Trends in Retail Marketing

Trends in retail marketing have certainly been focused on communication of product benefits, equities and events through digital methods such as LCD monitors that loop commercials and also interactive POP displays that provide instructional use at the First Moment of Truth (FMOT); the point in-store where a consumer first engages and interacts with a product. Other trends have been to display products at shelf in a fashion that the consumer can interact with– try a product like Swiffer before you buy -- right on the store floor.

Eco-friendly shift in consumer attitudes is the fastest growing trend in the United States (the US is certainly playing catch-up to a lifestyle that has been entrenched in consumers minds in Canada, Europe and Latin America). Sustainability is becoming more and more important to the average consumer. Consumers want to feel good about the products they purchase in terms of quality but almost more important is that they want to feel integral to helping the environment by way of changing their purchase decisions. Consumers are elevating the importance of sustainability over brand-loyalty.

If your customer is the mass retailer or grocer, consider sharing ideas that support a custom solution for their shoppers. Loyalty cards, custom printed POP materials, are just a few tactics for reaching shoppers. Mass retailers want to achieve a clean shopping environment, with high quality and value products.

Many US retailers are re-evaluating their entire shopping experience to achieve “one-stop-shop retail environments” for their shoppers, and could include areas such as in-store cafes and one-hour-photo. Smaller retailers are able to maintain customer loyalty by shifting their efforts to “market-products” such as fresh baked goods and organic produce.