Shopper Marketing: Profiting from the Place Where Suppliers, Brand Manufacturers, and Retailers Connect

2. Who Is the Shopper Anyway?

Understanding the shopper is the core of shopper marketing. Understanding what is necessary for brands and retailers to do to attract a shopper and then to trigger purchase is its essence. There is a school of thought that says that shopper marketing should focus on the category because that is the only area of common interest between retailers and brands. We disagree. Our belief is that the shopper is the primary area of common interest between retailers and brands. Shopper marketing is about establishing connections with that shopper—both rational and emotional. We have seen folks wearing T-shirts, lying on beach towels, and playing with toys bearing the logos of Coke or Pepsi or Red Bull. Have you seen anyone ...