| ForeShare wins International Shopper & Category Management Awards Shopper marketing company ForeShare, a member of the ForeBrands Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Group, has won the Pringles EMEA International Award for ‘Best Shopper Understanding’ and Merisant’s (Canderel & Equal) EMEA Best Practice in Category Management. Both awards signal ForeShare’s leading edge approach in category management and the shopper and channel marketing realm. According to Etienne Beukes, ForeShare’s MD, “with over 70% of purchase decisions taking place in-store, ForeShare’s ability to differentiate by tapping into shopper behaviour leverages brands and the categories they operate in. Consumer and shopper needs are changing, therefore retailers and manufacturers need to understand the changes in shopper behaviour and work smarter to meet their needs.” Beukes maintains that there are disparate definitions and interpretations when it comes to shopper, consumer, channel and category. In many cases, manufacturers will reactively first initiate category management and ranging activities, primarily responding to a drive from either a competitor or a retailer. Beukes challenges this, “perhaps even more important is to start with the shoppers specific needs and expectations in each channel dependant on the shopping mission. It’s time to start fighting for the shopper instead of just increased facings. For true category management which will deliver for all stakeholders, one first needs to understand the shopper and channel drivers.” ForeShare’s offering includes shopper research and epos data analytics which drive the channel planning process and bridges the gap between theory and implementation with an array of tools and methodologies that it arms its customers with. ForeBrands Group MD and Marketing Head for the Fore Good Group, Jason Frichol, concludes, “ForeShare’s shopper and channel marketing approach delivered immediate dividends primarily due to the fact that it instilled the shopper mindset with our key account, sales and field marketing personnel. Teams are absolutely galvanised when armed with perfect outlets, channel blueprints, channel tactics, scorecards and store performance data. This saw Pringles deliver over 5 times the growth versus the snack category last fiscal and positive performance in Sweetener which has been historically stagnant. Although we aren’t the category captains in Snacks or Sugar, these successes have enabled us to capture greater share of mind of the buyer which in turn has allowed us to positively contribute to the category strategy.” About Fore Share Maximising channel, shopper and shelf, ForeShare is a member of ForeBrands, a leading integrated marketing communications group. The company is not a typical consultancy and focuses on daily mentorship and interaction providing customised solutions, strategies and reporting tools in addition to helping customers track success. It prides itself on being an extension of the brand team by focusing on the following process:
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