How to merchandise and market the virtual shelf

Marketers are watching — often without much influence — as commerce changes before their eyes. Beyond the obvious supply chain challenges, consumers are forcing brands and retailers to rethink the way their customers are enabled to shop, whether that be through contactless solutions like pickup and delivery, or via a hygienically modified version of the legacy in-store experience.  In response, budget-holding decision makers across the advertising spectrum are retooling to meet these changing consumer demands, and left in the wake of their transformation are many of the investment strategies once leaned upon under “normal” circumstances. In the near future it’s likely we won’t see many in-store sampling events or frequently rotating end cap displays (as they’re often filled with essential — and frequently out-of-stock — items), and action alley may be embraced for its enablement of social distancing instead of its ability to feature items along consumers’ most frequented path. Read more…