience in CPG, including sales, shopper marketing and category management at General Mills, Kellogg’s and Colgate-Palmolive. More recently, she has worked in e-commerce at Kimberly-Clark and now Jack Link’s. Driven by competition and curiosity, Hintz finds daily challenges in e-commerce, which makes it her favorite professional endeavor. PAUL WATSON, Director of Sales, E-Commerce

J.M. Smucker DAN COOKE, Vice President, E-Commerce Cooke is responsible for executing the company’s Connected Commerce strategy and driving the e-commerce growth agenda. His team is tasked with elevating the profile of the digital shelf, designing it to engage, motivate and convert online shoppers for the company’s portfolio of brands. Cooke also is charged with embedding an enhanced portfolio of digital capabilities and fostering a deeper level of collaboration with leading retailers. JESSICA FAIR, Director, Omnichannel Customer Marketing

ASHLEY KENNEMER, Senior Manager, Omnichannel Shopper Marketing Kennemer leads the Walmart shopper marketing team while developing and executing insight-led omnichannel marketing plans that connect with shoppers and ultimately influence purchase decisions. She has partnered closely this year with the e-commerce sales and brand teams to accelerate sales and drive adoption of online pickup and delivery with relevant J&J brands. MIRANDA SHEAFFER, Senior Associate, E-Commerce Media Planning & Search

K KAO

ERIKA WERA, E-Commerce Strategy Manager

Kellogg’s KATIA COLSTON, E-Commerce Sales Lead Colston has more than 17 years of experience in omnichannel and ecommerce sales, finance, business development and category management. This past year, she developed and executed plans that achieved more than 75% e-commerce net revenue and profitability growth in 2020 versus 2019, exceeding category trends. She also helped regain online market share leadership for Kellogg’s across multiple major categories and secured top-five or higher partnership status with several retailers.

ANTHONY SCHIAVONE, Senior Manager, E-Commerce Sales NICOLE VINSON, Senior Director, Global Omni-Shopper & Digital Consumer Marketing

Keurig Dr Pepper DENISE CRAWFORD, Senior Director, E-Commerce Strategy & Operations PATRICK MINOGUE, Senior Vice President of E-Commerce BRIAN POTTS, Sales Vice President, E-Commerce, Amazon

Kimberly-Clark ADAM DREYER, Senior Brand Manager, Amazon Dreyer leads the Amazon marketing team, with responsibility for driving sustainable brand growth across the retailer’s ecosystem. His team sets the strategy and builds innovative programs to engage and delight consumers across the path to purchase for K-C’s brands. JASON EASTMAN, Director, Digital Commerce IQ Team Eastman has been in CPG for more than 20 years, representing brands like Coca-Cola, Crayola, Kleenex and Huggies. He has engaged retailers in almost all channels across North America, with specific emphasis on customers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart and Publix. His experience is grounded in both traditional brick-and-mortar and e-commerce leadership roles for both start-up and mature organizations.

TRAVIS COLVIN, Senior Director, Global E-Commerce Customer Development BYRON GILSTRAP, Global Lead, Retail E-Commerce Platforms Capability

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Johnson & Johnson

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WHO’S WHO IN E-COMMERCE

ACELERADA (Bimbo Bakeries USA)

NIKKI LANG Director of National Customers, E-Commerce Nikki Lang’s career at Bimbo started in a senior portfolio manager position focused on private brands. Then she became director of national customers for the company’s Costco East business. Prior to her current role, Lang served as the director of national customers for evolving channels, which focused on healthy grocery development, discounters, military and special projects.

Q

How does your organization promote digital innovation? LANG: Digital innovation comes from the leadership within our Acelerada group. The overall organization was intentional about carving out this group to be at the forefront in new channels of growth. Our team is focused on developing and promoting the company’s digital strategies with customers and also by collaborating with our business units and marketing teams.

Q

How has your team’s work been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? LANG: COVID-19 has accelerated e-commerce trends and our category is certainly not an outlier. With remote work and learning, practically all meal

occasions are being consumed at home. Thankfully, we have items in the major traditional occasions like breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. We are working more closely with our internal and external supply chain partners to stay aware of anything that may impact purchase order fulfillment. In addition, we are exploring models that allow us to be more nimble in service to our customers. Finally, we have been fortunate to onboard new customers that have emerged due to the acceleration of online shopping.

Q

What does omnichannel mean to you as a marketer and a shopper? LANG: As a marketer, it means the ability to present one face to the consumer. Regardless of the brand, channel or touchpoints, the consumer is able to enjoy and experience the same assortment, offers and promotions. We strive to make it seamless to them. As a shopper,

Q

Which personal digital devices and services do you use most often? LANG: My phone and tablet are the obvious ones. My Amazon Alexa-enabled device gets quite a bit of coverage; during the pandemic, it’s been my digital thermometer and digital scale. I am on Amazon daily building a shopping cart for grocery and other goods. Instacart helps me out quite a bit too.

Q

How can brands take better advantage of the opportunities in e-commerce? LANG: Start with an e-comfirst mindset. Focus on speed and availability, then center key stakeholders on these fundamental concepts. Today’s consumer is comparing everything online, so your brands have to be available everywhere. When I say speed, I’m referring to moving rapidly and getting your brands in the hands of consumers. Also, set clear and measurable goals from which you can innovate. — Charlie Menchaca

RECENT ACHIEVEMENT LANG: Our team developed an unprecedented category review model for a customer that yielded an average increase in assortment of more than 55% for the category. The recommendations had four key results. The model created a custom portfolio across more than 35 markets, broadened customer appeal, made the overall category more productive and addressed gaps to market coverage. The customer has since expanded the model’s methodology to other categories.

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omnichannel represents convenience and consolidation. I am looking for an experience that makes things simpler.

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE KAITLYN WALTHALL, Category Development Manager, Digital Commerce Walthall partners with Walmart to help grow its household essentials category online and develop strategic omnichannel initiatives using data and consumer-driven insights. She has five years of digital commerce experience across sales, shopper marketing and category management, supporting both pure-play and omnichannel retailers. MARK ZURFLUH, Senior Leader, Retail Media & Digital Innovation Zurfluh has more than 15 years of experience driving results through digital media and e-commerce at Fortune 500 CPG and retail companies. He currently leads Kimberly-Clark North America’s retail media capability and approach to advancing partnerships and innovation, building internal talent and driving a holistic audience across all media touchpoints.

Kind BRIAN DUDZINSKI, Senior Director, E-Commerce & Omnichannel With more than eight years of experience, Dudzinski leads the e-commerce sales channel for the company. Through digital storytelling and data-driven decision-making, his efforts have elevated the company to a leadership position in the space. PAMELA THOMPSON, Senior Manager, E-Commerce

Kraft Heinz RACHEL SCHEINFELD, Head of E-Commerce, North America

Kroger BILL BENNETT, Vice President, Head of E-Commerce

L

L’Oreal ELLEN HAWES, Assistant Vice President, E-Commerce JUSTINE KAZAN, Director, E-Commerce Kazan manages the development and performance of digital shelf tools, playbooks and roadmaps to increase performance and drive sales goals. She has a proven track record in meeting retailer needs and supporting long-term performance across all digital KPIs. GEOFF MEADE, Assistant Vice President, Strategy and Operations Meade leads channel strategy, insights and digital shelf capabilities with a focus on driving the growth agenda across L’Oreal’s portfolio of brands. MIKAEL NOLEAU, Director of E-Commerce, Amazon ELLEN SUH, Assistant Vice President, E-Commerce

Mars SANELA ODZIC, Senior Product Manager, E-Commerce Odzic is an experienced product leader focusing on driving vision and product roadmap development for DTC globally at Mars. She focuses on cross-functional collaboration to deliver successful results. Her specialties include DTC, B2B and B2B2C; multi-platform, multi-channel checkout experiences; product strategy; roadmap development and execution. She also successfully ran omnichannel products with Walgreens including BOPIS, same-day delivery and locker pickup. SONIA SETHI, Global Director, E-Commerce Sethi is passionate about building meaningful brands

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to create value for the company’s consumers, for the business and for communities. Her experience spans global and North American roles with success in both B2B and D2C environments across the personal care, health and wellness and food categories. She is a passionate people leader and team builder, with a knack for developing talent and inspiring others to dream big and deliver.

JACKIE LOGAN, E-Commerce Senior Manager JAMES SEIDL, Vice President, Digital Commerce and Alternative Channels

Meijer

RODNEY RICKMAN, Senior Manager, E-Commerce Rickman leads the strategy and development of the e-commerce channel for brands including Chase & Sanborn, Chock full o’Nuts, Hills Bros., and Kauai, MJB and Segafredo.

JUSTIN SESSINK, Director of E-Commerce Sessink oversees digital shopping and e-commerce for the retailer. With the rapid pace of growth in the U.S. for online grocery, he is responsible for developing more ways for customers to shop with Meijer. He leads the site merchandising, program development and marketing teams, and this year launched new fulfillment capabilities across all stores, including micro-fulfillment centers and new picking software, along with offering free pickup for all customers chain-wide.

