Reinvigorating The Blog

Whew. Well, that was an undeserved break in the action. I'm going to try to get this blog back up and running again. Luckily, all it takes is a few posts to get it back in shape (unlike myself, which will take far more work).

I just saw an interesting story on Retail Wire about a new study showing 94 percent of grocery shoppers use a list when at the store. Several retail and grocery types are lamenting the lack of impulse opportunities with this blasted list.

One comment caught my attention, though. It said while 94 percent of shoppers use a list, other data shows 80 percent of brand decisions are made at the shelf. Those numbers don't have to be in conflict, the commenter says, because the list is rather generic: eggs, milk, bread, etc. It's the job of the packaging and the POP to sell the brand.

Just something to think about when merchandising, even at the garden center. The customer may come in with a list that says sun annuals, but its the job of the merchandising to sell the product. And entice the customer to add on some much-needed tools, fertilizer, pots, etc.