Promoting Through Sampling

Founder of Sampling Effectiveness Advisors, Cindy Johnson, offers reasons why brands choose to promote themselves through sampling. She explains why she believes this type of promotion is more important today than ever. She also clarifies why brands sample inside the store versus outside of it. Cindy suggests some ways that brands can improve their product sampling results and explains what can drive a better return on investment.

Trends in the Food Industry

Bernice Hurst, food author, editor, and consultant, shares how parents, food manufacturers, and retailers can work together to develop good eating habits in children. She offers insight into what some retailers are doing to correctly reach kids, including a move to suggest more fresh food and raw ingredients. Bernice discusses how shopping has become a "necessary evil" and how people tend to give little thought to what they purchase. Although she believes there is too convenience, she has recently observed a developing trend of people becoming more interested in reading labels, especially in the UK.

What is the Sales Force of the Future?

Ben Ball, Senior VP of Dechert-Hampe, shares the results of the 2006 survey entitled "The Sales Force of the Future" that was recently conducted by his company. The survey attempts to find out whether or not the priorities of senior executives match up with those of their customers, and focuses on the following attributes: selling skills, analysis, consumer group, demand generation, and creativity (strategic thinking and innovation). Ben gives insight into the conclusions found in 2002 versus 2006, and even predicts what 2010 may hold. He suggests what key account executives should do to prepare themselves, including developing effective channel markets and customer-specific marketing programs.

The 2007 IFBA Top to Top Conference

Ken McKenzie, NARMS Vice President and IFBA Executive Director, gives an overview of what will be happening at the upcoming IFBA Top to Top Conference in Chicago from May 3-5, 2007. He shares why participaing in the event can be of great value. In addition, he explains how you can become a member of IFBA and learn about the calendar of events for this year.

Integrated Retailing and Consumer Shopping Behavior

Publisher and Editor of Integrated Retailing and Growth Strategies, Dr. Roger Selbert, elaborates on the trend of integrated retailing. He identifies those retailers who are currently doing it well and are profitably growing because of it. Dr. Selbert discusses the importance of catalogs and websites in driving traffic to the retail store. He explains that what determined the holiday shopping behavior of consumers in 2006 was stores who had desired items in stock and had a liberal, easy return policy. Finally, he offers some predictions of what will happen in the retail industry in 2007.

2007 NARMS Conference "Super Session"

Phil Lauria, moderator of the "Super Session" at the 2007 NARMS Conference in Tucson, discusses the leading thinkers that will be participating in the panel. Not only does he give an overview, he also shares insight into the subject for the session entitled "Retail Marketing: Future Needs - Future Solutions."

The Retail Industry in Australia

Having recently returned from a trip to Australia, Dan Borschke gives insight into their retail industry. He explains some of the differences between the US and Australian marketplaces. In addition, he discusses some of their top retailers, including Woolworth and Harvey Norman. Dan elaborates on what North American NARMS members can learn from their Australian counterparts such as their points of contact and business models. Finally, he predicts what 2008 may hold for the land "Down Under".

Ways to Measure In-Store Customer Service

Past President of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association and current President of ICC Decision Services, David Rich, discusses how stores need to analyze their customer service to set benchmarks and make improvements. He shares some of the current ways retailers are measuring their customer's experience including surveying their customers and mystery shopping. David explains how long it typically takes to change service at a store or within a chain. He concludes by predicting future trends that point to increased value for service leaders.

Retailing Success in the Past, Present and Future

Gary Hoover, founder of Hoovers.com and leading thinker in the retail industry, shares insight into what made retailers successful in history, including the "showmanship" often seen 50-100 years ago. He shares lessons from history, and how understanding the demographics of an area is of great importance. Gary emphasizes that the fundamentals of knowing their customers, loving their merchandise, and sharing that love with their customers are the basics of success for any company. Finally, he elaborates on his prediction that in the future, aging baby boomers will spend more money on experiences rather than possessions.

Perspectives on Trader Joe's

Anybody who has been in a Trader Joe’s can’t help but leave with some incredible perspectives about merchandising and product mix. When Len Lewis said the model consumer for Trader Joe’s is an unemployed PhD who drives a Volvo, I couldn’t help but think how much time Len has spent studying this retailer.

The questions I continue to ask myself are, "What makes Trader Joe’s so special? Is it the product mix, the employees, or the aura they create in the eye’s of the shopper?" It’s hard to tell, as each time I’m in a Trader Joe’s, I come away thinking it’s a different one. Maybe the fact is that they do all three of them very well.

Listen to Len Lewis share his perspective and let us know your feedback on what feel makes Trader Joe’s so special.

In-Store Media is Exploding

In-Store media is exploding. In the past five years, we’ve seen major advances in technology and even scarier is what the next five years will bring. Laura Davis-Taylor has built her business around the inside of the store and, in her interview, she talks about the industry. With so much money being spent on reaching the consumer in the store, it only stands to reason that there will be some significant opportunities for companies to provide services to support this rapidly growing industry.