Mattel

Moen

HADI ABRISHAMCHIAN, Director, Digital Customer Marketing Abrishamchian leads a high-performing team of digital customer marketers delivering online retail brand activation and customer marketing excellence across Amazon, Walmart and Target’s digital retail channels.

Moet Hennessy USA

M

Massimo Zanetti

FRANCESCA FORRESTER, Senior Manager, E-Commerce

McCormick & Co. BRIAN FREDERICK, E-Commerce Director Frederick has more than 20 years of experience driving marketing and sales initiatives with an intent to deliver superior financial results. He is responsible for building out a fully integrated e-commerce organization since his arrival at McCormick in 2015. He and his team provide the company with the strategic vision and execution to deliver strong results.

NICK MARPLE, Vice President & General Manager – Digital Commerce, Channel Strategy & Marketing Communications

ISABELA GABALDON, E-Retail Manager, Southeast Region

Molson Coors SARA GOUCHER, Director of E-Commerce Goucher leads the retail and B2B businesses for Molson Coors. Her focus has been on driving emerging growth, building organizational capabilities and establishing a new cross-functional team and operating model. She works to drive disruption and challenge the status quo to meet changing consumer needs for online beer shopping.

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WHO’S WHO IN E-COMMERCE

BEIERSDORF

SARAH POMPOSELLO Director of E-Commerce Before moving into the e-commerce space, Sarah Pomposello was focused on club and value channels at Beiersdorf. At that time, the company recognized that there was much growth potential in all of these channels and needed to divide the responsibilities and concentrate more specifically on e-commerce as an emerging channel. The manufacturer also had begun investing in Amazon as a media channel, so it needed to focus even more on that account. All of those channels needed an internal voice compared to the typical mass, food and drug channels. Pomposello first became the national account manager for Amazon and then team leader of e-commerce. It pushed her to challenge, enroll, and test and learn.

Q

Describe your current role and the function of your team. POMPOSELLO: I am the sales director for the e-commerce channel. My team is responsible

for managing the Amazon account and all other pure-play customers, as well as brickand-click accounts, which are shifting more and more into an omnichannel, interconnected role within our account teams. In addition, we manage e-retailer content and digital shelf management.

Q

How does your company promote digital innovation?

Q

How has your team’s work been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

What are your personal go-to digital devices and services?

POMPOSELLO: We have been rolling out more and more mobile apps that are internal to Beiersdorf but similar to nationally known ones. This keeps us connected to what’s happening all around the globe and locally. You can pick and choose your specific interests. We also have monthly explore sessions, where we block out three hours to explore for ourselves. We offer the explore sessions for employees to join and learn more about digital topics such as content development or they can choose from many LinkedIn Learning sessions.

POMPOSELLO: No surprise, but COVID has accelerated our business significantly this year. Not only have we seen growth with our pure-play accounts such as Amazon, we have also seen our share of business done through e-commerce (specifically buy online and pick up in-store) for our omnichannel customers increase across all channels. We have fast-tracked our focus to more channels including grocery, and are testing and learning new channels such as Instacart.

POMPOSELLO: Most often, I use mobile and social media. I am easily influenced by reviews and comments and have made so many unplanned purchases while browsing through Instagram. Then, I am often disappointed in the customer service, but that is OK. It helps me learn how important it is to have a seamless user experience.

RECENT ACHIEVEMENT POMPOSELLO: Our team has been updating a digital roadmap to 2025. We cross-functionally developed a roadmap prior to this, but it certainly needed updating given this year’s acceleration. We have a clear roadmap on where to play, what to offer and how to win that helps us deliver a message across the organization on the strategic priorities we need to focus on and deliver.

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Q

What does omnichannel mean to you as a marketer and a shopper? POMPOSELLO: To me, omnichannel means a seamless user experience from start to finish encompassing in-store, online, mobile, social and call to action – basically all touchpoints.

Q

Q

How can brands, in general, take better advantage of the opportunities in e-commerce? POMPOSELLO: The e-commerce shoppers are here to stay. Start by focusing on the basics and the evolution will follow. This channel is constantly changing and it can be overwhelming to try and be an expert in everything right from the start. — Charlie Menchaca

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE Mondelez International JIE CHENG, Global Head of E-Commerce & DTC See profile on page 23. ALISTER GREENWOOD, Head of Global ECommerce Insights & Analytics Greenwood is focused on expanding e-commerce data provision, progressing analytical capabilities to accelerate growth and capturing the true ROI of online activations. He is also leading the charge in developing insights about online shopper behavior, understanding the digital path to purchase, and unlocking impulse purchasing on e-commerce platforms. SHEERA HOPKINS, E-Commerce Digital Marketing JESSICA LEVISON, Amazon Marketing, Search and Media Levison leads ecommerce search marketing for Mondelez, where she oversees paid and organic efforts on Amazon. She is most proud of the work done to quickly scale new products to gain organic presence this year.

Nespresso SHANNON STOKES, E-Commerce Manager Stokes has a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of building capabilities from the ground up while accelerating brand building and sales growth in the digital space across various categories. In her current role at Nespresso, she is responsible for the success of the online DTC business in the U.S.

Nestle-Purina NATHAN MARAFIOTI, Vice President, E-Commerce, North America JASON VITA, Director of Sales, E-Commerce Vita partners and leads the acceleration of e-commerce sales across Purina’s portfolio of brands through a set of national brick-andmortar-based retailers.

O

Office Depot JAMIE COLUMBUS, Vice President, E-Commerce

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PepsiCo

KATRINA PLUMMER, Customer Business Lead, Amazon U.S.

STEPHANIE PEGLER, E-Commerce Digital Media Manager, Walmart

N

BAVAN SARVENDRAM, Senior Vice President/General Manager, North America E-Commerce

Nature’s Bounty GABE MATTINGLY, General Manager, E-Commerce, Digital, Media & Creative Services Having more than 15 years of experience driving growth at some of the world’s most recognized brands and retailers, Mattingly heads e-commerce, digital, media and creative services at the global health and wellness leader.

GIBU THOMAS, Senior Vice President, Head of Global E-Commerce

Prestige Brands CRAIG FOSTER, E-Commerce Business Development Manager Foster is responsible for developing partnerships and driving test-andlearn advertising tactics across omnichannel retailers and highgrowth customers. He manages

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the online sales, share growth and relationships with Instacart and Walmart’s e-commerce business, advancing new capabilities and strategies for e-commerce and delivery platforms. JONATHAN MOY, Senior National Account Manager Moy has held brand management roles since 2009 and has handled big and small brands such as Axe, Lysol, Dove Men and Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. He then pivoted to e-commerce and has been actively working in the space for more than four years.

Procter & Gamble JORDAN DENTON, E-Commerce Director – Shopper Insights, Strategy & UX Design Denton uncovers and activates powerful omnichannnel shopper and user experience insights through qualitative and quantitative research and analyses that drive strategy, deliver breakthrough shopping experiences, and optimize initiatives at the largest ecommerce retailers in the industry. She uniquely uses human-centered design to transform the way retailers build offerings, design experiences and communicate their brand equity. SPENCER KELLY, Brand Director – Target Team Kelly spent the past five years managing the e-commerce businesses for many of P&G’s beauty brands such as Olay, Head & Shoulders and Pantene. In 2019, he and his team won the Merkle Digital Bowl for best digital marketing campaign during Super Bowl LIII. The team was also named Target’s vendor of the year and Roundel’s partner of the year. KATY MOEGGENBERG, Head of North America Hair E-Business Moeggenberg leads strategies for large

brands such as Pantene and Head & Shoulders, in addition to advising on new brand launches. She is responsible for e-commerce sales, website strategy and activation, and data and analytics across the ecosystem.

R RB

SAM MARTZ, Global Director, E-Commerce

Royal Canin ANDRIANA THRO, E-Commerce Director

S

Sabra Dipping MERT DAMLAPINAR, Director of E-Commerce Damlapinar has extensive experience in the U.S. and Europe, Middle East and Africa markets. Prior to joining Sabra, he was the e-commerce digital director for Whisps, where he had responsibility for the operation and partner teams overseeing product sales, including pricing and promotion strategy with marketing programs. Before that, he worked at Cibo Vita for 10 years in numerous management positions.

SC Johnson & Son ERIN GARMON, Omnishopper Marketing Manager, E-Commerce Garmon works crossfunctionally with brand marketing and sales to optimize the organization’s investments and accelerate growth within the fastest-growing retail channel. She has more than nine years of professional experience in e-commerce and digital marketing and even more in her personal experience, having been an early adopter to online shopping. She utilizes data, technology, and strategic partners to deliver a seamless experience for omnichannel shoppers.

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WHO’S WHO IN E- COMMERCE ALYSSA POWELL, E-Commerce Marketing Manager

Scotts Miracle-Gro MATTHEW TAYLOR, Vice President, E-Commerce Sales and Marketing Taylor and his team are responsible for developing and growing emerging digital brands while also growing partnerships with e-commerce retailers. The team also supports core customers in creating a more seamless omnichannel experience while helping them grow their lawn and garden category. Throughout COVID-19, the team acted nimbly to develop new capabilities and help its retail partners find new ways to get the products and information shoppers needed. ANNE VILLARREAL, Manager, Shopper Marketing Villarreal uses an insight-driven approach to a shopper’s path to purchase. Working across multiple retailers, she realizes the importance of understanding a retailer’s goals, shopper behavior and site algorithms before developing strategies that go beyond the basics. She is a member of P2PI’s E-Commerce Council.

