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Sense Retail: Shopper marketing on the rise.

Six months ago, we introduced a new sector within Sense dedicated to navigating the intricacies of the UK retail landscape. With the help of Chairman Paul Mills-Hicks and now not-so-new hire James Willoughby, Sense Shopper has swiftly established itself, gaining traction in the shopper marketing sector with some notable ‘wins’.

Highlights include our appointment as Elida Beauty’s Shopper Agency, crafting bespoke annual plans, spearheading NPD-led in-store activations for Schwartz, designing experiential activations for Lynx, Persil, Comfort, Cif, and Who Gives a Crap, whilst helping to build out an exciting (yet currently confidential!) big prize promotion idea for a major UK Grocer.

Sense Shopper press news:

Literally in other news, some recent shopper marketing press, in case you missed it:

  • With a decade as Commercial Director at Sainsbury’s, Paul Mills-Hicks shared successful retail marketing insights in The Grocer, covering defining the category story, using data for effective selling, prioritising full-format activation, and simplifying communications. Paul continued the conversation in a Management Today Podcast, exploring trends for 2024.
  • James was featured in Advertising Week exploring the evolving retail sector, urging brands to adapt while emphasising the enduring principles of shopper marketing communication.
  • James also contributed to an E-commerce Age piece highlighting the resurgence of prize promotions, emphasising their cost-effectiveness.
  • Account Director Chris MacRae, drawing on his alcohol sector experience, outlined the five principles for effective activation in the on-trade, particularly beneficial for smaller brands with limited budgets.
  • CEO Nick Adams shared insights in FMCG CEO about the transformative impact of pop-up activations on shopper tactics.

You can probably tell we’re pretty proud of our progress for this first stage of Sense Shopper, and keen to keep up momentum. So, if there’s anything in the world of prize promotions, path-to-purchase communications, key visual creation, or category strategy you’d like to discuss James and the retail team are on hand to talk shop!

Get in contact with all your shopper marketing questions.