For a Charlotte shopper marketing agency like ours, the most critical moment is the point of decision – that time and place where a decision to purchase your brand and product is made. The inherent challenge in that key moment is that retail tends to be very regulated environments, forcing your brand to operate the same way your competitor has to operate. Even point of sale material is limiting, as it still falls within the retailer’s regulated space.

So how can a brand dimensionalize its retail environment? Here are three critical starting points:

1. Understand the purchase behavior happening in the category. This has to include more than just the actual decision point, but pay attention to how shoppers navigate the category and competitors. Shopper Insights should be the foundation of your retail work. If they are not, you risk irrelevance.

2. Make your in-store tools work harder. The pictured to the left is a great example of this: in the emotionally rich category of baby seats, the vast majority of packaging is plain and uninspired. This helps Safety 1st’s Air Protect packaging stand out that much better.

3. Utilize technology to continue the conversation. Brands should look to leverage existing and new technologies as ways to create and sustain dialogs with their shoppers. Mobile technologies are advancing faster than ever, creating many opportunities to connect a shopper’s need with your product’s information. The power of these technologies is that they can be accessed in the retail environment and even at the shelf, where your target is in their shopping mode.

Dimensionalizing your retail experience is a critical aspect of retail marketing. Using insights to help frame up your approach is the most important first step you could take (and calling our Charlotte marketing agency is a close second).