“Reimagine Retail for the Connected Shopper” is the second Ad Week seminar we attended earlier today. Presented solely by Michael Dill, Managing Partner of Match Marketing Group, the seminar explored the various facets that today’s digitally connected shoppers are reshaping the retail market.
Four Aspects Of Connecting
Dill started by noting that when Ad Week first started in New York 10 years ago, “neither Twitter or smartphones existed.” But things have changed, as social media and mobile devices have significantly altered the retail experience by keeping consumers constantly connected. Shoppers today are connected to stores, to the media, to each other, and most importantly, to the shopping experiences. The connected shopper “thinks of brands and retailers as providers, both in terms of value and experience”, and therefore expect to form a connection with them.
Three Types Of Connectors
While Dill did acknowledge that “the coveted Millennials are the mainstay of connected shoppers”, he maintained that “it’s not about the different generations or demos, but rather how different types of shoppers connect to stores and each other”. According to Match Marketing’s study, today’s connected shoppers can be behaviorally categorized into three archetypes: Mass Connectors, Task Connecters and Elite Connectors, each with their unique characteristics and demands.
Two Ways To Earn That Connection
To earn that valued connection with today’s shoppers, marketers need to utilize an insight-driven, shopper-centric approach to drive action while also building emotional connections with relevant and valuable connectors. “With transparent prices and ubiquitous social recommendation, it’s the retail experience that truly differentiates“, Dill explained, “so connected shoppers today are looking for something different and richer than the traditional shopping experience”. And as retail enters a new era where digital drives offline sales, “to connect with the shoppers is to win at the crucial moments of the connected shopping experience”.