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

12. Conclusion

We began by asking the question: What in the world is this thing called shopper marketing? Now you know. You should now be aware of the following:

• Shopper marketing is not a fad. It is in fact a rather new way of looking at brand management, sales management, advertising, and retailing.

• Shopper marketing is not about in-store or out-of-store. It is about communicating with consumers when they are in shopping modes.

• Shopper marketing is strategic, involving strong collaborative relationships between brand manufacturers and their key retail customers. But it also involves partnerships with shopper marketing agencies and brokers.

• Shopper marketing programs should be designed to achieve one or more of six key objectives.