SodaStream OLIVIA ALVAREZ, Senior Director, E-Commerce

Stonewall Kitchen IAN MARQUIS, E-Commerce Director Marquis oversees developing and deploying innovative digital strategy using Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Einstein AI to deliver cutting-edge customer experience and data-driven ROI. He enjoys getting to use the company’s products and watch them develop from idea, to launch, to new favorite.

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Tyson Foods KRISTIN KUSNIERZ, Shopper Marketing Manager KELLY STOCK, Shopper Marketing Manager Stock oversees shopper for the Kroger customer team. She leverages her expertise, which spans 20-plus years in CPG across brand marketing, sales, product development, training, acquisition and her favorite, shopper marketing.

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Ubisoft BRENDA PANAGROSSI, Vice President, Platform & Product Management

Unilever BOB BOWMAN, Global E-Commerce Innovation & Strategy Director Bowman is responsible for ensuring that shoppers find Unilever products through great content and search excellence. He drives strategic thinking, change management and technology development to reach these goals.

V

Verizon ALLISON HENRY, Strategy & Planning Manager, Optimization & Personalization

Vita Coco JIM MORGAN, Head of E-Commerce & Omnichannel Morgan leads business and strategy, managing efforts across sales, product, logistics, supply chain, content, visibility and customer experience. He also leads e-commerce for sister brand RUNA, the clean energy drink on Amazon, as well as

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Ever & Ever, an aluminum-bottled, premium enhanced water launching in partnership with Lonely Whale, the non-profit powerhouse that got the world to #stopsucking on plastic straws.

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Wakefern Food STEVE HENIG, Chief Customer Officer

Walgreens SARAH MAHOLM, Senior Manager, Digital Commerce Merchandising Maholm leads ecommerce merchandising, with responsibility for driving strategic growth across key health and wellness categories and brands. She excels at developing joint business plans with key suppliers and evangelizing omnichannel solutions across the organization. LINDSAY MIKOS, Director, Omnichannel Strategy & Programs

Walmart TOM WARD, Senior Vice President, Customer Product Ward has responsibility for the retailer’s online grocery pickup and delivery business across more than 3,200 stores. He also leads the teams focused on the online grocery website and supporting applications, along with the customer product roadmaps and the retailer’s automation and autonomous vehicle initiatives. He is most proud of how his team was able to rapidly adapt to the ever-changing customer needs brought on by the pandemic.

Under his leadership, the team has established a thriving presence across brands. With more than a decade of experience spanning advanced technology, manufacturing, sustainability, cleantech, financial services, energy-efficient product sales and operations, he has a wealth of strategic and executional knowledge that has helped advance product, brand and total company intiatives. CLARENCE CHIA, Senior Vice President, Marketing & E-Commerce Chia oversees e-commerce and DTC for the company’s premium portfolio of food and beverage brands including Fiji Water, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, Pom Wonderful and Justin Wines. He leads strategy, marketing and operations across all online channels and is responsible for growing omnichannel capabilities. ARSELIE MILLER, Senior Manager, E-Commerce Miller began her CPG career at Nestle USA in 2007, then began cross-functionally growing across retail, category and sales headquarter roles. She continued advancing her career at Danone before joining The Wonderful Co. In 2017, she developed the e-commerce channel for Wonderful Pistachios into a center of excellence for the company, and now supports the e-commerce activity of all brand businesses. IQ

Wonderful Co. JORDAN BASS, Head of E-Commerce Bass joined the company in 2014, working in the strategy group before transitioning to e-commerce.

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ActivationGallery

Micro-Holidays You surely aren’t going to find “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” on the promotional calendar of any retailer, and probably not “National Popcorn Day” nor “World Vegan Day” either. Yet brands and retailers are leveraging these micro-holidays in stores and beyond. On the following pages, we present just a sampling of the activity noticed by the Path to Purchase Institute’s editors. Institute members can see many more examples of microholiday activations in the image vault at P2PI.org.

Ahead of the Sept. 29 observance of “National Coffee Day,” Kraft Heinz ran ads on Walmart’s home page inviting consumers to “brew your favorites at a great value.” The ads alternatively ran on the leaderboard carousel and below the fold. Depicting brands Maxwell House, Gevalia and Ethical Bean Coffee, the ads included a “shop now” button linking to a “Brew the best” showcase grouping SKUs from the brands. Then, on the “holiday,” J.M. Smucker Co.’s Folgers spotlighted its 1850 coffee brand with ads running on both the Walmart.com home page leaderboard carousel and above-the-fold banner slots.

Glanbia’s Think tied in to Oct. 28’s designation as “National Chocolate Day” by deploying a missive to the brand’s email subscribers that promised 15% off Think “chocolate fudge,” “brownie crunch” and “chocolate mint (vegan)” protein bars.

MacAndrews & Forbes’ Revlon celebrated “National Lipstick Month” on a floorstand spotted at Kroger in October.

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The Coca-Cola Co. used an Oct. 29 email blast to encourage consumers to “give [themselves] a boost” because “2020 is getting even longer this weekend with Daylight Saving Time.” The email promised a free can of Coke Energy on Oct. 30 at participating convenience stores, including Speedway, Circle K, Casey’s, Kum & Go, Holiday and Kwik Trip. Shoppers could claim the freebie within a retailer’s mobile app. A “Set Reminder” button enabled consumers to add a reminder to Google Calendar that Daylight Saving Time was ending Nov. 1.

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With the industry moving faster than ever, the Path to Purchase Institute understands the critical need to fully and consistently measure the impact that Shopper Marketing has on sustainable sales growth. In collaboration with leading industry stakeholders, our goal is to develop a foundational playbook and a standard method of measurement that will allow Shopper Marketing to be accurately evaluated—and thereby better appreciated—within the overall marketing mix.

“We will work to foster an objective, industry-wide understanding of the true value of shopper marketing across the entire path to purchase and a standard approach to measurement that can be adopted across the industry.” — P ET E R BRE E N, Editor-in-Chief, Path to Purchase Institute

S P E C I A L T H A N K S T O O U R I N A U G U R A L PA R T N E R S

BAUER MEDIA GROUP

HMT ASSOCIATES

NESTLE COFFEE PARTNERS

BARILLA AMERICA

IMS RETAIL

OMNICOM RETAIL GROUP

BEIERSDORF

IRI

OMNICOMMERCE VANGUARD

BLUE CHIP

JOHNSON & JOHNSON

PERFORMICS

CLOROX

KELLOGG COMPANY

SANOFI CONSUMER HEALTHCARE

CONAGRA BRANDS

THE MARS AGENCY

SC JOHNSON

FACEBOOK

MISSION FOODS

SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO

FERRERO

MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL

VESTCOM

GSK CONSUMER HEALTHCARE

MOSAIC SHOPPER

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR T O JOIN THE COMMISSION, PLEASE CONTACT PATRICK HARE AT PHARE@ENSEMBLEIQ.COM

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ActivationGallery

Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies tied in to “National Diaper Awareness Week,” observed Sept. 21-27, by pledging to donate a case of diapers (up to 5 million diapers) to a struggling family through nonprofit National Diaper Bank Network for every promotional package purchased at Walmart during September. Support included a “Buy a Pack, Give a Pack” aisle violator in stores, social media activity from Huggies, and a Walmart. com home page carousel ad that linked to a dedicated e-commerce page corralling various Huggies SKUs.

In its July 28 circular, CVS Pharmacy celebrated the designation of July 29 as “National Lipstick Day” by highlighting relevant products from Coty’s CoverGirl, L’Oreal USA’s Maybelline and MacAndrews & Forbes’ Revlon and Almay. Multiple features dangled ExtraBucks rewards with select cosmetics purchases and additionally plugged two “Mystery Offers” for Almay and L’Oreal SKUs available via in-store ExtraCare Coupon Centers.

Hallmark Cards’ Crayola tied in to the observance of “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” on Sept. 19 by sending consumers who have registered for the brand’s emails a treasure map containing links to a free themed coloring page, a sea creature craft, sea-themed coloring books for purchase on the brand’s website, and a code for $5 off a $25 order. The missive promised free shipping on orders of at least $50.

Utz Snacks leveraged “National Popcorn Day” on Jan. 19 by dangling a promo code for 50% off the brand’s “entire popcorn collection.” A concurrent Twitter update linked to a web page within UtzSnacks.com showcasing various popcorn SKUs.

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Select Kroger chains tied in to “World Vegan Day” on Nov. 1 with a halfpage feature in their Oct. 28 circulars that spotlighted deals on various plant-based grocery items. Featured brands included Beyond Burger’s flagship, General Mills’ Larabar and Kroger private label Simple Truth.

