Retailers are hungry this year to meet holiday shopping sales goals. If seeing holiday decorations before Halloween wasn’t enough to prove this point, now the biggest shopping day of the year – Black Friday – is sneaking into our Turkey Day.
When united, consumers do have power. How corporations respond to their customer base can be the difference between retaining customers and losing them by the masses. Just take a look at these two very different situations. Netflix In July Netflix announced it would split the DVD and streaming video plans and charge $7.99 for each service.
Okay… Maybe Rosie from the Jetsons isn’t quite in our future yet. However, at this year’s CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) trade show, new and future technologies forecasted to be in our kitchens soon does seem like something more out of the Jetsons.
Each year the National Retail Federation conducts a survey with U.S. consumer about their anticipated holiday shopping behavior. This year, the three most important statistics consumer product companies and retailers should pay attention to are: consumers increasing spending on themselves, more consumers shopping online and increased use of smartphones and tablets to assist with holiday shopping.
Consumer product companies are always trying to find the next big solution. Bissell seems to have succeeded with its new Stomp‘N Go stain lifting pads. Bissell claims its Stomp’N Go pads will permanently remove tough set-in stains and leave carpet smelling fresh.
Just yesterday, Amazon launched its first tablet computer – the Kindle Fire. So when a unique situation like Amazon taking on Apple occurs, it's a great opportunity to evaluate how the new competitor is going to market. Setting aside the technical aspects of the Kindle Fire and the iPad, and looking solely at the product positioning, here’s what we found.
Working in the consumer products industry nothing really surprises me. However, when I saw the product, “Bye Bye Monster”, I was completely baffled. Really… a product that gets kids to believe there are no more monsters under their bed? Are your kids afraid of monsters?
PSAs are not just for non-profit organizations. According to Ray Salo who pioneered the concept of “co-sponsored” PSAs, deregulation during the Regan administration provided a key opportunity for for-profit organizations to “co-sponsor” PSAs. For the last 10 years, Salo Productions has been developing co-sponsored PSAs that allow for-profit brands to increase awareness by acting as a credible source for the public on a key topic.
Changes occurring at Target and Walgreens directly effect consumer packaged good manufacturers. Target Seeing Positive Sales Results from Addition of Fresh Foods Target’s 2nd quarter profits rose 3.7%. The company credits the increase to adding fresh food to its stores.
As a marketer, determining consumer-purchasing behavior is key. For example, is it third party media or blogger coverage that drives purchases? Is it price? Celebrity endorsement? Referrals? Advertising? Social media? Direct marketing? I’m constantly evaluating my own consumer buying behaviors to help shed some light, like a recent Thundershirt purchase for our dog Monty.
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