Cartology, the retail media business of Woolworths Group, has launched the ‘Cartology Customer Playbook’, promoted as a first of its kind post-pandemic guide for Australian FMCG marketers.
Cartology has partnered with insights consultancy The Lab to combine qualitative and quantitative insights on Australian grocery shoppers with Woolworths Group’s own first party data to present a comprehensive picture of the customer attitudes and behaviours shaping the evolving retail landscape.
The pace of digital growth is “rapid” with Woolworths reporting online sales growth of 53% in the September quarter.
Cartology’s research, however, suggests that shopping habits can no longer be viewed as binary. 30% of all customers surveyed shop both online and in-store at least once a month.
Cartology Head of Marketing and Insights Jodie Koning says while we’re seeing a long-term shift in customer behaviour, Australia’s retail media industry is also evolving, with more ways than ever before to speak directly to customers.
“This makes it the perfect time to present an up-to-date view of the landscape to help brands embrace the potential that retail media offers to engage with different customers at different stages of their shopping journey,” she says.
“This research is grounded in the customer for good reason: customer centricity is key. It’s critical for marketers to go deep to really understand customers and their changed shopping habits.
“The shopping journey is no longer linear, but circuitous, with multiple touchpoints – from apps to in-store demonstrations. Customers expect brands to be visible across the evolved omnichannel path to purchase in new and unexpected ways.”
Cartology’s research reveals 38% of surveyed shoppers “actively” want to hear from and discover new brands.
The Lab Managing Director Andrew Therkelsen says many of his clients in the FMCG space are asking about the new and evolved omnichannel journey, including how and where brands can show up to maximise salience and conversion.
“This playbook is designed to help FMCG marketers better understand this evolved customer journey and how their brands can win in this new landscape,” he says.
Behind the research
Cartology’s multidisciplinary research engaged 1000 main and joint grocery buyers in a deep dive into shopping behaviour.
These insights were combined with Woolworths’ first party data to validate the findings and establish the correlation between what customers said, and what they did.
The ‘Cartology Customer Playbook’ explores a range of themes, including:
- Omni-everything
- Reframing in-store
- Brand first decisions
- A reimagined customer journey
The playbook is available to download from here.