Hershey's, Walgreens Partner for Shopper Marketing Pilot

JULIE GALLAGHER

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens here is teaming up with The Hershey Co. for a shopper marketing pilot aimed at driving trips and incremental purchases within a key shopper segment. It will run in two key markets during the third quarter.

“We plan on conducting consumer interviews to determine how effective the program is at connecting with this shopper segment,” Phillip Stanley, vice president of customer marketing for Hershey’s, told SN.

Walgreens chose to partner with Hershey’s in particular since the two have successfully collaborated in the past.

“Through this pilot program, we hope to gain great information and insight about how to drive change in shopper behavior,” said Catherine Lindner, vice president of retail marketing for Walgreens. “Shopper marketing is the next wave of growth marketing and makes good use of marketing dollars.”

The pilot is one of several to be conducted by members of the Retail Commission on Shopper Marketing. Established by the In-Store Marketing Institute and consulting firm The Partnering Group, the RCSM was formed last year to establish a new industry standard for guiding the shopper marketing collaborative process. Since last April, members including Food Lion, Giant Eagle, Marsh Supermarkets, ShopRite, Meijer, Schnuck Markets, Supervalu, Wegmans, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and CPG companies who serve as strategic advisors have been meeting to shape a white paper that will act as a blue-print for the industry.

The model will be presented at the In-Store Marketing Summit on April 21 during a four-hour session at the Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Hamburger University, Oak Brook, Ill.

Pilot results will be incorporated in a final report due for release after the tests conclude this summer.

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