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On the Oct. 11 observance of “International Day of the Girl,” Walmart used a Twitter update to plug feminine care brand Lola’s pledge to donate a full box of pads to those in need for every two boxes of Lola “minis” sold in stores or online from Oct. 10 through Nov. 10. The post linked to a “Give back with Lola” e-commerce page within Walmart.com spotlighting eligible packs of eight- and 16-count packs of tampons, six-count packs of pads, and 14-count packs of liners. As an extension of the custom boxes the brand offers via its DTC website, Lola created the smaller packs exclusively for Walmart when making its retail debut at the mass merchant earlier this year.

Southeastern Grocers’ Winn-Dixie tied in to the Sept. 5 observance of “National Cheese Pizza Day” to highlight product from both the SE Grocers store brand and complementary national brands, including Molson Coors Beverage Co.’s Miller Lite and Tyson Foods’ Aidells. Two features in the grocer’s September in-store circular (that is also available digitally) spotlighted a recipe for beer crust pizza incorporating the products.

Best Buy offered shoppers 20% to 35% off select “Star Wars” movies as its “Deal of the Day” on May 4 in celebration of “Star Wars Day.” The holiday brings attention to the franchise currently owned by Walt Disney Co. In addition to the Deal of the Day, Best Buy invited shoppers to “save on select Star Wars titles” and “celebrate Star Wars Day with savings” using a home page placement under “Featured Items” and plugging the saga in the “Top Deals” section that presents weekly deals. Both calls to action linked to a dedicated e-commerce page listing Star Wars movie titles.

CVS Pharmacy has tied in to the designation of June 1 as “National Nail Polish Day” over the last few years by giving brands in the category prime merchandising space in stores and offering ExtraBucks rewards and discounts on related product. This year, a “Celebrate National Nail Polish Day” floorstand from Coty Inc.’s Sally Hansen was positioned near entrances at some stores. CVS also leveraged the occasion to subtly reintroduce an exclusive loyalty program from L’Oreal USA’s Essie that rewards bulk nail polish purchases – first under the name “Obsessie” in 2018 and now under the name “All Access” – in its May 31 circular.

December 2020

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Technology Innovation

P2P Toolkit

A roundup of technology-driven tools that drive consumer understanding, engagement and conversion on every step of the path to purchase. Over the summer, “Pulpex Limited,” a new partnership led by Diageo, was announced. The goal: To launch in early 2021 a “first-of-its-kind” scalable paperbased bottle (made entirely from sustainably sourced wood) designed and developed to be 100% plastic free and expected to be fully recyclable. Diageo will debut its first bottle in early 2021 via the Johnnie Walker brand. PepsiCo also announced that it expects to test its own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, sometime next year as well.

Do you lay awake at night worrying that Amazon still doesn’t have enough of your personal information? Well, you can sleep soundly now that the Amazon Shopper Panel is here to close that loop. Announced in October, this opt-in, invitation-only program lets participants earn rewards by completing short surveys and sharing their receipts from purchases made outside of Amazon.com. Participants are instructed to use the Panel’s app to take pictures and upload as many as 10 of their non-Amazon paper receipts a month in order to earn $10 toward their Amazon Balance, or to donate to charity. Amazon plans to extract product and retailer names from the uploaded receipts and will delete data such as prescription information. It intends to use this information to “help brands offer better products and make ads more relevant.”

Remember “The Stepford Wives,” where evil husbands replaced their spouses with super-house-wifey look-a-like robots? I’m not saying that Kroger’s new “Chefbot” is that ... well, not yet. But this Twitter recipe tool (said to be the first of its kind) looks scarily efficient in its prime directive: Handling leftovers better than mom. You scan whatever groceries might be left in your fridge, the Chefbot’s artificial intelligence matches them against a database of 2,000 ingredients and then makes dinner suggestions drawn from Kroger’s library of 20,000 recipes. Developed in partnership with 360i, Coffee Labs and Clarifai, the goal is to help reduce food waste. The company says that if users snap a photo of three packages from their refrigerator or pantry and tweet it to @KrogerChefbot, within seconds Chefbot will send back recipe recommendations built around those very same ingredients. Kroger acknowledges that this first iteration of the technology will be on a learning curve as it focuses on gathering information, but it should improve over time.

Bill Schober is Editor Emeritus of Path to Purchase IQ. He’s been associated with the Institute since 1994, covering all aspects of consumer marketing with a special emphasis on the shopping experience. He welcomes any questions, comments, requests or pitches about P2P Toolkit, and can be reached at bschober@ensembleiq.com.

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Two consumer technology news items crossed paths in late October: Quibi, the $1.75 billion mobile-first subscription video service, shuttered just six months into its existence; and the iPhone 12, which many expected to be a major step forward in smartphone technology, finally went on sale. Theories abound for Quibi’s collapse (pandemic, bad shows, etc.), but one stood out: Quibi thought its competition was Netflix when, in fact, it was TikTok, the app for making and sharing user-generated video content. The iPhone 12, meanwhile, may or may not be a quantum leap forward, but Snapchat got on board immediately, announcing that it will be among the first to leverage the iPhone 12 Pro’s new LiDAR Scanner. The reason? Again, it’s user-generated content. The benefit of a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) Scanner is that it allows for a more immersive augmented reality (AR) experience. Snap claims that its Lens Studio 3.2 will better understand the geometry of surfaces and objects, interact far more realistically and “render thousands of AR objects in real time ... for the whole Snapchat community to explore.” I’ve tested umpteen professionally created, brandpromoting AR marketing experiences for this column and, honestly, few to none were anything to text home about. LiDAR should help fix that, but what’s more important is that marketers understand (as Quibi didn’t) that soon, their biggest competition for attentiongetting AR content could be their own customers.

In late October, Foursquare, the social networking service, introduced an iPhoneonly app called Marsbot for AirPods, an audio guide to the local environment. Once installed, the Marsbot will pause a podcast or lower your music and begin “whispering” (it does not interrupt a voice call) pre-recorded comments about objects, buildings, street art, etc., as the user passes by them. Users can record their own audio snippets with their voices (“five seconds max,” counsels Foursquare, “keep it clean and don’t be a jerk”), which will be left at places for other people to discover as they walk by. While not specifically an in-store experience (at the moment, it works better outdoors than indoors, and mainly in big cities), it’s easy to see how brand ambassadors could pepper messages (“Cherry Coke’s on sale inside”) all around a Safeway. A Foursquare blogger also noted that the company wrote test code that whistled the McDonald’s jingle every time a user walked by a McDonald’s anywhere in the world. Foursquare Legal, he said, “made us axe it due to [trademark] concerns,” – but you can see where this might be headed.

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P2P Toolkit

SPOTLIGHT: In-Store Experience

Here’s a useful idea for the current “wash-your-hands don’t-touch-anything” retail environment: In November, Chula Vista, Californiabased Videotel Digital began rolling out “Infrared Buttons,” an activation option that turns any customer-facing touchscreen or interactive kiosk into a touchless device. Instead of making physical contact, this system triggers content from a safe distance: three inches. In the standby mode, the illuminated LED is white; once a finger is detected, it switches color.

We keep an eye on start-up funding through the Crunchbase database, and occasionally an interesting technology that’s still a bit over the horizon jumps out. This month, it’s from Tiliter, a Sydney, Australia-based software developer. Tiliter uses computer vision technology to automatically identify objects without bar codes such as fresh produce, nuts, mixed bagged items and bakery goods. Shoppers simply place their items, bagged or loose, on Tiliter’s image-recognition scale and, in less than a second, it identifies the item. The system then places a QR or bar code on a screen for the shopper to scan that automatically adds that item to the running tally on the store’s shopping app. The system can identify objects through normal packaging, colored or clear, and can also detect different types of bags.

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P2P Toolkit

SPOTLIGHT: In-Store Experience

With so many brick-and-mortar formats severely limited or even closed, it’s heartening to see a new venture get launched. Seattle now has “Periodic: A Pop-Up Shop,” an experiential retail incubator for an evolving roster of emerging and established Pacific Northwest brands. Located in the city’s Regrade neighborhood, the turnkey, 1,000-square-foot retail space features modular fixtures, digital screens, social media support and prominent branding opportunities. Periodic: A Pop-Up Shop is curated by The Lionesque Group, a retail strategy firm that’s produced more than 150 brick-andmortar experiences across major cities in the U.S.

In late September, Quotient announced enhancements to its in-store digital-out-of-home (DOOH) network that is operated through the company’s programmatic media platform. With this solution marketers can directly access DOOH inventory at more than 20 retailers on the roughly 35,000 screens that are available, both onsite and in-store. Included are chains such as Albertsons, Food Lion, Jewel-Osco, Giant Eagle, Safeway, Hannaford, Shaw’s, Walgreens and independent convenience stores. Quotient says it clients will be able to activate campaigns against a database of 100 million verified shoppers, giving brands the ability to precisely target granular audiences across all CPG categories at scale.

