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SALES & MARKETING can find it difficult to effectively optimise their wider promotions. In the US, only a handful of grocers, including Kroger and Loblaws, are now personalising their promotions to customers in their loyalty programs. However, the ultimate goal retailers are working towards is what’s known as ‘here and now’ personalisation, in which the right offer, at the right time, at the right price and in right location is made available. To succeed in this highly personalised approach requires access to data, including loyalty program data, store specific data, and data by the hour and the day of the week. This leads to useful shopper insights that help with space planning, establishing the ideal product mix, the ideal in-store location, and much more – very little of which can be effectively handled by one brand or one sales representative with little chance for collaboration. However, all the required data can be accessed and analysed for insights by the full-service outsourced sales and marketing companies that exist to do exactly what brands need them to do. Advanced analytics now enable brands to make finely tuned decisions on product assortment, price and methods of promotion. In Australia, sophisticated retailers are already developing highly localised product assortments based on the local demographic and shopper habits. Through the gathering of data from outsourced sales and marketing teams, brands learn which items are central to their assortment and are given recommendations on space planning to position the brand’s range within the store’s layout. Outsourcing can even give a brand manufacturer access to levels of sophistication that enable the defining of price points using micro- market analysis and the continuous comparison of item prices with major national competitors. It would take a vast and costly team to achieve this level of sophistication using a brand’s own employees. Full-service outsourced sales and marketing companies can monitor, measure, evaluate and adjust promotions daily if required, at the same time collecting insights for the next promotion or campaign. Options for outsourcing Australia has a relatively fragmented sales and merchandising industry with a broad selection of companies operating in the space. These range from those with a national, full-service offering across all retail channels to those that specialise in a particular retail channel or offer specific services such as merchandising. Strikeforce AMC is in the top tier of Australia’s sales and marketing companies, offering a national fully integrated sales and marketing service. Retail World spoke to CEO Matt Lloyd to find out how the industry has developed and follow up on the Strikeforce acquisition of Blueprint Group 12 months ago. You can read this interview at the end of this feature. While a wide range of companies offer outsourcing, the industry peak body, Association of Sales and Merchandising Companies Australia (ASMCA), has a strong presence and is a useful starting point for any manufacturer seeking to explore the possibility of engaging an outsourcing provider. Its website is www.asmca.com. MAY, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 61