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POINT OF PURCHASE WELLNESS FOCUS FOR NEW IN-STORE EXPERIENCES Health and wellness are top of consumer minds more than ever during this year of Covid-19. By Shop! ANZ Marketing, Events and Membership Manager Zita Watkin. In the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, we saw the function of in-store marketing take a back seat. People were restricted to ‘in and out’ style shopping, while ‘Covid-safe’ functional signage became integral to the shopper experience. As we learn to live with Covid for the long haul, two big questions come to mind in terms of retail marketing: • How can we design Covid-safe environments that are perfectly integrated into brands’ stories? • With health and wellness at top of mind (more than ever), how can brands embrace the habits of the 2020 shopper to create in-store retail experiences that are on point for new Covid retail? Health and wellness insights Consumers are focused on boosting their immunity to fight Covid-19. Vitamins, supplements and other immune-boosting products are in demand. Preventive healthcare products, such as vitamin C, are trending higher than symptomatic products. The following are key points that relate to shopping for health and wellness products in Covid retail, according to IRI FMCG in the ‘Covid-Quarter’: ‘Boost my health and immunity’ – people care about maintaining general health and immunity more, not only replenishment products that they may have bought previously. ‘Focus more on my health’– this sentiment is 35 per cent more prevalent during the pandemic (ranking third after washing hands and using hand sanitiser more). ‘Sanitised society’ – align brand and product with ‘sanitised society’ fixation. The take-away for retail marketers from these insights is that while prevention, hygiene and immunity- based products are front of mind, we need to create safer retail environments for shoppers who may be anxious as they endeavour to avoid infection. Display solutions Having endured the Covid-19 lockdowns, many consumers have a newfound enjoyment of simple pleasures, such as visiting a store for groceries, gifts and cosmetics, as well as other day-to-day shopping missions previously taken for granted. There are opportunities, now that we understand the ‘Covid world shopper’, to improve on the ‘shopping for basics’ experience through retail display solutions. We need to create retail solutions that look and feel clean and easy to shop, perhaps introducing sanitisation elements while providing solutions in a brand enhanced zone. 104 RETAIL WORLD NOV, 2020