“Who was that masked man?” Well, if you happen to find the Lone Ranger working at an Apple Store (when they let us all back in, that is) you won’t have to ask because he’ll be sporting a “Memoji Badge.” Most customer-service encounters in Apple Stores turn into assigned, one-to-one meetups. But since every employee has to be masked these days, in August they were equipped with lanyards and tags bearing their names and likenesses in Memoji form. A memoji is a cartoon-like caricature that captures your look and enhances your charisma, assuming, of course, that you’re young, bright-eyed and bushy-haired. (My memoji looks like Elmer Fudd.)

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A

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StoreSpotlight

Giant Heirloom Market BY J AC Q U E L I N E B A R B A

Ahold Delhaize’s Giant Co. (formerly Giant Food Stores) has taken a hyperlocal approach to its smaller, urban store format, Giant Heirloom Market. The goal was not to simply create a smaller Giant grocery store, but to design a completely new format centered on providing a seamless shopping experience and tailored to each of the urban areas it serves, taking into account local demographics and cultures. While all Ahold Delhaize USA banners are keen on elevating their local offerings, Giant Heirloom Market goes further in showcasing local purveyors, fresh and prepared foods such as sushi and bread, as well as the retailer’s Nature’s Promise and Taste of Inspirations private labels. After more than a year of planning, the first Giant Heirloom Market location opened in Philadelphia in January 2019, in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. Following the first grand opening, the company went on to open two more locations in urban Philadelphia neighborhoods, including a store in Northern Liberties that opened just before 2020 and was designed with young adult shoppers in mind. The Path to Purchase Institute recently visited that location. The Northern Liberties Giant Heirloom Market is roughly 13,000 square feet (much less than the typically 98,000 square feet of suburban Giant stores). Encompassing two levels, this location includes the banner’s first “Underground” taproom in the basement, while the grocery shopping experience is on the main floor. A fourth planned Giant Heirloom Market location is planned for Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood. Prior to the pandemic, that store was expected to open before 2021.

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Upon entering, it’s hard to miss the LED lighting and illuminated signs that draw attention to different categories, including “Garden” items, “Plant-Based” options and the butcher’s Heirloom “Kitchen,” which spotlights national brand Boar’s Head and allows shoppers to get freshly sliced or packaged meat and cheese.

The liquor department, which is relatively large given the small size of the store, is well-lit to highlight a selection of craft, imported and domestic beer and wine.

The lighting is an important part of the Giant Heirloom Market concept and is leveraged throughout the store. Giant tapped Lincoln, Nebraska-based Lighting For Impact to help design a plan that enhances the overall look and feel of the store and showcases featured assortments from local businesses, such as Italian store Claudio Specialty Foods. A dedicated, illuminated endcap with a countertop for sampling (during non-COVID-19 times) merchandises mozzarella and cracker products from Claudio.

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StoreSpotlight

Giant Heirloom Market was designed to support various shopping methods and technologies. A rack sign near store entrances invites shoppers to use a Scan It! mobile shopping application that lets shoppers scan their items as they shop. Additionally, a new Scan It! mobile pay checkout capability located near the Express self-checkout lane (which accepts cash, mobile payment and cards) allows for a quick (and safer) shopping experience.

A self-serve “Olive Oil Bar” endcap from store brand Taste of Inspirations serves as an automatic dispenser and blending station for olive oil and vinegar. Shoppers can use the touchscreen to choose their desired blend of olive oil-based ingredients with additions like garlic and vinegar.

The taproom in the basement is one of the most unique aspects of this location. Part bar and part arcade, the destination lets shoppers order a sample ounce of any beer or a full pour using a touchscreen above the tap. All drinks are available to go. The space also has shuffleboard, arcade games and free Wi-Fi. Masks are currently required.

December 2020

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THE PATH TO PURCHASE INSTITUTE is the only community that connects commerce and marketing professionals to the intelligence, innovation, and influence needed to navigate the complexity of today’s consumer retail landscape and drive growth.

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THE INTELLIGENCE: Expert and editorial insights covering in-store, digital, retail marketing, actionable insights to drive shopper engagement and sales. Highly relevant and content-rich professional development and training courses designed to provide the know-how for tomorrow. THE INNOVATION: Amplify your thought leadership, competitive edge, and be part of the elite consumer goods executive community. THE INFLUENCE: A community that unites brand manufacturers, retailers, agencies, and solution providers through world-class events and peer-to-peer partnerships.

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Path to Purchase Solutions Guide The following is a chart of 25 leading companies providing solutions that help product manufacturers and retailers connect with shoppers through various digital channels to drive engagement and sales. For more information about these and other companies, visit P2PI.org.

Digital Shopper Technology Solutions CO M PA N Y / W E BS I T E

P R O D U CT

K E Y C L I E N TS

U N I Q U E F E AT U R E S / B E N E F I TS

Aki Technologies

Moment Marketing

• Clorox • Johnson & Johnson • Red Bull

Aki Technologies’ mission is to advance moment marketing, in partnership with brands and agencies, to deliver better consumer experiences and revolutionary business results. Through “moment marketing,” Aki delivers advertising that aligns with consumer preferences and ad receptivity in the moment.

E-Commerce Sampling

• Ferraro • L’Oreal • Unilever

Brandshare creates omnichannel brand experiences to accelerate purchase conversion. Through curated subscription boxes, loyalty programs and e-commerce sampling with digital connectivity, Brandshare engages millions of consumers monthly, connecting brands to their target consumer.

www.a.ki

Brandshare

www.brandshare.us

Catalina Marketing

Audience & Data Services

Not available

Catalina HUB360 provides weekly insights on buyers, performance and competition to help identify growth opportunities for media execution. It identifies audiences by tracking ingredient preferences, shopping habits and brand affinities, measures creative performance to optimize messaging in-flight, and reduces media waste.

CoOptions Sampling Store

Lifestyle Product Sampling

• Kraft Heinz • Procter & Gamble • Unilever

CoOptions is focused on active/healthy lifestyle sampling with brands that meaningfully engage consumers along their wellness and passion paths. Its points of difference include in-depth consumer research, professional-grade geolocation of sampling touchpoints around key retail account locations, and strategic marketing capabilities.

www.catalina.com

samplingstore.com

Information compiled by Path to Purchase IQ

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CO M PA N Y / W E BS I T E

P R O D U CT

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION K E Y C L I E N TS

U N I Q U E F E AT U R E S / B E N E F I TS

Dabbl

Digital Ad Platform

Not available

Dabbl is an innovative ad platform that directly connects brands with U.S. shoppers via fun, engaging mobile app experiences. Shoppers choose to engage directly with brands via rich, interactive content whenever and wherever they want, helping brands to drive sales at targeted retailers.

Fandango

Rewards Programs

• Johnson & Johnson • Monster Energy • Unilever

Fandango helps clients launch a points-based loyalty program consumers will enjoy. Its portfolio of products extends to movie, shopping and lifestyle rewards providing something for everyone in a unique, mobile-friendly web-based product.

Fetch Rewards

• General Mills • Kimberly-Clark • Unilever

Brands leverage category exclusivity on the Fetch mobile platform to foster a 1:1 relationship with consumers. This unique, retaileragnostic approach combines digital promotion, sampling and survey to drive trial and loyalty.

Brand Insights & Analytics Platform

• Kraft Heinz • PepsiCo • Procter & Gamble

GroundTruth’s Brand Insights & Analytics Platform is a location analytics tool that helps brands understand foot traffic trends, consumer behavior and competitive landscape.

HelloWorld, A Merkle Company

Human Loyalty

• Anheuser-Busch • Coca-Cola • Johnson & Johnson

HelloWorld provides a powerful combination of native platform technology and marketing strategy. Working with more than 100 global and national brands, its solutions include promotions to spark interest, loyalty programs to retain/reward, and agency services to architect consumer engagement strategies.

Ibotta

Ibotta

Not available

Ibotta has provided millions of dollars in cash-back rewards to shoppers on their everyday purchases. For brand and retailer partners, Ibotta is an efficient way to generate incremental purchases on a pay-per-sale mobile platform.

Inmar Retail Cloud

Not available

Inmar provides an integrated, data-driven platform powered by a unique data spine connecting retailers and brands with modular to full-service solutions across media, promotions and e-commerce. The company delivers targeted reach and measurable, sales-driving consumer engagement solutions.

InMarket

• Energizer • Heineken • Nature Made

Since 2010, inMarket has helped its partners better understand who their consumers are, why they make decisions and where to most effectively reach them. Through its location-based advertising suite, brands activate real-time digital advertising in the moments that matter, generating powerful results.

Insignia Systems

Insignia Digital Solutions

• PepsiCo • ShopRite • Unilever

Insignia Systems uses a proprietary digital targeting process to identify the shoppers most likely to buy a product and deliver data-driven messaging designed to increase sales and foot traffic. An in-house creative studio designs content meant to get shoppers to act.

Kroger Precision Marketing

Kroger Precision Marketing

Not available

Kroger Precision Marketing is a leading retail media advertising solution. Powered by 84.51° data science and Kroger’s popular loyalty card program, the company connects shoppers to brands through engaging moments that inspire purchases online or in-store while closing the loop between media exposure and store sales.

