This white paper discusses the rise of the occasion-based shopper and how retailers and brands need to adapt. It notes that most shoppers think about meals and occasions like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks rather than individual products. The paper recommends that retailers and brands understand shoppers' needs for different occasions and work together to create solutions tailored to occasions rather than just marketing individual brands. It provides examples of how occasions like lunchbox packing and dinners change throughout the year. The paper concludes that both retailers and brands must learn more about shoppers and their occasions in order to create a seamless shopping experience and drive sales.

1. WHI T E PAPER
On Occasion
By Jenn Gioffre and Beth Craig Lunchables, cheese, yogurt, Jell-O, and more. It’s a
one-stop shop for Mom to tackle her kid’s lunch. It’s
C a t a p u l t R PM
Kraft working with Meijer to answer the ring of that
T
shopping-occasion bell.
oday’s traditional grocery shopper shops
So, what exactly are these occasions and how are
the way her supermarket tells her to shop.
shoppers preparing for them? In the most urgent form,
Week after week, she pushes her grocery
they are more than just the meals centered on big
cart along a familiar path: up and down
holidays. The occasions are breakfast, lunch, dinner,
the dry goods aisles, weaving in and out of
and snacks. Mom has hungry mouths to feed.
appealingly stacked — but often unrelated — products
Just look at what happens when it comes to the
on display. She even creates her shopping list based on
daily dinner dilemma. Google Insights shows a spike
where products are placed and how her local store is
in online recipe searches on Sundays that bottoms
laid out.
out on Fridays and Saturdays, pointing to a trend of
The problem is, that’s not how she thinks about
families planning meals at the beginning of the week
buying food. She thinks proteins and veggies for
dinner, fruit snacks and juice boxes for lunch, milk
for breakfast. Where manufacturers are thinking
“brands” and retailers are thinking “categories,” she The occasion-based
is thinking “dinner.” That’s a disconnect.
The shopper has changed. Brands need to shopper demands a
change how they sell. Retailers need to adapt, maybe
even redesign, to meet the shopper’s needs. Better, tailored experience.
more observational, research is required. Shopper
marketing needs to play a bigger role by creating the
connections, pathways and experiences that can tap in advance of their shopping trip. But by the weekend
into what’s on the shopper’s mind. It is the age of the the shopper is far less interested in cooking, fueling
occasion-based shopper. the popular “Friday Pizza Night.” Shouldn’t that be an
opportunity for retailers to think more creatively about
H o w S h e S h o ps low-effort dinner solutions for the end of the week?
According to a study from The Coca-Cola Company, When looking at “lunchbox” searches, Google
nearly 60 percent of a shopper’s trips to the store are Insights shows a peak in August and September — the
occasion-based. That’s six out of 10 trips. Coca-Cola prime Back-to-School season. However, what
discussed the research in a spring seminar at the marketers may not notice is that there is also a spike
2012 Shopper Marketing Summit, hosted by the Path in searches during the January and March timeframe,
to Purchase Institute. Coca-Cola also cited that the and that shoppers are looking to purchase healthier
average American family today spends 12 minutes, on items for the lunchbox and looking for fresh, new
average, at the dinner table. Just 12 minutes! ideas. The paycheck cycle may also be in play, as
It’s clear that today’s shopper has put a value on lunchbox searches are higher at the beginning of each
time. It’s not just about what’s in stock or getting an month as compared to the end of each month.
item at the lowest price point. The occasion-based From a broader perspective, an eMarketer report
shopper values an efficient shopping trip. showed that nearly 90 percent of internet users
Consider, for example, The Lunch Spot, an in-line look for recipes online, and more than a third read
section from Kraft Foods in select Meijer stores. The food bloggers online. Shoppers do research. In the
section carries shelf-stable staples like bread, juice CatapultRPM 2011 Digital Shopper Marketing study,
boxes, and snacks. But there is also a refrigerated more than a quarter of shoppers reported using blogs
section built into this in-aisle unit that carries as a tool for the shopping trip and that Pinterest is
48 THE HUB NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012

2. T he Age of the Occasion-Based Shopper
Here’s a model to follow when thinking about Track what’s in her basket and see how it compares or
approaching the occasion-based shopper: aligns with your product.
• Assess the business. What’s the size of the prize • Assess the retailer. How does she shop this store?
for the retailer? Break down how many occasions Try to uncover motivations for her trip type, at this
your shoppers engage in each year, and see how the location, and in this channel.
retailer performs versus its competition. What’s the
• Assess the brand. Where do we fit into the shopper
retailer’s share of market?
occasion? Perhaps the brand is a must-have, an
• Assess the shopper. Who is she and what is the add-on to the list, or an impulse buy. See where the
occasion for which she’s shopping? Research which brand can influence the shopper. Will it drive her to a
shopping tools she uses and find her key influencers. particular retailer or an e-tailer?
being used to build shopper-to-shopper conversations within their stores. Brands may help here, but sharing
about food. The same eMarketer report demonstrated that data and creating actionable insights from it may
that more than half of Pinterest users interact with require a higher level of retail intimacy between the
food content, and 25 percent said they bought a two than currently exists.
product after seeing it recommended on Pinterest. The output, however, will be clear. For some
We also know that occasion-based shoppers shop retailers, it may mean changing the layout of their
multiple channels like never before. She’s shopping stores — literally re-architecting the spaces around
online (with a computer, tablet or mobile phone), on how a shopper thinks. For brands, it could mean
multiple sites from Amazon to Walmart.com, and joining forces with other manufacturers — or
in multiple stores — from supermarkets to club to even with competitors — to create solution-selling
drugstores. opportunities for the shopper.
There’s this interesting paradox occurring For both, it would mean learning more intimately
where shoppers are going to more retailers to do what makes shopping trips easier and more valuable
their grocery shopping, yet there’s a time benefit of to the shopper based on the occasions for which
a one-stop shop. They may go to a high-end grocer she’s shopping — and taking a giant step away
for produce, for example, but items like toothpaste from focusing solely on price, signage, displays, or
and toilet paper will be too expensive, so they’ll go to customized coupons centered on a single brand.
another store or go online. Maybe another grocer has The brand just might have to come last in
an excellent prepared foods section, so a shopper can this new world. We may have to face the fact that
grab lunch there, but also pick up items for dinner. consumers are not waking up in the morning and
She’s become a pro at knowing what to buy where, saying, “What should I serve with my mayonnaise?”
and for how much. Why would she do that? Because They’re thinking, “What can I make the kids for
time can mean value beyond price — and, needless to lunch?” So, what role can the brand play? In the
say, she’s in control of her own shopping behavior, not occasion-based shopper’s mind, the brand is her
the retailer. seal-of-approval. It’s the tool she can use to solve or
enhance an occasion-based dilemma.
Retailers and B r a n ds M u s t C h a n g e This should give us a clue as to how brands need
Traditional grocers need to rethink the “value” to sell to retailers. It should mean there’s more to
they’re bringing to shoppers, and it’s not all about talk about than selling-in a portfolio of brands or the
price. The first step for retailers is to learn more about latest flavor-of-the-month. It’s not about the number
their shoppers and how they are buying products of cases, or the range of prices, or even about meeting
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 THE HUB 49

