What is in this article?:
- Supplier Leadership Award 2012 Winner for Shopper Insights: Procter & Gamble
- A Redesigned Swiffer Aisle
Procter & Gamble redesigned Wal-Mart's Swiffer aisle to improve the shopping experience, earning SN's Supplier Leadership Award for Shopper Insights.
• Through consumer research, Procter & Gamble identified a trial barrier that was impeding growth of the Swiffer brand at Wal-Mart.
• P&G, in collaboration with Wal-Mart and ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi X, redesigned the Swiffer aisle as part of a 108-store test.
• Sales improvement was so significant, the redesign was rolled out nationwide and to additional chains.
Procter & Gamble had a problem: About 10 years after its successful Swiffer surface cleaners were introduced, sales growth at Wal-Mart had stalled.
“We knew some of it was due to the economy but we also quickly found out that a lot had to do with a trial barrier we weren’t addressing,” Guerin McClure, who was brand manager for P&G’s Wal-Mart customer team at the time, told SN.
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Swiffer cleaning systems were a hard sell during the recession for frugal shoppers who were accustomed to their trusty mop and broom. And even when out-of-store advertising was getting them interested in the devices, many were overwhelmed by an array of starter kits and refill pads at the shelf. The Swiffer brand, after all, comprises four key devices including the Original Swiffer Sweeper, which uses electromagnetic action and a special cloth to clean surfaces; Swiffer Wet Jet, which sprays a cleaning solution and uses a pad to absorb it; Swiffer Duster, which traps and locks dirt and allergens using duster refills; and the Swiffer SweeperVac which combines suction and a Swiffer dry sweeping cloth that attracts finer particles.
While conducting consumer research with help from advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi X, P&G discovered that when a consumer approached the aisle confusion quickly set in.
“It felt like work to determine which of the four Swiffer pillars was right for them. And then further, what’s the right refill for the right pillar? It was not visually intuitive so despite a lot of improvements that Wal-Mart had made, it was hard to shop,” said McClure.
Armed with these insights, P&G literally started to think outside the box. It reasoned that consumers would interact with Swiffer devices if they were displayed fully assembled, rather than inside a checkerboard of packaging on the shelf.