Not available

Macaroni Kid has the unique ability to geo-target influencer messaging for shopper marketing campaigns. Its model has more than 500 local Macaroni Kid Publishers across the U.S. who reach local readers – 90% of whom live within 10 miles of their influencer.

http://getdabbl.com

www.fandangorewards.com

Fetch Rewards fetchrewards.com

GroundTruth

www.groundtruth.com

helloworld.com

ibotta.com

Inmar Intelligence www.inmar.com

InMarket

inmarket.com

insigniasystems.com

www.krogerprecisionmarketing.com

Macaroni Kid

macaronikid.info

Macaroni Kid

Information compiled by Path to Purchase IQ

December 2020

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2020 DIGITAL SHOPPER TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS GUIDE

COMPANY PROFILE Uncompromising Feature Set

MARS “Grab A Classic”

Using PLATFORM you maximize the execution of your promotional and loyalty programs, contests, sweepstakes, gift with purchase, instant wins, and spin & wins. Built to deliver significantly better results on the path to purchase, PLATFORM3 boasts:

MARS used PLATFORM3 to create a microsite for “Grab A Classic” sweepstakes promotion.

3

• Dynamic messaging and rewards. Personalized messages and rewards delivered to customers to incentivize purchase decisions.

Customers who purchase any one participating MARS chocolate product at any retailer in Canada are eligible to enter into the sweepstake for a chance to win 1 of 2 $15,000CAD cash prizes, plus hundreds of other secondary prizes.

• Advanced receipt validation. Enable proof of purchase with receipt validation and acquire shopper purchase data from all kinds of scanned and electronic receipts.

Leveraging the Advanced Receipt Validation component of PLATFORM3, customers were able to visit the microsite to register and upload a photo of their receipt in order to validate their purchase. The client had access to real-time customer data and analytics throughout the promotion, allowing them to track and capitalize on their customers’ purchasing behaviors.

• Data tracking and analytics. Capture shopper data, track behaviors, actions, and link it to purchase decisions, as well as using advanced analytics and multi-touch attribution to make informed decisions. • Security and fraud prevention. Enjoy enhanced security features, built on enterprisegrade platform infrastructure, entrusted and vetted by cybersecurity teams of top brands. • API access & 3rd party integration. Extend your program’s power and reach and integrate it with your existing marketing-technology ecosystem to run effective cross-functional marketing programs and achieve broader business objectives.

At-A-Glance WHO WE ARE

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

INDUSTRIES SERVED

CONTACT

We help you execute successful promotion and loyalty programs to drive incremental purchases. We bring extensive knowledge, experience, and understanding of what drives customer purchase behaviors to create more targeted campaigns, personalised messaging, and tailored rewards.

• Loyalty and Promotion Managed Services: Strategic program planning, technology setup, project management, legal compliance, and customer service management. • Loyalty and Promotion Technology Platform: Build, host, manage, and support program microsites, contests, sweepstakes, gift with purchase, instant wins, and spin & wins. • Loyalty and Promotion Specialized Products: Data tracking and analytics, personalised messaging and rewards, API & 3rd party integration for receipt validation.

• Alcohol • Pet • Gardening and hardware • Food and beverage • Film • Household products • Baby formula

• Robert Craig Director, CEO & Founder rcraig@3tierlogic.com

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CLIENTS • Henkel • Enfamil • Molson Coors • Bimbo Bakeries • Land O’Frost

• Red Bull • Mars • Heinekin • Hershey

• Hussein Hallak VP Products & Strategy hhallak@3tierlogic.com • Zoe Yoxall Director of Operations zyoxall@3tierlogic.com • Jason Prasad Director of Sales jprasad@3tierlogic.com Phone: 604.639.5437

3TL.COM

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us

er

M

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2020 DIGITAL SHOPPER TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS GUIDE

• • •

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GIVE YOUR CAMPAIGN A LIFT! ShopLiftr connects consumers with deals on products they love, at their local store - in real-time.

WHY BRANDS LOVE SHOPLFITR • Connect your shopper-marketing campaigns directly to your trade promotions. • Always local, always accurate. • Proven to increase sales lift.

42-48-P2PIQ_solutionsguide.indd 47

WHY RETAILERS LOVE SHOPLFITR • Amplify your digital circular to millions of consumers each week. • Fully branded ad templates featuring several weekly items designed for broad appeal. • Proven to increase foot traffic in-store and average basket size.

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K E Y C L I E N TS

U N I Q U E F E AT U R E S / B E N E F I TS

P R O D U CT Path to Purchase Solutions Guide

CO M PA N Y / W E BS I T E

Neptune Retail Solutions

Digital Media/ Incentives Network

Not available

Formerly News America Marketing, Neptune’s in-store media options span more than 60,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada while its direct-home incentive program has a circulation of more than 60 million through nearly 2,000 publications. It also has an extensive digital media network.

Pinpoint Data

CouponChek, Barcode Wizard

Not available

Pinpoint Data’s integrated services help clients improve the quality of their data and the coupons they distribute. Each Pinpoint product produces and delivers accurate, high-quality, user-friendly, innovative and cost-effective services.

• PepsiCo • Procter & Gamble • Unilever

Quotient is a leading digital promotions, media and analytics company delivering personalized digital coupons and ads to millions of shoppers daily. Quotient has exclusive and nonexclusive relationships with numerous U.S. retailers, including Albertsons, Ahold-Delhaize and Dollar General.

Supply Chain Management www.newsamerica.com

pinpoint-data.com

The following is a comparison chart of 24 companies providing solutions for various needs within the consumer goods supply chain, including activities relatedQuotient to Quotient Technology Analytics www.quotient.com planning (demand forecasting, Cloud inventory optimization, etc.) and execution (warehouse management and transportation management, load optimization, fulfi llOffer RevTrax ment, etc.). For more information Management revtrax.com about these and other supply Platform chain solution providers, visit pathtopurchaseiq.com.

Shopliftr

shopliftr.com (see ad on page 46)

SmartCommerce

smartcommerce.com CO M PA N Y / W E BS I T E

Snipp Interactive www.snipp.com Alloy www.alloy.ai

3 Tier Logic 3tierlogic.com Amber Road

(see ad on page 44) www.amberroad.com

TPG Rewards *Aptean

tpgrewards.com www.aptean.com

Valassis BluJay Solutions

valassis.com www.blujaysolutions.com

Dynamic Creative Advertising

• Clorox Co. • Danone • Kimberly-Clark

The RevTrax Offer Management Platform empowers hundreds of leading brands to deploy discount offers across digital marketing channels, track the performance and connect insights to decisions that save money and drive more ROI from their existing marketing efforts.

• Cargill Meats • Grocery Outlet • PepsiCo

ShopLiftr is a shopper-focused dynamic creative platform designed to drive consumers in-store to purchase. The platform drives superior sales lift through geo-targeted, dynamic display ads promoting local deals at local retailers across North America – rendered in real-time.

Click2Cart

Not available

P R O D U CT

K E Y C L I E N TS

SnippCheck Transaction Integrated Processing Demand Platform Forecasting and Planning

• Kellogg’s • L’Oreal • Starbucks Did not provide

Click2Cart removes the friction that has limited the potential for digital impulse purchases for brands. Ads, social media, websites, videos, etc., that once built only awareness are now direct e-commerce response points driving millions of dollars of products into retailer carts. U N I Q U E F E AT U R E S / B E N E F I TS Snipp is a global loyalty and promotions company with a focus fostering meaningful brandstatistical relationships through disruptive Theon solution combines advanced forecasts, granular sales solutions. Its shopper marketing programs generate andengagement inventory visibility, as well as marketing and event intelligence unique first-party thatlevel. helpItbuild proprietary data to build demand plansdata at any thenrobust, dynamically aggregates to enable intelligent decisionversions making.and presents automatic andsets disaggregates plans, compares inventory and order forecasts.

• Molson Coors • Coca-Cola Co. • Toro • General Mills • Unilever • Unilever

Platform³ is a robust, flexible, secure and highly scalable that leverages artificialthat intelligence, Thesystem platform has a broad,game deep mechanics, solution footprint centralizes cryptography, data mining and analytics to reach shoppers at the functionality for supply chain execution across the product lifecycle. time the right connectthe them with the brands they Thisright allows forindata reuseplace, and reduces number of software love, and ultimately drive meaningful action and product purchase. vendors required.

TAP Don’t Aptean Touch Chain Mobile Supply Engagement Solutions

• Kellogg • Keurig Dr Pepper Not available • Johnson & Johnson

In a world where distance and “don’t touch” is prevalent, TAP Aptean’s deliver 20/20 insight by letting clients monitor Don’t solutions Touch Mobile Engagement enables brands, retailers and andrestaurants manage every link of the supply chain, automate their processes, to engage consumers digitally with a simple tap on derive actionable insights fromisbig data, and a collaborative their phones. The platform app-free andcreate available on all lateview across their network. model phones (iPhone, Android).

