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FACING UP IN A CHANGING MARKET Recently we began a series of podcasts with former Joe Berry Award winners and sponsor executives discussing the sales and marketing changes emerging from Covid-19. Many valid points have been put forward, but the underlying theme indicates something of a vacuum in terms of understanding the future, which is totally logical as we don’t know what’s to come. BWy ASMCA and Joe Berry Award Chair Keith Quigg. hen you list the communication. The effects of the elements of a sales pandemic have majorly changed the and marketing way promotions are managed and this business, the list is creating a high level of rethinking on becomes seemingly endless. how brands will be pushed in the future. When you start to assess the elements of the ‘working from home meets the KPI’ culture, the issues of a future vision seem to lift exponentially. The effort to focus on what should be the main issues is difficult, and so flexible that it becomes management jelly. Some of the podcast discussion focused on the transition of business from one sector of the industry to another. For example, brand- name online ready meals become challenged by ready meals from the local restaurants, which are trying to keep some elements of their business in motion. Are they reinventing the category as an ongoing random availability or is it a change that will return to normality when the crisis diminishes? Is the expansion of availability of ready meals becoming a promotion of new options and will it expand that market for all? Perhaps this is a wake-up call to food retailers that this is now a major category to be mastered. Other podcast comments focused on the changes in communication. The use of online platforms has superseded the water cooler and at the same time changed the dissemination of information, not necessarily for the better. Information is still being transmitted through email and online communication, but the personality of communication has fallen away and may be lost for many. Ad-lib and open conversations about such communications are often the way that clarity is assured. What can we do to clone this online? The same types of issues are facing brand owners. The relationship with retail customers has warped away from that of direct face-to-face interaction to online hook-ups that eliminate much of the body language and atmospheric No doubt for the retailers, the opposite issues come into play as they seek promotional strategies that keep up with unforeseeable consumer behaviour. Part of the retailers’ moves has involved them taking in high numbers of new employees to cover the changing demand patterns and to keep stock levels moving and shelves full. This has included the invaluable services of experienced merchandisers from the service companies and in-house teams. Such is the demand that merchandisers have been placed in the “essential service” category by both retailers and government decrees. At the same time, brand owners have been rethinking their coal-face practices and finding that merchandising services are a most viable and professional way to keep their brands on show. This hasn’t always been without challenges, as the recent restrictions in Victoria illustrate. Limiting merchandisers’ entry to stores to a ‘one-store-only edict’ is a move supported by strong and logical health strategies and government restriction, but one that also puts the livelihood of many merchandisers at risk. Similarly, it also suggests reduction of support to the stores and to the brands within, as not all companies have the merchandiser numbers to cover all stores. This is effectively a temporary rule, but for how long, we don’t know. If we move away from the employment questions, though, we can glimpse the future, as the move also defines the need for stores to have continuous input from merchandisers in support of the brands they sell and for their overstretched in-house teams. Strategic realignment is now a necessity. The way that supply chains, manufacturing, importing and promoting have operated has changed. The consumer behaviour has changed, the generational perceptions have been somewhat neutralised and the understanding of shopping online is now part of the psyche of every consumer. How do we plan inside a pandemic, and can we trust those plans? The key here is to ignore the change in environment and go back to those things that were the most important before the pandemonium began. Seriously, the customer hasn’t gone anywhere (many aren’t allowed to go anywhere). Focus on the brand’s perception, the interaction with the retailer strategies, the suitability for online marketing, and high visibility on shelf. Back this with the best communication you can create and find the companies that will give you the best coal-face service, to make sure you’re completing your brand imperatives. This isn’t the time to be singing, Que Sera, Sera. Using every available asset and supporting service must be your strategy. The Joe Berry Award podcasts are a series of eight covering a range of current and interesting issues emanating from Covid-19. They include many of the Joe Berry Award alumni and key industry executives outlining the thinking that is now top of mind. You can find the podcasts at joeberryaward.com.au and on Facebook. We hope you enjoy them. SALES & MARKETING About ASMCA The Association of Sales and Merchandising Companies Australasia (ASMCA) provides links to member companies and advice to potential clients on how to approach an SMS company and which will be best suited to cover their needs. For details on ASMCA members and service, call 0403 003 809 or email enquiries@asmca.com SEP, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 63