POPAI, The Global Association for Marketing at Retail, (www.POPAI.com) has announced that Hershey's has become a sponsor of POPAI's Marketing at Retail Initiative (MARI) research.
"Hershey's is pleased to be involved with this groundbreaking project," said Susan La Pointe, Director of Shopper Insights, Hershey's. "Successful shopper marketing is contingent upon understanding the shopper reactions to Marketing at Retail, and this initiative gives us access to hard measures on key metrics," she added.
MARI will determine what displays, marketing materials and shelf layouts work best, including the why and how they turn shoppers into buyers. The study has finished its first wave of fielding with initial results expected in Fall 2009.
SheridanGlobal, Inc., is providing the exclusive ShopperView technology and analysis behind MARI, which is currently being executed in supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers and convenience stores.
"MARI continues to roll out across the United States as we document the qualitative influence of virtually all forms of Marketing at Retail, from in-store displays, to aisle and category architecture, to the placement of products at the checkout area, and standard shelf positions," said John Anderson, POPAI Chairman of the Board /BP Oil.
Hershey's joins a roster of participants that represent America's top brands and retailers, including 7-Eleven, Inc., Ahold, Frito-Lay North America, McKee Foods, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages and Walgreens as well as a major mass retailer and additional supermarket chain.
MARI is conducted using ShopperViews in real stores where shoppers are outfitted with special ClipCam glasses, which record video of the consumer's shopping trip to include all purchases and product interactions. The video is then overlaid with shopper interviews, display audits and other information to create four ratios for each in-store display including impact, audience, engagement and conversion.
"We are particularly pleased to have Hershey's join our other participating brands and retailers, many of whom were involved in our proof of concept test. To have them return for the national rollout is an endorsement of the power of information MARI will deliver to document shopper behavior in-store for both promoted products and standard on-shelf positions, " said Tom Sullivan, President of SheridanGlobal Inc., Fairfield, CT.
Frito-Lay North America, Hershey's, McKee Foods and Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages were all sponsors of POPAI's MARI proof of concept tests.
For more information about MARI, visit www.sheridanglobal.com or contact Tom Sullivan, SheridanGlobal Inc., at thomas.sullivan@sheridanglobal.com or call 203.459.4582 /cell 203. 981.6913.