BluJay Solutions Valassis Transportation Management

• Barilla • Clorox Co. • Danone North • Revlon America • Unilever • Ken’s Foods

Valassis turns intent Management into action using intelligence. BluJay’s Transportation is a predictive single-workfl ow, Every day,SaaS Valassis converts billions process of data points into and multi-tenant system that enables automation meaningfulbetween engagement across multichannel media, collaboration trading partners, with visibility and actionable transforming the way brands motivate consumers, optimize intelligence for freight moves across all modes globally. It controls campaigns, and measurable results. transportation costsdrive and improves service.

Amber Road Platform³ Global Trade Management Platform

Information compiled by Path to Purchase IQ

December 2020

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NEW Horizons

Female CEOs: More Is Not Enough BY S A R A H A LT E R Sarah Alter is president and CEO of the Network of Executive Women, a learning and leadership community representing 12,400 members in 22 regional groups in the United States and Canada. Learn more at newonline.org.

When I heard the news that Citigroup had become the first major financial institution in the U.S. to name a woman, Jane Fraser, as its CEO, I was thrilled. These “firsts” – the women who are first through the door of the top office in their industry – are always a cause for celebration. At the Network of Executive Women (NEW), our mission dictates that “Advancing All Women” is just good business. The facts of this have been proven time and time again. Yet the very fact that there are still barriers to be broken – that there are still “firsts” to be had for women in the c-suite – goes to show how much work there still is to do.

A RECORD-BREAKING 38 When the Fortune 500 was announced earlier this year, it came with a celebrated number: 37 – the most female CEOs ever on the list. In 2018, that number was just 24. Clorox, which recently named Linda Rendle as its CEO, has brought that exciting total up to 38. That this number continues to rise is a testament to the women and men who have worked tirelessly to ensure that women share an equal opportunity to rise to the top. Yet we can’t ignore the fact that this record-breaking number is

Support women in your workplace, and resist the urge to call “done” on decades of discrimination when a record is broken. still just 7.6% of the number of companies that make up that 500. Compare that to the 49.6% of our world that is female, and the problem becomes blatantly apparent. While we’re talking about an obvious disparity, where are the women of color on this list? There were just three when the list was announced in May, a shocking 0.6% of the total CEOs on the list. There are only four Black CEOs on the list, and all four are men. The U.S. is predicted to become “minority white” by 2045, making this gap all the more stark.

ACCELERATING THE RATE OF CHANGE Seeing the number of female CEOs continue to grow in this country is so encouraging, and it is a personal point of pride to be among that group of women. I’m particularly affected when one of our partner organizations appoints a female chief executive, as our partner Clif Bar & Co. did earlier this year when they brought Sally Grimes in to helm their organization. But looking at these numbers in context shows the work there is left to be done, particularly for women of color. What can you do? Start by committing yourself to surmounting this challenge,

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making a promise to yourself not to stop until the work is done. That alone is a very powerful thing, but that commitment must be followed by action. Support women in your workplace, and resist the urge to call “done” on decades of discrimination when a record is broken. Advocate for women of color, and ensure unconscious bias in our workplaces is challenged and demolished. Find men who can be allies to the cause. Celebrate the wins, but never willingly lean back. There is good news, however: For this fight, you’re in the best of company. IQ

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Solution Provider News

Breaktime Media Launches Content Engagement Platform Boston-based Breaktime Media debuted its content engagement platform. The goal of the platform is to give CPGs an upscale storytelling environment with an opportunity to personalize product solutions for shoppers in real time. The content is built with an omnichannel buying focus, enabling CPGs to convert shoppers regardless of their purchase preference for in-store or e-commerce. The platform can be utilized by customers in any retail channel across the path to purchase while simultaneously being activated against Breaktime’s audience of 36 million shoppers. Manufacturers leveraging the platform include Campbell Soup, Clorox, General Mills, GSK, Kellogg’s, KimberlyClark, PepsiCo and Unilever.

Quotient Unveils National Rebates Offering Quotient started a National Rebates platform to power cash back offers to consumers through the Coupons.com app. The platform marks an expansion of Quotient’s national promotions offering. The goal is to provide brands the ability to drive greater national volume and scale for their promotions through an integrated digital solution. Consumers using the Coupons.com app have the

flexibility to redeem offers at any store in the U.S. with an itemized receipt — whether in-store, pick-up or delivery. They will then receive quick cash back offers with no minimum balance required for payout. The platform also will be available on the Coupons.com website (desktop and mobile) in 2021. It will offer integration with major retailers, providing a digital savings experience for consumers that doesn’t rely solely on receipt scans. National Rebates provides a digital alternative to the legacy print FSI as consumer preferences for digital savings continue to grow. Brands can benefit from anti-stacking controls, which manage promotion redemption – minimizing the opportunity for consumer use of multiple offers and ensuring maximum efficiency.

Growing Agency Acquires Walmart PDP Partner RichContext The Stable, a commerce agency that supports consumer brands across brickand-mortar, e-commerce and DTC channels, has acquired Arkansas-based e-com technology company RichContext. Founded in 2016, RichContext’s digital tech solutions have helped clients including General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark and Hasbro engage consumers and drive them to purchase. RichContext is also a Walmart Connected Content Partner for premium enhanced content services, where it helps brands develop impactful product detail pages on Walmart.com. The acquisition, in addition to The Stable’s merger earlier this year with Arkansas branding agency Kreative, will help strengthen the company’s

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omnichannel service offering to support brands across both physical and digital retail, including the rise in social selling that has accelerated during the pandemic. The combined company will employ more than 150 people across offices in Minneapolis, Bentonville, Arkansas, Seattle and Austin, Texas.

Bazaarvoice Touts Premium Network Insights Bazaarvoice is providing a premium network insights solution for brands. The actionable insights are designed to help brands focus their user-generated content strategy and resources to win at retail. With more data that is quickly accessible and updated daily, brands can easily gauge how they compare to their competition and further help them differentiate. They will also receive the consumer information needed to pivot their marketing or product strategy with confidence. The insights are comprised of performance, sentiment and named competitor insights.

Trax Presents Shelf Monitoring Tool Trax rolled out a computer visionpowered store monitoring and intelligence solution called Retail Watch in the U.S. It aims to help grocers automate in-store data collection and optimize operations. Retail Watch combines Trax’s proprietary computer vision and machine

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learning technology with its unique IoTenabled shelf-edge and ceiling cameras and autonomous robots to provide retailers automated, continuous visibility of every product, on every shelf, in every store. Armed with real-time shelf data, retail staff productivity can increase through the delivery of alerts to replenish availability gaps, correct pricing errors and improve planogram compliance to promptly address what’s happening on the shelf, the company says. Retail Watch also supports online ordering options, like click-and-collect or delivery, providing real-time product availability to online shoppers and allowing for faster fulfillment. Trax recently deployed Retail Watch with Auchan Retail in Portugal and formed an alliance with Deloitte Digital in Spain to make largescale implementation and integration of the solution available to the consultant’s local grocery customer base.

Inmar Debuts Payment Platform Inmar Intelligence unveiled InmarPay, a unified omnichannel payment solution that aims to drive profitability by connecting consumer engagement and payments for retailers, pharmacies and CPG manufacturers. The platform, which is powered by payment solution provider Aurus, handles all merchant non-cash transactions seamlessly across all in-store and digital sales channels as well as contactless payment types. InmarPay is positioned as meeting the challenge and expectations set from evolving consumer behavior by providing merchants with the flexibility to easily accept and process transactions

efficiently and effectively. Through the encryption of payment card industry data, merchants can better understand and engage with shoppers without needing customer participation in a loyalty program, Inmar says. Inmar Intelligence also will connect the InmarPay platform to its Retail Cloud, creating an integrated suite of media, incentive, commerce and payment solutions. Merchants will then be able to draw new connections to engage a wider consumer audience and drive greater opportunity.

Epsilon at Center of Publicis Groupe’s Growth Strategy Since its acquisition by Publicis Groupe last year, Epsilon has sought to transform the way brands reach and engage consumers through its Epsilon PeopleCloud product suite, a marketing platform for personalizing consumer journeys with performance transparency. Epsilon already is embedded in more than half of Publicis Groupe’s top 30 accounts, including Kraft Heinz and McDonald’s. Publicis Groupe’s previous data platform was successfully integrated into Epsilon’s tech stack within 90 days. The PeopleCloud product suite is currently delivering datadriven outcomes for both Epsilon and Publicis’ historical clients.

Nielsen’s Global Consumer Business Reveals New Brand Identity Nielsen’s Global Consumer Business unveiled a updated brand identity — including an new company name and logo

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— at Intelligence Reimagined, the virtual iteration of its annual Consumer 360 event. Once Nielsen’s Global Consumer Business becomes a stand-alone company, it will be known as NielsenIQ. It will be identified by a new brand logo with a green color that the company says reflects its dynamic and optimistic spirit, as well as a bold typeface that represents its strength and creativity.

Vibenomics Closes Funding to Launch Additional Networks Vibenomics raised $6.5 million in Series A2 funding to support the launch of additional national networks in convenience stores and grocery retailers. BIP Capital, which led Vibenomics’ Series A funding earlier this year, is a follow-on investor for this round along with Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures, which includes a combination of $4.5 million in equity funding and $2 million in venture debt. By combining licensed, background-music playlists and commercial spots paid for by brand advertisers, Vibenomics helps businesses with physical locations enhance store sales and enrich the customer experience while receiving a share of ad revenue.The company enables brands to talk to shoppers directly at the point of sale inside thousands of retail locations through audio out-of-home advertising, with the potential to influence immediate purchase decisions. IQ

Send your solution provider news – new products, projects, programs and technologies – to Charlie Menchaca at cmenchaca@ensembleiq.com.