3. the needs of a specific demographic. It’s about selling- a shopper’s true motivations when she arrives at
in a “solve” for a shopper’s meal occasion. the moment-of-truth. But a story — no matter how
Take this example of two Baby Boomers: compelling — is only as effective as its ability to drive
• Betty is 62, and working part time. She’s in the sale.
pretty good health and leads an active life. She shops This means striking a balance between the
at Trader Joe’s, Costco and Safeway. She purchases shopper’s rational and emotional triggers to define
high-fiber cereal, plenty of fruits and vegetables, Greek what puts her over the edge. It means gathering
yogurt, fish and daily multivitamins. Betty walks for the data and beyond so that brands and retailers
exercise four days a week (most weeks), and she’s an can understand it in a more human way, on a level
avid traveler. She’s very receptive to information and that breaks barriers and makes the brand and the
products that help her maintain her proactive health retail experience more enjoyable and memorable,
approach. She’s looking for brands and retailers to help and ultimately sells more product. This is shopper
her navigate what has become a pretty complicated marketing to the occasion-based shopper.
landscape in terms of health and wellness. Only after learning about the shopper can a brand
Since it’s just Betty and her husband, she doesn’t build the right connections at the point-of-purchase.
like to make big stock-up trips when she’s shopping; Only then can a brand bundle the right brands for the
she’d rather just buy what’s needed for the two of right occasion, adjust packaging to fit the occasion,
them, and for immediate occasions. In fact, she’s target displays that speak to the occasion, delve into
become a bit frustrated with her shopping because media and the retailer’s website, program in-store TV
there is so much “junk food” that gets in the way or radio or mobile with QR codes, adjust adjacencies
of the items she wants. When it comes to breakfast, to be relevant for her occasion, and, finally, reinvent
she’d really like all of her needs to be together (Greek the shopping experience itself.
yogurt, high-fiber cereal, fruit, and low-fat milk) Shopper marketing must accommodate the way
instead of having to walk through four different aisles today’s shoppers shop. We can attract attention along
spread across the store — what a waste of time! the way by provoking interaction with the shopper,
• Laurie is 59, and working full time. She struggles tapping into her true rational need (I need peanut
with her health and believes that food does play a butter for my son’s lunch) and satisfying an emotional
role in that, but she doesn’t want to deprive herself of desire (he does love Spider-Man), but the role is to be
enjoyment either. She works too hard. Flavor in her there for her. How can we make her shopping trip easier?
food is critical, and she purchases a range of cheeses, We can put a sale here. A promotion there.
marinades, sauces and spices. She manages her health A new digital app anywhere. But our shopper’s time
through prescription medications from her doctor. is stretched thin and her attention span is short. We
While she’s shopping for a dinner party this weekend, first and foremost need to develop a strategy that
she wants to be inspired. Still, she’s equally frustrated satisfies her occasion-based needs. The rest will fall
as well, as everything is set up in aisles, and there’s into place. n
no meal planning help that would motivate her to
create new dishes and impress her guests.
It’s clear a brand can only market to one of the JENN GIOFFRE is evp, group
above targets. But how about being able to identify director of CatapultRPM, working
with Gerber, Mars Chocolate, Kraft
whether it’s Betty or Laurie who’s the right shopper
Beverages and Bayer. She previously
for your brand, and then creating an occasion-based
worked in marketing at Kraft Foods
sell-in story for her that harnesses the power of your and Danone. She can be reached at
brand, along with other brands, and that’s supported jgioffre@catapultrpm.com.
by true transactional data from the retailer? Now
that’s a sell-in story. It’s critical to begin adopting an BETH CRAIG is director, marketing
approach like this to drive more mutually beneficial insights for CatapultRPM. She has
programming for both brands and retailers. held senior market-research positions
Brands need to go beyond the obvious to unlock at Kraft, Maybelline-Garnier and
Canon USA and can be reached at
the needs, wants and desires of the occasion-based
bcraig@catapultrpm.com.
shopper. Observational research, shopalongs and
ethnographies can all go a long way towards revealing
50 THE HUB NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012