Brands don’t own shoppers. They win moments.

As an industry, retail media has swiftly evolved from a secondary revenue stream into a major advertising channel for grocery retailers. And its rapid growth is not expected to slow down any time soon, with UK retail media spend predicted to exceed £7 billion by 2028.

Many of our grocery clients have the richest data at their fingertips in the form of customer loyalty schemes. These are instrumental tools in pinpointing who to target and what to say. However, as grocery experts, we know that the key to successful retail media is disrupting with purpose.

Over the past year alone, we’ve observed shopper behaviour in all manners and channels of the market. From a fixture, individual-level campaigns in superstores, through to partnering with The Co-op to explore the small store advantage.

 

What we found is that brands don’t own shoppers, they win moments.

Shoppers don’t arrive in store with a fully committed view of what they’ll buy. They don’t have a list, and they do NOT always stay loyal to previously purchased brands. In fact, it’s in-store media that, more often than not, drives their purchase decisions.

The research discovered:

• 1 in 3 shoppers in small stores are actively open to influence.
• 68% of shoppers enter with no shopping list at all.
• Only 50% of shoppers who do have lists actually stick to them.
• 88% of small store shoppers don’t delay purchasing for another trip.

 

So what does this mean for brands?

The implication is clear. Brands don’t win through ownership of shoppers. They win by helping complete missions quickly and being visible and available at the point of purchase.

 

What does this mean for retailers?

Acknowledging the fact that, as a retailer, you share shoppers, therefore, you must fight to win every moment and every sale. The in-store environment and messaging (including retail media, promotions and look and feel) drives shoppers’ purchase decisions.

But it’s not about adding more complexity, messages and noise to the store. It’s about knowing what works well in your stores to create a simpler shopping experience. Working closely with brands, their assets, and the retail media toolkit available can help shoppers fulfil their mission quickly and with satisfaction.

 

Want to win more moments in store?

Download our whitepaper for exclusive insights into real shopper behaviour in live retail environments, revealing how shoppers really make decisions at the point of purchase and what advertisers and brands can do to influence them in-store.