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Personnel Appointments BRAND MARKETERS Hormel Foods, Austin, Minnesota Leslie Lee was promoted to vice president of digital experience. In this role, she leads the company’s digital and e-commerce business strategy, which has seen significant growth in the last few years as more consumers look online for their favorite brands and products. Lee also oversees digital marketing, e-commerce operations and innovation, digital product management, and data analytics and insights for the company’s portfolio of consumer-facing and foodservice brands. Lee joined Hormel Foods in 2016, most recently holding the position of director of shopper engagement within the company’s digital experience group. She previously held roles at Conagra Brands, Kellogg’s and Campbell Soup Co. RB, Parsippany, New Jersey Filippo Catalano, former Nestle senior VP, chief information officer, was named chief information and digitization officer effective April 1, 2021. He will be responsible for driving RB’s information technology and digital transformation in support of the company’s sustainable growth strategic priorities. Catalano also previously worked at Procter and Gamble across geographies, categories and IT

IRFAN BADIBANGA

KELLY KACHNOWSKI

disciplines, leading the digital transformation for key brands and corporate initiatives.

RETAILERS CVS Health, Woonsocket, Rhode Island Karen Lynch, former EVP and president for Aetna, will become the company’s next president and CEO on Feb. 1, 2021. She succeeds Larry Merlo, who served in the role for a decade. In her current role, Lynch is responsible for leading the company’s strategy to deliver consumer-focused, highvalue healthcare to the millions of people Aetna serves. Giant Food, Landover, Maryland Irfan Badibanga, former SVP of operations at Family Dollar, moved into the same role at the Ahold Delhaize banner. He is responsible for leading all operational aspects of Giant Food, including regional ops, store support, strategic store planning, execution and asset protection, as well as people, team and

LESLIE LEE

KAREN LYNCH

culture development. Hy-Vee, West Des Moines, Iowa Former FBL Financial Group CIO Casey Decker assumed the same role at the Midwest grocer. He oversees all of Hy-Vee’s information systems and staff and leads the company’s technology operations. He also leads all innovations and initiatives for the retailer’s online channels.

SOLUTION PROVIDERS The Mars Agency, Southfield, Michigan Kelly Kachnowski, product director and an integral part of bringing the Marilyn platform to market, was promoted to VP, commercial development for the agency’s technology group. Her responsibilities will include product strategy and solutions development, day-to-day business operations, partnering with the sales team, client development and management and all internal training activities. IQ

Editorial Index 360i ............................................... 34 Circle K ......................................... 30 Glanbia ........................................ 30 L’Oreal USA.......................... 32, 33 Stable, The .................................. 50 Ahold Delhaize .................. 18, 38 Clarifai.......................................... 34 Hallmark Cards .....................8, 32 MacAndrews & Forbes .... 30, 32 Target ........................................... 54 Amazon ....................................... 34 Claudio Specialty Foods........ 39 Holiday ........................................ 30 Molson Coors Beverage Co. . 33 TikTok ........................................... 35 Apple ........................................... 36 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida... 11 Inmar Intelligence ................... 51 Mondelez International......... 23 Tiliter ............................................ 35 Bazaarvoice................................ 50 Coca-Cola Co., The............ 11, 30 Jebbit ........................................... 54 Nielsen......................................... 51 Beiersdorf ................................... 27 Coffee Labs ................................ 34 J.M. Smucker Co., The ............. 30 Path to Purchase Institute .... 10 Best Buy ...................................... 33 Coty ....................................... 32, 33 Johnson & Johnson ................ 11 PepsiCo ....................................... 34 Beyond Burger.......................... 32 CVS Pharmacy.................... 32, 33 Kimberly-Clark ................... 12, 32 Pernod Ricard ........................... 16 Big G Creative ........................... 54 Diageo ......................................... 34 Kraft Heinz .......................... 30, 54 Procter & Gamble .................... 54 Bimbo Bakeries USA .............. 25 Edge Marketing........................ 14 Kroger ............................ 30, 32, 34 Quotient .............................. 36, 50

Trax ............................................... 50 Tyson Foods............................... 33 Utz Snacks .................................. 32 Vibenomics ................................ 51 Videotel Digital......................... 35

Bonduelle Fresh Americas .......9 Epsilon ......................................... 51 Kum & Go.................................... 30 RichContext ............................... 50 Walgreens......................................8 Breaktime Media...................... 50 Facebook .................................... 11 Kwik Trip...................................... 30 Snapchat..................................... 35 Walmart......................... 30, 32, 33 Casey’s ......................................... 30 Foursquare ................................. 35 Lionesque Group, The ............ 36 Southeastern Grocers ............ 33 Walt Disney Co.......................... 33 Cedar Mediterranean Foods ...8 General Mills.............................. 32 Lola ............................................... 33 Speedway ................................... 30 Whole Foods ................................8

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Solving Big Problems, Inspiring Bold Ideas EnsembleIQ is a premier business intelligence resource that believes in Solving Big Problems and Inspiring Bold Ideas. Our brands work in harmony to inform, connect, and provide predictive analysis for retailers, consumer goods manufacturers, technology vendors, marketing agencies and service providers. EnsembleIQ’s integrated suite of solutionsbased, total-market resources give you all the tools you need to achieve a strategic market advantage, giving you the insights, positioning, focus, and access, along with a team of dedicated strategic consultants to help you bring it all to life.

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Retail Intel

Shopper Marketing Innovations at Target BY C Y N D I L O Z A

Target is collaborating with CPG giants Procter & Gamble and Kraft Heinz in two entirely different ways, one involving loyalty marketing and the other employing gamification. P&G is piggybacking off the Circle loyalty program Target introduced nationwide last year to operate an exclusive online community for the retailer’s shoppers dubbed “Inner Circle.” In late January, the manufacturer sent members of its P&G Everyday online community an email blast directing them to a landing page to “join the Inner Circle” and sign up “to receive exclusive promotions, early access to new arrivals, and the hottest tips & trends from P&G brands” at the mass merchant. The partners have since engaged Inner Circle members with nearly 70 emails plugging new and exclusive SKUs, purchase incentives, and various products tied to an occasion or season. A July 18 missive, for example, promoted Olay moisturizers and primers with SPF for summer needs, and multiple emails throughout the season touted back-toschool household essentials from the manufacturer. Emails plugging exclusives have turned the spotlight on products from plant-based household essentials brand NBD as well as a limited-edition gift set from Olay Whip designed by international mural artist Kelsey Montague and a line of children’s dental SKUs from Crest and Oral-B.

Most of the emails also direct to a webpage managed by Boston-based media company Jebbit communicating that P&G sells more than 60 brands at Target and inviting shoppers to take a survey to “find out which ones are most applicable to you.” The survey asks shoppers eight questions, including which type of area they reside in (rural, suburban or urban), whom they live with (partner, children, pets, etc.), and how they wash their dishes (dishwasher, by hand, or both). After one Path to Purchase Institute editor took the survey, Charmin, Bounty, NBD and Native were selected as the P&G brands most relevant to her and the page promised that Inner Circle would “keep you updated on the latest promo, new arrivals, product tips and tricks associated with these brands and more at Target.” The partners are keeping quiet about the collaboration: Procter & Gamble did not respond to a request for comment, and Target declined to discuss the program. Employing entirely different tactics, Kraft Heinz is extending brand awareness with Target shoppers who continue to spend more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic by stocking the retailer’s shelves with an exclusive “Variety Game Pack” developed by publisher Big G Creative. The game pack comprises three

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games inspired by the CPG giant’s brands: a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese card and dice game, a Jell-O “Jiggler Slap” card game, and a Heinz ketchup dice game. Priced at $19.99, the game pack rolled out to Target stores and Target.com exclusively on Oct. 13. “For most families, more time at home means getting extra creative with dayto-day routines and seeking out fun experiences in between,” said Steven Anne, creative director at Big G Creative, in a media release. “Kraft Heinz has always brought a playfulness to the dinner table, and now we’re thrilled to bring that same spirit to family game night.” Each game in the pack resembles its respective pantry counterpart. The Heinz ketchup game, for example, mirrors the classic condiment’s bottle, which acts as a dice-rolling cup. A video uploaded to Big G Creative’s YouTube channel promotes the game set and its availability at Target. “Target continues to be a fantastic place to introduce new games to parents and families,” a Big G Creative spokesperson told the Path to Purchase Institute. “Big G Creative was excited to [again] work with the retailer.” Target responded to the growing popularity of board games as a home entertainment trend years ago, using dedicated endcaps in stores to highlight collections that have included many exclusives. As U.S. residents began staying at home due to the pandemic, the retailer quickly amplified its strategy, giving board and other games a greater presence on its website. IQ

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